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WELL IN excess of 40 afford- able houses are to be built at Cluain Airne in Shannon, 1n an effort to re- duce the housing waiting list in the town, it has emerged.

Members of the town council were told last week that a density of 80 houses was suggested for the area, but that it was unlikely 80 would ac- tually be built there.

Several councillors expressed their concerns that 80 houses may be built Wo Ron

Town manager, Ger Dollard was asked to clarify the position and he pointed out that a design team had

not yet been appointed.

“In the absence of this, we are all talking in a vacuum,” he said, add- ing that the density of housing on the site in question would be “well in excess of 40”.

He said there are currently more than 200 people on the affordable waiting list in the town.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said she did not like be- ing told that there were in excess of 200 people on the affordable list.

“It is like playing one off the other. .. If you don’t do this, there is a con- sequence,’ she said.

The mayor of Shannon, Cllr Tony McMahon (Labour) said this would

equate to “intrusion” for the local residents.

‘The parking issue has been going on for years. This is going to be a frightening experience for the peo- ple of that area,” he said.

CUlr Sean McLoughlin (FG) said he would be disappointed to hear that there were plans to build more than 40 houses there, as traffic 1s al- ready busy in the area.

Cllr Gerry Flynn said that people living in Cluain Airne were worried that their green area was going to be taken away from them.

He said that there are 178 houses in Cluain Airne and 167 across the road in Tradaree. “We all know a

new estate will bring extra traffic,” he said.

“Just because the Government says extra houses should be provided, it is not about throwing people in on top of each other,” he said.

Cllr Mike McKee (Independent) said this should not be “pushed on to eTom Reha LO (CINTA

“Even when residents heard of 40, they were horrified,’ he said.

Cllr Geraldine Lambert said “a density like that is way too high”.

Mr Dollard responded to the coun- cillors’ concerns by pointing out, “You will not see 80 houses in this scheme, but for it to be viable (densi- ty), it will have to be more than 40.”

FRIENDS turned their backs on a Polish man who was drinking a bottle of vodka a day, the Ennis District Court heard.

Piotr Baran of 47 Dun Na Hinse, Lahinch Road in Ennis, was before Judge Joseph Mangan on 14 charg-

es of stealing drink from various premises in Ennis.

His solicitor, Darragh Hassett, said the man had “a very serious drink problem” which had been under control in his native Poland.

But after he lost a job here, he began drinking a bottle of Vodka a day. “He was drunk on every oc-

casion and easily caught. All the property was recovered. He wants to go back to Poland but his friends have turned their backs on him and no-one is willing to lend him the air fare. Rather than leave him lan- guish in jail, I would ask the court to release him on bail to attend AA and to get a job to raise his fare

home,” the solicitor said.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told the judge that the tradespeople of Ennis had a right to be protected from having their property stolen.

Judge Mangan released Baran on bail on condition that he sign on sober at Ennis Garda Station each ora

CLARE farmer and chairperson of the ICMSA’s Beef and Cattle Com- mittee, Martin McMahon, has called for immediate action to be taken or the plight of winter finishers could seriously damage the beef sector.

He stated this week that given the current beef prices and the substan- tially higher input costs this year, the problem of winter finishers could seriously damage the future of the entire beef sector.

‘There are two main and intercon-

nected issues causing concern at the present time. These are the price of cattle and the problems of slaughter- ing heavier cattle,’ he said.

‘Farmers have fed cattle expensive feed to get them ready for slaughter this spring when, without any notice or indication from the meat plants, cattle over a certain weight are being discounted and are becoming hard to sell.

“The ICMSA considered this to be totally unacceptable and almost suaranteed to force committed peo- ple out of the business. Farmers can-

not operate in a business environ- ment where new issues and policies are introduced overnight.”

McMahon has called on meat plants to discontinue this policy against heavier cattle for 2007. He called on the whole industry, and not just the farmers, to address this issue going forward.

“The matter of price was perfectly straightforward — winter finishers are unable to make a profit at current prices. Irish beef prices have not in- creased this year, with the price of certain cattle having fallen and con-

tinuing to fall,” he said.

“Input costs, most particularly feed costs, have increased substantially this year and Irish beef farmers were particularly irritated by the fact that UK beef prices are up 10 per cent on this time last year, while Irish prices were static or falling. Who could ex- plain such a discrepancy?”’

He concluded by calling on the meat plants to realise and act on the fact that 1f they didn’t pass back a de- cent price to their suppliers then the very future of Ireland’s winter finish- ers must be called into question.

