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CLARE took a leaf out of the book being read by Kerry’s men folk on Saturday when producing their best performance of the year to advance to the All-Ireland final in four weeks abeelon

That book is the one about the Munster championship having very little in common with the real busi- ness of the All-Ireland series — Clare proved that when crushing Waterford by eight points and thereby reversing their four-point defeat to the Deise in the Munster final in Bruff back in July.

It was a brilliant display by Clare’s forwards that did the trick — they needed to be on top of their game because their sometimes leaky de-

fence conceded three goals over the hour and were thankful to the bril- liance of Denise Walsh between the sticks who deprived the Deise of a few more goals.

Walsh put her body on the line for the cause of reaching the All-Ire- land final, while further afield some brilliant combination play involv- ing Eimear Considine, Aine Kelly, Majella Griffin and Niamh Keane simply overwhelmed a shell-shocked Waterford side.

Add in the considerable influence of captain Louise Henchy, Fiona Laf- ferty and Eithne Morrissey around the middle and you had a Clare team what were not to be denied their shot at All-Ireland final redemption on September 27.

The final scoreline reflected the

gulf in standard between the two sides, but an Achilles heel of conced- ing goals threatened to wreck Clare’s day in the first-half. Seven minutes in a poor kickout was returned with interest by Waterford, with Elaine Power putting Louise Ryan in on goal and she made no mistake when drilling home from 10 yards.

It put Waterford 1-1 to 0-1 ahead and while Clare hit back with points from Majella Griffin (2), Eimear Considine and Aine Kelly to lead again by the 12th minute, a second Waterford goal from Aoife McGov- ern in the 17th minute rocked them back on their heels again.

Waterford looked capable of work- ing goals anytime they broke into the attack, but a much improved defen- sive display in the closing ten min-

utes of the half and the continued brilliance of Eimear Considine et al in attack turned this game decisively in Clare’s favour.

Niamh Keane scored a _ brilliant solo point in the 21st minute and fol- lowed up with another a minute later when picking up a break from Ma- jella Griffin. Then in the 25th minute Griffin turned provider for Aine Kel- ly in a neat one-two that saw the Fer- gus Rovers girl rifle a low left-footed drive into the bottom right hand cor- ner of the net.

Clare were back in control and fur- ther points from Niamh Keane and Eithne Morrissey helped them into a 1-11 to 2-5 interval lead. This three- point lead became eight four minutes into the second-half thanks to a blitz- krieg restart from Clare.

Majella Griffin pointed inside eight seconds; Louise Henchy pointed in the 33rd minute while a minute later Aine Kelly thumped a rebound to the net after Eimear Considine goal ef- fort was stopped by Aimee Jordan in the Waterford goal.

The game was as good as over — it was just a matter for Clare to keep their heads for the remainder of the game. That they did, albeit that a third Waterford goal in the 40th minute courtesy of Michelle Ryan brought it back to a six point game.

Clare led by 2-14 to 3-5 but held their nerve admirably in the closing stages, with Majella Griffin, Louise Henchy and Eimear Considine chip- ping in with points before Eithne Mortrrissey’s 53 minute goal put them 3-17 to 3-7 ahead.

Waterford gave up after Denise Walsh saved Michelle Ryan’s poorly hit penalty in the 55th minute.

Timmy-top dog for expenses

Flood scheme finishes phase one

THE ROYAL National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has confirmed that the only coastal RNLI station in County Clare will receive a new lifeboat next year. On his last visit to Kilrush before he retires, the Chief Executive of the RNLI Mr Andrew Freemantle confirmed he has sanc- tioned the purchase and delivery of a new Atlantic 85 B Class lifeboat for the RNLI station at Kilrush.

During a recent tour of the station, Mr Freemantle confirmed that next June, the latest generation of inshore lifeboat will be delivered to the vol- untary crew in Kilrush. The Atlantic 85 (Rigid Inflatable boat) RIB is not only bigger and more powerful than Kilrush’s existing RIB but it is also fitted with the latest Search and Res- cue technology and instrumentation, equipping the service to continue saving lives into the next generation. Kilrush will be one of only two sta- tions in Ireland and the UK which will receive such an upgrade next

year.

