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SHERRY Fitzgerald McMahon has a stunning Georgian two-storey house, centrally located in Kilkee’s West End, on its books at a reduced ask- ing price of €575,000. This property, called Bayview House, originally went on the market priced at over €800,000, so the reduction is very significant.

The five-bedroom property offers 246 sq metres (2,652 sq. feet) of ac- commodation including five bed- rooms. It has some very elegant pe- riod features including a fn light over the solid main entrance door, and in-

side there are lofty high ceilings.

On the ground floor is the main liv- ing room, which has a feature fire- place and a bright sunroom to the side. The spacious kitchen is well fitted and off this room is the dining room. There’s a further family room PLM N Oval od e

The high sash windows ensure that lots of natural sunlight filters through the house, making it very bright.

The selling agent said that the prop- erty “could do with some modernisa- tion, but 1s a most attractive house, very well priced, not to be missed”.

THERE was further bad news for Shannon Airport this week with revelations that the airport services provider, Servisair, 1s looking to put staff on short time.

Servisair workers received a letter from the company’s human resources manager in Ireland to say that hours were being reduced “in order to re- main competitive and viable in an ever-challenging environment”’.

Full-time staff are being reduced to a three-day week, while part-time staff will go on a 20-hour week.

Servisair could not be reached for comment on the matter, but a SIPTU representative confirmed that “cer- tain proposals” are being made by management which the union and esexO MELB D OTSA

Servisair staff look after most of the baggage handling operations at Shannon Airport but a spokeswoman for the airport authority said that the

matter is not affecting any operations at the airport.

Meanwhile, the Aer Lingus deci- sion not to use the US Customs Pre- Clearance Facility at Shannon until 2010 for operation reasons has again attracted criticism.

Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has said that management at Aer Lingus “have questions to answer”.

He said: “It beggars belief that any company operating at a loss in the current climate would not avail of

opportunities to increase revenue and add value to its business. I cannot un- derstand the Aer Lingus decision to snub the US Pre Clearance Facility at Shannon, particularly when other major airlines have jumped at the chance to use the service.”

His party colleague Pat Breen has blasted Aer Lingus for having al- legedly sacked staff over the phone, with a text followed by a phone call and called on the company to im- mediately review its communication

procedures.

The airline sent text messages to telling around 60 staff that a sig- nificant jobs announcement was due, before informing them by telephone that their positions were being termi- nated.

A spokeswoman for the airline said the situation has been taken out of context.

She said the contracts do not affect any Shannon staff and applied only to Dublin and Cork crews.

VISITING Minister, Eamon O Cuiv would not be drawn on whether he has been given any indication as to the future of his department.

During last week’s visit to New- market on Fergus, he said that he is “confident” community and volun- tary groups will still be facilitated by whichever body is given responsibil- LAAs Koma elo 00

But he was giving no guarantees as to what funding will be there for these groups once the recommenda- tions of An Bord Snip Nua have been Tbenetorneronicoee

The Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs minister was in the Banner County to officially open the extension to the Obair community facility.

Being quizzed by reporters on what will happen to community groups such as Obair if his Department gets the chop under Bord Snip, the Min- ister said it is “not who delivers the service that matters but that the serv- ices are delivered”.

“IT don’t get over-exercised about the construction of Government de- partments…it’s business as usual for us. We have to make the budget fit. But if my Department is gone then the new departments will continue to run the functions for groups such as

this as long as there is money there for it.”

But the Minister could not com- ment on how many jobs might be lost or which areas of funding cut in his

Department. “It is too early for that”, |aTemcy- HOR

Louis Creaven, chairman of Obair thanked the minister for performing the official opening but said there is

‘‘a dark cloud behind the silver lining and I have to tell you that the board of Obair is seriously concerned about the future. It is not an exaggeration to say that our services may have to

shut down if the Government imple- ments a recommendation…to abolish the Department.”

Obair’s manager, Pat Cronin, said that the organisation “has come too far to be abolished at one stroke of an economist’s pen’.

Before the official ceremony took place, Obair clients told

A CLUB that reaches out and lends a hand to newcomers arriving in Shannon has just regrouped for its third year in existence.

New research shows that there are almost 1,500 people who are not from Ireland living in Shannon town alone, with others living in the sur- rounding area.

