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HE’S managed clubs in some of the biggest football leagues in the world and guided England to the quarter- finals of the World Cup but could Ennis be Sven Goran Eriksson’s next port of call’?

The Swede made a shock return to English football last week by sign- ing on as a Director of Football with Notts County.

The League Two outfit were re- cently taken over by a middle-eastern consortium in a multi-million pound deal and the sudden rise in County’s profile is also good news for one En- nis soccer club.

In March, Lifford linked up with Notts County in a venture that will see Lifford players have direct ac- cess to the English club’s centre of CoA Nes Neer

Though unsure what impact if any Eriksson’s arrival will have on the relationship between the clubs, Lif- ford’s John O’Neill said the former England manager would be very welcome in Ennis.

“Obviously we are delighted with the profile. It’s unexpected but we were delighted with linking up with Notts County before all this’, said O’Neill.

He said that the club were in con- Stant contact with Mick Leonard, Head of Notts County’s Centre of Excellence.

“IT was just speaking with Mick last week and they are very keen to keep an active link with Lifford” ex- plained O’Neill.

And on the possibility of Eriksson coming to Lifford’s homeground at Cassidy Park, O’Neill said, “2011 is our 50th anniversary. I’ve big plans for that so you never know”.

Bishop Walsh to resign in January

INTEREST in holidays in Lahinch is up more than 100 per cent on last year, a leading international booking website has revealed.

Figures just released by leading hotel booking site, Hotels.com, show that searches for hotels in Lahinch by Irish holidaymakers is up 115 per cent on the number of searches car- ried out in May and June last year.

The statistics show interest in do- mestic travel in Ireland in May and June is up significantly when com- pared year on year with the same period in 2008.

Increased searches on Hotels.com for Ireland, which compared searches for domestic travel in May and June of this year with the same period in 2008, indicate that some of the most popular holiday spots across the country are attracting more interest from Irish holidaymakers.

“Possible reasons for the trend could be attributed to the fact that the weather in Ireland has been bet- ter this year than the previous two summers and that hotel prices are falling, offering better affordability for all travellers in the current reces- sion,” a according to Hotels.com.

They speculate that prominent domestic travel promotion by Irish agencies such as Discover Ireland

may also be a contributing factor in search behaviour on Hotels.com this year.

Of the most popular destinations for domestic travel searches, Rosslare in Wexford showed the biggest increase year on year, up by 220 per cent for May and June 2009, when compared to the same period in 2008.

In the south and west, Killarney was up 160 per cent, Westport and Lahi- nch were up 155 per cent and 115 per cent respectively. Searches for hotels in the capital rose by 20 per cent in June 09 compared to June ’08 while Galway, the most expensive city to stay in a hotel in Ireland according

to the Hotels.com HPI, saw searches rise by a third (30 per cent).

Alison Couper, director of Com- munications for Hotels.com com- ments; “It certainly seems Irish people are keen to explore holiday options at home this year which is great news for the domestic tourism industry. With the current Hotels. com summer sale on with discounts of up to 50 per cent off, now is prov- ing a great time to grab hotel deals at home and abroad.”

A MAJOR survey issued today by ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, confirms that one third of business in Ireland has been the target of criminal activ- ity over the last 12 months. The sur- vey of over 1,800 businesses outlines that while the level of crime is down on the previous year (when 35 per cent of companies were affected), there has been an increase in the ac- tual cost of criminal activity, which is costing the business community €1.5bn in direct costs.

The highest incidence of crime is in Connaught/Ulster at 37 per cent, while the incidence of crime in Dub- lin County has shown a dramatic reduction down to 24 per cent from 43 per cent in 2008. Dublin City and Munster both showed an increase.

aber tee vem KeU One mortaelele lar problem, showing a large increase from 44 per cent in 2008 to a high 63 per cent this year. This compares to 26 per cent for manufacturing com- panies, 25 per cent construction and 28 per cent for service and 32 per cent distribution companies. “Theft by outsiders’ reported by 36 per cent

of respondents was the most com- mon form of crime.

78 per cent of all respondents iden- tified crime as being a problem in their area, while companies affected by crime experienced more than one instance of crime in the last 12 months.

The direct cost of criminal activity for SMEs is estimated at €472m per annum or €5,890 per company. This figure increases dramatically when added to the €957m or €3,937 spent per company on crime prevention methods including alarms, C.C.TV, security guards etc.

The indirect costs of crime cannot be underestimated, 25 per cent of SMEs who suffered from criminal activity identified disruption to trad- ing as being a particular problem with 15 per cent indicating that crime led to “poor staff morale’.Only 7 per cent of business owners are confident that criminals would be apprehended.

