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THE Farm Relief Services has this week announced a major addition to their service team in East Clare with the arrival of Dutch born hoof care operator Roland Dross.

Mr Dross, who now lives in Bod- yke, brings with him a state of the art hoof care crush with is believed to be the only one of its kind in Ireland.

Born in Holland, Dross perfected his trade in Denmark before return- ing to Ireland recently with his Irish wife and four children. He will most- ly cover the East Clare area.

Roland comes from a long line of dairy farmers in the Drenthe region of Holland, his father has a Holstein Friesian herd of 110 cows and a poul- try farm of around 14,000 chickens, so farming has always been a way of life for him.

After agricultural college, he traveled to Canada to broaden his knowledge and gain dairy manage- ment experience. He then travelled to New Zealand to round off his dairy experience before meeting his Irish wife in Holland in 1994.

In 1997 he moved to Denmark Where he bought a dairy farm of

70 Holstein Friesian cows and 120 acres. Over the next 9 years, he suc- cessfully managed, modernised and expanded the farm to 360 acres and a milking herd of 165 Jerseys.

He switched to a computerised feeding system using transponders on the herd and built a new dairy and free stall in 2002. He also carried out the entire hoof trimming on his herd, using his own crush and found this enjoyable and interesting and an area in which he would like to spe- cialise.

Late last year however, he sold the farm following a family decision to

return to Ireland and pursue a future in hoof care. The next three months were spent gaining intensive hoof trimming experience with a Dutch expert Gerwin Cnossen in Germany and Denmark.

Roland will now work for the Farm Relief Service and he will mainly be based in east Clare as well as in parts of Galway, Limerick and North Tip- oe Nae

To view a video of his unique cattle crush check out www.klovbeskaeren. dk/sider/main_video.htm or for more details contact Liam O’ Rourke, Farm Services Manager at 063 90666.

PLANS are underway for a west Clare community facility to provide offices and working space for the many voluntary organisations in the area.

Joe Saunders, who carried out the feasibility study for such a facil- ity, told Kilrush Town Council that there are more than 100 community groups registered in Kilrush and a further 60 to 70 groups in the wider west Clare area.

There are 15 organisations in total with their own staff, needing premis- oe

To date there are eight buildings hosting community groups in Kil- Murs ee

The consultant said that as the town changed and grew there was a need for a place where civil marriages could be performed.

Outlining the gravity of the situ- ation he said the Gardai in Kilrush have nowhere to address the local public outside the cells in the sta- tion.

Meanwhile artists have to exhibit their work in inadequate facilities or move outside the area.

He said that as the voluntary sec- tor is becoming more professional it needs proper facilities.

“A hotel conference centre would meet some of the needs but a lot of eroups would like to be with like minded groups,” he said.

In his report Mr Saunders con-

cluded that the current community and training services accommoda- tion base in Kilrush and west Clare is considered generally unsuited to the task of serving the sector over the next decade.

“Already organisations with a sig- nificant remit and serving large num- bers are finding the available accom- modation to be an impediment to maintaining and developing services to their target groups. In addition, newer organisations are coming on stream as the not-for-profit and train- ing sectors grow in size nationally,’ he said.

Mr Saunders said that a communi- ty facility would probably have core tenants that would have contracts of service agreement the would provide

funding for ongoing rental charges.

“The capital element of the project will need to be provided through lo- cal and national exchequer routes,” he said.

“Ownership structure and ongoing management will require negotiation between core tenants and relevant stakeholders.”

Town Manager Bernadette Kinsella said west Clare was suffering due to a lack of integrated facilities.

She said that Mr Saunders report confirmed the view that there was a deficit in this area.

“Now we will go back to the eroups, look at what a facility would look like, who would fund it, and audit where it might be located,” Ms Kinsella said.

OXFAM Ireland is calling on gar- deners all around Clare to get in- volved in their annual Spring grow for Africa scheme. OxfamGarden is aimed at getting experienced garden- ers and enthusiastic amateurs alike involved in raising plants, as well as funds to help some of the worlds poorest people.

The charity organisation are invit- ing people to get involved by simply buying a four back of seed from any of their Oxfam shops nationwide of from www.oxfamireland.org

“I consider it an honour to be asked to be involved with the Oxfamgarden Grow for Africa campaign,’ gar- dening guru Dermot O’Neill at the launch in Dublin last week.

“You don’t need to be an expert to get involved. By growing the Oxfam Ireland range of seeds you are con- tributing to a worthwhile and valu- able cause while at the same time reaping the pleasures and joy of erowing plants too.”