With the non-native population erowing steadily in recent times, Le Chéile international club in Shannon was set up two years ago. Its aim is to cater for the needs of the foreign population living in the town.

There have been many changes since its inception. While some new people have come to the town from a

range of countries worldwide, many others have left Shannon and trav- elled home.

Co-ordinator of Le Chéile, Trish Fallon-Barry has put a lot into the organisation and is keen to ensure that integration plays an important role. “We are just trying to grow the club and reach more people. There are plenty more people we can reach. I feel having Le Chéile in the town just shows there is a welcome,’ she said.

She said that a meeting between Garda representatives and people from several countries, held last week, was very positive and gardai are keen to help those not familiar with issues in the town as much as they can.

“Some communities may be cau- tious of somebody in the uniform. They (gardai) want to show they are here to help. Community policing is a great idea,” she said.

The meeting followed a meeting between community gardai in Shan- non and Le Chéile in recent weeks.

“It is good to network. On one hand we are celebrating people’s ethnic origins and the other is in- tegration. It is two sides to a coin really. Integration is much better than assimilation. It is important to celebrate a person’s ethnicity. We all have things to learn from each other,’ said Ms Fallon-Barry.

Polish-native Anna Kulikowska moved to Shannon five years ago and has joined Le Chéile. She very

much believes in the need for such a group, which reaches out to every nationality. “It is very positive. It is important to have meetings. I think it is good we spoke to the gardai. It presents them as human beings,” she SE AOe

Dipali Singpurwala, a native of In- dia, also lives in Shannon. Through her work as a yoga instructor, she meets many people every week and believes that a strong sense of com- munity is important. “Community effort 1s very important, as some people may have nothing to do and may not have a focus,” she said.

Le Chéile meets at the Respond Building, Rineanna View, Shannon, on the first Tuesday evening of the month.

SURFERS from across the country are set to descend on Lahinch next weekend for the West Coast Surf Club Longboard Classic in Lahinch — the only event of its kind in Ire- land.

The two day competition on next Saturday and Sunday has become one of the most hotly anticipated competitions in the Irish surfing cal- endar since it was first held in 2003 and attracts surfers from all over Ire- land.

The 2008 event, which was blessed with good weather and perfect surf- ing conditions, saw a record number of local entrants, the overall winner being Stephen Kelleher from Lahi- ie eF

“As in previous years, we are de- lighted to have a custom-shaped Cequential Quad surfboard from our local shaper Ian Johnson for our first prize” announced Cliodhna Fawl. Further prizes will be kept a surprise and announced on the day.

Subject to weather and swell con- ditions, it is anticipated that the 19th September will see the initial heats and quarter finals run off with the semi-final and finals possibly stretch- ing into the 20th September.

WCSC Chairman Dave Flynn “We’ve always been greatly im- pressed with the level of interest and Support we’ve attracted since the inaugural event in 2003,” said Dave Flynn, chairman of WCSC.

THE Clare Youth Service has an- nounced details of a new programme of events aimed at encouraging young musicians.

The CYS Music Project is offer- ing some fantastic opportunities to young people interested in music over the next two months, including recording, gigging and training op- eLeyaaED OD LOL ene

As well as auditions for a com- pilation CD, there will be a bands competition open to all young bands throughout Clare as well as beat box and rapping workshops.

The bands competition is being held on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, with judges announcing the winners on the Sun- day night. The competition 1s open to all young bands under 18 years from

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Bands must perform three songs, at least one of which must be an origi- nal piece.

Entry for the competition is €15 and completed forms must be re- turned to Jean Tierney, CYS by Fri- day, September 11.

Prizes will be awarded for: Best Original Song, Best Band, Runner- up and Best Cover/Adaptation.

On September 26, the Music Project are holding auditions for musicians who would like to be part of a CYS compilation CD.

Auditions are open to all musi- cians, bands, acoustic etc and each act has to perform one original song. The CD will be launched at the end of the year.

Clare Youth Service with Kerryni- ni are running beat box and rapping workshops from Friday, October 9 to

Sunday, October 10.

The workshop will focus on vari- ous aspects of beat box and rapping, including, developing your _ tech- niques, looping and sampling, DJing and scratching, MCing and rhyming. The workshops costs €45 and places

are limited.

