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A WOMAN has won her battle to transform a 19th-century school building into a holiday home.

The former primary school is lo- cated at Ballyfaudeen, Liscannor, in a remote, sparsely populated rural area. Nora French lodged plans to convert it last year.

The school dates from 1882 and has not operated for around 10 years.

However, Clare County Council turned down the proposal over site

drainage issues. Ms French appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The board inspector who investi- gated the case agreed with the coun- cil, stating that the proposal would be prejudicial to public health. The inspector was not satisfied that the site could be drained satisfactorily by means of a new Envirocare unit with peat-based system and outfall to an existing trickling filter on site.

However, the board over-ruled its own inspector to give Ms French the go-ahead.

It stated that having regard to the long established use of the existing building on the site as a school, the proposed development would not be prejudicial to public health and would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable de- velopment of the area.

The appeal lodged on Ms French’s behalf stated that the building had become derelict since its abandon- ment.

“Taking account of the prominent location of the building, and its his-

tory, it is appropriate to preserve and protect the local community spirit as many of the school attendees con- tinue to live in the area.

“Appropriate and imaginative re-use will provide for the general enhancement of the area. The ‘do- nothing’ scenario for a building in this location does nothing more than present a ‘no-confidence’ vote in the multiplicity of projects, which are undertaken countrywide to provide remediation for sites with similar drainage issues.

“On a broader note, the develop- ment is located in an area in which the houses to serve the increasing tourist market are not being permit- ted, and are only infrequently com- ing available on the local market.

“At the outset, it 1s important to make the distinction between a pro- posal for development on a green- field site and a proposal for rede- velopment of a building, which is constructed, has been used and is part and parcel of the local commu- ia Ae

THE trial of three people charged with the manslaughter of Kildysart father of five Vincent Hehir last year 1s set to go ahead at Ennis Cir- cuit Criminal Court in June. Inspector Michael Gallagher in- formed Ennis District Court on Friday that the relevant books of

evidence had been served on each of the three accused and that the Director of Public Prosecutions had ordered that all three stand trial for the alleged offences in the Circuit Court.

The three men, Michael Bryan Finn (33), of Ennis Road, Kildysart, Noel Murphy (22), of Crovraghan, Kildysart, and Mark O’Connor (18)

of Rosscliffe, Ballynacally, Ennis are each facing a charge of man- slaughter, arising out of the death of the Mr Hehir on September 6 Tie

Mr Hehir died in hospital three days after being found unconscious outside a pub in Kildysart. He had travelled to Kildysart from Ilford in London to visit his family and

collect his five children, who had been on holiday with his parents for the summer. Mr Hehir managed the popular Black Horse Pub in [I- OKC

Judge Aeneas McCarthy remand- ed all three men on continuing bail and sent them forward for trial to the next sitting of Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on June 19.

AFTER a long and peaceful win- ter, Ballyvaughan has well and truly woken in the last week as the Burren in Bloom Ballyvaughan Celebration breathed fresh life and energy into the village.

Now in its third year, Burren in Bloom is beginning to carve out a name for itself as one of Ireland’s foremost nature-based festivals.

“It started over three years ago, when a man called Padraig Cleary suggested that we start doing more in Ballyvaughan to promote the area to tourists. Out of that came the Burren

in Bloom and the Christmas market,” said Jim McCarthy, chairperson of the Burren in Bloom committee.

“The original concept was not to have a festival but more of a celebra- tion of the spring and the flowers of the Burren. We started hanging the May bush on the doors as a way of welcoming the spring and warding off any evil spirits.”

A key element of Burren in Bloom is a series of illustrated talks which take place throughout the month at the Burren College of Art in Bally- vaughan. Following good turnouts for both John Kirby of the Burren- Life Project and John Murphy of

Birdwatch Ireland during the week, expectation is growing that this will be one of the best attended and most exciting series to date.

Gordon D’Arcy of the Burren College of Art will host a talk this evening, Tuesday, May 8, on the sub- ject of songbirds and the Burren.

Other to appear over the next few weeks include David Lyons, James Moran, Mary Angela Keane, Sharon Parr and Brendan Dunford.

“T always think that for something like this to really catch on takes about five years or more.

“This is just our third year and things are building nicely. We have

had inquiries this year from the UK and New York as well as all around Ireland,’ continued Mr McCarthy.

“It’s working well, people are grad- ually getting to know the name. We know that people are staying longer in the village and, with the bank hol1- day weekend, things are really start- ing to get going.”

