Category: Uncategorized

THE people of Kilmurry Ibrickane are planning to buy the election, and the news is unlikely to lead to any controversy or tribunal.

The plan is all legal and above board – as the election is the local mayoral election and buying the position 1s all part of the fundraising for the Leon XII celebrations later this year.

The Leon Committee in Quilty are moving full steam ahead with a number of projects in the run up to the centenary celebrations of the Leon XIII rescue.

The main event of the year, the Leon festival, will be held during the last weekend in September. One of the highlights of the festival will be

the open currach racing competition, with teams from Connemara and Kerry providing strong competition for the local crews who are practic- ing hard. Some of the local people, including their priest, never even sat in acurrach before they started train- ing for the event.

Another part of the build up to the festival is the Mayor of Kilmurry Ibrickane and Deputy Mayor “elec- tion”.

Once elected both dignitaries will act as the official representatives of the area for the centenary year.

With attendance of other dignitaries from far and wide already confirmed for the festival, the new mayor and deputy will be responsible for pro- viding the Céad Mile Failte.

The Leon Committee are now look- ing for nominations for the office.

All nominations are to be placed in the official nomination boxes by April 15. The nomination forms and nomination boxes are located in shops in Kilmurry Ibrickane and anyone can enter.

Once nominated the candidates must buy their way into office, with the help of friends and generous pa- triots.

The “election” will be decided by the number of tickets each candi- date sells for the June Bank Holiday weekend fundraiser in the Quilty Tavern.

The candidate who sells the most tickets will be elected the Mayor of Kilmurry Ibrickane for one year.

A comedian and live music have been lined up for the fundraiser on June 2, before the mayor is presented with the chain of office.

The official mayoral candidates will be announced in the local media and will start selling tickets as early as April 16. The funds raised will go towards the running costs of the OORT Ee

Full details are available from members of the Leon Committee or on official nomination forms in- Store.

THE Association Secondary Teach- ers in Ireland (ASTI) 1s today to be- gin legal action against the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, over the appointment of a school manager at Seamount Secondary School in ree

The Rescue Seamount Campaign and the ASTI last week accused the

minister of acting illegally by ap- pointing a school manager, instead of replacing the board of management at Seamount.

Both groups have accused the edu- cation minister of acting unlawfully in her decision to allow the board of management to be dissolved. Last Tuesday, they gave her seven days to withdraw her approval.

“This issue is not about the future

of the school. Even if the school is only opened for another 5 years, it is essential that there is a board of management,” said Jane Joyce of the Rescue Seamount Campaign.

“It gives parents a stake in how the school is run. When we sent our children here, we did so on the un- derstanding that there would be a board of management and that is not the case. This is not what we signed

up for,” she added.

The Rescue Seamount Campaign and ASTI have received separate legal advice suggesting that the min- ister has acted unlawfully in her de- cision to allow the school’s trustees, the Sisters of Mercy, to dissolve the board.

Responding, a Department of Edu- cation spokeswoman said that Minis- ter Hanafin acted lawfully in accord- ance with the 1998 Mercy Act.

“The Mercy Order, as patron of Seamount College, notified the min- ister of its decision not to appoint a new board of management when the term of office of the outgoing board expired,” said the spokeswoman.

“The Education Act 1998 provides that a patron may, subject to the ap- proval of the minister, appoint any person or body of persons as the patron thinks fit to perform the func- tions of a board of management.

‘As the patron had decided not to appoint a new board of management, the minister has, at the request of the patron, conveyed the necessary ap- proval, under section 16 of the Edu- cation Act, for the appointment of a manager to perform the functions of the board of management.”

The future of Seamount College has been in doubt since the Sisters of Mercy announced its intention to phase out the school over a period of five years, last October.

The Rescue Seamount Campaign has been appealing for the Sisters of Mercy to give them more time to ne- gotiate the construction of a new co- education school by the Department of Education in Kinvara.

THE people of Kilrush and west Clare have raised €4,500 for Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin after a local boy spent months recovering in the hospital’s leLerwermbnsy Le

Kyle Carmody suffered severe burns last November when his pyja- mas caught fire while playing in his Kilrush home.

More than 12 per cent of the five year-olds little body was burnt, in- cluding half of his chest and under his arm as a result of the accident.

The brave little boy endured treat- ments, which included the removal

of the burnt skin and skin grafts, be- fore being discharged from hospital POM EVILUE Dae

As a result of his treatment and care, Kyle’s parents Flan and Tanya wanted to give something back to the hospital, and organised a fundraiser for Sunday, March 25.

The couple have been amazed by the support that the fundraiser re- ceived and will now donate €3,500 to St Ann’s ward in the Burns Unit at the children’s hospital.