Musicians interested in participat- ing in any of the events should con- tact Jean Tierney, Clare Youth Serv- ice, Carmody Street, Ennis on 065 6845356 or 086 1568650 for further information or application forms.

IT’S debatable whether or not a crowd of such size – estimated to have been in excess of 10,000 – would have shown up in such large numbers had there not existed a focal point for the CRs

Throughout ‘Tuesday morning, pockets of people made their way to Abbey Street Car Park. Most leaned back to gaze at the Godzilla-like structure that greeted them, that huge screen that dominated the land- scape and served as a fulcrum for the event.

The Abbey Street element provided a festival feel to the visit of Ali and for hours, people lingered in front of

the stage and in front of the screen in anticipation of a glimpse of Ali.

The weather, too, was a major plus. Generally, it remained favourable. At one stage, singer Tommy Flem- ing noticed that for once, the sun remained behind the clouds and as the only sprinkle of rain danced on the heads of those in attendance, Fleming noted, while performing on stage, that if the crowd were going to get wet, then so too was he.

Later, the crowd got what they had come to see. Ali in the council of- fices being made the first Freeman of Ennis.

The image was beamed all over the Abbey Street Car Park as Sha- ron Shannon and her band took a

breather.

“That was the pinnacle of the day from my point of view,” said ‘Tomas Madigan, CEO of Sports Academy International, the Clare company that organised and co-ordinated the Abbey Street element of the day. ‘To see the smile on the faces of the thousands who came to Abbey Street as Ali received his Freeman status was extremely special.”

Speaking after the event on Tues- day afternoon, Madigan added that the success of last week’s event paves the way to maintain links with Mu- hammad Ali in years to come.

‘People turned out from every cor- ner of Ireland to celebrate Ali’s Irish and Clare links and the fact that we

had such a massive occasion goes to show that there’s great admiration and respect for the boxer. That her- itage can certainly be fostered down the line.”

He added that the inclusion of the big screen ensured the general public had the chance to witness first hand the official and historic moment of Ali’s welcome to Ennis.

“That was a major achievement for Sports Academy International. Not only did the screen allow the crowd to see the performers on stage, it also gave exclusive footage of what was going on in the Town Council offices in Drumbiggle.

“That wouldn’t have been possible without the goodwill of the people of

Ennis and Clare and the help of our sponsors.”

On Monday, Madigan added that in the six days since Alli’s visit, the pub- lic feedback on the whole experience has been incredibly positive.

“We couldn’t have wished for a bet- ter day, in all aspects.”

THERE will be champagne corks popping in Ennis this week as the town celebrates being awarded the Tidy Town’s national Largest Urban Centre Award for the second year in succession. The announcement was made at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham in Dublin yesterday in front of 500 invited guests.

And the Clare capital took home a goody bag of awards to go along with their second national title and a points score of 304 out of a possible 400.

As well as the Largest Urban Centre Award, Ennis took the Regional and County Awards and a prize of €900, the Notice Nature Biodiversity award of €1,000, the Large Urban Centre Gum Litter Task Force award with a cheque for €1,000 and Gold Medal in its population category with prize money of €900.

“Winning this award is a huge achievement for a town the size of Ennis. We are in a highly com- petitive category and beat off tough competition like Letterkenny and Kilkenny. This accolade is testimony to the hard work and commitment of our committee, town council and our fantastic community. Great credit must be given to all those who work tirelessly to ensure our town is look- ing its best,’ stated Noel Crowley, Chairman of the Ennis Tidy Towns.

The adjudication process involved a number of visits to Ennis and all as- pects of the town were judged under a

total of 10 categories including Over- all Development Approach, The Built Environment, Landscaping, Wildlife and Natural Amenities, Litter Con- trol, Waste Minimization, Tidiness, Residential Areas, Roads, Streets and Back Areas and finally the General Impression section. The competition is organised by the Tidy Towns Unit at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and sponsored by SuperValu.

Judges congratulated Ennis on the

overall presentation of the town and had particular praise for the high quality and co-ordination of the various colours and textures in the numerous floral displays and flower- beds around the town and approach roads. The high level of litter con- trol and presentation of residential areas was also noted and the Ennis Sculpture Trail Initiative received high praise. The judges were particu- larly impressed with the presentation of shop fronts and commended the

businesses on their efforts.