The use of alarms remains the pri- mary weapon for crime prevention, with 73 per cent of companies hav- ing an alarm on their premises. This was followed by 48 per cent who use alarm response and 47 per cent CCTV.

CAPPA has been the long forgotten beach when it comes to visiting west Clare on hot summer days, but this is changing as its clean waters have got yet another seal of approval from the environmental watch dogs.

In June, An Taisce awarded the prestigious International Blue Flag to eight of County Clare’s beaches, including Cappa in Kilrush.

The award represents the high standards in water quality, environ- mental information and education, environmental management and safety, services and facilities avail- able.

Retaining this flag is no small achievement, and the local people are proud, not least Kilrush Town Clerk John Corry.

“IT am delighted that Cappa has re- tained its Blue Flag which it has now held since 2004. This award recog- nises the importance of Cappa as a place of recreation and enjoyment for locals and visitors alike,” he said.

“Tam confident that the local com- munities will continue to work along with Kilrush Town Council to ensure that the high environmental stand- ards that have been achieved are maintained. When visiting Cappa, I would ask everybody to please take responsibility for their litter to en-

sure the high standard achieved in the past can continue 1n the future.”

At present, the playground in Cap- pa is also being upgraded to further enhance this area, encouraging more families to take advantage of these healthy and free facilities.

The Blue Flag award 1s a prestigious environmental eco-label awarded to more than 80 beaches and a small number of marinas in Ireland.

KILKEE Civic Trust has announced the return visit, on Friday, July 31, of singer and songwriter Brian Kennedy, one of the ultimate live performers to have emerged in the last two decades.

He is known as the artist who is blessed with a multitude of talents; singer, songwriter, guitarist, and born communicator, seen and heard on countless TV and radio shows from both sides of the mike. He’s been Ire- land’s ambassador on more than one global music stage; recognised au- thor of a couple of best-selling novels and numerous short stories.

Behind the facade however, there is a different story. It’s been a long, tough haul from the Falls Road, Belfast, his birthplace in 1966, with early years spent at the height of the troubles and the screech of sirens, rather than music, ringing in his ears. Nevertheless, with an uncanny inner strength, he turned horror to advan- tage by harmonising with the sirens, unaware he was nurturing a natural God-given vocal talent that would later earn him the title, ‘a voice to charm the angels’.

Kilkee Civic Trust was set up in November 2001 to nourish the built, spoken and environmental heritage of Kilkee. Among its many activi- ties, the civic trust has taken on the promotion of several musical events over the last number of years, hosting the likes of musician and composer Micheal O Suilleabhain, mezzo so- prano Edel O’Brien as well as the Irish Chamber Orchestra, as part of its summer concert schedule.

This will be Brian’s second visit

to Kilkee, his last visit was in 2005, where he received a rapturous wel- come from a packed St Senan’s GTR NACL NUM KOON MacnlleImeeyre cert on Friday.

Members of the Munster Rugby Supporters Choir will perform the

Opening part of the concert, and will join Brian for a couple of numbers at the end of the night.

THE hunt is on in west Clare on Fri- day afternoon next as visitors and lo- cals prepare to scavenge for all sorts of goodies.

The first Raidid Corca Baiscinn Scavenger Hunt will start at 2pm from the Diamond Rocks Café in Kilkee this Friday.

An outside broadcast by Raidio Corca Baiscinn will coincide with the event. Local businesses have ensured that there will be plenty of goodies to be found, including vouchers for restaurants and places of interest. Spot prizes, including the new Raidio Corca Baiscinn tee- shirts, will be awarded to teams dur- ing the scavenger hunt to keep people on their toes.

Raidio Corca Baiscinn 1s a commu- nity radio station, and a volunteer led organisation.

To celebrate the first new batch of radio volunteers trained earlier this Summer, these new broadcasters will be at the heart of the outside broad- cast during the scavenger hunt, inter- viewing locals and holidaymakers. People interested in learning about Raidio Corca Baiscinn are welcome to come and find out about radio broadcasting during the day.

Entry costs €10 per family or team of five, and all proceeds will go to support Raidi6 Corca Baiscinn, south west Clare’s local community radio.

For information contact Sallyann Marron, Fundraising Co-ordinator on info@raidiocorcabaiscinn.ie or by phoning 065 908 3022.

AS MAYOR of Kilrush, and on be- half of Kilrush Town Council, I am delighted to welcome you to Kilrush, which has been a very progressive town over the past number of years.

There are a large number of attrac- tions for Kilrush for both locals and visitors alike.

