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PROPOSALS to develop a cricket eround in Shannon have been given the backing of councillors in the ie)”a0

Last week, a representative of the Munster Cricket Union Executive committee wrote to the town clerk Tomas MacCormaic, regarding the provision of a facility.

In the letter, Chris Thomas said there are more than 200 people of numerous differing communities within Ennis and Shannon, who have a keen interest in playing the game.

He said that the town council has offered the use of a facility at the back of the comprehensive school,

for playing cricket.

“I believe the area is formally iden- tified as RB and zoned for commer- cial/residential use. Unfortunately, in its current status, the area 1s not suit- able for playing the game and those wishing to use the facility do not in- dividually have the resources to pro- pose and undertake the development of same to an appropriate level,’ he Sr HLGe

“We would like to propose the de- velopment of the area into a safe and maintained facility that will serve the purposes of interested groups and the recreational demands of the greater community,’ added Mr Tho- Te TeIse

He said he believed the proposed

development would have a positive impact on the surrounding environ- ment and its current uses and would serve the needs of those who are keen to play cricket, following the success of the Irish cricket team in the recent world cup.

Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG) said the group “obviously want to put down a more permanent structure in the area. We have to try to accom- modate all sport”.

He said it would be “pointless” to kit out an area which is zoned com- mercial/retail and said that there is a big open green space in the Cuil Cais area, which may be suitable for ule com

Independent

councillor Patricia

McCarthy said the area between Tra- daree Court and Cill Cais would be a suitable area.

“We sometimes forget we had a cricket club here many moons ago,” she said.

Cllr Greg Duff (Labour) said that councillors should be supportive of the proposal. “We should take posi- tive action to show we are welcoming of every community and support,” he said.

Shannon town manager Ger Dol- lard said it was “good to see such a positive proposal which is well thought out. Perhaps there are other locations which could be looked at. The all-weather pitch is not used at the moment,” he said.

THE future of the Irish sheep indus- try hangs in the balance this week as continued low prices offered by factories 1s on the verge of causing a mass exodus from the sector. The IFA has called on factories to up the price offered per lamb by as much €10 per lamb as a matter of urgency. Speaking following a _ meeting with the lamb factories in Dublin on Thursday, IFA National Sheep Committee Chairman, Henry Burns, said on sheep farmers need a price increase of €8 to €10 per lamb from the meat factories over 2006 price

levels just to stay in business.

‘Unless the factories are capable of returning a viable price to farmers for lamb, above the costs of produc- tion, the sector will continue to de- cline. Farmers are not going to sub- sidize lamb production by eroding their single farm payment,” he said.

‘Factories and agents talking down prices and trying to buy lamb cheap- er are acting highly irresponsibly and inflicting further damage on an already difficult situation.”

An IFA National Sheep Committee delegation led by Henry Burns met with representatives of Meat Indus- try Ireland including Kepak, Irish

Country Meats and Dawn Meats on the excessive cuts in lamb prices last week.

With production costs for spring lamb running at €90 to €100 per head, Burns commented that the meat factories know and accept that farmers cannot produce lambs at un- viable prices below the costs of pro- duction.

He continued that the IFA put the economic facts very strongly and clearly to the meat factories. “The meat plants accept that lamb prices must rise in order to restore viability at farm level,’ he continued. “The factories indicated they expect pric-

es to stabilise for the month of May. Last year lamb prices were in the or- der of €4.50/kg for most of May.

‘The factories said all of the main retailers will complete the changeo- ver to spring lamb this week and this should drive consumption and boost demand.”

He continued to say that Bord Bia have brought forward to this week a nationwide radio advertising cam- paign on Radio | and 16 local sta- tions, which should also increase domestic demand and that there was a major level of responsibility on the factories to stabilise the market and ee (one

THE jury in the trial of a man, accused of murdering hackney driver Liam Moloney, will retire to consider its verdict today.

Anthony Kelly (54), a native of Ruan, has denied murdering the father-of-four, at Portlecka, Ruan, on February 11,

2005.

Mr Moloney, who was sepa- rated, died af- ter sustaining 17 blows to the head, while his throat was cut from side to side.

