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WHAT do Seanie McMahon, Stephen McNamara and Colin Lynch have in common? Not a ten marker when eve- ry hurling aficionado knows that they are All-Ireland men.

The ten-marker is that they are all All-Ireland men who went to Rice Col- lege in Ennis, but who never played Dr Harty Cup hurling with the renowned Christian Brothers academy.

All because, during their school days top flight Harty hurling ceased to be in the school hugging the Fergus River in Ennis. Indeed, it ceased to be there for 30 years, a three-decade gap that will be bridged this Wednesday when the school once again toes the Harty hurl- ing line against Kilmallock.

The last Dr. Harty Cup game the CBS played was in 1975 when they went down heavily to a Pat Horgan inspired North Monastery from Cork. The Mon went on to win the title — the CBS went down to the lesser grades of colleges hurling.

Now, their re-emergence as a top flight hurling school will re-kindle memories of a great association with the blue riband of colleges hurling in the province. That association reached its zenith on a March day in ’62 when the CBS boys crossed the Fergus wa- ters to Cusack Park and slayed mighty St. Flannan’s by 4-2 to 2-7 in the fi- ee

St. Flannan’s are still mighty as last

season’s 21st Harty Cup success and subsequent Croke Cup triumph proved. They open the defence of their titles against once mighty North Monastery and nothing other than a big win will be expected from the James O’Connor and Con Woods coached side.

Completing the triumvirate of Clare schools contesting the Harty Cup are St. Caimin’s from Shannon. And, if Rice College’s return to the top flight after a 30-year hiatus is noteworthy, the same can be said of St. Caimin’s.

This will be their maiden voyage, a journey first undertaken by a Shan- non school in the late eighties when St. Patrick’s Comprehensive were new kids on the Dr. Harty block.

St. Pat’s famously reached the final in 1989, only to go down by 0-9 to 0-5 to St. Flannan’s in what was only the second all-Clare final in the 90 year history of the competition.

In recent years, St. Caimin’s have amalgamated with St. Pat’s for Harty Cup purposes — this year they are go- ing it alone and face Ballingarry in Nenagh.

THE possibility of Shannon library being developed as a theatre and arts centre — at a cost of up to €5 million — has again been raised and hopes are high that the project will get the go-ahead within the next few years.

Town officials and elected rep- resentatives will, over the com- ing months, view a new facility in Selva lcm senCemm im seceUlt-D am KOM ser-l motte visaged for Shannon.

Fine Gael Cllr Tony Mulcahy says there is a strong belief that Shannon needs a facility like this.

“The possibility of a theatre being developed as part of the town cen- tre was proposed a few years ago but this fell by the wayside. There is a belief that the library could be developed into a 250-seater theatre,

while retaining the library at the same time,’ said Cllr Mulcahy.

“T believe it will happen but it will be long-term and we need to put down the parameters now, regard- ing how we can move forward on this,’ he added.

He says groups including the mu- sical society and drama group could avail of the theatre, while various meetings could take place there, along with bingo, dancing and various other events. Some funding would be provided by the Depart- ment of Arts, Clare County Council and local community groups.

Chairman of the Shannon Musical Society, Derek Barrett believes the idea to visit the facility in Thurles is a positive development.

“We are delighted this is back in the public domain again and it is

one thing that would bring the town together. Various groups, societies and community groups would ben- efit from this. It wouldn’t be just a theatre, but it would be a multi-use venue,” said Mr Barrett.

He said a theatre as 1s proposed is a place where children would aspire to perform in, while various music and comedy events could also be staged, spanning a 52-week pro- eramme every year.

“This could be a cinema, theatre and cultural centre. None of these would survive individually, rather they would, together, be a multi- purpose unit. None would be viable on their own,” he said.

He added that Shannon Musical Society will celebrate its 30th anni- versary in February 2008 and “we would hope to be in the theatre by

eto

Shannon Chamber of Commerce is welcoming any development on the creation of a theatre in the town.

“While we are very conscious of both the initial costs and ongoing expenses of running such a facility, I believe the current developers in the town should contribute funding towards such a venture. They have gained considerable tax incentives and savings to-date,” said Chamber CEO Triona McInerney.

“In recent times, there has been an explosion of commercial and residential developments. It is cru- cial that social and cultural outlets are components of this growth, to ensure that a balanced approach to community development is achieved,” added Ms McInerney.

