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IRISH farming organisation gave a lukewarm response this week to the new Farm Improvement Scheme which is nearing the final stages of preparation in the Department of aNcau(Gullalvuce

Details of the scheme are not avail- able to the public but the organisa- tions were given a sneak preview by the Department of Agriculture last week.

The new Farm Improvement Scheme will replace the Farm Waste Management Scheme and the Dairy Hygiene Scheme which are currently operating. A general grant rate of 40 per cent will be available for most in- vestments, while some mobile equip-

ment will only receive 20 per cent.

Everything that qualifies for grant aid under the current schemes will continue to receive grant aid under the FIS while there will be a few new additions like rubber mats on slats and cubicles, automatic feeding systems for the dairy, computerised calf feeders, outwintering pads, meal bins, meal stores and meal silos.

“While everything that we sought to be included has not been accepted by the Department of Agriculture and Food, we will continue to pur- sue the inclusion of these items in an effort to enhance labour-saving and health and safety on the farm,” said Conor Creedon of the ICMSA.

The IFA have meanwhile called for the scheme to be implemented im-

mediately and have set May I as a deadline for this to take place.

‘The introduction of the FIS is an Opportunity to grant aid for the first time in many years to the moderni- sation of agricultural holdings,” said IFA Rural Development Chairman, Padraic Divilly.

“Grant aid under the new scheme will be 40 per cent with an additional 10 per cent top-up for young farmers less than 35 years of age. The invest- ment limit will be €120,000.”

In relation to the dairy hygiene scheme, a separate €120,000 invest- ment limit will apply with increased investments limits of €25,000 for bulk tanks, €40,000 for milking ma- chines. In addition feeders in the par- lour will be eligible for grant aid.

Divilly expressed serious concern that the Department of Agriculture iS proposing to discontinue grant aid for splash plates slurry tankers from the end of December 2008 with ap- plications having to be lodged by De- cember 2007.

“This 1S unnecessary as many farmers requires small scale invest- ment to meet their slurry spreading requirements”, he said.

‘There was no reason why the new FIS could not be introduced over the next number of weeks. Many farmers are anxiously awaiting this scheme, which will in many cases compli- ment investments which are already been undertaken under the Farm Waste Management Scheme.”

DUST off the quiz books, unearth family quiz games and get a friend’s phone number ready.

The Who Wants to Be a Thou- sandaire quiz night is all set to go this Friday and Queally’s Super- value in Killaloe are right behind the cause, putting up the cash this week for what promises to be a great night.

While smart competitors stand to walk away with the thousand crisp ones, the real winners from the night will be the communities of Tuamgraney and Scariff, with hopes

high that €20,000 can be raised for projects in the two areas.

The 50/50 joint effort of the Scariff Community Council and the Tuam- eraney Development Association’s organisation on the night will help fund a playground for the riverside park development, which has been improving every year and the contin- ued development and upgrading of the memorial park in Tuamgraney.

The Palace Marketing Group have been brought on board to stage the event, which will be just like the real SUVA deveeree

“It should be a great night out and people will have loads of fun. If

someone doesn’t want to compete personally, they can nominate anoth- er person or we will pick someone for them at random from a panel. But the person who bought the ticket gets the prize money,’ said Damien Heaney, spokesperson for the organisers.

A huge amount of organisation went into the night, with six teams of six working under two co-ordina- tors, Margaret O’Meara, PRO of the Tuamgraney Development Associa- tion and Harry O’Meara, Chairman of the Scariff Community Council.

Local businesses have also rowed in behind the event, with Centra in Scariff, Finsa Forest Products and

Sports World Netting coming in as three of the sponsors.

The organisers are expecting up to ten rounds on the night at Scarf Community College from 8pm.

Tickets are €10 each.

THE Department of Agriculture last week announced a series of last minute events designed to help pre- vent the expected chaos as the dead- line for the applications under the Single Payment and Disadvantaged Area Schemes.

Informal information roadshows will take place nationwide and the help-line number will have extended hours of operations to help farmers deal with the complex application ORO ete

Minister Coughlan confirmed on Friday that personalised Single Pay-

ment Scheme application forms, complete with pre-printed data con- cerning land parcels and start dates have been issued by her Department to all Single Payment Scheme partic- ipants. It was also confirmed that the department will provide an enhanced customer service in the run up to the closing date for the receipt of appli- cation forms on Friday, May 4. This will involve information meetings throughout the country and helplines which will also operate outside of of- fice hours.