The accused has admitted the killing, but says he was of dimin- ished responsibility at the time.

A judge and jury of seven women and five men has heard evidence in

the case over seven days.

According to the Prosecution, the accused carefully planned the killing and lured Mr Moloney to his death.

It claims that the accused’s mo- tive was robbery, as he went straight from the scene of the killing to Mr Moloney’s flat and stole money.

The defence, how- ever, has claimed that Mr _ Kelly suffered from a mental disorder at the time and this diminished his re- sponsibility.

At the outset of the trial, Kelly pleaded guilty to six other charges, including rob- bing Mr Moloney and taking his car, on the same date.

REMEDIAL works, costing €4.5 million, will be carried out on 100 lo- cal authority houses in Shannon.

Forty-eight houses in the Inis Ealga area and 53 former Shannon Develop- ment houses will be upgraded, under a Clare County Council scheme, the details of which have just been an- nounced. The work on the dwellings is likely to start later this year.

The cost of the works to the Inis Ealga homes will come to €2.4 mil- lion, while work on the former Shan- non Development homes will cost €2.1 million. The project will be

funded by the Department of the En- vironment, Heritage and Local Gov- ernment.

The scheme is being carried out un- der the Government’s policy of ‘de- livering homes, sustaining communi- ties’, and will be delivered as part of the overall regeneration and develop- ment of Shannon town.

The remedial works to the Inis Ealga houses will involve both inter- nal and external improvements. The houses, which were built in 1984, will be rewired. Smoke alarms will be in- Stalled in the kitchens and bedrooms, while the kitchen units will also be replaced.

Clare County Council’s housing staff Nora Keane and Tony McNama- ra outlined details of the scheme, at a meeting of Shannon ‘Town Council FNM isle .@

Mr McNamara said that the propos- als are a result of surveys which were carried out over a number of years.

“We hope to be going to tender as soon as possible. There are some is- sues in relation to fencing at the back of Inis Ealga,” he said.

He said that 15 kitchens will be re- placed, which are of poor or average fey sTebialeyer

Independent councillor Patricia Mc- Carthy said he would welcome the

investment in the houses and asked When the work is likely to com- nates (een

Ms Keane said the best case scenar- 10 will be a start date of October.

Cllr McCarthy said that down- Stairs toilets should be installed in the former Shannon Development homes.

Independent councillor Gerry Flynn said he had hoped Rossbracken houses would also be improved and pointed out that the schemes are “fabulous”’.

A number of councillors expressed concern that houses in ‘Tradaree Court were not included under the current programme.

BEEF factories are coming under increasing pressure to increase the price being offered to farmers with a farmers’ ‘hold back’ now a serious possibility.

The IFA National Livestock Com- mittee Chairman, John Bryan, com- mented last week that in over two years he had not witnessed as much anger against the meat factories in the severe way they had blackguard- ed winter finishers this spring.

“The factories’ latest moves this week to cut prices was a real kick in the teeth to winter finishers who have

endured losses of in excess of €100 per head this winter,” he said.

‘At a time when prices were rising in our main market in the UK, it was a scandal that Irish factories were at- tempting to cut prices. It is an even bigger scandal that some factories are importing cattle and telling their farmer clients that they must cut the eon

The UK market is returning the equivalent of €3.24/kg (116p/Ib) or 95 per head more than Irish prices. The IFA livestock leader commented that winter finishers had provided an all-year-round beef supply at very high costs to enable factories to serv-

ice high-priced consumer markets. The response from the factories now is to take advantage of the situation for their own gain.

Meanwhile, the ICSA beef chair- man Robin Smith has warned that midlands farmers may be tempted to hold back their cattle until prices steady a bit. “Prices in the mid- lands are back a penny this week, to €2.80/kg for Os and €2.94/kg for Rs. Yet when you look towards Donegal, better prices are available. These signs of hope from Donegal may very well encourage other farm- ers to hang on a bit longer.”

The ICSA has also laid the blame

for the low prices square at the feet of the EU.