A YOUNG Clare man has walked free after receiving a three-year sus- pended sentence for raping a woman in her home while she slept.

Adam Keane (20), a bricklayer, of Barnageeha, Darragh, Clare, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court in February by 10-2 majority of raping the now 33 year-old wom- an in a house on May 30, 2005.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said his de- cision was based on a previous rul- ing by the Court of Criminal Appeal following an appeal in relation to a sentence imposed by him in another case, brought by the Director of Pub- lic Prosecutions who regarded it as ‘moderate’.

Mr Justice Carney said that appeal was lost and the sentencing was set aside in its entirety.

“Having regard to the approach taken by the CCA to this type of of- fence in this type of case, I have to ask myself whether I would be com- fortable to imprison this young man who said it was out of character for him, but that if the DNA said he had done it, he wouldn’t shy away from his responsibility.”

Mr Justice Carney added, “People

from respectable homes taking al- cohol or drugs and then committing rape or murder come before the court with surprising frequency,” he said.

The complainant told the trial she woke from her sleep to find someone cuddling her.

At first she thought the man was

her boyfriend, who had left the house NU DCs mM OT-LoAY( oO OND OTSMmE-D Ko) Mme DOUmE-D ued Ue ment. By the time she realised the man was not her boyfriend, he had started to have sex with her.

She said she threw him off her and turned on the lights and recognised the man as then 18 year-old Keane.

She ran from the house and when gardai later arrived at the scene, Keane was still in her bedroom.

In interviews with gardai, Keane said he couldn’t remember breaking into her house or anything about the attack as he blacked out after drink- ing heavily and taking ‘ecstasy’ in a nightclub.

He said he didn’t think it possible he had raped her because he had never raised a hand to a woman in his life. It ‘went against everything’ he believed.

He said he blacked out regularly after heavy drinking and explained, “That’s why I’ve been thinking about giving up the drink for some time.”

However, he said he would accept any DNA evidence proving him as the attacker.

In her victim impact report, the victim said the rape had had a huge impact on her life and that she had had to move house twice since.

Defence counsel Mr Brendan Nix SC (with Mr Mark Nicholas BL) said Keane ‘deeply regretted’ what hap- pened and noted his client had not Ker D UNO OT-NOLoINrCeLOm DOR mearalO (oN Gom DOD ale oon

THE courting of the farming vote continued this week with two Clare General Election candidates making statement on the Farm Waste Man- agement Scheme.

Deputy Pat Breen (FG) and Sena- tor Timmy Dooley (FF) both issued statements on Thursday, calling for the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, to extend the application deadline for the Farm Waste Man- agement Scheme.

Early-bird Dooley was first off the mark with a statement calling for farmers to be given more time to get their planning applications together.

“In the past few days, I met the Minister for Agriculture, Mary

Coughlan, to outline to her the prob- lems that farmers in Clare are ex- periencing in making the March 31 deadline,” he said.

“By that date, farmers must have the full details of their planning applica- tions supplied to the Department of Agriculture under the popular Farm Waste Management Scheme.

‘The scheme has been such a suc- cess, with the 60 per cent or more grants available, that agricultural ad- visors, Who help farmers with their plans, are struggling to get through the workload,” the Fianna Fail can- didate continued.

“As a result, farmers are at risk of losing out by not having their plan- ning applications in by the current deadline.”

He goes on to say that he has asked the Minister to extend the deadline by a full three months.

“This would, I believe, be a fair compromise and bring the submis- sion deadline into line with the Department’s final date for the al- teration of plans already submitted or approved,” he continued. “Some 2,600 farmers in Clare have applied under the scheme for new on-farm facilities.”

A mere 15 minutes later, Fine Gael’s Pat Breen was off the mark, saying there was simply not enough consultants available to assist with the huge volume of applications.

“IT am calling on Minister Cough- lan to take into account the very real problems that farmers are experi-

encing in respect of applying for the Farm Waste Management Scheme,” he said.

“They are caught between a rock and a hard place as the deadline is looming but a shortage of consult- ants means that a significant number of applicants will not be able to meet the deadline.”

Alas, Deputy Breen called for a slightly more modest extention of just two months.

“I am not asking the Minister to provide special treatment for any- one,’ he continued. “Rather, I am asking her to consider the real situ- ation on the ground and taking into account the shortage of consultants, and extend the application deadline until the end of May.”

CAMPAIGNERS are confident En- nis will achieve Fair Trade status providing there is greater support from the local business community.

A number of businesses and schools in the town have already committed to stocking Fair Trade products.