The Vandeleur Walled Garden and Visitor Centre is attracting many visitors to the area. The trees and plants in the garden area have matured and the summer bedding plants are currently in full bloom, giving great colour to the gardens. There are many plants for sale here, including a number of rare and exotic species. The coffee shop serves food all day. The centre also takes orders for homemade cakes for special oc- casions.

Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy walks in Kilrush Woods which ex- tends to an area of 420 acres. The Heritage Trail which identifies his- toric landmarks in the town will be in place in a few weeks. Visitors can follow the trail from Market Square right out to Cappa village.

Once again, Cappa beach main- tained its Blue Flag status for 2009. The beach is a hive of activity for the summer. Swimming and life saving classes take place at the pier. A new safety surface has been installed at the playground at Cappa as well as the upgrading of some equipment there, making it a safer place for chil-

dren to enjoy.

The marina area is used by sailing enthusiasts who enjoy the sheltered waters of the estuary. Also located in this area is the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Centre where visitors can see dolphin displays. Boat trips can also be taken from here to see over 90 dolphins that live in the waters of the estuary. Tourists can also walk

the Dolphin Trail which begins at the Market Square and leads to Ayleva- roo Head, which overlooks an area of the estuary regularly frequented by the dolphins.

From the marina, tourists can to take a boat trip to Scattery Island which is one of the oldest monas- tic sites in Ireland. The ruins of six churches are here, as well as a Round Tower which is approximately 120 feet high, making it the tallest and one of the best preserved in Ireland. This is a trip that no visitor should miss and is one of the best kept se- crets in west Clare.

The success of achieving gold med- als in 2007 and 2008 in the Tidy Towns competition is testament to the great work done by the Tidy Towns committee and FAS Scheme work- ers and participation by residents of the town and Kilrush Town Council. The colourful floral displays and well kept streets and pathways add to the picturesque beauty of Kilrush.

For golf lovers, Kilrush has an 18 hole golf course located on the En- nis Road.

These are to mention some of the amenities you can enjoy on your visit to Kilrush.

We look forward to seeing you vis- iting our town and enjoying these PNP ONL Alone

Mr Di Lucia is now an agent for the sale of the house and speaking recently, he said that Harris took special care in deciding how to look after the house.

“Dickie did it up and spent a lot of money doing this. Most of the fur- nishings and fittings were bought in London and shipped over because his wife at the time and sister did all the interior design for the house,” he added.

De Lucia and his wife moved into the house two years after Harris pur- chased it and filled the role of care- takers, subsequently opening a qual- ity restaurant there.

SU Com Re ae er luet sold the house and since then, it has changed ownership on a number of occasions. Ten years ago, the house was sold to its current owner for £350,000. Its age 1s 1n excess of 120 years old and is in a much sought af- ter location in the seaside town.

The house is currently listed for sale at €550,000 for the auction. This will take place on August 21 at the Stella Maris Hotel in Kilkee.

THE final countdown to this week- end’s Powerade ‘Never Give Up’ challenge is underway as a Quin man is gearing up to put his name on the marathon map.

23-year-old Trevor Lee is one of just three people across the country selected to take on the Swiss Alpine Challenge in Davos, Switzerland on Sunday.

He decided to give up hurling for a few months and instead concentrate on running the marathon. The past few months have been a whirlwind for Trevor, who works as a chemi-

cal engineer at Roche pharmaceuti- cals in Clarecastle. He has featured prominently in Powerade advertise- ments on RTE television and has subsequently become a recognised face throughout Clare.

He is pleased with his training, which, apart from a few niggly inju- ries, has gone very well. He ran his first ever marathon in the Mourne mountains in County Down last month and was happy with his per- formance on the day, finishing the tough route in just over five hours.

“We came in in the middle of the pack. We were happy with that, but my legs were in bits after it,” he said.

Prior to that he ran a good race in the Clare 10K, in which he finished in the top 100 of some 1,400 partici- pants.

The training has tapered down since that, as he prepares for Sun- day.

The money raised through the chal- lenge will go towards SAD (Sudden Adult Death syndrome) and Trevor is also hoping to raise money for Can- cer Research. He is delighted with the generosity from those who have assisted him through sponsorship.

He is getting used to the celebrity status he has achieved since he first appeared on television.

“The feedback has been good. I’d be shocked by the amount of people who recognise me. The running 1s going well. The hard work is done now. I am trying to keep the legs fresh for Sunday,” he said.

“It has been a great experience and a great laugh. I have made good friends out of it,” he added.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to the fund should email Trevor on trevorleeO3 @ gmail.com.