The remaining €1,000 is to be do- nated to the hospital’s physiotherapy Weenie

“We would like to thank all the people who supported the event and

thank people for the wonderful spot prizes,’ said Flan.

He paid tribute to local artists Patrick Roche and Morgan Roughan who gave their services free of charge at the special fundraiser held in Tubridy’s Bar Cooraclare.

‘People are great, there is so much going on and they still support this,” he said.

The relieved father also paid trib- ute to the treatment his son received, and the dedicated professionals that continue to help the young boy back to health.

‘We have seen first hand the serv- ice Kyle got. No money could buy that service. Nurses don’t get paid

half enough,” he added.

‘Doctors and nurses can only work with what they have. From the time he got burnt in Kilrush, we saw how fast they can work with what they have.

‘People that do this work see it as a job, but for parents like Tanya and I, it means a lot to us. That is why we like to do something to give some- thing back.”

Kyle has returned to school in the Gaelscoil. He has his dressings changed three times a week and con- tinues to have regular physiotherapy.

Kyle’s parents continue to sing the praises of the medical staff in Ennis, Crumlin and now in Kilrush.

Wer WYONE Le there are a lot of representatives from the community on the Doonbeg Community Development Company it was important that everyone was

asked to give their views.

“In order to keep ideas fresh we need to go back to the people to get a broad sense of the issues,” she said.

“T think it 1s important that people have their say. There will be other issues that we won’t be aware of or haven’t thought of.”

She said that this was the ideal op- portunity to present the issues to the election candidates.

The PRO said it was also important that the potential TDs saw that there was an active community group, which was “a catalyst for ideas and a vehicle for delivering projects”.

The availability of such a group would ensure that grants could be located to the area for use on com- munity projects.

Among the issues already raised in the growing and changing communi- ty is the future planning and develop- ment of a rural community.

“We now have large housing estates and we need to be aware of their af- fect on a small community. It is very difficult for a community group. We want the community to survive and grow and at the same time it can’t be over run because the services aren’t there and the community spirit could be lost.”

McInerney said that concerns have been raised regarding holiday homes and the need to cater for the people that live in the area all year around.

A number of the issues raised to date have been unique to Doonbeg, but many others reflect concerns in

communities across Ireland.

Included is the need to protect the local post office and its service and the work of the FAS community em- ployment scheme.

“We want to be proactive, rather than reactive,’ she said. Anyone wishing to contribute to the docu- ment can do so by submitting his or her ideas in writing to the Doonbeg Community Development office lo- cated in the Community Centre be- fore April 18. “We will try to encom- pass aS much as we can,” said Ms McInerney.

The “manifesto” will be sent to all the Clare candidates and distributed to all the houses in the community. The candidates will then be invited to meet the community.

HIKING boots are being dusted off all over the county in preparation for two highest profile walking events of the place in north Clare over the Lovee nesta eE hace

First up is the fifth Annual Dun- leavy Walk which takes place in Doolin on Sunday April 15, while just seven days later walkers from the Burren Chernobyl Project have their fundraiser in Liscannor.

Work is ongoing in six Ukrainian hospitals where children and adults effected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster receive life changing help from the Ennistymon based project.

New initiatives this year include a

programme allowing effected chil- dren to leave the orphanages and re- turn home while another sees groups of trained physiotherapists travel to help the children regain some physi- cal mobility.

“At the moment we have 300 chil- dren in Gorodishche and we are feeding them with yoghurt and fruits. They never get out so it is important for them to get the vitamins,’ said Carmel Mescall of the Burren Cher- nobyl] Project.

“It cost €1,000 to buy nappies for the children each month. The money raised helps to organise volunteers to travel from Ireland and help. There is also the Special Olympics Summer Camp who are a group of physios

trained at the time of the Special Ol- ympics in Ireland.

“They go over and work with the children and help them with their mobility. It’s really great that some- thing good like the Special Olympics can go on producing another good thing like this.”

Besides the work at Gorodishche, the Burren Chernobyl Project also helps 200 children at Cherven, 500 adults at Cylb, 300 adults at Tarasik1, 300 adults at Cosovo and 400 adults at Yazouk1.

“In the future we are looking at running workshops for special needs children and their families,’ contin- ued Carmel. “We feel the way for- ward is to get the children back into

their own homes and give them day care support.

‘They can get the support and en- couragement of their families while the parents can still work during the CP haat

For more information on sponsor- ship cards contact 7071130.

Meanwhile, The Dunleavy Spon- sored walk will take to the road this weekend in Doolin. The walk will begin at lpm this Sunday, April 15, at the Russell Community Centre in Doolin.

Walkers can choose from walks of three or five miles and refreshment and entertainment will be available for all participants at the centre after Woe

TRAVELLER culture occupies pride of place locally and nationally this week thanks to projects undertaken at the St Joseph’s training centre.

