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WITH the arrival of the good weath- er, the urge to get out in the field and get some work under the belt is erowing all the time. It is appropriate then, at this time of increased activi- ty, to remind farmers, and especially young farmers, of the importance of insuring their safety while working and operating machinery.

With this in mind, the FRS Net- work Training Services, in conjunc- tion with Teagasc and IFA Skills Net, will hold a one-day training course in Ennis on Friday, May 11 and in Limerick on Wednesday, May 9.

The training courses, which are en- titled “Young Agricultural Drivers’ Safety and Skills Awareness’, were

launched last week by the Minister for Labour Affairs and Clare Gener- al Election candidate, Tony Killeen.

The majority of young agricultural drivers are allowed on the public roads with just a basic provisional licence, without any formal safety awareness training. These drivers carry a huge responsibility for public safety while on the road.

‘They are responsible for being in control of very large modern tractors with large implements attached, such as Silage trailers laden with anything up to 20 tonnes of grass, and it’s all rush, rush, rush and long hours dur- ing the busy harvest or sowing time,’ said a spokesperson from the FRS.

“Unfortunately, this all adds up toa very serious accident waiting to hap-

pen and, in order to minimise this possibility, FRS along with Teagasc and IFA Skills Net have joined forc- es to put on the courses in the two fo) tonal she

“If there is a good uptake this year, we see the idea being rolled out na- tionwide next year.”

Each course has been designed and will be delivered by experienced tu- tor Val O’Connor and there will also be experienced drivers available on the day to deliver invaluable practi- cal driving instruction.

The courses are designed to create safety awareness for all agricultural drivers, be they silage workers, hay- making contractors or tillage work- ae

Items covered will include law, work

equipment, use on the road and dan- gers in the yard, tractor maintenance, checking trailers, lights and tyres and driving and tipping trailers.

More information can be got by contacting the FRS Network Train- ing Services in Limerick on 063 y1Uelelon

PLANS for a rail-link to Shannon have suffered a major setback with news that the early results of a fea- sibility study on the project are “ex- tremely poor”.

The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen confirmed that “the analy- sis, figures and economic case in the original draft” were not good enough.

He said that “he did not go with it” because of the poor figures.

“A different set of requests and questions were sought and these have gone into the mix. The local author- ity is dealing with it at present. I ex- pect to receive the final report soon and it is hoped that it will be posi- tive,’ he added.

It is understood that the consultants involved in drawing up the feasibility study, MVA Consultants, estimated the cost of the rail-link at €700 mil- |bTeyee

Chairman of the Shannon Rail Partnership, Councillor Sean Hillery (FF), disputed the €700 million cost on the rail-spur yesterday and said that the partnership’s own costing put it at €240 million.

“We accept that a rail-spur to Sixmilebridge is not viable and the approach to take is a direct rail-link between Limerick and Shannon. This is not going to happen this year or next year and will depend on popu- lation increases. A rail-link between

Shannon and Limerick would attract a public-private partnership, whereas a link between Shannon and Sixmi- lebridge would not,” he said. Councillor Hillery added that he hoped the route for the rail-link would be frozen in anticipation of it being built in future years. Meanwhile, in a Dail debate on Shannon Airport, Deputy James Breen (Ind) asked Minister Cullen if he would provide Shannon with debt free status. The estimated debt of Shannon is believed to be around

€100 million.

Minister Cullen stated, “It is not an issue because Shannon does not have a debt. I am not bothered about it.”

Deputy Breen also asked Minister Cullen about the possibility of fur- ther investment in the airport.

“Absolutely. There is no question about it,” said the minister.

WORK on the new playground in Sixmilebridge is due to get under- way within two months and a major fundraising drive will be launched locally next week.

Planning permission for the project was secured from Clare County Council five months ago. However the council did not grant permission for the area to be fenced off. The committee behind the project felt DOE NOON ECMAY’c-RN Rol O1UUDKCLO MEDI MEBOCCMN DOI) te ests of security, and appealed this condition to An Bord Pleanala.