Oxfam are also calling on more experienced gardeners to volunteer to become OxfamGarden expert or to donate old tool to your local shop.

The charity are also hoping to get school, resource centres and commu- nity groups involved in the project.

“We hope Dermot’s support for Oxfamgarden will encourage other gardeners to get out their trowels and Grow for Africa,’ said Peter Tomlin- son, Oxfam Ireland business devel- opment manager.

‘The beauty of this scheme is that everyone involved wins. Customers love the plants, growers get a real sense of achievement from seeing their handiwork sold in our shops and, of course, we raise funds for Oxfam Ireland’s vital work.”

Oxfam is committed to ending poverty and suffering in developing countries. They promote understand- ing of the causes of these injustices, and campaign for a world where every man, woman, and child can live free from hunger, poverty, and oppression.

Although the work in most coun- ties in the world their current focus in on Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Sudan, Chad, South Africa and Ethiopia.

Seeds can be bought at any Oxfam shop for just €1.50 while seed mats are also available from €5.25.

KILRUSH Town Council have be- gun work on a new blueprint for the erowing town.

This month its town councillors agreed to move forward a new town plan to draft stage.

A report was presented to the members in February outlining the out come of the pre-draft pubic con- sultation process for their considera- soe

The councillors then took part in a workshop to discuss the report fully prior to giving any direction to the manager in relation to the drafting of the plan.

The workshop focussed on discus- sion of the issues raised by the writ- ten submissions and observations made by the public.

The council adopted the manag- er’s recommendations subject to six amendments.

Fifty submissions were received from the public for the draft cover- ing wide spectra of social, commer- cial and economic development.

Formally proposing the prepara- tion of the draft proposal Cllr Tom Prenderville (FF) said the new de- velopment plan encapsulates the council’s vision of where the west Clare capital will be in 2013.

“Kilrush is most fortunate in hav-

ing an infrastructure capable of sustaining a population of 10,000. Recent residential, retail and com- mercial development undertaken in the urban area have been undertaken in this knowledge and has placed the town in a most advantageous position in attracting inward invest- ment,” he said.

‘This council rejoices in the record number of submissions received to date in the KTDP review process. It indicates a welcome interest by po- tential investors and developers in the native place.

“We celebrate this new-found op- timism that permeates the local economy. Kilrush, to all intents and

purposes, stands on the threshold of prosperity. Current retail and com- mercial proposals underway give credence to this happy state of affairs in Kilrush,’ said Cllr Prenderville.

‘There is an onus to frame a devel- opment plan that sustains, supports and facilitates an inclusive society. The provision of adequate social ed- ucational, and recreational services must form a core vision in the plan,” he added.

The preparation of the draft propos- als will take 12 weeks to complete.

The resulting Kilrush Town De- velopment Plan will cover the years 2008 to 2013, and it is hoped it will be adopted by October this year.

CLARE County Council has refused planning permission for a housing development in west Clare because it interferes with the defunct west OE Teoma Dea e ha eneler

The planning authority refused outline planning permission to M&S Bond for outline planning permis- sion for 16 homes at Dough, Kilkee.

The council made its ruling after an objection was lodged against the proposal by the West Clare Railway

company and the council’s Conser- vation Officer, Risteard UaCronin.

Mr Ua Cronin said, 1n an internal memo now released with the deci- sion, that “it appears from the draw- ings that it is proposed to construct the homes on the former west Clare DOME RYas DDO Loa

He said, “This appears very inap- propriate as plans are very much advanced to provide a steam railway service between Kilkee and Kilrush which will require this section of the line to be protected for this pur- eNom

Mr UaCronin pointed out that the line was protected through the Clare County Development and the West Orewa ter walle

The planner’s report points out that the “development is located on the line of the old west Clare railway where it is the policy to safeguard the route of the railway and to con- serve and promote it as a transport corridor for public use”’.

It ruled that the plan would be prej- udicial to the proper planning and development of the area.

“The proposed development rep-

resents piecemeal haphazard, dis- orderly development and conflicts with the long-term sustainable and comprehensive development of these lands.”

According to Jackie Whelan of the West Clare Railway Company, “This application would allow for the de- struction of part of the original track bed of the west Clare railway in or- der to provide a road access to the site.

“We have understood that the track bed of the development may take place upon it unless the development

is of a heritage and recreational na- ture, leaving the whole, existing way open to the general public for recrea- tional walking, riding, cycling pur- Leon mel Ken

“Indeed, two citizens have, during the past 12 months, fallen foul of this directive and have been required to replace the track bed that they in- tended to, and partly, destroyed.

