Category: Uncategorized

LADY Gregory will be hon- oured once again this week- end as the Autumn Gather- ing takes place at the Lady Gregory Hotel and Coole Park in Gort.

The gathering, which is in its eleventh year, will include a host of lectures, plays, cul- tural and social events to highlight Lady Gregory’s contribution to the [Irish Lit- eV AYA CAREY

The weekend will be of- ficially launched in_ the Lady Gregory Hotel at 6pm on Friday evening by Ben Kennedy, the great-grandson of Lady Gregory and Ronnie O’Gorman.

This will be followed by the launch of an Italian translation of Lady Grego- ry’s stories for children ed- ited by Dr Rosangela Barone and Melita Catald1.

Saturday will be domi- nated by a series of lectures in Coole Park chaired by Ki- Cie-NO Nye esre KYA

The lectures will cover topics including mythology, shrines and the supernatural and will feature professors Gearoid MacEoin, Miranda Aldhouse-Green and Patri- cia Lysaght.

SW rlemeeldetoubetcmalemeleneey tec pleted on Sunday by a trip to Thoor Ballylee for the pres- entation of a series of poems about Thoor Ballylee by Pe- ter O’Shaughnessy.

The weekend comes to close in the traditional way on Sunday afternoon with tea and barn brack at The Lady Gregory Hotel.

Lady Gregory is_ best known for her work with Yeats and Synge in the for- mation of the Irish National Theatre and the Abbey The- atre Company.

A playwright herself, she gained notoriety not just be- cause of her artistic work but also because of her role as a patron for some of Ireland’s best known writers. She died on May 22, 1932 at the age fo) are OF

ANYONE who _ proclaimed that cars should run on vege- table oil, or batteries was nor- mally regarded as at best ‘al- ternative, at worst eccentric.

But these are anything but normal times.

With fist fights on the filling station forecourts and flood waters swirling as we melt the planet, the days when we can rely on fossil fuels for power and transport are surely num- bered.

So will the ‘green’ car idea finally have its day and, first and foremost, does it actually exist?

The good news is_ that whereas five years ago these issues were hardly on the in- dustrial radar screen, now all the world’s major motor man- ufacturers have huge ‘green’ programmes and boast senior executives with titles such as ‘vice-president, environment.’

The prize for the company which cracks the formula for the green car of the future, before its rivals, will be meas- ured in trillions of dollars.

The prize for the human race will be cleaner air.

The bad news is that those same companies have found that solving the technology problem of alternative fuels is taking more time and money than they expected.

With petrol prices going through the roof, motorists are understandably looking for an instant solution to rising fuel eyeN KS

Even the most ambitious automobile §manufacturer’s admit that it will be late 2007 before hydrogen cars appear in showrooms and even then there probably won’t be any- where to re-fill them.

SUC Kmoormalunes off it seems, with significant implications for motorists not expected for another ten years Or SO.

So what is the solution?

The first and most straight- forward route is to join the droves of Irish motorists and convert to a diesel engine –

diesel models now represent 42 per cent of all new car sales in the Republic.

Alternatively, manufactur- er’s like Toyota and Honda offer hybrid petrol-electric models which again use less fuel than conventional petrol eran Nee

More and more manufactur- er’s look set to follow this ex- ample with Mercedes promis-

ing to unveil models in their showrooms come January 2007.

Significantly these models will reduce consumption by anything up to 25 per cent.

If you are determined enough you could really slash your fuel bill by going elec- tric. That is if you don’t mind also cutting your top speed to about 40 miles an hour.

The Reva G-Wiz, which is manufactured in India and is distributed in the UK by GoinGreen.co.uk is the only mass production and afford- able electric car on offer in Europe at the moment.

Fully-charged (which can take about six hours) the G- Wiz can manage about 40 miles. This however can also depend on temperature and driving conditions.

Although this doesn’t sound too encouraging at first, con- sidering the following – this electric model will still run at about one third the cost of a normal petrol car.

GoinGreen.co.uk have en- joyed significant interest in the G-Wiz since they launched the vehicle in May, 2004.

They have already sold 250 and have a further 50 on order at a nominal cost of £8,000.

For those who still want the bit of power, performance, prestige, electric windows, comfortable seating and the ability to travel decent jour- ney without having to seek out a handy road side socket, then maybe converting your car to run on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) might be just the thing for you.