The celebration will also include a number of guided walking events in the Burren, Irish music nights, a jazz quartet and a whole series of nature related events building to the Buds of May Barbecue on May 26. For more information check out www.bally- vaughanireland.com

AHEAD of the Clare Community Forum information night at the Tem- ple Gate Hotel on this Tuesday night, Fine Gael election candidate Cllr Joe Carey (FG) has called for strategic and comprehensive community sup- ports to bolster a vision of a stronger mid-west region.

Without strong and vibrant commu- nity infrastructure, the region will be ill-equipped to meet the challenges ahead, Cllr Carey said.

The construction of the Ennis by- pass and the resurgence of adjacent communities, such as _ Crusheen, Clarecastle, _Newmarket-on-Fergus

and Barefield means that proper facilities need to be put in place in these areas as a matter of urgency.

‘There are many areas where we need to be doing more in terms of playground facilities, activities for teenagers, recreational facilities, and generally implementing a vision for post by-pass Ennis. Currently this is not being done in any coherent or constructive manner’, said Cllr Carey.

The lack of adequate playground facilities continues to be a major is- sue for many communities, he said.

“I know for instance that residents in Quin are having to take on the 1s- sue themselves to try and get play-

ground facilities built in their vil- lage. And they are not the only ones. When funding has been earmarked for these initiatives, it 1s inconceiva- ble to think that people have to lobby to get basic facilities for their local area. It’s just not on”.

“IT am proposing that Fine Gael in government will appoint a Cabinet Minister for regional planning and development with sole responsibility for delivering a policy based on the principles of proper planned regional development”, he concluded.

A MAJOR insurance company has admitted that the wording of its mo- tor policies could be misinterpreted and is not clear on what type of driv- ing licence a motorist requires to be certain of being insured to drive a vehicle.

The revelation came at Tulla Dis- trict Court, when two men were prosecuted for a number of motoring aoe ;

Mohamed Salem, of Carrig An O1r, Ennis was driving a lorry which was stopped by a garda, at Moymore, Tulla, in January.

Mr Salem was charged with driv- ing without insurance and a driving licence, not having the correct road tax and with having a bald tyre. His employer, Mr Gerard Clune, former- ly of Clune Murphy Construction, was charged with five offences.

Garda John Ryan said when he stopped Mr Salem and demanded production of his documentation, he tendered a Libyan driving licence.

Defending solicitor Sse bs Loughnane said AXA’s insurance certificate stated that a driver with a

“full driving licence” was insured to drive the vehicle and that Mr Salem’s Libyan licence was sufficient.

AXA _ Insurance _ representative Paul Quinlan admitted the wording of the policy could lead to misin- terpretation. He said AXA did not verify what driving licence was be- ing submitted when an application for cover was made but that the “in- tention would be a full Irish driving licence”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy agreed that the wording could be misinter- preted. He said that if Mr Salem had an accident, technically he would not be insured but in a civil action, the insurance company would be held li- able. The Judge said however that un- der the provisions of the Road Traf- fic Act, under which the proceedings were taken, a driver must hold a full Irish driving licence.

He acquitted Mr Salem on three of the four charges, but convicted him on the bald tyre charge and fined him €100.

Judge McCarthy convicted Mr Clune on all five charges and fined him €1,250. Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.

THERE wasn’t a bad word to be heard around the corridors and class- rooms of Mary Immaculate Sec- ondary School in Lisdoonvarna last week as a year-long project designed to promote consideration in the com- munity came to an end.

The programme, which was called The Promotion of Courtesy Care and Consideration, was organised by the Home School Community Commit- tee and saw students from every class in the school work and think about how their locality could be changed into an even more friendly place.

A major aspect of the programme saw students from the school forge close ties with the people who attend the day care centre for the elderly at the Stella Maris.

This culminated in a special night with Fanore poet and author John O’Donoghue, which was organised by the school in support of the Stella Maris.

“He gave a wonderful talk and raised €1,000, which we were ab- solutely over the moon about,” said Maureen Droney of the Home School Community Committee.

“The money will go to the Stella Maris who are looking to buy a big- ger bus which will allow them to bring more people to the day centre. There is a great demand for the Stella Maris and indeed they are looking to open up for a third day each week.

“We had a lot of people who attend the day centre who came out for the night but there were a few people who would follow John, who trav- elled long distances to be there.”

John was joined on the night by his nephew and tenor with the Lismo- rahaun Singers, Peter O’Donoghue, and Leaving Certificate student Bri- da O’Donoghue, who played violin.

“During the year, the students vis- ited the elderly people and this gave them great life. You would even feel it on the streets that there was a real community spirit,’ continued Mau- reen.

“Next year, we will be focusing ona different theme. We will have a little break now and decide what to look at next year. We still hope to have a Courtesy, Care and Consideration week next year but the main focus will be somewhere else.”