THE security company operated by convicted Ennis man, Kevin Cooper has received almost €100,000 from Ennis Town Council for carrying out security- related activities over the past five years.

Mr Cooper recently received a three-month jail term after being convicted of assault and Ennis Town May- or, Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) confirmed that the coun- cillors and officials would discuss the arrangement entered into with Mr Cooper’s company, if his appeal against his conviction fails.

Two other Council members, Donal O’Bearra (GP) and Johnny Flynn (FG) also stated this week that the Council engaging the services of Mr Cooper’s com- pany must be discussed if Mr Cooper’s appeal is un- SECC AUN

At a recent special sitting of Ennis District Court, Mr Cooper (43) of Loughville, Ennis received a three month jail for assault. Mr Cooper is currently on bail pending an appeal of the conviction to Ennis Circuit Court, which is due to sit next month.

Along with carrying out security work for Ennis Town Council, Mr Cooper’s company, Avalon Securi- ty Services provides security for a number of licensed premises across Ennis.

Clare County Council this week confirmed that Mr Cooper’s company has not been engaged by the Coun- cil for a number of years, however a company oper- ated by Mr Cooper, Ennis Security Services, was paid €175,000 by the County Council in 2000.

Ennis Town Clerk, Eddie Power confirmed this week that the company of which Mr Cooper is a director,

Avalon Security Ltd has been paid a total of €85,970 in respect of years 2001-2005.

Asked would the council now be reviewing its con- tract with Mr Cooper’s company in the light of the convictions, Mr Power said that the council had no further comment to make.

The recent district court sitting was also told that Mr Cooper had two previous convictions for assault, though the most recent was 15 years ago. The court was told that he was fined €63 at Tulla District Court in 1990 and fined €63 at Kilkee District Court in 1986.

Prior to sentencing Mr Cooper, Judge Mangan asked was it correct that Mr Cooper had two previous convictions for assault and was still the director of a security company which supervises doormen. Inspec- tor Tom Kennedy replied that this was the case. “Ill make no further comment,’ responded the judge.

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THE newly appointed Bishop of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, and Minister for State at the Department of Education and Science, Sile de Valera were in Lahinch on Friday to officially open a major new €350,000 develop- ment in the Scoil Muire primary school.

The school, which is currently attended by 118 pupils, received funding from the Department of Education to construct three new state of the art classrooms as-well-as revamp much of the existing facilities.

The space left vacant through the new construction has been transformed into a library, computer room and two resource rooms for special education teachers.

Speaking at he launch Minister de Valera paid tribute to all those involved in the project and the important role that schools play within the community.

“T want to congratulate the board of management and all those associated with the school because they have re- ally worked tremendously well with the Department of Education.

‘The department was able to supply €350,000 for the refurbishment and the new classroom here but really it was because of the dynamism among the community and the board of management that helped to put all of this together,” she said.

“The importance of a school isn’t just for the children and indeed the parents and the teachers, but really a school is the hub of a community and it’s wonderful to see SO many young people here celebrating what is a very important day for the whole of the community.”

The campaign to expand the school began in 1999 but it was not until January of 2004 that good news was forth- coming. School Principal Kevin Glynn and the chairper- son of the board of management Fr Tom Culloty met with officials from the Department of Education in Tullamore and negotiated the sizeable grant.

In addition to this €24,000 was donated by local man Tom Kavanagh towards developing computer facilities for the school. The school now boasts five full-time teachers as well as two special education teachers, a visiting rural co-ordinator and a resource teacher for children from the traveller community.

Earlier this year the students of the school raised some €3,000 for the victims of the devastating tsunami that hit south east Asia. A boat was purchased and christened ‘Lahinch National School, The Banner, Ireland’ and do-

nated to help in the relief effort.

In the past the school has also raised money for a varie- ty of charities including Bothar and the Special Olympics. The school also has a strong sporting tradition and music and art are also a central part of both curricular and extra curricular activities.

THE State has applied to the District Court to secure the medical records of the man charged in connection with the death of Ann Walsh in Kilrush last month.

Raymond Donovan, of New Houses, Co- oraclare, is charged with intentionally or recklessly causing harm to the 23-year-old woman at Toler Street, Kilrush, on August 24. He is currently in custody at Limerick Prison.

