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THE artistic endeavors of more than 300 Clare children was celebrated this week at the Pol an Ionain cave in Doolin where the inaugural chil- dren’s Christmas art competition was judged.

After much deliberation, Oscar Healy from Cratloe came out on top in the competition which was crammed with quality work from all entrants.

“We did Santa Clause at the cave this year and as part of that we in- vited all the children who visited to take part in the art competition. We couldn’t get over the response, we

had 300 entrants from children all over Clare, it was really amazing,” said Helen Browne of Pol an Ionain.

“It was really interesting to see all the different things that the children could conjure up just with their 1m- aginations.”

The competition was judged by three arts school graduates who de- cided that Oscar’s drawing was the best of the hundred of entrants in a close competition.

“It was so difficult, they were all very good but there were six or seven pieces that were just excellent,’ con- tinued Helen.

‘He has created a scene which is based inside the cave. The stalac-

tite is in the background and in the foreground is Santa and two or three elves. The whole drawing is really fantastic, very well done.”

Pol an Ionain has been going from strength to strength since it opened less than one year ago.

“The cave has been going very well. We are operating a park and ride service from Bruach na Halla to the cave. This is to keep any disturbance of the natural environment of the area to an absolute minimum. It also means that only groups of 20 visit the cave at a time which makes it both a very intimate and eco-friendly expe- rience,’ continued Helen.

“We are open at weekends at the

moment and we will be opening full time after Paddy’s Day. It’s a great experience and allows people to view a sculpture of nature which has been in the making for millions of years.” The cave, which boasts the world’s largest free-hanging stalactite, was discovered in 1959 and was devel- oped using non-explosive drilling techniques to protect the ecology of the cave and its surrounding area.

A 17-YEAR-OLD youth has been convicted of assaulting a schoolboy during a school lunchbreak in Kil- Mut ee

Kilrush District Court heard that a 15-year-old boy — who is from west Clare — was walking along Moody’s Lane on January 9 last, when he met the accused and another individual,

who was not before the court.

The boy was repeatedly hit to the face with a clenched fist. The court was told that the accused urged the other individual to join in. He reluc- tantly did so. The young victim even- tually managed to run away.

He sustained a black eye, soft tis- sue damage to the nose, a lump to the side of the head and two lumps to the forehead.

The accused, who cannot be named because of his age, told the court that the young boy called him and his friend “scumbags and knackers,” and he then hit him.

The accused said the 15-year- old “doesn’t come into Kilrush any neuen

Supt Joe McKeown, prosecuting, asked him, “Why does he not come into Kilrush any more? … Because

of you.”

Supt McKeown added that the ac- cused has made life “a misery” for the boy and his family, but the ac- cused replied that this was not the OF Ton

“They have made my life a mis- ery, he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan convicted the youth of assault and fined him PAULO}

UNION and_ worker representa- tives have added their voices to the mounting demands that the Govern- ment put up money to save Shannon, in the face of the possible loss of a year-round direct link to the US. SIPTU, the largest airport union, wants the Govenment to put up cash to improve infrastructure, facilities

and to fund a major tourism market- nOTRG NW AY oe

Tony Carroll of SIPTU’s avia- tion branch said union members are “very dissapointed” that the trans- atlantic stopover is the price of the Open Skies deal.

“The proposal of a one-year lead in is too short entirely. A longer time- frame is needed to brace Shannon for the full impact of this,” he said.

Carroll added that there will need to be “substantial support” for the airport to market itself and win a slice of the lucrative US cake rather than letting visitors fly straight to Dublin.

One major concern is that even within the year long period which is intended as a lead-in to the end of the compulsory stop-over, flights might cease once the busy summer season

ends.

With airlines allowed to average out the number of Shannon flights, many associated with the airport fear that it is possible that the quota could be all allocated to summer services with no daily service in winter.

“The biggest threat is going to be that we could lose the year-round daily link with the USA. Not having direct access makes you uncompeta-

tive and unattractive as a destination for inward investment,’ said Carroll.

A spokesman for SIGNAL, the Shannon airport worker’s lobby eroup, said that it’s vital the Govern- ment move quickly.