“I believe farmers should have the most up-to-date information avail- able to enable them to correctly com-

plete and submit the 2007 SPS ap- plication forms by the closing date. For this reason I have made provision for the information roadshow and in- creased helpline facilities.” she said.

“I am aware that some farmers would prefer to speak directly to ex- perienced staff from my Department prior to the completion of their SPS application forms. In response to this need I have made arrangements for information sessions in 26 locations throughout the country between 16 April and 1 May where my officials will also be available to meet appli- cants.”

This will be achieved through

an extension of the opening hours of the Department’s help lines un- til 10.00pm on weekdays and from 1.00pm to 6.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays commencing _ yesterday, April 16, and continuing until the closing date for the receipt of appli- cations on May 4.

“The additional opening hours of my Department’s helplines and the opportunities being afforded to farm- ers to meet with staff will greatly as- sist them with inquiries about these and related matters,” she said.

Details of information meetings and lo-call numbers will be an- nounced in the coming weeks.

TWO west Clare communities are this week grieving the loss of two young friends who were tragically killed in a road crash at the week- end.

Eoin Glynn (21) from Shanaway, Miltown Malbay and Shane Donnel- lan (17), from Kilmore, Knock, were

killed when the van in which they were travelling left the road, close to Kilmihil, shortly before 5am on Sunday.

Two others, who were also in the van at the time, survived the crash.

Mike Morrissey (20), from Kilmur- ry McMahon is in a Serious condition at Limerick Regional Hospital with internal injuries, while Enda O’ Leary

(24), from Kilmihil, sustained multi- ple fractures to his leg. The accident happened on the main Ennis/Kul- rush road, close to Goldburn Bridge. Their black Volkswagen transporter van veered out of control and hit a hedge, before plunging into a field some distance away. The four young men, who were in the front seat, were not wearing seatbelts and were flung

from the car.

They had earlier socialised at a friend’s 2lst birthday party in Knock. They had returned to a house in Kilmihil before leaving the house and heading in the direction of Kil- rush. Gardai in Kilrush are appeal- ing for witnesses.

A 21ST birthday celebration ended in tragedy as two friends lost their lives in a horrific road smash close to Kilmihil in the early hours of Sun- CEMA

Eoin Glynn (21) from Shanaway, Miltown Malbay and Shane Donnel- lan (17), from Kilmore, Knock, were OU UTSTOMA YG ateseMmUsComm Vc OMBEO MUON Ce OM D SAY were travelling veered out of con- trol. It hit a ditch, before crossing the road and plunged into a field close to Goldburn Bridge, on the main Ennis/ Kilrush road, shortly before 5am.

The other two occupants of the car – Enda O’Leary (24), from Kilmihil and Mike Morrissey (20), from Kil- murry McMahon – sustained injuries in the crash and were taken to hos- pital. Mr O’Leary sustained multiple fractures to his leg while Mr Morris- sey sustained serious internal inju- ries and was taken to Limerick Re- gional Hospital where his condition is described as serious.

The four had attended a friend’s 21st birthday party in Knock earlier that night and were understood to have been travelling from Kilmihil, in the direction of Knock, when trag- Ohana (ele

The young men had gone home to Kilmihil after the 21st party and de- cided to venture out again at a later stage. Gardai say none of the four

men — who were all in the front of the van — were wearing seatbelts. Shane Donnellan is survived by his parents, Tommy and Jenny and young brother Thomas. He was edu-

cated locally in Killimer and was working in Dublin.

Eoin Glynn is the only son of Michael and Una Glynn. He has three younger sisters, Tara, Lisa and

Deirdre. His parents returned home at the weekend after a short break overseas. The heartbreaking loss of young Eoin follows a recent serious illness suffered by a family member.

The scene of the crash was exam- ined by the forensic accident exam- iner and gardai are waiting his re- eke) ay

The van travelled a distance of 180 metres from where it went out of control, to the point where it stopped. Emergency services spent a consid- erable amount of time at the scene of the crash on Sunday morning and the road was closed for most of the day.

Superintendent Noel Clarke is ap- pealing for anyone who may have seen the black Volkswagen trans- porter van in the lead-up to the ac- cident to come forward.

“We are hoping that people will come forward, people who may have been travelling on that road between 4.45am and 4.50am,” he said.

Those who knew the two young men say they were well regarded and were hard workers.

Kilmurry McMahon parish priest Fr John Kelly said everybody’s thoughts were with the families of the young men.

“It is a very sad time for the fami- lies and for the entire community that these young men were killed in such an accident” he said.