Conversion companies can

charge anything up to €2,000 to carry out the required work on your vehicle, but it might well be worth it with LPG costs per litre running at about 40 per cent of typical petrol costs.

It’s worth noting though that this advantage is purely down the difference in VAT charges.

The British Motoring As-

sociation estimate that there are 100-125,000 vehicles in the UK running on LPG, and thankfully this fuel also cuts down on carbon dioxide emis- sions by twenty per cent when compared with petrol. Con- venient availability of LPG can prove a problem however.

On the continent LPG is widely available, particularly in Italy, Holland, Germany and France.

As usual, in Ireland, we’re well behind.

If you’d prefer to escape de- pendence on dissipating fossil fuels and third party suppli- ers entirely, you can then join

the growing ranks of people running their diesel cars on biodiesel.

Biodiesel is made from crops such as oilseed rape and sunflower seeds.

In the UK at the moment, biodiesel is currently being sold as a five per cent blend with conventional diesel at a growing number of supplier stations. Some motorists how-

ever are concocting their own 100 per cent blend, or buying it from independent manufac- turers to run their own vehi- cles. Few problems have thus far been reported.

Green Fuels, a_ biodiesel technology specialist, have been selling DIY biodiesel kits for about the last eighteen months in the UK.

James Hygate, Green Fuels MD, has been running his Audi A6 on biodiesel for over a year now.

Biodiesel DIY kits start at £4,106. The kit can produce biodiesel in batches of 150 litres. The process involves

mixing heated vegetable oil with other chemicals and then filtering off the end product.

In comparison to current petrol prices, you should once again save yourself about 60 per cent on your fuel bill.

Be warned however. If you do decide to switch to biodie- sel it could affect your vehicle Wee ETO ATe

Many car manufacturer’s are, as of yet, completely hap- py to endorse this fuel alterna- tive completely.

Despite this manufacturer reticence don’t be surprised if in a few years you look out your car window and see acre upon acre of golden oilseed rape.

These will become the 21st century oil fields and farmers will become oil barons as cli- mate changes and diminishing oil reserves turn plants like oilseed into a wonder fuel.

The above was once the fan- tastic vision of biofuel lobby, but now its closer to reality than we first suspected.

Technically there are two kinds of biofuel.

One is made from plant oils and the other, bioethanol, is made by fermenting grains.

Both can be used in unmodi- fied diesel and petrol engines When blended with conven- tional diesel and petrol.

Last month the EU increased pressure on Ireland to meet its biofuel targets – a request of course the coalition govern- ment have largely ignored.

In the UK the number of garage forecourts stocking biodiesel and bioethanol fuels while car manufacturer’s may also be converted.

Early this summer in Swe- den Saab released its first flex- ible fuel model and it is an- ticipated that more will follow this example.

Right now the dream of a clean biofuel future may be just that, but with the momen- tum created by the EU and the public the vision may become increasingly plausible with every field in Ireland becom- ing a practical oil field.

A 16-year-old Kilrush youth threatened to kill three gardai and said he would find out Where every garda lived, it was alleged in court.

The accused, who cannot be named, is charged with engaging in threatening, abu- sive or insulting behaviour at Kilrush Garda Station on September 20.

Detective Garda Michael McDonagh told Lisdoonvarna District Court last Wednesday that the accused arrived at the garda station to sign on, as part of his bail conditions as- sociated with another case. He told the garda that he knew where two shotguns were.

The garda told the court that two shotguns, stolen in Kilrush, were still missing. The ac-

cused is alleged to have said the guns were being ‘kept for something big’, otherwise, they would be let off every night.

He allegedly said he would kill three Kiul- rush-based gardai. The youth also allegedly said he would find out where “every one of ye lives.”

In court, the accused said he did not have a solicitor.

“T want to speak for myself… Sure I did nothing.” He said he had taken tablets the previous evening and could not remember what had happened.

“I’m sorry but I don’t know what I done,” he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan granted an applica- tion to remand the accused in custody, to ap- pear again in court later this week.

can reveal.

The castle, which was built in 1306 by the O’Connor family, has developed a number of deep cracks over the last few years which now Web usrelKo) /MMOOCoMECIE-1OyEDIA MOJO Os loMIINUECOr neko

Dough Castle lies between the seventh and eight hole of the La- hinch Castle Golf Course and has been the subject of a major archi- tectural investigation in recent weeks.

