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A PILOT plastic collection scheme, conducted in conjunction with Clare County Council last year, 1s to be ex- tended to the rest of the country and could provide the solution to the farm plastic issue which has plagued Irish farmers for the last number of years. The Irish Farm Film Producer Group (IFFPG) and the Irish Farmers As- sociation (IFA) have announced the agreement of a major deal with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Dick Roche, to

clear the accumulated backlog of plastic all over the country.

Over the next seven week services will begin in seven new counties, Cork west, Cavan, Donegal, Kilken- ny, Meath, Sligo and south Tipperary, which will see farmers bringing bale wrap and silage covers to designated local authority collection centres.

There will be no charge for this service and the accumulated plas- tics will be delivered to authorised recycling facilities. The scheme will be extended to farms in Cork east, Kerry, Limerick, Laois, Monaghan,

Westmeath and Wexford during June and July.

The final phase of the project will focus on Dublin, Kildare and Louth during September and October.

“The scheme to date has been rolled out on a phased basis because we know there are significant back- logs to be collected. It also gives local authorities sufficient notice to agree and put in place the necessary arrangements for collections in their areas,’ said Minister Roche.

Under the Spring Clean project, each local authority listed will organ-

ise, on a once-off basis, special open days to allow farmers in those coun- ties to deposit their stockpiled farm plastic. This service will be free to the farmer and funding to assist the local authorities will be made avail- able from the Environment Fund.

The IFFPG have been having dif- ficulty collecting all of the plastic waste produced by Irish farmers over the last number of years. The prob- lem is a result of illegally imported plastic which is not subject to a levy which goes to the IFFPG to support the proper disposal of the plastic.

WALKING around the narrow halls of Ennis National School the one thing you quickly notice are the pic- tures. There’s quite a few of them.

Old grey images, which chart the school’s achievements through the years, be they sporting or other 8 Ion

Grouped among various teamshots of hurlers, footballers, basketballers, soccer players and the few youth- ful, but instantly recognisable faces of future All-Ireland winners, are photos of the Ennis National School band.

Founded by former teachers Sean McDermott and Michael Collins, the band nurtured and encouraged many

aspiring young musicians.

This year marks the 30th anniver- sary of the band’s formation and to celebrate the occasion a special con- cert will be held in Glor this Wednes- day (March 21).

Two schools from Clare; Knocka- nean National School and Ennis National School will be joined by students from Limerick’s Milford National School for a school band’s spectacular. The students will also share the stage with local piper, Michael Coyne.

This is the second year of the event, which was last year held in the con- cert hall of the University of Limer- ee

Organisers decided it would be ap- propriate to acknowledge the contri-

bution made by Sean McDermott to promoting music in the school.

Teacher Fiona de Buitleir explained how the band developed in the early days.

“We only just realised that the band would be going for 30 years this year. When Sean started the band with another teacher at the time Michael Collins, they didn’t know how to play themselves so they were teach- ing themselves as they were teaching the kids.

“They used to say they were one note ahead of the band while they were playing. At that time they didn’t have a set room, so they used to prac- tice in the hallway.”

Ms de Buitleir said the school band was one of the few forums available

Where children could learn to play music.

“If you think about it, 30 years ago there was no maoincheoil or other eroups where kids could go to play.

“It gave the opportunity to children who weren’t necessarily the best at sport or other areas a chance in the limelight, so from that point of view it was important.

“The band has performed in pa- rades and I| think they got to play in Cusack Park one year.”

The full timetable for the concert is: llam – Knockanean; 11.15am – Milford; 11.30am – Ennis national school during which time the 30 years will be acknowledged.

The grand finale will take place at 11.45am.

MARY Shannon’s decision to go public last week and her call for mandatory sentences for rapists re- kindled memories for several other rape victims.

One Clare rape victim recalled horrific memories of her own or- deal, at the hands of her former partner.

The woman, who is from west Clare and who wished to retain her anonymity, said she was repeat- edly raped over a period of a long number of years but was too afraid to take a case against her attacker.

After going through prolonged pain for several years, she eventu- ally left him, five years ago.