PATRICK O’Dwyer drank a concoc- tion of alcohol at a party at his home just two days before he killed his sis- ter, the trial heard.

Marguerite organised a party at her parents’ house, just two nights before her death.

Patrick O’Dwyer told gardai that his sister initially invited a few friends to the house on the Saturday night, but up to 25 people attended, eight of whom stayed overnight.

He said that the party had been planned for a while. There was an assortment of drink at the house, he said.

The accused told gardai that he had four cans of cider, two cans of Red Bull with a full bottle of vodka, a mixture of shots in a pint glass, fol- lowed by other shots, all in the space of about an hour.

Asked by gardai was it normal for him to drink that amount of alcohol, he replied, “No.”

He said that some of his sister’s

friends smoked joints, but he didn’t take drugs.

He said that somebody wanted him to go to a birthday party. He passed out on the way there and fell and hit his head at around 10.30pm. He didn’t make it to the party.

One of his friends later gave out to him about his excessive drink- ing. His friend told him that when he goes out, he did so with the intention of getting drunk fast and not gradu- MUA

The accused said he told his friend

he was going to give up drink until Oi tetiaeerky

The day after the party — Sunday — Marguerite went to work in Lahinch. Patrick took paracetamol and later spoke to his parents on the phone.

Marguerite arrived home from work that evening. The accused was asked by gardai did she give out to him about his drinking and was told that she didn’t.

“She just told me she never saw me as bad. Everyone said that. I was mad with myself,” he said.

THE Deputy Mayor of Ennis has expressed his anger about the provi- sion of subsidised and free water to householders in Galway while local people have been paying for bottled water since a boil notice was intro- duced two years ago.

Councillor Brian Meaney (GP) be- lieves that the “political situation in Galway is what is driving the dif- ference in Government reaction be-

tween the two constituencies”.

‘There is a lot of anger at the differ- ence in treating the water consumers in Clare and Galway. The water crisis has been on going in Galway for the last six weeks. Why wasn’t subsidised water made available to the consum- ers of the Ennis supply six weeks into the crisis that has existed here for the last two years?” he asked.

A cautionary boil notice, affecting around 30,000 people, has been in place for the past two years in En-

nis, Clarecastle, Crusheen, Barefield, Doora, Drumcliffe, Spancilhill and Group Water Schemes on the supply.

Vulnerable sectors of the commu- nity, including patients with weak immune systems, infants and pre- school children, have been advised to continue to boil tap water before eyetsieueeyelaceyee

Previous contaminations of the En- nis water supply occurred after heavy rain following significant spells of dry weather just like in Galway.

Councillor Meaney accused the Government of total indifference on the issue and warned that Ennis could soon be in a similar situation to Galway.

“Despite the installation of a filtra- tion system, the boil notice has been in operation in Ennis and the sur- rounding area for the past two years. Cryptosporidium is already in the water supply and it may only be a matter of time before levels surge and an outbreak occurs like that which is

now affecting Galway,” he said.

The councillor added, “Confidence in the Ennis water supply is low and bottled water is expensive. It seems that this problem is of little conse- quence to the Government, unless the problem becomes so bad that it may cost them votes.

“A lack of infrastructure and a fail- ure to update a dated water supply that leaks millions of litres of water a day, has led to the situation we find ourselves in today.”

SUNDAY’S road fatalities once again highlighted the number of road deaths occurring in the west Clare area. Tragically, the deaths of Eoin Glynn and Shane Donnellan bring to six the number of people killed in road ac- cidents in Clare since the start of the year. Four of the six deaths occurred on west Clare roads. Add this to the

fact that five of the county’s nine road casualties last year occurred in west Clare and the picture is particularly bleak. Nine road deaths in one area of the county over a 12-month period are far more than should be faced by local CLoyenvenlereple lee

The carnage is spread throughout the area. Communities in Lissycasey, Doonbeg, Kilrush, Kildysart, Killimer and Kilkee have mourned losses due to

road fatalities over the past 12 months.

Ironically, Sunday’s smash came al- most a year to the day since Sean Gal- lagher (71) was killed after he got out of his car at the Boree Log in Lissy- casey. That accident occurred on Mon- day, April 17, 2006.

A young Dublin man, Stephen O’Reilly (24), was killed in Kilkee in the early hours of January 29, while pensioner Tom Haugh (69) died as a

result of an accident in which his car was involved in a collision at Carrow- dotia, Killimer, on March 27.