In order for any town to be granted Fair Trade status a flagship business must pledge its support to the ven- ture. Ennis Fair Trade Committee member Mairead Sheedy explained Ennis has already met with much of the criteria required to achieve Fair Trade status.

‘We presented the statutory report

on Ennis to the national organisation and we were congratulated for that. Some businesses have supported us and are carrying the products but we still need a flagship business. Ideally that would be a hotel, but we are hop- ing to get a local factory. They have already said they would stock Fair Trade coffee so we just have to final- ise a few things.”

A two-week global campaign aimed at creating awareness about Fair Trade products drew to a close last week.

Ennis also took part during that pe- riod with a number of events held in schools and other locations around i eTom KO), 2 08

Last Thursday students at Colaiste Muire organised an information day at which they sold products which carried the Fair Trade logo.

The school also held a hot choco- late morning with money raised to be donated to a former student who plans to travel to Sri Lanka with the Fair Trade organisation.

Ms Sheedy said, “We were look- ing at ways to raise awareness and through schools have shown a great interest. Some of them went out on the street and did a survey with lo- cal people about their attitudes to Fair Trade. We held a tea and cof- fee morning in the Friary and that was very successful. We had a lot of

people coming in who showed a lot of interest. We also held one in the Adult Education Centre”

The Fair Trade Mark is an inde- pendent consumer label, which ap- pears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged pro- ducers in the developing world are getting a better deal.

GENERAL election candidates have been warned that the issue of class sizes would meet them at every door- step in Clare.

Sheila Noonan, Deputy General Secretary of the INTO, told the Clare meeting on the issue that parents, teachers and all concerned with pri- mary class size must question every canvasser who called to the door.

Ann McMahon, Principal of New- market National School but speaking as a parent, said that if animals were in classrooms in groups of 35 or 36, the ISPCA would be called in to take action against overcrowding.

Chairperson of Ennis National School Parents Association, Aine Ni Riain stated that there were serious health issues surrounding the whole issue of overcrowded classrooms, and while it was a very exciting time educationally for children, large class sizes were blighting it.

Daithi O Byrne, a parent from Clonmoney National School, said politicians must realize the solidar- ity that existed between parents and teachers on the class-size issue.

Fr Gerry Kenny, Killaloe Diocesan Secretary and representative of the Catholic Primary Managers Associa- tion, lent his support to the campaign to cut class sizes.

He also outlined the support of Bishop Willie Walsh, patron of 150 primary schools in the Killaloe Dio- cese, for the campaign and stated that the Department of Education needed to plan for lower class sizes in all new school buildings.

Minister for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen (FF) told the meeting that he would take a clear message to the Taoiseach from Shannon that not enough had been done on the issue of class size.

Senators Brendan Daly (FF) and Timmy Dooley (FF) also undertook to represent and support the views of the meeting on the issue, as did La- bour candidate Pascal Fitzgerald.

Fine Gael election candidates Cllr Joe Carey, Cllr Tony Mulcahy and Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn said that their party would publish a policy document dealing with class size in primary schools, while party TD Pat Breen pointed out that there would be 58,000 more primary pu- piuls within the system by 2012.

Deputy James Breen (Ind) said in- dependent TDs had outlined their unified support for a year by year re- duction in class size to bring classes down to 20 as promised by the cur- rent Government.

The Green Party and their candi- date in Clare, Cllr Brian Meaney, supported this policy.

that

the majority of people with disabili-

ties cannot get driving licences and

that towns like Kilrush seem to cater

solely for the motorist and the easy flow of traffic.

“Roundabouts are unfriendly to

pedestrians,” he said pointing to the difficulty the Brothers of Charity cli- ents have when crossing the road at the top of Francis Street on the way in from Cappa and at the Supervalu roundabout.

Ms O’Leary outlined how it is al- most impossible for her to go to work everyday, as crossing the Kilkee road is a near impossibility.

With the help of her assistant she has written to the town hall outlin- ing her difficulty and intends to re- turn to the civic office every month to remind those in power that change is needed.

“It is a deadly dangerous road,’ she said of the road she lives on. “There is no zebra crossing, but there is a lollypop lady for the school children it is so dangerous.”

Wheelchair users also find it diffi- cult to move freely around the west Clare capital, as demonstrated by Patricia O’Dea.

Even with assistance it is difficult to keep the chair steady on some of the footpaths, while mounting and dismounting the path is a hazard.

As she moved up Francis Street and into the centre of town Patricia pointed to a number of shops and businesses she cannot enter due to a lack of a ramp.