Secretary Manager of the club, Alan Reardon, is currently await- ing the results of the investigation before action can be taken to rein- force the castle.

“We are looking into the situation

at the moment,” said Mr Reardon.

‘There are some cracks that have been developing over the years and we are investigating what is the best way to deal with them. It’s not in danger of falling down too soon.”

The investigation will also at- tempt to uncover as much informa- tion as possible about the castle’s long and proud history.

“We are trying to find out as much as we can about the castle and see if it is a protected struc- ture,’ continued Mr Reardon.

“At that point we can see what kind of grants are available to help fund the work.”

While it is impossible to say for sure the castles current state of dis- repair is blamed by many on the sandy foundations on which it is built.

Sections of the building have col-

lapsed at various times during the nineteenth century and at present only one wall remains fully intact.

Dough Castle was originally founded by the O’Connors at the beginning of the fourteenth cen- elas

Its original name was ‘Dumhach Ui Chonchtir’ which translates roughly as O’Connor’s Sandbank.

The O’Connors were ousted from the castle by the O’Brien family in the time of Elizabeth the first of England.

The current castle dates back to the sixteenth century when it was the property of Sir Donal O’Brien and his family.

The castle was save from dem- olition by ‘Commissioners for overthrowing and demolishing castles in Connacht and Clare’ by a Cromwellian officer named Colo- nel Stubber in 1654.

has learned that €6,/97.94 was paid to the court poor box by various defendants who were brought before the courts in Clare last year. Just €1,250 of this was paid out to charitable organisations or Support groups.

At the start of 2004, <€20,850 which amounted over the previous few years, was carried over and this brought the total re- maining in the poor box to €26,397.94 at the end of last year. This has now grown to more than €30,000. On occasions, Judge Joseph Mangan dis- misses various cases under the Probation of Offenders Act and orders defendants to pay a sum of money to the court poor box. Cahercalla Hospice spokeswoman Mary Moloney said she would welcome “with Open arms” funding towards the hospice, which is moving to a new building, as part of a major €2 million development, the plan- ning application of which is being submitted WNL oo) © “Even a whiff of it [the €30,000] would be welcome. I certainly didn’t know it was there. My understanding was if there was money paid in, it would be paid out immedi- ately,” said Ms Moloney. Fundraising co-ordinator of Clare Haven Services — which offers support to women coping with domestic violence — Eileen Murphy, said her organisation would be “delighted to receive anything from it.” She said, “I will write to the court clerk and see what happens, now that that kind of money is there. “We would love to see it distributed among the services which deal with domestic abuse.” Another support group, Clarecare, would also welcome funding from the court’s poor lfe).@ ‘We would never say no to money in this type of business. We are not against getting it. We would have no problem spending all that money tomorrow. The question is where would it best serve,’ said Clarecare General Manager Fiacre Hensey. A spokesman for the Courts Service said it is up to each judge to decide where the proceeds of the poor box actually goes - the decision in Clare rests with Judge Joseph Mangan. “Some judges clear it out at the end of every year [for example Killarney, Listowel, Ballinasloe, Tuam, Naas and Sligo], while others let it build up over time and make large donations to groups or organisations. A decision will have to be made at some stage about what will be done with it,” he said.

A COURT application that a 16-year-old boy currently be- ing detained at St Patrick’s In- stitution in Dublin, be placed in the custody of his parents, has been refused.

The youth, who cannot be named, has pleaded guilty to eight charges, including burglary, larceny, criminal damage and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, in the Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point areas, between October 2004 and February last.

Earlier this month, he was remanded in custody to St Patrick’s Institution and a probation report was to be carried out. Lisdoonvarna District Court heard last Wednesday that the report was not available.

“It is not my client’s fault that there is no probation re- port here,” said solicitor Jim Finnegan. He said that his client has suffered an injury and that he did not seem to be getting attention for this at St lsu le ay

Judge Joseph Mangan re-

plied, “If you have a prob- lem with the way he is being treated you have one of two options — the Minister for Justice or the High Court.”

The accused boy’s mother said if he was allowed to go home, he would not cause trouble.

“T think he has realised the Seriousness of the matter, having been in St Pat’s for a week. I presume he’d prefer to be at home,” she said.

Judge Mangan remanded the boy in custody, to appear in court again next month.

OVER 40 delegates from eve- ry County and City Enterprise Board in Ireland flocked to La- hinch this week for the eigth annual Association of Assist- ant CEO’s and Business Advi- sors Conference.