“Now that Open Skies is definitely coming, it’s vital that the Govern- ment pull out all the stops in imple- menting the Tourism and Economic Development Plan.

GERRY Dunleavy was back in Doo- lin last week to help launch details for this year’s Michael Dunleavy Walk which will take place on April ey

The walk, which is now in its fifth year, 1S dedicated to the memory of Gerry’s young son Michael, who died aged just eight, because of an inoperable brain tumour.

The group, which has raised more than €90,000 for the Irish Cancer Society over the last four years, are hoping that this year’s event will be

the most successful to date.

“We are really hoping to push it this year. This is the fifth anniver- sary of the walk so we want to pull out all the stops. We want to make it the biggest walk ever,” said organiser Mary O’Connor. “It will be the same route as usual. We will start at the Russell Centre and people can have their choice of two routes, one of five miles or one of a shorter distance.

‘All the money raised goes towards the Irish Cancer Society. We try to channel the money towards child- hood cancer and research. We also save a good part of the money raised

to help local children who are suffer- ing from different illnesses.”

The Michael Dunleavy Foundation was established by Gerry and Toni Dunleavy in Boston in 2002. Doo- lin native Gerry and his Dublin-born Toni set up the charity following the death of their son Michael in Amer1- ca on December 28, 2002.

“We hope that our fundraiser will be an important element in the fight against cancer and brain tumours,” continued Mary. “Technology is moving at breakneck speed towards finding the cause of this disease but it requires a big investment that now

one of us could afford. But together we can help to hasten the day that a cure for cancer would be found.”

The money raised will be used pri- marily in the area of research into childhood cancer and in the support of affected families. A portion of this money also goes to help fund special- ists nurses who work on a one-to-one basis with child suffers of cancer.

Anyone interested in taking part in the walk can contact Mary on 087 9080412. A special bank account for all donations has been set up at the Bank of Ireland in Ennistymon, Ac- count number 32884701.

A YOUNG woman has told a court that she has become a “very different person” as a result of being stabbed, while she worked at an Ennis hotel.

Mia Buena (30), a Filipino national, was waitressing at the Auburn Lodge Hotel on January 2, when she was approached and stabbed in the back with a knife.

The accused, Tommy Dormer (33), of 11 Ashfield Park, Gort Road, En- nis, pleaded guilty at Ennis Circuit Court to assaulting Ms Buena, caus- Thokcap ates am ercvw eee

The victim told the court she has suffered gravely as a result of the stabbing, both physically and men- NOAA

“I thought it was my fault. I was blaming myself because I didn’t see it coming,” she said.

“I still haven’t been able to go back to the place where it happened,’ she Said.

She said her family in the Philip- pines depend on her and she is un- able to support them at the moment.

She said that under the conditions of her work permit, she should be working, but is unable to and now fears she will be deported.

She said she understands what the accused 1s going through.

Outlining the facts of the case to

the court, Detective Sergeant Joe O’Brien said Ms Buena has worked at the Auburn for five years and the accused regularly visits the hotel.

On the evening in question, he went into the bar where Ms Buena was serving customers.

“For no apparent reason whatso- ever, Tommy Dormer stabbed her in the back with a knife,’ he said. She sustained a stab wound to the shoul- Coe

He then went to a neighbouring house and requested that the emer- gency services be called.

The garda told the court the ac- cused said, “I’m on a mission of mer- cy.” While he waited for gardai to arrive, he said Hail Marys and Our Fathers. He said that Dormer said that “voices were telling him to do these things”.

He said the accused suffers from psychiatric problems and over the years there were several incidents of self-mutilation.

Judge Carroll Moran asked where the knife was recovered and the garda replied, “It was left in her back, my Lord”’.

Defence barrister Lorcan Connolly said his client suffers from chronic schizophrenia and that he put the blame for the incident firmly on his own psychiatric problems.

He said his client has never been in

trouble before and “all of a sudden he leaves his home and suddenly com- mits an act against a person who had been very good to him in the past”. He asked that the case be put back,

with the accused remaining in cus- tody, until a regime could be put in place, possibly in Cluain Mhuire, which the court would be satisfied with, on an interim basis.

Judge Carroll Moran adjourned the case until next month, for a Proba- tion Report to be completed.