“If he wasn’t raping me, he was beating me. I would refuse to have sex with him but he would force himself on me. I would get a belt anyway. I would lie to the doctor about my injuries.

‘“T reported it to gardai, but I didn’t go any further with it, because I felt I was the one that was in the wrong. I have been feeling guilty all my life,’ she said.

Not only was she afraid to make a statement to gardai, but she was also in fear of telling her family

what she was going through.

“IT was afraid to make a statement in case I hurt his feelings. He had a hold over me. It was up to me to walk away but I couldn’t,” she said.

She eventually managed to tear herself away and she fled.

“It was very hard to walk away from it. He cut my breasts and that was the end of it,” she said.

She attended counselling at the Rape Crisis Centre, but believes the psychological effects of her ordeal will remain with her forever.

She said that Mary Shannon’s de- cision to go public has inspired con- fidence in her and, in hindsight, she

regrets not pressing charges against her attacker.

“T regret not going ahead with it. I always get angry when I hear some- thing like this (Mary Shannon’s case). I have come a long way, but you have to get help,” she said.

“My advice to other women would be to report incidents like this… fast. You never forget. You start drinking or using drugs to dull the pain. It works for a while, but then you become addicted and you are worse. The biggest thing I felt was anger and I would feel angry again when something like this happens again,” she said.

THE cool dudes from Mullagh know what is good for them.

Everyday during the month of March they are eating their greens and devouring their fruit as part of Bord Bia’s Food Dudes programme.

The programme, launched by Mary Coughlan, Minister for Agriculture and Food and Mary Hanafin, Minis- ter for Education and Science aims to permanently increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables among primary school children both in the school and at home.

Mullagh National School is just one of 50 schools nationwide selected to take part in the programme.

This programme, which was devel- oped by the University of Wales, has delivered effective and long-lasting

results across the primary age range, regardless of gender, school size, and geographic and socio-economic fac- tors.

It is ultimately designed to enable children enjoy healthy diets, and to create a healthy eating culture within schools.

Two of the teaching staff, Mrs Connie Sexton and Ms Brid Keane, of Mullagh National School have attended Department of Education in-service in relation to the delivery of this programme and are currently overseeing its implementation in the school.

The pupils enjoy fruit and vegeta- bles on a daily basis as well as talks and videos explaining the benefits of fruit and vegetables within a healthy hte

More than 30,000 children will

participate in the programme over a three-year period.

The implementation of this pro- gramme was one of the recommen- dations in the recent report from the National Obesity Task Force.

Speaking about the programme in Mullagh National School, Minister Coughlan said, “The results of the National Children’s Food Survey 2005 tell us that currently in Ireland, some one in five children are over- weight or obese. It is therefore impor- tant that we encourage our children to eat healthily and fruit and vegeta- bles are key in that regard. The Food Dudes programme is designed to encourage children to develop a lik- ing for fruit and vegetables through repeated tasting and to maintain this behavioural change over time.”

School principal Séan McMahon

welcomed the initiative.

“Food Dudes is proving to be pop- ular with both parents and children. It has been successful in increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables among children in Mullagh. I see it as a central element of the schools approach to promoting a healthy en- vironment and seeking to instill in pupils a health conscious approach to diet, which will stay with them throughout their lives.

Mar a deir an seanfhocail “Is fearr an slainte na na tainte,” he said.

that they “join with the community in offering support to

Mary Shannon during this traumatic time, for her and her family”’.

The statement continued that those involved in the organisation felt that the three-year suspended sentence served on her perpetrator “was nel- ther fair nor consistent with other rape sentences. This man pleaded not guilty to rape, thus forcing Mary to give evidence of her experience. He was found guilty by a jury, yet the fact remains his crime goes unpun- ished”.

The statement said that it is “ex- tremely difficult for women to come forward and report rape or domestic abuse. It is worrying that the outcome of this trial will discourage women

from disclosing rape and abuse, thus leaving them in a potentially danger- ous situation and undoing all of the good work and practices that many agencies in this country have striven hard to achieve”.