The roads in west Clare are not alien to particularly harrowing cases of mul- tiple road fatalities. In October 2003, the community of Carrigaholt was forced to come to terms with the deaths of two young girls, Stacey Haugh (16) and Lorna O’Mahony (13). The girls died instantly when the car a young

Galway man was driving crashed into a wall, at Moyarta, on the road between Kilkee and Carrigaholt.

Tragedy on the double also struck in May 2005, when an accident in Quilty claimed the lives of Thomas Pender and David McCarthy (18). The car Mr Jo ele(o um eRO NU AAU OToam OUI Mrs Mats: 00 mm DOME HET e early hours of the morning. Mr Mc- Carthy, of Seafield, Quilty, was a front Seat passenger.

MARGUERITE O’Dwyer was ly- ing on the couch, smiling, when her brother approached her with a ham- mer and repeatedly attacked her.

Patrick O’Dwyer told gardai that the two were watching television on Monday evening, November 29, 2004, when he left the sitting room to go into the kitchen.

“At about 11.30pm, I just remem- bered going out to the kitchen. I took the hammer out of the press. Marguerite was lying on the couch. She was smiling at me. She thought I was messing. I would often be messing with her with a hurley and things. I swung the hammer and hit

her on the head five or six times. I hit her on the chest,” he told gardai. He said his sister wasn’t scream- ing. She was alive. He then got a knife from the kitchen and a Scis- sors from the bathroom and started jabbing her to the ribs and legs. At that stage she was on the ground.

He later went down town, before returning to the house and drinking a half can of beer. He went upstairs and stuck a blade into a vein on his left wrist and hit himself to the head a few times with a hammer.

He brought firelighters upstairs and considered setting fire to the house.

He said he did not realise the sig- nificance of what he had done until

the following day when he touched his sister and her head was cold. He then went to Ennistymon garda sta- BLOyEE

He said he originally got the ham- mer to hit himself as he felt he had made “a fool” out of himself the previous Saturday night, by drink- ing excessively.

The court heard that when the ac- cused arrived at Ennistymon garda station on the afternoon of Novem- ber 30, he showed a garda a cut to his head and mark to his wrist. The garda noted that he had a mark on his nose.

Garda Alan Keane went to O’Dwyer’s home, where he found the young woman’s body in the sit-

ting room.

He said there was a considerable amount of blood on the floor and the woman was lying down, face up.

A white blanket covered her legs and there was no sign of a pulse.

Under cross-examination by the accused’s barrister, Patrick Gage- by, SC, the garda admitted that the scene was “shocking”.

Sergeant Brian Howard told the tri- al that, after the accused arrived at the local garda station, gardai were concerned about his health. He was taken to Ennis General Hospital.

A senior psychiatrist assessed him and concluded he “had not psychiat- ric problems and was not a danger to himself”.

FIVE hundred and fifty workers at Shannon airport have until next Monday to decide whether they wish to accept a voluntary redundancy deal at the airport.

Letters sent out to workers by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) stated that the workers had until April 23 to sign “an irrevocable agreement of exit” if they wish to take the redundancy deal.

In order for the €36 million sur-

vival plan to work, the SAA requires 200 workers or more to leave.

Information sessions on pensions and the tax implications for indi- viduals will continue at the airport WDA (e1o).@

Those with 24 or more years of ex- perience who opt to leave the SAA will receive over €100,000 while the 350 workers who remain will receive a payment of €16,000.

The deal is expected to save the SAA €10 million per annum.

In the new revamped Shannon air- port, international retail organisa-

tion HMS Host has secured the con- tract to operate five retail outlets at Shannon.

The company already serves 70 airports around the world, including Cork airport.

The arrival of HMS Host into Shan- non also increases the chances of Shannon having the first Starbucks coffee shop 1n county Clare.

A Starbucks operating under li- cense from HMS Host opened in Cork airport last year. Most of the Irish outlets of the popular Ameri- can coffee chain are in Dublin.

HMS Host has already advertised for senior managerial positions in- cluding Business Controller, Finan- cial Administrator, Food and Bev- erage Manager and is hoping to be trading in Shannon airport this com- ing summer.

The deal for a restructured Shan- non earlier this month secured the overwhelming endorsement of the unions at the airport where 84% of SIPTU voted in favour of the plan.

Talks on the deal commenced al- most two years ago and the slow progress has prevented the Shannon

Airport Authority (SAA) from lodg- ing a business plan with Government in order to become an independent entity.

In January, workers at Shannon overwhelmingly voted down a pre- vious survival plan valued at €34 million.

However, marathon negotiations under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) last month at the airport resulted in the SAA agreeing to provide an addi- tional €2 million to a revised sur- ane Nm) E- bee