The conference, which was being held in Clare for the second time, began in the La- hinch Golf and Leisure Hotel on Wednesday morning and lasted for two days. The pur- pose of the high level meeting was to compare and contrast the different strategies used by the Enterprise Boards from all over the country and to swap ideas and experiences.

The main issue dealt with at the conference was the role of the Central Support Unit

for County Enterprise Boards. The Central Support Unit, which has responsibility for all the Enterprise Boards, has been up to the present time un- der the control of the Depart- ment of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

However, under the new ar- rangements discussed in Lahi- nch this Central Support Unit will now be managed by En- terprise Ireland.

“It is a fairly significant move,’ said Lucy Reidy, Busi- ness Advisor for the Clare County Enterprise Board. “It is going to bring change to the Enterprise boards but at the moment we don’t know exactly how. The decision was taken by the Government in an effort to streamline the work of the agencies.”

Aside from the Central Sup- port Unit the delegates also discussed the importance of design excellence in Irish busi- ness. Mr Sean McNulty, Presi- dent of the Institute of Design- ers in Ireland, spoke about the importance of design for entre- preneurs and outlined the com- petitive gain for entrepreneurs who use creativity in design.

Life long learning was also on the discussion table with Mr Dermot Coughlan, Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learn- ing and Outreach with the Uni- versity of Limerick, speaking to the delegates.

“It was successful and a lot of good ideas came from it,” continued Ms Reidy. “I think that the ideas swapped here will help the micro enterprise sector in the future.”

GARDAI in Clare are being advised not to use their person- al mobile phones, laptops and cameras for official use.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) issued the advice in response to delays in introducing a new radio system, despite repeated calls for it.

The GRA has been told the new “Tetra” digital radio sys- tem will not be introduced for four years. Justice Miunister Michael McDowell has said there are no finances available,

before then.

Clare-based member of the GRA Central Executive, Garda Tom Keane of Ennis says this is not good enough as the existing system regularly breaks down in rural parts of the county.

“We are trying to get a radio system for years. There are a lot of blackspots where the cur- rent system breaks down. This happens regularly. It 1s totally outdated,’ said Garda Keane.

“We are urging our members not to use mobile phones until they give us a radio system,’ he said.

said that he has used the route from the Ballina side every day for years and has “never experienced anything like the

delays since those lights went in. You have to wait for traffic to turn every which way be- fore you can go straight ahead across the bridge. That means waiting for up to four changes of the lights and they’re all long waits. You can be there for ten minutes or more, I’ve 1p beetsre mn | a

Local Councillor, Tony O’Brien has heard many com- plaints concerning the delays which the lights — turned on just two weeks ago — are caus- ing.

Having raised questions with the council’s roads depart- ment, he was told that they are

tackling teething problems.

The councillor and chair- man of the community coun- cil was told that expert traf- fic management consultants, Traffic Management Solutions Ltd, have been brought in the monitor how the lights are working and pin down snags.

The company is currently looking at how the operation is going and will report back to the county council’s traffic management officials.

“We’ll see what they have to say, but I want whatever needs doing to be done to solve these delays, even if that means switching the lights off,” said Clir O’Brien.

MILTOWN MALBAY received a massive boost this week after Clare County Coun- cil granted planning permission for a €4 million eTown project in the village. The Shannon Development project involves the development of 12 residential and six com- mercial business units.

‘“Miltown Malbay needs this. It’s a tre- mendous boost for the area,” Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) said yesterday.

The elown project is part of a new con- cept for developing rural towns in the Shan- non region.

Speaking at the launch of the project, Shannon Development’s Chief Executive, Kevin Thompstone, said that all the ele- ments were now in place.

“The town plan, incorporating the 2.2- acre elown site, has been completed, broadband access has been studied and a solution identified, 12 members of the com- munity have completed training and the ‘Courtyard’ — an integrated complex of workspace and residential accommodation — has been designed,” he said.

The ‘Courtyard’ will accommodate 12 houses, incorporating ‘wired for broad- band’ office space. House sizes will aver- age 2,000 sq. ft., with business units rang- ing from 750 sq. ft. to 1,000 sq. ft.

The work-life accommodation will be available for sale and will be targeted at es- tablished businesses in the traded services sectors. DTZ Sherry Fitzgerald will act as ‘selling agents’ for all sites.