This appeal was successful last week and now means that the eroup’s full plans will get the go-

ahead.

Funding, to the tune of €110,000, has been granted by Clare County Council and various Government agencies, while locals have also raised money for the project.

Now that the start of the work is in sight, a major fundraising drive is to get underway in the local area. A public meeting will take place at Teach Cuirte on Thursday, May 10, where the fundraising plan will be made public.

“Donations are more than welcome. We are looking to raise €14,000 to complete the construction and we will have to raise €3,000 to €4,000 every year to fund the insurance. Local businesses have been excel-

lent and we will now start a big ap- peal,’ said chairperson of the com- mittee Gwen Bowen.

“We will be moving forward from then. We would be hoping to start building within eight weeks,’ she added.

The boundary will consist of a two-metre high green-coated steel fence, at the site, which 1s located at Cappagh Lodge. To offset the visual impact of the proposed boundary treatment, the committee has been asked to submit a revised landscaping plan, indicating trees and shrubs, which are to be planted along the perimeter of the site.

In its ruling, An Bord Pleanala stated that the boundary was neces-

sary “in the interest of ensuring the facility 1s secure out-of-hours and does not present a threat in terms of damage or injuries to unsupervised users.”

“The playground will be located in the middle of a green space and will be surrounded by a cycle track. We have been on the road for a while. The hiccup was the planning condition, which we had to appeal. We have been ready to go since last Summer,’ said Ms Bowen.

When completed, the facility will be run by the local community and will be a huge asset for the people of Sixmilebridge, where the popu- lation has grown hugely in recent years.

CLARE farmer and Chairperson of ICMSA’s Beef and Cattle Commit- tee Martin McMahon, last week said that there is no basis for the down- ward pressure on beef prices over the last few weeks and that prices should be rising to bridge the gap that ex- ists between Irish prices and prices in other EU markets.

According to McMahon, farm- ers who are selling cattle this week are losing money, particularly in the context of the significantly higher feed costs relative to 12 months ago.

He said that the prices farmers are receiving are not adequate to com- pensate for these additional costs and prices need to rise to reflect that reality.

“Irish beef prices are still 23c/kg below prices in England, 1lc/kg be- low Northern Ireland prices and 25c/ kg below French prices with this rep- resenting a massive gap equivalent to up to €80 per head,” said the Beef and Cattle Committee Chairperson.

‘There is an ongoing and growing deficit in EU beef markets and it is now well past the time that the meat plants closed this gap and returned

improved prices to farmers.

“The gap that exists is simply not warranted given developments in the EU beef markets in the past number of years. The latest attempt this week to cut beef prices is very short-sight- ed and can only serve to undermine the future of the Irish beef sector.

“There had to be a realisation, in all quarters, that the future of the beef industry itself 1s what is at stake and if the sector is to develop further then prices will have to increase to a realistic level.”

Meanwhile, the IFA’s National Livestock Committee Chairman,

John Bryan, last week accused the factories of managing and manipu- lating cattle numbers and prices.

“The factories’ latest move 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 ris- ing in our main market in the UK, it was a scandal that Irish factories were attempting to cut prices. It is an even bigger scandal that some facto- ries were importing cattle and telling their farmer clients that they must cut the price.”

THE controversy surrounding the Mary Shannon rape case is poised to prevent other rape victims coming forward, according to the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west.

Ms Shannon waived her right to an- onymity in March, after a three-year suspended term was handed to Ennis man Adam Keane (20), of Barnagee- ha, Darragh, Ennis.

He was found guilty by a 10-2 majority of the jury of raping Mary Shannon (33) at his trial, at the Cen- tral Criminal Court.

Ms Shannon was outraged by the sentence, the leniency of which is be- ing appealed by the Director of Pub-

lic Prosecutions.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office last week showed that there was a huge decrease in the number of sexual offences reported during the first quarter of the year.

Nationally, the number of reported sexual offences dropped by 44.5 per cent, when compared with the same three-month period last year.