Following the construction of a new station in 1996, an Atlantic 21B Class lifeboat was placed on tempo- rary duty at the Kilrush station how- ever it was replaced by a new Atlan- tic 75 lifeboat the following October. This vessel will now be replaced by a

new Atlantic 85 in 2010.

Kilrush Lifeboat Operations Man- ager John Lamb said, “This is a great vote of confidence in the crew here at Kilrush. It shows that we are do- ing what is being asked of us and that we are being rewarded by being en- trusted by this the latest in lifeboat

technology and development”

Lifeboat Training Officer Pauline Dunleavy added, “It is paramount that those who give of themselves by volunteering as a lifeboat crew mem- ber are equipped with the best and the latest equipment. RNLI crews are trained to the highest standards to answer the call of those in most dif- ficulty at sea. It is only fitting that we have the best means of answering that call. The Atlantic 85 which is coming to Kilrush next year is just that.”

The crucial task of maintaining the lifeboat in Kilrush falls on me- chanic Martin Brew who said, “This is a bigger boat allowing us to carry more equipment, more crew mem- bers and more casualties. It is also a more powerful boat, giving greater endurance time allowing us to go further with greater speed while not compromising the safety of crew or those we rescue.”

CLARE leading lights such as Brian Lohan, Martin Donnelly and Fr Har- ry Bohan are just some of the people from the Banner lending their names to the Yes to Lisbon campaign.

Clare For Europe, a new independ- ent group of Clare men and women campaigning to ensuring a repeat of the Yes vote in Clare in the forthcom- ing referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, will launch its campaign tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Westpark Busi- ness Campus in Shannon.

Clare For Europe is comprised of leading figures from business, farm- ing, the arts and sport, who believe a Yes vote is in the best interests of this county and key to the future of WeemeO LUNN BAYA

Well-known names from across the county, including Brian Lohan, estate agent and former Clare hurl- ing star, leading Clare businessman Martin Donnelly, Managing Direc- tor of M. Donnelly and Co. Ltd, Fr Harry Bohan, long-time campaigner for rural development, Katie Verling, arts administrator, Michael Vaughan, hotelier, and the Clare leadership of the IFA are all throwing their weight behind the campaign.

Promising a vigorous campaign, Clare For Europe Co-ordinator, Michael McNamara, an unsuccessful candidate in this summer’s European election, said that this was a crucial time for the mid-west region and, in- deed for Ireland as a whole.

‘We need to vote Yes to secure jobs and our economic recovery,’ he said. “Being at the heart of Europe has been central to the development of Clare. Our main industries – agricul- ture, tourism and our manufacturing

base – are all dependent on us re- maining at the heart of Europe. Now more than ever, we need to build on the best partnership this country has ever had; our membership of the SOR

Clare was one of only nine con- stituencies that returned a Yes vote in the last Lisbon Treaty election in June 2008.

Meanwhile, European Movement Ireland, the organisation that ex- plains the work of the European Un- ion in a jargon-free way, launched its ‘Just the Facts’ campaign for the Lis- bon Treaty. By circulating a series of easy-to-read factsheets and hosting a range of events, this campaign aims to encourage a factual and balanced debate in the run up to the referen- dum, without telling people which way they should vote.

Andrea Pappin, Executive Direc- tor of European Movement Ireland, said, “I think we’re all tired of the shouting matches which were all too prevalent last year. This time, it’s es- sential we all get to grips on what we are being asked to vote on, and that means cutting through all the guff and getting to the real truths.”

CRIPPLING local authority rates emerged as a key issue causing se- vere hardship for hoteliers at a recent crisis meeting held by the Irish Ho- tels Federation (IHF).