“The low prices being quoted to Irish farmers over recent months is a direct result of EU negligence,” says ICSA President Malcolm Thompson. “Over 270,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef were imported into the EU last year, and this sub-standard product is having a huge effect on Irish beef prices. However, this figure is likely to be up substantially in 2007. In March, for example, Brazilian beef exports globally were up 33 per cent year-on-year. The USDA has also forecast a significant increase in Bra- Zilian beef exports.”

THE trial of a man accused of mur- dering Ennis hackney driver Liam Moloney will enter its fourth day at the Central Criminal Court today. Anthony Kelly, a 54-year-old na-

tive of Ruan, has denied murdering the father of four, at Portlecka, Ruan, on February 11, 2005.

He has admitted the killing, but claims he was of diminished re- sponsibility at the time. It is the prosecution case that the killing was

“planned and executed” and that the victim was lured to his death.

Mr Moloney was struck 17 times to the head and his throat was then cut from side to side. According to the prosecution, the motive was robbery and the accused went to his victim’s

flat in Ennis a short time after and stole cash.

The accused told gardai he felt “possessed” when he hit Mr Molo- ney, who he had met through a mutu- al friend some months beforehand.

THE line-up for this year’s Inishceal- tra Festival of the Arts is all but final- ised and it will provide entertainment for every taste and promises to attract hoards of visitors and business into the village.

Music, drama, poetry, film and even performance food are all on the bill this year for the festival, which kicks off on May 25 and runs until June 4 in the lakeside town.

One of the most novel evenings in the festival will be provided by the

Performance Dinner, which will be staged on May 29 in Liam’s Restau- rant in the village.

This will be a musical and theatri- cal performance by local artists and gardeners who will entertain their audience with the live preparation of a three-course meal. The audience is invited to bring an appetite.

International award-winning Irish group, Zrazy are the main line-up for Staurday, May 26, while fans of harp music will have a treat on Sun- day when the “Time of O’Carolan” concert will be held in St Caimen’s

church, starring harpist, Janey Har- bison.

May 30 is devoted to a poetry evening an on May 31, the local na- tional school is hosting a convention of European teachers.

There will be an art exhibition in the Aistear and the Fishbowl Youth Club will be presenting their short films.

There’s comedy with ‘Snatch Com- edy’ from Cork on June | and Kiul- dare poet, Mary O’Donnell will host a writers’ workshop on June 2.

A mini ‘eco-village’ is being set up in the Aistear and there will be fun

events, including a puppet show and lessons in making shadow puppets and kites.

Singing sessions trad and folk ses- sions, sean-nos dancing, adult art classes and even a festival walk are all on the programme.

One of the highlights of the event will be the outdoor concert and evening spectacular at the harbour, with Holy Island and the lake as a backdrop on Sunday, June 3.

The Lismorahaun singers and Daghda Dance are among the stars of these events.

CLARE’S Fianna Fail general elec- tion candidates have rowed in with their support behind the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, after last week’s launch of the party’s new agriculture policy.

The new policy documents, which are called “The Next Steps Forward for Farming Communities’, were re- leased to the public last week and re- ceived a warm welcome from Clare Senator Brendan Daly and Minister Tony Killeen.

“The plan, launched by my Fianna Fail colleague, Agriculture Muinis- ter Mary Coughlan, sets out details of proposals covering all aspects

of farming and the food industry,’ commented Senator Daly.

“Fianna Fail believes that farming requires further sustained support at a time of great change. We’re com- mitted to ensuring that farmers’ in- terests remain a core priority for the next government.”

Meanwhile, Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, described the publication as responsive to the needs and concerns of the Irish farming community.

“All farmers face the challenge of reducing the cost of inputs while striving to have high-quality market- able products, which will attract a premium price. Food producers face challenges from South America and

Australia, which can only be met by producing quality food that is attrac- tive to the consumer,” he said.

“The EU and World Trade poli- cies will change during the next five years. The Irish Government has set out its stall regarding how it will pro actively influence these changes. I am confident that the successes en- joyed by Irish food exporters, with the help of Bord Bia over the last five years, will be acted upon by the cur- rent farmer-friendly Government,” he added.