Crossing the road is also difficult unless she travels long distances to the town’s crossings.

The greatest difficulty facing Pa- tricia and other wheelchair users however is people’s lack of consid- eration.

Motorists that park half way up on the footpath prevent her from using the path, forcing her to return home and not venture out, or risk her life by going on to the road in her chair.

The vocal Brothers of Charity group have made their feelings known to the town council at its meetings.

Town clerk Fiona Mooney told the

eroup that there is currently an audit of public places and areas underway and submissions are welcome. She said she would make the group aware of the procedure and welcomed their shay oleae

Town manager Bernadette Kinsella has invited the group to meet with the council’s HR manager to discuss the council’s policy on employing people with disability.

And while issues like disabilities may make an appearance on a coun- cil agenda from time to time, Kath- leen and her friends are determined to make it a monthly issue until ac- cess is resolved.

HALF of Clare’s primary school children are in overcrowded class- rooms.

As many as 71 per cent of pupils in the greater Ennis and Shannon area are being taught in classes larger than the approved number.

Declan Kelleher, the INTO District Representative, released the figures for the first time at a public meeting on the class-size situation. He stated that 36.3 per cent of primary pupils

in the two areas were in classes of 30 to 34.

Seven per cent were in classes of 35 and some 27.4 per cent were in classes of up to 29 pupils.

“This was a clear indictment of how primary education resourc- ing has been neglected for so long by so many governments,” said Mr Kelleher. “Outside of the Ennis and Shannon areas, there were also plenty of examples of large classes and, in many instances, pupils were in smaller schools in multi-classes,

where not alone is the pupil trying to cope with an overcrowded class- room, but she or he is also trying to cope with two, three or even four dif- ferent classes within the same class- room,” he added.

“The overall primary system re- mains the least funded of all sec- tors within education, with primary class size 1n Ireland being the second worst in the entire EU.”

“The Department of Children are currently examining a proposal to introduce after-school care into pri-

mary schools but at a ratio of one adult supervisor to 15 pupils. How come it is acceptable, therefore, to have the child in an overcrowded class of 30 pupils during the school CF haan t(omr- 0s) .Co16

Sean McMahon, Principal of Mul- lagh National School and incoming INTO executive representative for Clare, said there were hundreds of pupils in overcrowded classrooms in west and north Clare and these schools also had full-time teaching principals.

Class size is both an urban and rural issue according to the teachers and parents who attended the meeting in the Oakwood Arms in Shannon on Thursday. Principal of Bansha Na- tional School, Martina Sexton, told the meeting that her school had 54 pupils, with just two teachers look- ing after all eight classes.

The Department of Education and Science had turned down their ap- peal for an additional teacher.

In many instances highlighted, there were pupils with special education needs in overcrowded classrooms, or rooms with multiple classes, who frequently required one-on-one at- Kone te

Pupils whose first language was not English also have to cope with the large class sizes.

THE Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh has said that it irritates him when people suggest that bishops and priests are out of touch with life today.

He insisted that priests were very much in touch as a result of continu- ous dealings with families in diffi- culty.

‘I think the one area where we find

it difficult is to be 1n touch with the daily lives of young people, that 1s a difficulty.

“I would say to priests regularly that it is not just us that are finding life difficult at times in this era — that despite all the material progress, parents are finding it quite difficult CNM DO New DOM DB KOR

‘Also, whether it 1s young couples coping with pressures of mortgages, very long hours or work or it 1s cou- ples coping with teenage children.”

Dr Walsh went on, “I think that we have made great progress, financial- ly, economically, socially – in many ways in recent years.

“But I often think that, for some people, the Celtic Tiger hasn’t touched them and they are finding life difficult. I think of the ones who are successful 1n economic terms, very often they are under so much pressure they can’t enjoy the fruits.

“The way our society has devel- oped, there are an awful lot of people

who are under pressure.

‘Probably, we as priests tend to see more of it. We are more 1n touch with people who are suffering. Whether it is people suffering from poverty or tragedy, priests are very much in- volved in tragic events.”

He added: “We had so many priests that somehow in the 1950s, ’60s, °70s and ’80s that we didn’t encour- age lay people to get involved in the running of the Church. I suppose that if somebody has been doing that

all their lives, it 1s not easy if you come to 70, you tend to feel that you still have to do that. I would accept that we didn’t encourage lay people to take their responsibility.

Dr Walsh’s Lenten Letter sends out a call on lay people to get involved in the running of the Church.

He states: “It is not a question of helping the priest, it 1s a question of lay people and the priest working together, sharing their responsibili- on