“We believe that our plans are in accordance with the council’s inten- tion for the line and that the track bed of the railway should be left alone,” said Mr Whelan.

A NEW project being organised at Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna is helping to revo- lutionise the relationship between young people and the rest of the community in North Clare.

The project culminated last week in Promoting Courtesy, Care and Con- sideration week which saw students from the school organising a series of events involving members of the wider community.

One of the main focuses was a post- er, painting and poetry competition which attracted hundreds of entries from primary schools, community groups and individuals from all over north Clare.

The inspiration for this initiative came from a committee set up last

year which included students, teach- ers, parents, community representa- tives as-well-as project leader Mau- reen Droney.

“One of the thing that came from the group was the Courtesy Care and Consideration. It has been going for a number of months now but this week is really the culmination of all of that work,’ said Maureen.

“We all worked together on how we would involved the community with the students and we came up with the poster or painting and poetry com- petitions. We wanted to create an awareness. To try and understand the needs of other people. Consideration is the best way to describe it.”

One of the areas specifically fo- cused on was the relationship be- tween young people and the elderly. The group has forged a connection

with the Stella Maris day care centre in Lisdoonvarna and last Wednes- day and Thursday students from the school entertained the people there with a collection of music and danc- ing.

“It has been wonderful to be in- volved the Stella Maris. I’d say it has been a powerful lift to them, but the children will get a lot back from them as well. They are getting a lot back already some of them, with grand parents in the home. It can have a huge positive effect,” she continued.

In the school itself each class and subject, from Business Studies to Home Economics, has been incorpo- rating the theme of consideration.

One of the more interesting ele- ments of this has seen students write a series of poems which are now be- ing used as the ‘thought for the day’

at the school.

“Each day this week the winning poems have been read out by the stu- dents over the intercom,” continued Maureen. “It has been a really suc- cessful part of the programme. We will also be putting a booklet togeth- er of all the poems.”

On Friday March 30 at 8pm, poet John O’Donohue will give a talk in Mary Immaculate Secondary School. Tickets are €10, €5 OAP, with all money raised going to the Stella Maris Day Care Centre.

GORT’S Adrian Feeney became the latest candidate to throw his hat in the ring for the General Election When he announced his candidacy last week.

Feeney, who has been Chairman of Gort Chamber of Commerce since 2004, will run in the hotly contested Galway East constituency as an inde- pendent candidate.

Indeed, Feeney may be one of three non-party candidates to run in this constituency come election time, as Kinvara group RESCUE have not ruled out putting forward a single-issue candidate to campaign for Seamount College. Cairde Cuan Chinn Mhara could still announce a candidate to campaign for a sewer- age treatment facility in Kinvara.

Community issues are likely to form a large part of Feeney’s mani- festo. “These days, our economy is booming. The country is awash with money,’ he said. “I know that with- out the volunteers, many vital com- munity services and facilities simply would not exist.

‘Almost everything requires fund- raising. As chairman of Gort chamber for two years, I know how much time and energy is spent trying to source

funding and fill out grant application forms for community projects. This should not be the responsibility of volunteers or community organisa- tions. It makes no sense to me.

“What are we paying taxes for? Surely if there 1s a need within acom- munity, it should be met by our gov- ernment. Why are we paying twice for the one facility or service?”

This is not Feeney’s first attempt to enter the world of politics as he ran an unsuccessful campaign as an In- dependent Community Candidate in the 2004 local election.

“We elected representatives to speak on our behalf. Public office is about accountability. I am ac- countable to my employer. Who are politicians accountable to, if not to the community? What they have produced is a litany of failures,” he continued.

“Tuam is still without a hospital. Gort is still without a reliable water service. Kinvara still waits for a sew- erage treatment plant. 50,000 gallons of raw sewage pour daily into the waters of a prime tourist area.

‘“Kinvara School is threatened with closure. Farmers spend their time form-filling and dealing with ap- plication procedures for grants and payments.”

THIS week signaled the beginning of a new era at the home of the GAA in Ireland. Michael Cusack’s joined the elite of the footballing world last Saturday week when they officially opened the new floodlighting at Glenn Ciosog.

The grounds new state of the art lighting system and upgraded chang- ing facilities were christened in good fashion with a brace of matches and an evening packed with quality foot- ball.

The GAA’s’ Munster Chairman, John Fogarty,

Council joined

Clare County GAA Board chairman, Michael MacDonagh in flicking the switch and bringing light to football in the centre of the Burren.

“This field was developed 25 years ago with the stand and dressing rooms coming two years later and at that time it would have been one of the finest facilities in the county,” said a club spokesperson.

“Tt will also be very important for the parish. We now have a large room which could be used for all sorts of community events in the parish.”