Senator Daly also used the publica- tion to take a stab at the agricultural policy adopted by other parties.

‘The Taoiseach was the only party leader to mention farmers in an Ard

Fheis speech this year,” he said.

‘“Labour’s recent comments on their hill-walking legislation showed that the alternative government doesn’t believe farmers should be consulted on matters that directly affect them.

“Our plan outlines a range of com- mitments, including support for the development of higher-value prod- ucts with more secure markets, the extension of country-of-origin la- belling, a strong position on EU and WTO negotiations and the improve- ment of a range of schemes designed to give farmers the freedom to farm as they decide.”

The policy in full can be viewed on www.thenextsteps.ie/farmingcom- munities.

FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny says he is confident that the party’s con- troversial four-candidate strategy will see the party return a second deputy to the Dail.

During his visit to Clare last week, Mr Kenny echoed the belief ex- pressed by Fine Gael’s Director of Elections in Clare.

Speaking in these pages three weeks ago Paul _ Bugler commented that the key to Fine Gael’s strategy would be miaintain- ing and hold- ing the party’s internal trans-

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Mr Kenny SF NCMR Meee CAN which

had provoked heated debate at the party’s County Convention, would prove successful. Commenting on the importance of the internal transfers Mr Kenny said, “They (transfers) will obviously be the key to it. But I expect the peo- ple and our supporters are going to make a real effort here to send back a second deputy with deputy Pat Breen. We have already encouraged our supporters to vote the full Fine

Gael ticket, thereafter to vote the Labour ticket and thereafter to pass their preference votes onto the Green Party, who share the same objective as ourselves as getting the Govern- ment out of office”

Mr Kenny also pledged his com- mitment to the retention of consult- ant delivered accident and emergency services at Ennis General Hospital.

He also outlined his opposition to the controversial Hanly report,

which is ex- pected to rec- ommend the downgrading of services at the hospital “We’ve committed to that. We’re opposed to the Hanly report were opposed to closing down small hospi- tals and services. We are committed to keeping accident and emergency services opening and to full-time consultant led services in Ennis.”

THIS week sees the culmination of a long road strew with paperwork for a north east Clare group and their little Od tNaxone

Minister Brian Lenihan will be the VIP on Friday at the official opening of the Lough Graney Kids Corner community creche, childcare and af- ter-schools facility.

The facility was purpose built after sucessfully securing a building grant of €1 million and a further €94,000 for equipment.

“We started several years back in the national school, where we had a playschool in a spare room,” said Kathleen McNamara, Secretary of the childcare committee.

“We applied for and got a staffing erant, which meant we were able to expand to pre-school and after school care. That grant was a major cog in the wheel. It gave us the opening to keep going forward.”

What followed was “a mountain of paperwork”, said Kathleen. “We had forms everywhere. It was never ending but when you see the benefit to the community today, it was well worth it.”

Now the facility operates out of a state-of-the art purpose built home at the back of the school, with fifty children being catered for.

The structure is child-friendly, tim- ber framed with underfloor heating and wood floors for little feet.

“We don’t just sit around keeping an eye on them. We are very activ- ity oriented. While we do homework with the children, we also have peo- ple come in to do activities like gym- nastics and crafts. We do a cookery class for children which is very pop- ular. There are lots of things like that that parents just don’t get time to do with the children anymore.”

And the youngsters are not the only ones who benefit from the new build- ing. There are regular community classes in the activity room such as (0yeeF

“When older people come here for a class, they get to mix with the chil- dren,” said Kathleen.

The staff even offer a summer camp and a birthday party facility, where children can celebrate their big day without parents having the hassel of having to bring gangs of children to their homes or drive their own miles to a party.

Built by a local builder, to a design

by architect, Peter Sheils, the child- care centre will soon have it’s own website and open days are planned for new parents and their children. Welcoming the official opening, lo-

cal councillor Pat Hayes said the fa- cility is “a really valuable part of the infrastructure of the area and a re- source for the entire north east Clare area. We can be justifiably proud to

have an important facility like this”.