The Clare Haven statement added that they “commend Mary on her courage to waive her anonymity and in her determination to challenge the system, and we offer her our full sup- port now and in the future”.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Rape Crisis Centre in Limerick said they were “horrified” at the sen- tence.

She said there was a “huge swell of phone calls from women after the

sentence and every one of them ex- pressed support for Mary. The other thing that most of them said was that if they were raped, what would be the point in reporting it?”

The centre recently ran a major me- dia campaign under the title of “An- other Silent Night”, urging victims of rape and sex abuse to speak out, report the crime and seek help.

“Tt is so difficult to convince wom- en to report rape, it’s so hard to get a rape case as far as court, and then When you do get a conviction, the rapist gets a suspended sentence. It’s sending out the message to perpetra- tors that it’s fine – go ahead and do it. After all, what will they do to you?”

SPORT is cruel. A Harty Cup medal is one of the most prestigious prize on offer in the game, but typically a hurler will only get one shot at win- UND OreaK@) alse

For this year’s St. Flannan’s side that chance materialised on Sun- day against De La Salle, but cruelly they were denied by a combination of atrocious weather conditions and some suspect refereeing decisions.

There is no question of sour grapes among the St. Flannan’s camp, but they would be well within their rights to query some of Seamus Roche’s de- cisions and why the fixture was ful- filled in the first place.

The weather was like something out of the old testament and by the end of an hour’s hurling both goal- mouths were flooded. In fact it was impossible to decipher, such was the muck, where the respective sidelines were.

“You couldn’t but praise the lads

or fault any of them for the effort they put in,’ explained joint-manager John O’Connor in the aftermath of the defeat.

“The lads were terrific especially in the second half and once we got into that three-point lead Donal (Cahir) turned to me and said if we could get one more score we would go on to win it. But that score never came and De La Salle came back at us.

“Their second goal, which brought them level, really killed us. In a match like that, in those conditions, a goal is almost mentally worth four or five points and after that all the momentum was with De La Salle.”

The circumstances that led to Stephen Power’s second goal were more than suspect. St Flannan’s led by three points in the 49th minute when Power dropped a long-range free into the Flannan’s goalmouth. The sliothar dropped among a forest of hurls before becoming completely submerged in a flooded goalmouth. Then, and inexplicably, Seamus Ro-

che penalised St. Flannan’s ‘keeper Donal Tuohy for lying on the ball. Stephen Power rammed the 21-yard free home and a critical turning point had been reached.

“Most referees, especially in those conditions, would have _ stopped play and given a throw-in,’ adds O’Connot.

‘The referee was very harsh. How the hell he figured that it was a ’21 is beyond me. The ball had literally disappeared into a puddle of water. There was nothing that Donal (Tuo- hy) could have done especially with the goalmouth so crowded. That goal absolutely killed us.”

Such a talking point should never have materialised since the game should never have gone ahead. A sug- gestion that O’Connor agrees with.

‘The referee said to us at half time that if the conditions got any worse he was going to call it off. Even if he had called it off when we were three points up we wouldn’t have minded. Both sets of players deserved better. You just couldn’t hurl in those cond1- tions. Tactics went comepletely out the window and De La Salle, for ex- ample, only scored once from play. Look it’s not sour grapes. The con- ditions were the same for both sides, but it would also have been fairer to both sides if the game had been called off.”

St. Flannan’s now await the loser of the Leinster final between Castle- comer and Kilkenny CBS before they know who they face in an All- Ireland quarter-final in three weeks time.

A SHANNON-BASED pharmaceu- tical company yesterday announced plans to relocate part of its enterprise to a business park it strenuously op- posed in the planning process.

Yesterday, as part of its €70 mil- lion expansion plan, German-owned Schwarz Pharma announced that it is relocating part of its operation to the adjoining Westpark Business Park in Shannon.

However, the pharmaceutical com-

pany’s opposition to the business park prompted An Bord Pleanala to hold an oral hearing into planned €150 million development in 2002.

The promoters behind the business park claimed that the appeal was vexatious and argued to the board that the motivation was related to ne- gotiations over office space.