Clare members expressed outrage at the exorbitant rates imposed and de- manded that, due to their inability to pay in the current climate, an emer- gency provision should be brought in to immediately reduce rates by 30 per cent for hotels and guesthouses. This would be in line with the recent result of the revaluation of hotels and guesthouses in the South Dublin

County Council area completed by the Valuation Office.

Hoteliers condemned as outrageous and extortionate the levels of local authority rates paid by hotels. The IHF bases the call for a rates reduc- tion on the fact that the revaluation carried out by the Valuation Office of all commercial premises in the South Dublin County area resulted in a re- duction of approximately 30 per cent in the local authority rates liability of hotels and guesthouse.

Therefore, it maintains that this level of reduction should be applied across all local authority areas until the revaluation process is completed

in each local authority area through- out the country.

According to Michael Vaughan, Chairman, Shannon Branch of the IHF, hotels and guesthouses are dis- proportionately subsidising the rates liability of other business premises. He states that hotels and guesthouses are being penalised by an antiquated taxation system of commercial rates that sees local authorities extract taxes relative to the size of premises without any recourse to the level of turnover or overheads of the business.

“Our members have been paying rate increases year on year without recourse to independent assessments. We have been asking too long for this issue to be addressed, and it hasn’t been addressed. Excessive local au- thority rates are having a devastating effect on hotels which are already struggling to deal with decimated revenues and cost bases that have not yet adjusted to the changed economic reality on the ground.

“Our members are willing to pay a fair and equitable level but simply can no longer bear the current rates that are imposed in this unprecedent- ed environment when a revaluation process should be completed,” says Mr Vaughan.

“We are calling for the introduction emergency provisions to allow for a 30 per cent reduction in local au- thority rates applicable to hotels and guesthouses until such time as these properties have been revalued as pro- vided for in the Valuation Act 2001 Act. Only one local authority area in the entire country has completed this process in seven years — we can no longer wait for the Valuation Office to complete this countrywide proc- ess given the dire circumstances our members are facing.”

Among the other issues discussed at yesterday’s meeting were a need to manage the substantial excess capac- ity that exist in the sector; distortion of the market with unfair competition as aresult of hotels under the control of the banks operating at below cost prices; severe difficulties faced by hotels and guesthouses in obtain ad- equate bank credit to survive through the recession.

They also discussed a need for the cost base of hotels to adjust to the worsened market conditions; exces- sive public sector charges to which hotels are subjected; potential for NAMA operations to introduce mar- ket distortions and unfair competi- none

Clare hotel sector reaches crisis point

, by historian Ian

Kenneally, tells the story of Sergeant

James Flanagan and other Clare men who fought at the battle.

Born in Ennis in April 1839, Flana-

gan emigrated to the United States

and took part in the Californian gold rush while still 1n his teens.

Kenneally writes, “Evidently, he did not make his fortune there and he moved to Ohio sometime in the 1850s. He fought on the Union side during the American Civil War and joined the Seventh Cavalry in 1871. By the time of the battle, he was one of the Seventh’s most experienced soldiers.”

Of Flanagan’s role at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Kenneally writes, “Tt was around 5pm on the afternoon of June 25, 1876 that Captain Thomas

Weir of the Seventh Cavalry reached the top of a hill by the banks of the Little Bighorn River. Accompany- ing him was his Sergeant, Clareman James Flanagan, and the troops of ‘D’ Company.

“They were riding towards their commander, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, who was involved in a heavy fight a few kilo- NSCB REAR hae

He continues, “As they crested the hill, they realised they were too late. Flanagan was the first to see what had happened. Using his field-glass-

es, he could see the final seconds of Custer’s Last Stand and, more omi- nously, a large body of armed men approaching their way.

“He turned to Weir, ‘Captain, I think they are Indians’. Flanagan and his comrades were in danger of being overrun by a thousand armed warriors. ’

Flanagan survived a 24-hour siege and after the battle was recommend- ed for a medal for conspicuous gal- lantry by his superior officers.