His solicitor, Tara Godfrey, had previously expressed concern that he had not seen a psychiatrist at the prison, after he had spent

more than a week there. However, the court was told last Friday week that he had been assessed, but the report on that assessment was not available to the court at that stage.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Ennis district court last Friday that Kilrush Supt Joe McK- eown — who is leading the investigation in the death of Ms Walsh — 1s seeking to ob- tain the records in respect of Mr Donovan.

Ms Godfrey said, “I would have to ask, be- cause of the seriousness of this case, why the State is seeking such records?”

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the ap- plication until Friday, when the accused is again due before the court.

AN English company made moves this week to secure the go-ahead for a ‘Wellness’ destination Spa hotel near Killaloe.

Last month, Clare County Council refused planning permission to Unfinity Ltd of Worces- tershire, England, to develop a destination spa 28-bedroom hotel on 37 acres of land near Kil- laloe.

The local authority refused the application on three grounds, ruling that the proposal would seriously injure the amenities of the area; that the additional traffic movements would inter- fere with the safety and freeflow of traffic on local roads and that the development’s scale, siting and design would fail to integrate into the rural landscape.

However, the company has now lodged a comprehensive appeal to An Bord Pleanala in a fresh bid to kick-start the project.

In the appeal, the company explains the con- cept behind its development. It states: “The proposal is aimed at a niche market known as ‘Wellness’ destination spas.

‘The destination spa’s sole purpose is to pro- vide guests with lifestyle improvement and health enhancement through professionally administered spa services, physical fitness, edu- cational programming and on-site accommoda- Beer

‘The location 1s a critical part of the guests’ experience, where peace and quietness is the primary consideration and provides a distinct contrast to the busy urban environments most of the visitors will be used to.

“Wellbeing holidays account for 15% of the European holiday market but facilities of this nature are very uncommon in Ireland. The con- cept behind this tourist product is a purpose built spa designed by internationally renowned consultants.”

In their appeal, the company state: “The de- cline of agriculture has deprived the rural com- munity of valuable public, social and economic Services.

“In order to address this concern, the Develop- ment Plan observes that the long-term sustain- able development of rural community can only be achieved through the provision of alternative employment opportunities.

“The proposed development represents an opportunity for the creation of employment op- portunities and inward investment to address rural decline in the surrounding area.

“Whilst agriculture is declining as a source of employment for rural people, the need to retain rural communities is still a major concern for the Council. It is our view that the proposal can be justified on planning grounds in reference to these objectives.”

A decision is due on the appeal in December.

THE Shannon Airport Au- thority (SAA) has told Shan- non Development that it will no longer contribute towards the funding of future tour- ism marketing campaigns.

In a policy shift for the low-cost airport, Director of Shannon Airport, Martin Moroney, said this week, “we are now delivering the Seats; the tourism bodies should be delivering the pas- sengers.”

Mr Moroney revealed that the SAA Board recently re- jected a concept put forward by Shannon Development, to continue pooling financial resources to market the West of Ireland.

This year, the SAA con- tributed <€100,000 towards a €1 million fund to market the West of Ireland in the UK. Shannon Development contributed €100,000 to the JaUU ATO Dmr-W(Oyetcammr‘sleMe)H elo) mm-bexes 0c cies along the western sea- board. “We shouldn’t be expect- ed any longer to contribute financially to these cam- paigns. They are campaigns for tourism and should be confined to tourism. Any request from any organisa- tion in the future will be re- jected on the basis that it is the tourism sector’s job to promote tourism. “We contributed €100,000 to the campaign this year. But our model now is getting in the airlines, building our facilities and over the future, driving down our charges. Mit lmehmeltlamessrletdmeerieec oLULSCOyO MUM Aaomner-DENE “If anything, they should be offering money to help us develop the airport and get- ting more airlines in. “We're saying no, we’re not contributing, we shouldn’t be expected to. It might have made sense before when we were a bit weaker, but not now, when we are providing all the seats.” Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said, “I was disturbed to hear that Shannon Development was in with the Board of Shan- non Airport looking for money the other week. That is not the way tourism busi- ness is going to be developed in this region. If that is what Shannon Development is up to, the sooner they are dis- banded the better.” At spokesman for Shannon Development said that the company was disappointed at Mr O’Leary’s reported comments and said _ they didn’t reflect the company’s tourism promotion efforts.