The coppercraft group at the cen- tre have completed work on a copper vessel that will be used to hold the Easter vigil fire in the Ennis cathe- dral.

The three foot high vessel was a collaborative effort between men working at the centre and the Ennis diocese.

Fr Damian Nolan approached the centre six months ago with the idea of making a copper structure that could be utilised during the Easter oo KerselO eBoy

At first a competition was held to determine which group would take

the lead role on the project, though input was ongoing from all men tak- ing the coppercraft course at the cen- inden

The group’s foremost concern was to ensure the vessel was practical and safe. When those requirements were met, the group, aided by metalcraft instructor and teacher Brian Crossen, introduced a stylistic element to the process. The group also consulted with Fr Nolan throughout the proc- ess.

Mr Crossen explained, “Fr Dam- ian had approached us about making something for Easter. We wanted to make sure it did exactly what it was supposed to do, that it was safe and also that it looked good. There were about three or four different stages from design right through to com- pletion. Fr Damian has always been

very supportive of the centre and the lads really enjoyed making it”.

The centre also earned recogni- tion on a national stage when a three man group from the centre travelled to Cork last Thursday to take part in the 4th annual Cork lifelong learning festival.

Martin Maughan, Thomas Keenan and Peter Keenan gave a live dem- onstration of traditional copper craft at the Cork public museum as part of the week long festival.

Last year the centre donated seven copper items including buckets, pots and scuttles to the museum for a per- manent display.

It is the first time a permanent ex- hibition of Traveller culture has gone on display in a national museum. The Cork Traveller Women’s Network and the Cork public museum invited

the copper craft group to take part in the festival.

“It kind of grew legs after we do- nated the copper projects to the mu- seum. It was a pretty big event, there was a lot of craftsmen there. We set up in a gazebo and it worked out re- ally well. It was a great day. They were very impressed. They invited us back for next year, so we’ll see how ereLme x Olona

STAFF at Shannon company, Hali- fax Insurance, have taken part in an eight-week Slimathon, to raise mon- ey for The Mid West Deaf Associa- tion’s new community centre, which is to open in Limerick shortly.

Three teams of seven colleagues followed sensible eating and exer- cise plans, losing a total of 155 Ibs between them. Their fellow workers showed their support by sponsoring them €1.27 per lb, for their efforts raising much needed funds for The Mid West Deaf Association.

The Community Centre will pro- vide extra facilities for deaf people

in the Mid west region such as Deaf Adult Education, seminars, social activities, recreational and internet activities. The money raised by Hali- fax has gone towards furnishing the community centre.

The three teams, “The Slim Shadys’, ‘The Love-Handlers’ and “The Little Bit Xtra’ were weighed in weekly and aimed to lose the highest percentage of weight collectively. “The Little Bit Xtra’ were declared the overall win- ners of the Slimathon, losing over 5 per cent of their collective body weight, so they had the privilege of nominating the charity.

“We feel healthier, raised a lot of money for charity and had great

fun,’ said Joe McGauley, captain of ‘The Little Bit Xtra’.

Jerry White, Managing Director at Halifax said, “As a Company, we are constantly trying to find new ways to give something back to the com- munity. Colleagues here are fantastic at coming up with creative fundrais- ing ideas and are always willing to dig deep in support of worthy causes throughout the year.”

Colleagues at Halifax in Shannon raised over €1,600 and the HBOS Charity Foundation contributed a further €700, bringing the total funds raised to over €2,300. The HBOS Foundation operates as an independent company to HBOS plc

and works with charitable and not for profit organisations across the UK and Ireland, supporting people and their local communities through national grants and regional grants, colleague fundraising and HBOS No) LUtslKotom pte

A SECOND home defeat and Tony Considine slipped back to default mode after the game. He was look- ing ahead, referencing May 27 as the date on which his Clare team will be judged. Cork loom once more then, a red beacon in the distance amid championship days and the white heat of summer.

The league is tucked away now, a building block Clare must hope to what’s to come this summer. Sunday was a little taster. Sun belting down and spring almost done with. Little beads of sweat forming on the punt- ers who gathered behind either goal. Clare will hope for more change from Cork when they meet them next time ‘round.

The visitors came to Ennis, gave Clare a head start and slowly, with- out fuss, lifted things a notch. Just when Clare ducked back into the game, Cork pulled away again.

The Clare boss drew a luminous highlighter across Clare’s wasted Oit-b leone

“We went out and gave it every- thing but when you have 16 wides you don’t deserve to win a game. I thought we played well – the two teams went at it. There’ll probably be a lot of other things on the 27th [of May] that wasn’t there today. Maybe we lacked a bit of sharpness around the goals. You can’t be disappointed with the performance, they gave it everything. As I say 16 wides, you’ll always suffer when you have those kind of wides.”