COMMENTING on the recent an- nouncement that a EU-US Open Skies draft agreement has been reached Pat Shanahan, Chairman of the Shannon Airport Authority, said that the chal- lenge will be to address the airport’s cost base, keep existing customers and bring new business in.

The chairman said yesterday that Shannon Airport has been preparing for Open Skies for some time and has built up an extensive range of transat-

lantic services which carried almost 800,000 passengers in 2006.

“The challenge Shannon now faces is that we must persuade airlines to retain their current level of services and develop new ones in an open market.”

He added “I believe that while Open Skies poses a challenge to Shannon Airport, the retention and further de- velopment of year-round transatlantic services and passenger/cargo traffic 1s achievable supported by a strong US marketing campaign, improvements

in road and rail infrastructure in the region and a substantial reduction in our cost base.”

Shanahan added the airport has the required facilities and capacity to service further growth of transat- lantic services and it is the authority’s intention to further enhance those facilities with the establishment of a Full US Customs and Border Protec- tion Inspection post in 2008 which would provide Shannon with an es- sential competitive advantage over other European Airports when devel-

oping additional services.

‘Shannon has the potential to devel- op as a financially and operationally viable airport and the benefits to the airport and wider region of the huge boost in passenger numbers over the past two years are very evident.”

But he stressed the urgency of ad- dressing what he described as an “uncompetitive cost base” in order to meet the business and operational needs of the airport. ““We can then begin to concentrate our efforts on ensuring we become more competi-

tive in our airport charges and our incentive schemes,” he said.

Shanahan added that “We believe we have developed a distinctive west of Ireland market both to and from the US. It is time for a concerted ef- fort by key stakeholders in the west of Ireland supported by a substantial Government tourism-marketing fund to market Shannon throughout the US. It is our aim to reach one million transatlantic passengers per annum within five years of the commence- ment of Open Skies.”

THE dangers of home heaters have been highlighted after a pensioner lost his life in a blaze at an Ennis house over the weekend.

Michael Moloney (67) died from smoke inhalation after an electrical bar heater toppled at his home, in Ashfield Park on the Gort Road in Ennis, on Friday afternoon.

He was a native of Knockanena, Caher, in East Clare, and had lived in Ennis for a number of years.

Mr Moloney, a single man, is un-

derstood to have died as a result of inhaling smoke fumes, after a bar heater toppled and set carpet in his bedroom on fire.

His body was discovered on the floor of his bedroom, near the heater, by another resident of the house, at around 4pm.

The fire is understood to have bro- ken out a short time earlier. Another tenant of the house was in another bedroom at the time, but he did not sustain injuries.

A post-mortem examination of Mr Moloney’s body took place at Limer-

ick Regional Hospital yesterday, the initial results of which indicate he died due to smoke inhalation.

Mr Moloney is survived by his brother and two sisters, who live in East Clare. He is to be laid to rest to- day (Tuesday).

Gardai investigating Mr Moloney’s death are not treating it as suspicious. “We are happy there was no foul play. We are treating this as an accident,” said a garda spokesman.

The county’s fire officers have stressed the importance of assem- bling a plan, in an effort to ensure

fires do not destroy lives. They strongly advocate the use of smoke alarms and to plan an escape drill, in the event of a fire.

Senior Fire Officer in Clare, Denis O’Connell is warning people to be vigilant when using heaters.

He said heaters with a naked flame require high levels of vigilance and clothes should not be placed near Wetoeee

“We recommend people use oil- filled heaters, as there is no naked flame involved. There is a certain level of safety required in any heat-

ing system that has a naked flame,” he said.

He is warning people to be mindful of the potential dangers of heaters.

“People should use smoke detec- tors. Fires should be guarded, elec- tric units should be switched off and chimneys should be swept twice a year,’ he said.

“The people most at risk from fire deaths are elderly people living alone,” he pointed out.

He said when they inspect homes, fire officers in Clare do not recom- mend the use of naked flame heaters.

A YOUNG man who verbally abused staff at a hospital where he was be- ing treated has been sentenced to one month in detention.

Jonathan Kenny (18), of Elm Drive, John Paul Estate, Kilrush, was con- victed of engaging in threatening,

abusive or insulting behaviour at En- nis General Hospital, on January 6 ENe

Garda Siggins told Kilrush District Court that he was on patrol in Ennis on the morning in question.