The board ruled that the appeal had substance, but granted permission for the development.

More recently, Westpark Devel- opments objected to three separate

planning applications at the Schwarz Pharma site, though the council granted permission for the propos- AES

However, yesterday, at a ceremony in Shannon, Schwarz Pharma con- firmed that it is to expand its op- erations into Westpark, occupying a new 110,000 sq ft building over five levels and will accommodate qual- ity control, IT services, employees amenities and a research and quality CH Ker

Managing Director of Westpark

Shannon, Brian O’Connell said, ““We are absolutely thrilled that Schwarz Pharma has chosen to work with BOC Holdings Ltd and have chosen Westpark as the strategic location of choice for their European expansion. Construction on the development will commence this month and is due for completion in late 2008. Managing Director of Schwarz Pharma, Werner Kunz said, “This new building will allow us to add strategic value to our future devel- opment initiatives while freeing-up

valuable growth space in our current production facility. This is a very significant and important decision by Schwarz Pharma and it underlines our confidence in the Shannon region to support our corporate business eva

Minister Tony Killeen TD said, “The decision by Schwarz Pharma to embark on this highly significant ex- pansion is a considerable boost to the Shannon region. The establishment of its R&D operation bodes well for i eTom RULAUD Kone

THE Athletics Association of Ire- land All-Ireland Inter Club Cross Country Championships was held in Sligo Racecourse and hosted by Sli- go AC on an excellent cross country course.

With heavy underfoot conditions a number of athletes found it very tough going and Orla O’Mahoney once again had to settle for that number four spot in the senior ladies.

Seamus Power produced a great ef- fort until the final lap where he was in fourth position and once again that final lap was too much. He jogged home in 12th place.

The junior men’s race was run over a distance of 8,00Q0metres and the star of the show here was John Coughlan, Metro St Bridget’s, son of Eamon Coughlan. He was one of the brightest stars of Irish athletics at the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championship two weeks ago and he captured another big title beating David Flynn, Clonliffe Harriers, and David Rooney, Raheny Shamrocks.

Ennis Track Club were well rep- resented with Brian McGinley pro- ducing a mighty performance and coming home in 22nd position. He has another year in this grade and he was followed home by David Quinn (38), Sean O’Flynn (50) and Stephen McGinley (52). This gave Ennis Track eighth place overall on 162 points, victory going to St Malachys Belfast on 43 points.

Mary Cullen, North Sligo, finalist in the European 3,000 metres indoor championships last week was among the leading contenders for the senior ladies 8,000 metres title.

With one lap to go Fionualla Britton, Sli Chulinn, Wicklow, made a very decisive move and went well clear of the field to take this title. Deir- dre Byrne, Sli Chulinn, was having a great battle with Orla O’ Mahoney, Ennis and Raheny Shamrocks, but the Wicklow girl had too much power on the final uphill stretch to the finish and once again the Clare girl had to settle for fourth position.

With just one month to the World Cross Country Championships in Kenya these championships were always going to be very well con- tested. Last years title holder Garry

Murray, Letterkenny, was going into these championships with a massive amount of training runs of over 100 miles a week along with Mark Ken- neally, Clonliffe Harriers, and after

two big laps these two athletes were at the front.

They took this race out at a blister- ing pace and on the second lap of the six the field of over 150 athletes were well strung out. Peter Mat- thews, Dundrum South Dublin, Joe Sweeney, St Malachy’s and Seamus Power, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, were in the next chasing group along with local athlete David Kelly, Sligo, Killian Lonergan, Clonliffe Harriers, and Brian Maher, Kilkenny City Harriers.

Two laps from the finish Murray and Kenneally made another surge on the downhill stretch and opened a big gap on Sweeney with Power working hard. He was well in con- tention with two laps remaining with Brian Maher having a very big race as he had moved into the the top six along with Kelly.

Over the final lap the Letterkenny man Murray showed his class when he went well clear. With 5Ometres of a gap he crossed the finishing line in fine style with Kenneally taking the silver medal and Sweeney running a big last lap to take the bronze medal ahead of Kelly and a surprise fifth Brian Maher.