At the other end, Gerald McCarthy cast his glance across the hard sod of Cusack Park and wondered with a half smile how Cork managed to get out of the group.

“I’m kind of surprised we’re in the semi final but we worked hard for it,’ he said. “We got off to a particu- larly bad start. Didn’t get our game together for quite a long period in the first half but eventually we got a cou-

ple of good snappy balls in. We got 1- 2 off of some very good ball and that turned the game for us. Up to that we looked very vulnerable really. They fought hard, even when Clare came back at us in the second half.”

It’s Cork who wander on, but all throughout this campaign, Consid- ine has spoken like a manager who doesn’t put too much stock in the national league. It’s eight weeks now before Clare play another competi- tive game, but the boss isn’t worried.

“Clare have got playoff games be- fore and they didn’t do us any good. There’s no beating matches and at the end of the day we wanted to win the match and make progress. But the height of real hurling is starting now. We’ve a lot of physical training and we’re getting the great evenings like today. I suppose we’ll look at to- day and learn from it. I think it was a fairly good competitive game. We’re without a game for seven or eight weeks but we’ll try to do something. We’ll have fellows a lot sharper on the 27th and so will Cork. It’ll make for a great game on the 27th.”

Get that marker out. Circle the date. Eight weeks and counting.

CLAIRE Neylon has secured her first major corporate design contract and she has yet to graduate from col- lege.

The Kilkee student won the con- tract to provide a piece of sculpture as part of the refurbishment of the mobile phone company O2’s head- quarters in Plassey, Limerick.

During May last year, the 22-

year-old, with fellow students from second, third and fourth year at the School of Art and Design in Limer- ick (affiliated to Limerick IT), were invited to submit a proposal for a piece of art that would best represent

the company.

This piece could be in sculpture or media form such as video or photog- eel eN VA

With a keen eye and a creative im- agination, Claire studied the O2 logo where the idea for her winning piece came from.

The student, now in her fourth and final year, was inspired by the O2 bubbles, which she proposed to display in the front window of the eluunKenbaren

She commissioned a glass blower in Northern Ireland to make 60 glass “bubbles” ranging in diameter from 80 inches to two inches.

On Saturday, the young woman, with the assistance of the college’s sculpture technician Pat Biesty, in- stalled the glass pieces.

Each glass bubble was hung at dif- ferent lengths on 10 steel cables to represent floating bubbles.

Claire was responsible for the en- tire project, and had to organise eve- rything from the professional glass blower to the installation.

She then had to submit the budget to O2 for the cost of the piece and the customary 20 per cent for the artist onto be

“This is a great opportunity for me as a Student to have work in the public domain before I have even left college,’ she said.

The piece of sculpture is now on display for all potential employers or commissioners of art to see, as well as being a welcome addition to her CV.

The Kilkee woman is planning to eraduate from her course in Sculp- ture and Combined Media in a few weeks time. She then hopes to work through art in the community.

Claire is a past pupil of Kilrush Community College.

According to a report, which was produced by McIver Consulting for An Bord Bia, the amenity horticulture sector has grown by 50 per cent since 2000 while there was a doubling in the value of output in the protected crop Sector, with both of these combined now worth around €120 million to eTowers.

The mushroom and potato sectors

were the largest individual sectors and were valued at EUR106m and BLUR SRO repacyeeshohlAeleeP

“The horticulture industry contrib- utes handsomely to a dynamic rural economy from both an economic and social perspective – it is an efficient industry, well positioned and operated by professional expert growers,” said Minister for Horticulture and Food at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Brendan Smith.

The Department of Agriculture as awarded capital grants in the region of €40 million across the industry to growers, packers and processors since 2000 under the National Development Plan.

‘These investments have gone a long way in putting the horticulture sector on a firm footing and we are commit- ted to carrying on with this support under the new NDP,” he said.

“A key element of this framework is the provision of grants that are strate- gically targeted which will improve the overall development and competi- tiveness of the sector and the Mclver Report will be very helpful in formu- lating the necessary investment pro- feaen abe (oe

Funding of the region of €49 mil- lion is being provided for horticulture producers and €8 million for potato producers in the new NDP to cover the period 2007-2013.

Minister Smith commented that con- siderable support was also available to fruit and vegetable growers under the EU Producer Organisation Scheme. Since 2000, twenty Producer Organi- sations have benefited from EU fund- ing amounting to €24 million.

“My objective in the negotiations is to strengthen the role of POs where- by growers can use their combined strength in the market place to combat the power of the multiples,” he contin- ued.

Minister Smith said that a scheme was currently being discussed by the Council of Ministers in the context of the reform of the Fruit and Vegetable regime.