He received a call that a young per- son was receiving treatment at Ennis General Hospital and that he had be-

come aggressive after he woke up.

The garda went to the scene and said he saw him “pulling out draw- ee

He said that the accused was threat- ening to staff at the hospital and had to be restrained in the public area.

“I believed he was under the influ- ence of some kind of drug,” said the

garda.

Defending solicitor Pat Enright said his client had received drugs at the hospital, where he was treated for an alleged assault.

“He had a injury to his forehead. He received an horrific injury. It was a very, very serious wound. He was very upset about it. He was giving

out about the man who did it to him,” said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan sentenced the accused to one month’s detention at St Patrick’s Institution.

Mr Enright asked the judge to sus- pend this but he refused. He fixed recognisances in the event of an ap- peal.

THE Clare tourism industry is not pre- pared to deal with the consequences of Open Skies if it is brought in in the near future, according to Manager of Dromoland Castle and member of the Clare Tourism Council, Mark Nolan. Mr Nolan also believes that Open Skies would be of long-term benefit to tourism in the region if Govern- ment support is forthcoming in terms

of marketing and transport infrastruc- nb Cen

“If the change is to come soon, then we are not prepared. There is still a lot of uncertainty about when and how the changeover will actually happen,” he rEIOb

One of the critical things is to im- prove the infrastructure around Shan- non. The people who are using Dublin would prefer to fly out of anywhere ac- cept for Dublin but the infrastructure

must be there to allow people to get to S)aeeTeveleyee

“We are now competing with five or six airports around the country. It 1s no longer a situation of Shannon verses Dublin,” he said.

Despite the feeling in some quarters that the agreement will damage tour- ism in Clare, Mr Nolan is confident that it will be ultimately beneficial.

“This is really nothing new, we have heard it all before. I believe that it will

actually be good for business in the medium to long-term, but there will be some negative impacts in the short term,” he continued.

“It is very important that a marketing package be put in place to help main- tain the market in North America. We have been told 30, 40, 50 and 100 mil- lion for this at different times. Fifty five per cent of our business here in Dromoland comes out of North Amer- ica,’ he added.

RETURNING by very popular de- mand, the Corofin Drama Society will stage one final production of the Rape of the Belt this Saturday evening before taking the play on the Festival Circuit.

Such was the reaction to the three successful performances of the Benn W Levy comedy last month that the eroup have decided to allow local audiences one last look before they loyun trees iOemBelomKey-lem

“It is based on the ancient Greek story of Hercules and and his 12 la- bours. His ninth task was to steal the belt of the Amazons,’ said director Marianna Shonemann. The Amazons

are always portrayed as being fierce and harsh women but when he meets them he finds them very charming.

‘This makes it much harder for him to fulfill him tasks and lead to a lot of the comedy in the play.”

Following the Corofin date, the group face a busy schedule of the fes- tival circuit with five performances in the month of March.

First up 1s Doonbeg March 12 be- fore performances in Shercock and Cootehill in Cavan on March 20 and 21.

Next up is a return to Clare to take part in the Scariff Festival on March 23 before rounding off the tour in Charleville, County Cork on March oF

“We try to bring a three act play on the circuit each year,’ continued Marianna. “It’s great to get the play out to a wider audience and to al- low more people to come and see it. There is also a lot that we can learn JUuO)ooMoyUba-an steam LMmO em se low Ker-\em-TICMolor ing how other groups do it.

‘There are a number of people who are getting involved in a play for the first time with this production. Peo- ple like PJ Cox, his sister Sandra and Majella Dooley this is their first production and they have been great. We have also paid special attention to the costumes and set and people have been commenting on how good they are.”

Written in the late 1950’s, The Rape

of the Belt is an entertaining comedy based in Ancient Greece. It tells the tale of Hercules’ ninth labour where he has to take the ceremonial royal belt from the Queen of the Ama- ZONS.

The Amazons have a perfect king- dom, full of peacefully creative women, where the men (only a hand- ful) are kept apart as slaves, and used solely for breeding. All the while the Gods Zeus and Hera watch on which interest.