The co-ordinator of the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west, Miriam Duffy said the “furore over the statu- tory rape case” last year is bound to have played a role in the huge de- crease.

SY eTomcr COMA OT-LMmy OND CoMmMeCoM\Y EDavane)oretoee non case was not likely to have had an impact on the figures for the first

quarter, it was likely to have an ef- fect on figures for the remainder of this year.

‘There has been a knock-on effect from the statutory rape case,” she Sr AKGe

“What happened with Mary Shan- non’s case…you would want to assess it again in six months,’ added Ms Duffy.

“A lot more training needs to be done with the gardai. We are con- cerned that this is a big reduction in the number of sexual offences re- ported,’ she added.

“There has not been any dramatic fall-off in incidents of rape reported to the Rape Crisis Centre,” she add- ed.

GARDAI in Shannon welcomed a delegation from Canada including a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to County Clare on Friday as part of a scheme to pro- mote a transatlantic literacy pro- eramme involving dozens of schools and libraries in Ireland and Canada.

Constable John T Kennedy of the RCMP, or Mounties as they are affectionately known, met with members of An Garda Siochana at Shannon and later with some of the participants of “The Reading Chal- lenge. Cst Kennedy was accompa- nied on his visit by Eric Stackhouse, Chief Librarian, Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

The visit is the culmination of a link forged last year between Clare County Library, An Garda Siochana, Canadian Libraries, the Royal Cana- dian Mounted Police (RCMP) and 21 National Schools in Co Clare aimed at promoting reading among chil- Clone

‘The Reading Challenge’ forms part of the ‘Adopt-a-Library Literacy Program’, which was established ten years ago in northern New Bruns- wick by the RCMP. The police act as the ‘bridge’ between the commu- nity and the library, and in return the library develops programs and ac- tivities that directly impact literacy amongst children.

Explaining how the Challenge works, Patricia Fitzgerald, Assistant Librarian, Children’s Services, Clare

County Library said, “Gardai and public library staff visit participat- ing schools where they explain the importance and fun of reading to the children and encourage them to use their local library. Once a month, a designated teacher in each school counts the number of books read before registering the tally on ‘The Reading Challenge’ website.

The Reading Challenge began in late 2006 and has proven to be hugely successful. The participating National Schools are Tubber, Bur- rane, Clouna, Carrigaholt, Doonaha, Lackyle, Killaloe Boys National, En- nis Educate Together School, Coore, St. Senans National School Kilrush, Moy, Mullagh, Corofin, Flagmount, Crusheen, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Cratloe, Moyasta, Feakle, Doora and

Inagh.

At the end of the school year, the school that has read the most books overall will receive €2100 worth of books, sponsored by Scholastic pub- lishers. Clare County Library is also awarding the school who reads the most with €2000 worth of books.

County Librarian Noel Crowley said, ““We are delighted to have been able to partake in such an important and unique program. The Library Service looks forward to further developing the initiative in county Okan

SHERRY FitzGerald Hussey Mad- den, Ennistymon, have a limited number of semi-detached properties left in the latest phase of the Cuirt Merriman development, priced at €240,000. These houses are beau- tifully designed and represent great value for money.

Only minutes walk from the town centre, these properties have the add-

ed bonus of being just 1.5 miles from Lahinch beach and golf course.

The properties have three bed- rooms, with the master bedroom, en- suite. They also have large gardens. The selling agent assures that “the highest level of construction and fin- ish is guaranteed with PC sum allow- ances of €4,200 per house.”

Finishes include wooden floors in the living room and all bedrooms, and the houses will be painted ex-

ternally plus the ceilings and wood work are painted.

The first phase of this development sold from plans and despite hiccups in the property market, the quick sale of all but these two remaining units of the 28 units in Phase 2, attests to the popularity of this development and the popularity of Ennistymon as a location.

For full details contact 065 7072833.

THE number of people in the mid west who reported experiencing crime last year decreased from the figure in 2003, newly-published sta- tistics reveal.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office last week show that 4.2 per cent of people in the mid west experienced crime last year, com- pared with 5.8 per cent in 2003.