Liscannor were the big winners on SoMeA COND OTM DEO DITCME: Ae NAM SLES EES Te Corn An Chéad Cup after defeat-

ing Ballyvaughan in the final of the north Clare Senior and Intermediate competition.

Fittingly, it was an underage team from Michael Cusack’s who had the honour of being the first team to claim a victory under the new lights as the under-12’s saw off the chal- lenge of Lisdoonvarna.

“Our numbers are small, like every rural parish, but every child in the area 1s playing football and enjoy- ing it. The floodlights will add to the excitement of it for the children and bring a bit more buzz for them,” con- tinued a club spokesperson.

Meanwhile, just down the road, the

finishing touches are being put on the Michael Cusack’s Centre which will open to the public from Easter Sun- day. The fully restored 18th century cottage of Michael Cusack will be the highlight of the tour for many people while the centre itself will provide a host of information and photographs which is sure to be a must for any GAA fan.

The centre, which was officially opened by GAA President Nick Brennan in November will be open from 10am to 5pm each day dur- ing the Spring. Admission is €5 for adults, €3.50 for children and under 5’s are free.

GREATER responsibility should be conferred on individual electoral ar- eas in order to enhance the delivery of services within the county.

That’s according to west Clare councillor Christy Curtin (Ind), who says electoral areas should be given a more expanded role in the decision making process.

He called on the county manager to outline his system of monitoring for the delivery of council services and management guidance within each electoral area.

Cllr Curtain stated, “The electoral area is the key unit within the coun-

cil for the implementation of policy decisions and the delivery services throughout the county. It embraces a defined landmass and its own charac- teristics and infrastructural needs”.

He added that the role and influ- ence of specific electoral areas had diminished since their creation eight years ago.

“However, its role has been limited and restricted since the creation of electoral areas in 1999 due primarily to the absence of a planning services clinic and a management ethos and co-ordination in each area. In this case, I strongly advocate that in or- der to redress the situation, the man- ager would as a matter or urgency

review the present arrangements for an expanded role and a mechanism for a broadened engagement with the communities of each electoral area.”

Clare County Council says the de- livery of services is constantly moni- tored.

According to Michael McNamara, Senior Executive Engineer, “There is a system of regular management team meetings which monitors the delivery of services from both a functional and a geographic perspec- tive.

“The annual budget, which in- cludes a report from the county man- ager on each of the services, sets out the programmes and the targets to be

delivered in the following year. This is supplemented by performance indicators across each programme ea cele yoy

“If circumstances do not allow for the delivery of a particular work programme, the members would be informed of the circumstances pre- vailing as regards that programme. Directors of services are delegated functions as area co-ordinators/man- agers. The area co-ordinator/manag- er 1s responsible for co-ordinating all services in their assigned electoral area, he said.

Clare County Council has six elec- toral areas – Ennis, Killaloe, Kilrush, Scariff, Ennistymon and Shannon.

A BREAKTHROUGH is hoped for this afternoon in the talks between management and unions at Shannon Airport on the Airport Authority’s restructuring plan. A SIPTU ballot last month rejected the deal from the authority, which offered average payments to staff taking voluntary redundancy of €100,000.

Staff choosing to stay on would also receive a loyalty bonus, but the plan would require a major overhaul of work practices with the outsourc- ing of many Services and turning shops and restaurant facilities over to Jee-NNON oy

Since then, there have been what are being described as “exploratory meetings” under the auspices of the

Labour Relations Commission on a number of occasions.

The last meeting, on Thursday of last week, went on until 4am and it 1s hoped that the intensive discussions will produce results when the sides meet again today.

While nothing is certain about the Outcome of what are very detailed talks, covering wide-ranging issues including work practices and pen- sions, it is understood that there was a positive atmosphere at the end of Thursday’s marathon session. Attend- ing the talks were union representa- tives, members of the airport authority and members of SIGNAL, the airport workers’ representative group.

The sides sit down again together today at 10.30am, but it will be mid- afternoon before any breakthrough

which might be achieved is expected to be announced. Meanwhile, talks at the Labour Court between SIPTU and Aer Lingus management on the airline’s Programme for Continuous Improvement are also ongoing.

Discussions centre on a Labour Court recommendation on the plan and are covering issues such as cut- backs in leave and overtime pay and reductions in payments for bank holi- day work.

The union is expected to make a strong case for compensation for workers affected although manage- ment argue that the changes are a ne- cessity for the future of the airline.

There was good news for Shannon Airport this week, with passenger fig- ures since the start of the year up 11 per cent on the same period last year.