The town also earned particular mention in relation to the new En- nis Tidy Towns Website. www.en- nistidytowns.ie which was recently developed and sponsored by Acton BV website design and is seen as an extension of the Ennis Tidy Towns committee. Visitors to the site will find information on the various ac- tivities and initiatives organised by the committee and will also have a greater opportunity to get involved, a

spokeswoman for Ennis Tidy towns explained. “The website is also seen as a window to Ennis for the many potential visitors to the town as it highlights images of the Ennis Sculpture Trail as well as many sce- nic images of the streetscapes.”

AS training begins, Clare is again well represented on the FAI Emerg- ing Talent North Munster squad. In all, 18 of the county’s brightest soccer talents are part of an overall panel of 60.

This programme sees players aged 14 to 17 from Clare, Limerick City and County, and north Tipperary, take part in 28 training sessions and five matches from September 14, 2009, to March 31, 2010, under the direction of qualified FAI coaches.

The Lees Road sports facility in Ennis is the base for the North Mun- ster squad.

There are two groups in each cen- tre, junior group players (born in 1995) and senior group players (born Riera e

There are 12 regional centres in Ireland, split into North and South.

The North Munster squad will compete in the South group against Blarney, Bunclody, Peamount, Tralee and Waterford.

The FAI Emerging Talent Pro- gramme is now the recognised play- er development pathway for school- boys/girl players across the country , players with suitable abilities get se- lected for underage development and international squads, and eventually emerge ready to compete at League of Ireland level and beyond.

The Ennis based Centre programme is administrated and delivered by the FAI, with the assistance of seven oth- er Clare based coaches, physios and support staff.

Four Clare players, Alan Kelly (Newmarket Celtic), Stephen Mc-

Gann (Avenue Utd), Cian Burke (Avenue Utd), Joe Collins (Ennis Town), were part of the FAI Ennis Regional Centre Squad Ul16s that played Wolverhampton Wanderers Ul6s in the University of Limerick on August 17.

ARTISTIC licence abounds in En- nistymon where the local gallery is inviting artists to apply to have their work exhibited there in the coming year.

Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery is seeking submissions for the forth- coming year, 2010. The gallery is in- terested in exhibiting a wide range of visual art, including collaborations and multimedia projects for exhibi- tion in its two gallery spaces.

The Courthouse also welcomes proposals that have some aspect of co-operation with the local commu- nity.

“We had such a response with 60

applications last year, that we cre- ated a second exhibition space, the Red Couch Space. This is for artists whose work really deserves to be exhibited, but could not be accom- modated in the existing exhibition area,’ said Daire Skuce of the Court- house Gallery.

Community-led exhibitions are an important part of the gallery’s role, Daire explained. “For instance, we have an exhibition on the stairs at the moment by the FETAC students from Lisdoonvarna.”

The gallery will also be in a posi- tion to rent studio space to artists later this year and the popular life- drawing sessions will start up again on September 24, and continue each

Thursday morning at a charge of €10 a session.

The deadline for submissions to ex- hibit at the gallery is 5pm on Friday, October 2.

Courthouse Gallery curator and co- ordinator, Trudi van der Elsen said, “We wish to focus on exhibiting emerging artists based locally and nationwide. 2009 has been a very exciting year with a lot of variety in the exhibitions. This year there has been a particularly good mix of me- dia including, paintings, installation work, sculpture, drawing, film, and workshops from local and national artists.”

The newly renovated Ennistymon Courthouse building features a main

art gallery, the smaller Red Couch gallery space, five artists’ studios, and a sound recording studio. The Courthouse Gallery seeks to attract local and national audiences by ex- hibiting work of the highest standard by local, national, and international VOSA

Artists interested 1n applying should include with their submissions a bi- ography or CV, an artist statement, a brief description of the proposed show, six to eight images on CD or hard-copy photos.

The gallery charges 25 per cent commission. Submissions should be sent to Trudi van der Elsen, Coordi- nator, Ennistymon Courthouse Gal- lery, Parliament Street, Ennistymon.