Throughout the school year, the entire school community of Mary Immaculate took part in some way with a variety of events involving the

Courtesy, Care and Consideration Programme.

Teachers spoke about politeness and ethics in relation to their own subjects, each class drew up a char- ter of good behaviour, a poetry com- petition took place and a different poem was read aloud on the school intercom each morning to serve as a thought for the day.

MINISTER of State at the Depart- ment of Enterprise, Trade and Em- ployment Tony Killeen has published a second progress report on National Workplace Strategy. According to the minister, “The report highlights significant new initiatives to support workplace change and innovation in the public and private sectors.”

The report outlines key develop- ments in implementing the Strategy’s recommendations since the group last reported. The High Level Group, which is chaired by Minister Killeen, involves key Government depart- ments and agencies working together with the social partners to support workplace change and innovation in

the public and private sectors.

“IT am happy to be able to report that, building on the endorsement of the work of the group in the Frame- work Social Partnership Agreement Towards 2016, we have seen sig- nificant progress and the launch of important new initiatives across the five strategic priority areas of the Na- tional Workplace Strategy,’ Minister GTN ore yaork

The minister welcomed the fact that the National Workplace Strategy has reached an important juncture, Where the messages and objectives agreed and adopted at a national level by Government and the Social Partners are now to be targeted at workplace level to employees, trade unions and managers across the pub-

lic and private sectors.

“The new Workplace Innovation Fund will play an important role in supporting this process,’ the Minis- MEST BLOE

“The real success of the National Workplace Strategy will be meas- ured in terms of how it succeeds in influencing meaningful change at the level of the workplace.

‘“W hile this is no easy task, we have every reason to be optimistic. We know from our long experience with social partnership that our capacity to solve problems is best served by working together. The strategy gives us a unique opportunity to turn our creative problem-solving instincts into a source of sustained competi- tive advantage.”

ENDA Kenny arrived in Ennis on Saturday — his second visit to the town inside two weeks — with a flurry of energy. He bounded from his cam- paign car and high-tailed it to the top of O’Connell Street.

He was due to land at 12.30pm but Kenny was 25 minutes late and the crowd, gathered in expectation of a showdown with ‘Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, had largely dispersed.

They were following in the footsteps of the Fianna Fail leader who himself landed beneath the O’Connell monu- ment at Kenny’s expected time of ar- UAE

But those who did linger to see the national face of Fine Gael witnessed a man in the middle of one of the most intense campaigns. He’s been twisting through the country like a Tasmanian Devil, shaking hands and rubbing flesh. Trying to out-Bertie the Taoiseach.

You wouldn’t think it. Kenny looked fresh and casual as he grabbed a mi- crophone. A blue, unbuttoned shirt in contrast to the sharp suit of Ahern.

He got down to business almost im- mediately, setting out his vision for what he expects will be a Fine Gael- led government once the election is done with. There was a youthful zest to much of what he said.

More than once, he appealed to the young people of Clare to get out and get involved in the campaign.

“Enjoy it,’ he said. “Use your power to change this Government.”

Then he focused on the Govern- ment he wants to send packing, say- ing at various points that they were incompetent, indecisive, remote, removed, conceited, smug, arrogant and uncaring.

“We offer the people of the Banner a unique choice of candidates here,’ he said. Then, he named out the four who form the Fine Gael ticket, going through each one, presumably in the

order that he expects them to poll.

“We’re led by Deputy Pat Breen and young Joe Carey here in Ennis. And my colleague of many years, Madeline Taylor-Quinn, and also the man pictured across the motor- way coming up from Limerick, Tony Mulcahy.”

He moved into the crowd, flanked by his local supporters, and got to know the people who he says will bring two Fine Gael seats to Clare. He posed for photographs with kids. He skipped down O’Connell Street and took a right into the Market area before stopping at coffee shops, hair- dressers, bookshops, bookies and in- SLD ech eleromrereco nL Ae

The Fine Gael whirlwind was blow- ing through town.

He was asked if the decision to run with four candidates in Clare was a wise one, particularly given the open criticism of the policy by his front runner, Deputy Pat Breen.

“We have very healthy competi-

tion internally in the party in Clare and this has given us a chance to get around to every single voter in the county. I know that all these people are going to get to every house in the county and explain why they have to change this Government.

“But I don’t know what the people of Clare will do at the end of the day and it’s all going to depend on trans- fers. As far as I’m concerned, if the people of Clare return two Fine Gael TDs, Pl be absolutely thrilled.”

It was a day when the sizzle of poli- tics could have taken off in Clare, just like the good old days, but Ken- ny’s late arrival ultimately saw that it wouldn’t come to pass. No face-to- face. No gunfight.