The fast pace over the early laps took its toll on Seamus Power and he was feeling the full effects over the last lap. He was putting in a big ef- forts and he looked dead on his feet. Many onlookers thought he would not finish, but he never gives up and finished in 12th place.

The junior ladies race over 6,000 metres was a classic with Dundrum South Dublin athletes dominating this race from start to finish with victory going to Rebecca French- O’Carroll, second was Suzanne Huet and third was Bryony Triston.

Our own 17-year-old and Clare jun- ior cross-country champion Claire Madigan, St John’s, finished in eighth position.

WHAT goes up must come down. After the high of victory over Kerry in the under 21 grade, the low of a 13 point drubbing at the hands of a rampant Monaghan.

Standing in the grey gloom outside the Clare dressing room, the rain pouring down around him, Banner boss Paidi O’Shea picked positives out of an awful day for Clare foot- eye

“It isn’t a major setback. I haven’t seen the rest of the results yet. We’re on four points and there will be a lot of better teams than us on four points around the league. We’d think that there is a good opportunity to get an-

other two points against London and we have games to come against Of- faly and Longford, so nobody knows just yet. We’ll have a look at it and see,’ he said

“We lived on the edge for a while in the first half. We never got going and Monaghan could have punished us further. We were playing catch up after 20 minutes. We can have no complaints, they were completely better than us. We lost a shower of players through injury and any team is going to miss players. Maybe if we had Michael O’Shea a bit earlier it would have given us a bit more. We are missing other players like Alan Malone and Stephen Hickey.”

Meanwhile, his counterpart Sea-

mus McEneaney revealed the way Clare were on their last visit to Ennis was a powerful motivating force for them. ““We were determined to put right what happened when we came here two years ago,” he said.

“We weren’t treated right that day; we weren’t even allowed to warm up on the pitch beforehand. We came down early yesterday, we got here around 10.30am. The lads were re- ally focused that was the most com- plete 74 minutes of football I’ve seen from us this year.

“We came down here with a mis- sion and that was to still be top of the league after the match. Things didn’t go our way before this match either. We didn’t have a place to warm up beforehand so we had to go on a bit of land that the Council owned and then the Guards showed up to move us on. So if we needed anymore mo- tivation that was the final nail. I have waited two years to talk to you guys about what happened, and get that of my chest,” he added.

Clare could do with some similar motivation.

THERE were celebrations in Liscan- nor last week with the news that the Government has promised almost half a million euro of funding to- ward the creation of a state-of-the- art creche facility in the village.

Just under €430,000 has been ear- marked for the creation of the service which could be up and running be- fore the beginning of 2008. The most likely venue for the new facility is on the grounds of Liscannor Primary School but no definite agreement has been reached to date.

Liscannor and the surrounding ar- eas have seen a large growth in popu- lation over the last decade and these creche facilities are now essential for the future growth of the area.

Plans have also been muted to es- tablish an after school service in conjunction with the new creche fa- Teta

“We are hoping that this will al- low us to put on a new building onto the primary building in Liscannor. We are aiming to have 20 preschool places in the new building, but we would also be looking at creating an after school service. The hope at

the moment is to be able to combine three existing rooms at the school to form the after school service,’ said creche organiser, Liz Bonito.

‘There is a huge demand in the area for something like this. We are cur- rently operating in the community centre but this new purpose building will make all the difference.

“We have been fundraising for this the whole time and so many people have been a huge help in getting this off the ground. It is the combined ef- fort of an awful lot of people in Lis- cannot.

“It’s thanks the parents who have

abd Cehncys MBs Mm Oe CoM el buwuss0lMmel Roles (om oy-KI parents, future parents and con- cerned people in the locality.”

The announcement was welcomed by local county councilor Richard Nagle.

“T am really delighted, there has been almost €430,000 allocated for the provision a play school service in Liscannor,’ said Cllr Nagle (FF).

“I made a number of representa- tions on behalf of the group and I am really hopeful that things will be able to progress as quickly as possi- ble from now on. It is a badly needed service for the area.”