Of those, 1.2 per cent of people liv- ing in the mid west were victims of theft where violence was used.

1.3 per cent were physically as-

saulted last year, down from 1.6 per cent three years earlier.

Almost two-thirds of people who were victims of theft involving vio- lence last year reported the matter to gardai (62.5 per cent).

This is a huge increase on the fig- ure of 48.8 per cent in 2003, but is a reduction on the figure of 71.4 per cent, in 1998.

The figures also show details of how safe people feel walking alone in their neighbourhoods, after dark. More than 70 per cent of residents in the mid-west, said they felt either safe or very safe. 24 per cent were

unsafe, while almost six per cent of people felt very unsafe.

The figures for last year are similar to those recorded in 2003.

92.8 per cent of those surveyed said they felt safe alone in their homes, after dark. This is a slight increase on the figure for 2003.

52.6 per cent of respondents said they felt crime was a very serious problem. 34.1 per cent said it was a serious problem, while 12.1 per cent said it was a fairly serious issue. Just 1.2 per cent of respondents in the re- gion said it was not a serious prob- aner

ELECTION candidates who park vans festooned with their faces and publicity on double-yellow lines and no parking areas around the county have come in for a hammering from a Shannon town councillor.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy told a recent meeting of the town council that the vans are a menace, the way some of the election workers park Weloeee

“When they are carelessly parked, they are a hazard and there’s no mis- taking that,’ she told the meeting.

“T want to know is the council em- powered to tow them away or do we

contact the gardai or what? There can’t be one rule for parking for some people and another rule for others.”

Cllr McCarthy said that in Shan- non, she is also concerned about the way trucks and cars advertised for sale are parked.

‘“There’s one car for sale parked in a yellow box. I had to go to the petrol station recently in Shannon and there was a big articulated truck parked in the feeder lane. The time before that there were three trucks there – I couldn’t see a thing,” she told the meeting.

Cllr McCarthy said that to the best of her knowledge “these are offenc-

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Cllr Gerry Flynn said that the road to the front of the Oakwood Arms “is a very busy road. We need a filter lane on Bothar Mor. There’s the fill- ing station, the Oakwood and now the recycling centre will be coming on line. I think this is something the roads department can do”, he said.

Shannon’s mayor, Tony McMa- hon, said that he 1s concerned about small, broken areas left on the mar- gins when roads are done.

The areas are uneven and unsight- ly, he said, asking whether finishing these areas could be included in road works. During the roads discussion, members were shown a letter from a resident in Shannon, complaining

that the council had put double-yel- low lines to the rear of his house without consulting him.

Roads engineers told the meeting that no parking spaces were sacri- ficed to the double yellow lines.

Cllr Tony Mulcachy asked wheth- er it be possible to have some form of consultation when these type of changes are being made, possibly by having a leaflet drop.

But Cllr Gerry Flynn said that it would not be practical to do leaflet drops for every double yellow line.

“Where we do address problems by widening roads, then we see people parking in the area, it just makes it ridiculous,” he told the meeting.

O’DOLAN & Partners, Ennis, have taken on a very attractive four bed- room detached house on a one acre site, with distant sea views, guiding at €350,000.

Located close to the church in Doo- lin, this cosy home is within easy access of some breathtaking scen- ery, beaches and the famous craic in Doolin. Itis also within easy reach of Lisdoonvarna.

Given that it occupies a one-acre site, the selling agents point out that there may be potential for further de- velopment.

The accommodation is laid out over two floors. On the ground floor

there’s the kitchen/dining room, the sitting room, which has a solid fuel stove, fitted units and the all impor- tant sea views.

There are two bedrooms on this level, both with fitted wardrobes. There’s also a shower room on the ground floor.

Upstairs, there are two further bed- rooms, both with wooden flooring and one with fitted wardrobes. The family bathroom is located on this level.

The extensive, well-maintained grounds include a patio area, with distant sea views.

For full details contact 065 6844395.