“T heard you had a visitor just be- fore I arrived,” he said. “I’d love to have had a showdown here with Ber- tie, it would have been great excite- ment and we’d all have been talking about it for days. But, of course, we would have won it [the showdown]

hands down and maybe if I shook his hands here, I might be saying good- bye to him.”

He walked on, 1n a small circle of the town and returned again to where the day had started an hour before.

“IT am not one to stand on this Square in Ennis, where many speech- es were made over the past 80 years, by many more notorious than I, but I am not afraid to say to the people of the Banner, we will accept responsi- bility for our actions when we are in Cred crasbeelosel me

It was his parting shot.

Just before he left for Galway, a eroup of young Eire Og fundraisers rattled a box of coins close to him. OST eNVARe UCN ea macCocomn soles pOMEcI BOD ECLMmOLU LIN Ie was alerted. Joe Carey began to push a €5 note into his hand, by way of a donation.

Kenny ignored it, fished in his pock- et and pulled out a crisp €20 note. He plopped it in the box, flashed a smile and then he was gone.

THE pioneering marine research of the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation in Kilrush will be high- lighted in an RTE documentary this month.

The Estuary: Secret of the Shan- non, which looks at a new system for studying dolphin activity, can be seen on May 11 on RTE One at Pelt} yee

The ‘Getting Wet’ segment of the series was shot over several weeks in August and September last year. It is one of a weekly four part series

which also looks at history, industry and the future of the estuary.

The series began on May 4 and is narrated by actress Brenda Fricker

In the programme Dr Simon Ber- row, Project Leader of the SDWF and PhD student Joanne O’Brien, will outline their work in “acous- wee

‘Historically, dolphins have been studied with visual and surface tech- niques but acoustics is much more powerful. We put a piece of equip- ment called a hydrophone in the estuary off Kilcredaun Point and it sent signals via a cable to a computer

set up in a cow Shed in Carrigaholt. The software can pick up and record dolphin sounds from one or two kil- ometres away, he said.

Ms O’Brien, from Kilrush, will only be the second PhD dedicated to whale and dolphin study in Ireland.

The federation’s research, funded mainly by conservation organisa- tions, community groups and edu- cational grants, is among the first of its kind in Ireland. Dr Berrow is the SDWF’s only core staff member.

“We also made the first attempt to deploy the hydrophones in winter last year. The weather was very bad

so it was a challenge. That would help with construction projects for example so it has commercial apph- cations,’ Dr Berrow added.

Dr Berrow is concerned about the environmental impact that local fac- tories may be having on the estuary’s ecosystem and has written to anyone with an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence to ask for a contribu- tion to the SDWF to fund more staff and research. Just one company, Irish Cement, has expressed an in- terest in giving funding.

The SDWE attracts interested stu- dents from all over Europe.

IT’S cup final time in Clare with the County Grounds playing host to five deciders next weekend.

On Saturday the under 15 and un- der 13 finals take centre stage. Sun- day sees the under 12 final down for decision along with the under 14 and under 16 finals.

The under 11 cup final will take place on Thursday May 17. In the under 15 decider, Lifford take on Av- enue in a repeat of the league play- off final.

Avenue won that game 3-0 but the league was subsequently awarded to

Lifford when it emerged that Avenue fielded a suspended player, David Smith in a previous fixture. Avenue appealed the decision to the School- boys Football Association of Ireland (SFAI) who upheld the Clare league’s decision.

Avenue will be out to ensure their season doesn’t end pointless while Lifford will have double dreams on their mind.

Next up at 2pm on Saturday is the meeting of Newmarket Celtic and Avenue United in the under 13 final.

Newmarket edged out Fern Celtic in the semi final and a cup final success would be the perfect end to a season

that saw the club re-open their spir- itual home at McDonagh Park.

However they face an uphill task against the recently crowned league champions Avenue who will start as favourites.

The under 12 decider on Sunday is an all Ennis affair between Ennis town and Avenue United. Avenue pipped Ennis to the league title but Town will hope to summon the spirit that saw them overturn a 2-0 deficit against Moneypoint in a thrilling quarterfinal.

Then under 14 final looks an in- triguing prospect with division two champions Fern Celtic looking to

complete the double when they take on Avenue United.

By the time Moher take to the field for the under 16 final decider against Newtown, the pair will know if they are to meet in a league play off de- cider. Moher require victory against Avenue this week in order to force a play-off. Newtown will be out to erase memories of a 4-0 hammering dished out by Moher over the week- aXe

Lifford A and Avenue United A will contest the Under 11 final. Av- enue have already won the division one title but Lifford will present for- midable opposition.