However, Kenneally writes that he never received a medal. Kene-

ally writes, “Flanagan was wounded a year later at the Battle of Snake Creek as the Seventh Cavalry fought Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce. He remained in the army until 1881. Like other Irish veterans of the bat- tle, he later settled in North Dakota, working as a bailiff in the town of Mandan. Flanagan died in 1921 and is buried in the Union Cemetery of Mandan.”

Among others, the book also exam- ines the life of John Philip Holland, the Liscannor man who invented the submarine.

FROM the early hours of the morn- ing to late at night you will happen upon cyclists on the road in the west Clare parish of Coorclare/Cree dur- ing the month of August.

The reason for the upsurge in cy- cling at this time of year is by now accepted as preparation for the An- nual Michael Garry Memorial Cy- ATR

The fundraising event in memory of the late postman is now an impor- tant part of the local calendar in Co-

oraclare, with all of the parish get- ting behind the event. It also receives support from cyclists from all over the country.

In its sixth year the 35 kilometre cycle has raised €111,100 for local charities. More than 100 people take to their bike every year as part of the fundraiser.

Last year was especially poignant as a group of friends of the late Leav- ing Certificate student Mark Donnel- lan took part in the event in his mem- ory. The west Clare teenager was a keen participant up until his sudden

and untimely death last year.

The cycle donated €5,000 of the €27,200 raised last year to the char- ity – Cardiac Risk in the Young in his memory, and stopped at his grave in Knocknahilla during the cycle.

Other charities to have benefited from the cycle over the last five years include the Clare 250 Cancer Centre in Ruan to the tune of €32,000 and the Munster Branch of Spina Bifida to the same amount.

A further €12,000 has been donat- ed to the West Clare Cancer Support Group based in Kilrush, €15,000

to the Kilkee based Voices for Au- tism, €3,000 to Aware and €3,500 to the Kilkee Marine Rescue. The Clare branch of the ISPCA received €3,000 from the event last year, and €2,500 went to the Clare branch of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. The cycle will take place on Sat- urday, September 5, at 1.15pm from the church in Cooraclare and will take in 20 townlands in the parish. It will stop briefly at the graveyard in Kilmacduane to remember the late Michael Garry who died of a brain haemorrhage in March 17, 2004.

THIS weekend twin festivals will showcase all the best things about the town of Gort. From Thursday to Sunday the Ri-Ra Festival and Ri-Vibe Youth Festival will run side by side – offering a host of events for young and old.

The festivals have been organised by an off-shoot of the local Cham- ber of Commerce who were looking for a way of showing off all the good things about the town.

“T first came into the Chamber of Commerce 18 years ago and the is- sues then were water and sewage

and the same issues are being kicked around today,’ said Austin McIner- ney of the Gort Chamber of Com- merce and Five Star Events.

‘We had a meeting to find out what we could do ourselves to rectify this situation and promote what is best about Gort and the word that kept coming up again and again was fes- ME

‘Two or three days later the local curate, Fr Frankie Lee mentioned to me that he had an idea for a Youth Festival. And that is where the Ri- Vibe came from.”

The festival, which will be pre- sided over by the newly elected King

of Gort, King Guaire Piggott, will bring together events hosted by lo- cal group including the Wild Swan Theatre Company, Coole Park and a number of sports organisations.

The Ri-Vibe festival will also see the best of local musical talent taking to the stage and the Cannon Quinn Park, all leading up to a performance by The Blizzards on Sunday evening. The highlight of the festival will be The Peasants’ Ball, which will take place in the Gort Community Centre on Sunday night.

“The Peasants’ Ball should be a great occasion. There will be enter- tainment and some good food and

we are encouraging everyone to dress down – or even to dress as peas- ants. King Guaire will also be there to treat his people on the evening.

“The Ri-Vibe Festival will take on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday and except for Sunday night, when the Blizzards are playing, will all be eusonee

The festival will also include a performance from Andy Irvine, the Irish Ballroom Dancing Champion- ship, a tag rugby blitz and a festival discount scheme in the local shops. To book tickets go to Coole Proper- ties or from Minihans SuperValu in Gort or email riratix@gmail.com.