CLARE cattle are in demand on the continent and in Italy in particu- lar according to livestock exporter David Murphy. Speaking at the IFA Livestock meeting in Ennis last week, the Cork based exporter out- lined the growing demand for good quality weanling heifers and bulls vem Le Nave

Mr Murphy went on to compli- ment the quality of animal that is being produced by farmers in Clare and told of the importance of export- ing cattle and the need to insure that cattle are in test when they are sold. A large crowd was in attendance at the meeting which took place in the Auburn Lodge on Tuesday evening.

A panel of expert speakers out- lined how the weanling trade and beef trade post decoupling is shap- ing up. Martin McNamara of Clare Marts also spoke at the meeting and revealed that there are a large number of exporters attending marts in Clare. He went on to confirm the point made by Mr Murphy and said

that good quality weanlings are making good money in the export market.

Mr McNamara also advised Clare farmers to sell their cattle in a mart as this is the only place where they are sure of payment. He warned that a number of farmers who sold their cattle off the land did not receive payment.

The IFA’s National Chairman of the Livestock Committee John Bryan, spoke about the problem of imports of Brazilian beef which are putting a lot of pressure on Irish beef price. He outlined a four point plan that the IFA is putting forward to deal with the problem.

The plan includes correct labelling of beef imports, the role of Feile Bia, placing a tariff on imported product and introducing a ceiling on beef tonnage entering the EU.

Mr Bryan also revealed that while on a recent visit to the continent he was able to assess the current qual- ity of foreign beef. He reported that beef from Ireland is among the best quality on the European market and

that French beef would be our main oyenereeicoe The meeting was followed by a

lively questions and answers session between members of the panel and the farmers who attended.

PFIZER nurses will be on hand to pro- vide free cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose checks at this years Na- tional Ploughing Championships. This is the second year that the pharmaceutical company will offer health checks as- well-as advice for stopping smoking.

Heart disease and stroke are the two leading causes of death in Ireland today claiming in excess of 10,000 lives a year. The IFA Farm Family Committee 1s sup- porting Pfizer’s efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of high blood pressure and cholesterol.

‘Many people don’t know their blood pressure or cholesterol level,’ said Mary McGreale, Chairperson of the IFA Farm

Family Committee. “Farmers, especial- ly those over 50, need to become more proactive in making sure that their cho- lesterol level and blood pressure are in the healthy range.”

The Pfizer nurses will be joined by nurses from the Irish Heart Founda- tion (IHF) and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland (DFI) who will also conduct health checks on patients and offer a wide range of health information.

Staggeringly almost some 50 per cent of those tested at last year’s champion- ship were required to be referred to their GP for either raised blood pressure or high cholesterol.

“The Health Check at the National Ploughing Championships forms part of Pfizer’s overall health check pro-

gramme, which has actively partnered with the IFA in the past year,” said Ryan Quigley of Pfizer. “As well as a presence at the National Ploughing Champion- ships, Pfizer has also conducted health checks around the country through the [FA’s Regional branch structure.”

“In addition, Pfizer and the IFA are carrying out a detailed survey of the Car- diovascular Health of the Irish Farming Community for the over 50 age group,’ he continued.

Those interested in having a health check during the event should visit the ty Aa mpaetcduelt(crer

Health checks will be conducted on a first come first served basis, though Pfiz- er will do its utmost to accommodate all requests.

Clare County Councillors have voted to change the County Development Plan in a move which could see people who have nev- er lived in the county, being given the same planning rights as families who have lived here for generations.

Councillors supported a call from Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) to allow anyone who owned land in the county in January 1999 to apply for planning permission in areas where normally only locals would be considered as special Or Wor

Councillor Kelly said that he was simply

seeking a “wider interpretation” of the regu- lations and he was supported by other mem- eo Ese

They agreed with Cllr Kelly that it would be important to facilitate people who own land and want to help give their children a start.

In reply to the Councillor’s written motion, county officials pointed to Government poli- cy on rural development. The reply stated that to “adopt any person who owns land as being local would undermine the local rural com- munities in the county who are intrinsically linked to the their area.”

The reply went on to say that the “Minister’s policy makes no reference to persons who

have no connection with the rural areas other than owning land.”

The county’s Director of Services for Plan- ning, Liam Conneally, warned that the move would be, ‘in contravention of the rural plan- ning guidelines and also in direct contraven- tion of the Government’s National Spatial Strategy which is why I would like legal ad- vice.”

The director pointed out that the regulations refer to making exceptions in areas where planning permission would not normally be granted.

However, the County Manager said that he would proceed on the vote of the councillors.