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A SENIOR member of Clare County Council claimed yesterday that An Taisce wants west Clare returned to a green wilderness devoid of people and any semblance of community life.

Kilrush-based Cllr Tom Prendev- ille (FF) was reacting angrily to an An Taisce statement that it intends to refer the adoption of the West Clare Plan to the Minister for the Envi- ronment, John Gormley TD, due to overzoning for housing.

At the council’s May meeting, Cllr Prendeville proposed the adoption of the plan and said the twin objectives were tackling depopulation and pro- viding for the economic development of west Clare.

He said An Taisce “has more con- cern for the corncrake and the cuck- oo than it has for people”.

Cllr Prendeville accused An Taisce’s Heritage Officer, Ian Lum- ley, of having “a brass neck”.

He added, “How dare Mr Lumley dictate to the rural people of Ireland” An Taisce has done more than any other organisation to destroy com- munity life in rural Ireland.”

Cllr Prendeville said Mr Lumley and An Taisce should “hump off”.

“An Taisce appear to be hell-bent on destroying any vestiges of rural life and the ordinary people will stand openly in defiance against this ‘secret society’. An Taisce has never come forward to make one positive idea about rural Ireland.

“Is the power to adopt the West Clare Area Plan a matter for council- lors or are we just stool pigeons and do the bidding of An Taisce?”’

Cllr Prendeville said An Taisce wants to return west Clare to what it looked like 10,000 years ago, and herd young men and women into towns and villages.

Cllr Prendeville said that the West Clare Local Area Plan was agreed

after 15 meetings between council- lors and officials in a spirit of part- nership. In adopting the west Clare plan, councillors dismissed concerns expressed by the Department of the Environment over the overzoning for housing in the sparsely populated area. In voting through the plan 22- 1, councillors have zoned land for housing that will accommodate the additional 16,036 homes.

The Department of the Environ- ment point out that the plan indicates that there will be demand for be- tween only 597 and 1,019 new homes during the six years of the plan.

The councillors voted through the plan in spite of Senior Planner, Gor- don Daly warning that by adopting the plan, the council was breaching the EU Habitats Directive and the Department may refer the matter to the Attorney General’s Office.

The councillors also voted through fresh rezonings in almost every town and village in west Clare.

In a letter to the council warning not to overzone the lands, the depart- ment submission states, ““The council is requested to reduce the extent of residential land use zonings outlined in the settlements and clusters in the draft plan as it does not appear to have any basis in relation to the Clare Housing Strategy or any other plan or strategy.”

The council’s overzoning takes in Ballynacally, Bealaha, Cooraclare, Cree, Doonaha, Doonbeg, Kilbaha, Kilkee, Killimer, Kilmihil, Kilmur- ry McMahon, Knockerra, Lissyca- sey, Mullagh and Querrin.

IT WAS a Saturday afternoon in downtown Barcelona and I was caught between Antonio Gaudi and a very soft place.

My Lonely Planet guide book had made Gaudi a must see experience on my only day in the capital of Catalo- nia, but there was a little matter of a rugby match in Murrayfield between Leinster and Leicester.

Now, if it was Munster v Leicester, Gaudi would have to wait for another year, but Leinster…1 was sure where my loyalties lay.

You see, I suppose I could be called a Lunster — that’s the moniker some wordsmith cooked up these past few months to explain away people who hail from the green field where rugby players wear blue geansais, yet pledge complete allegiance to the Munster Republic.

The reasons for this were mani- fold.

It’s true that I couldn’t be more Dublin — bread there, born there and lived there for the first 24 years of my life and all that. And, that living was done in Blackrock and therefore in the shadow of the famous rugby institution run by the Holy Ghost Fa- thers on the Rock Road.

The only way to explain away Blackrock College is that it has been to rugby what St Flannan’s College has been to hurling. Once upon a time Michael Cusack may have been on the teaching staff there, but that was in the rugby and cricket playing period of his life.

However, Blackrock College was something of anathema to people of country stock — it was this big fee- paying institution behind massive corrugated iron gates, while their ritual winning of Leinster Senior Cup titles on St Patrick’s Day in Lansdowne Road most years did about as much for rugby in Dublin as St Flannan’s winning Harty Cup titles did for hurling in Clare.

I got many opportunities to get my spoke in about the wrongs of Black- rock’s near-monopoly on things rug- by in Dublin. Most days going home from school in fact — the number 6 or 6A bus (one of those old pale brown ones like the red double-deckers in London where you alighted from the back) that transported me home from school passed by the corrugated iron gates of the institution.

Those gates represented hate at first sight and conflict all the way — mea rabid Irish-speaking outsider wear- ing my Dubs (or Kerry at various times it must be said) football colours on my heart and sleeve who went to school on the inner-city northside was looked upon as something of subversive fundamentalist. This was especially so during by PLO scartf- wearing days.

Let’s put it this way — the GAA and the gaeilge made one viewed with deep suspicion, even though one of the first teams to ever win the Dub- lin SFC were Feach McHugh’s from Blackrock. I loved reminding the rugger-buggers of this, telling them (as Gaeilge of course) that the GAA had made it big in Blackrock before there was an oval ball in sight.

This, allied to having the temerity to take the high moral rugby ground on the top of the double-decker bus by saying that Blackrock College were killing rugby for everyone else in Dublin turned deep suspicion into something well beyond hatred and contempt.

Maybe that’s where the Lunster in me was born — railing against all things Blackrock College was the starting point, from there spread into many other corners.

Cast your mind back to the start of the AIL back in the early ‘90s — this was the competition that was going

to confirm Dublin’s dominant posi- tion in the game. That’s what the Dublin-dominated media told the world at any rate — it was Blackrock’s league and if not it was Wanderers’ or Lansdowne’s.

There wasn’t much mention of Shannon, Garryowen, Young Mun- ster or Cork Con. They were beyond the pale, so largely out of sight and definitely out of mind.

With that the Lunster in me grew rapidly towards manhood – still a Dub, always a Dub with a blue gean- sai, but most definitely the sky blue one you’d find on Cnoc 1916 and not the navy or royal blue ones you’d find on the cushioned seats of the Royal Dublin Society or Donnybrook (pro- nounced Dawnybroke in this D4 dis- nulee

You could say the Lunster in me fi- nally flowered in Lansdowne Road in 2006 when Declan Kidney’s Munster hit Leinster’s soft underbelly so hard that they were catapulted back up to

Dawnybroke by a canon as big as the ones that were parked on the Cliffs of Moher during the making of the Guns of Navarone.

So it was without regret that I hopped aboard an open top bus on Saturday afternoon to take up the trail of Gaudi — it was the unfinished/ work in progress of his imposing cathedral over Leinster’s unfinished/ work in progress any day.

Gaudi was run over by a tram in 1926 just as the monument to his life’s work was taking shape — Lein- ster could be run over by Leicester’s train for all I really cared.

That’s what pre-conceived wisdom told me at any rate as my old preju- dices about Blackrock Collge and the fee-paying elite culture of rugby in Anna Livia converged one more wba ele

Antonio Gaudi, the most talked about architect of the 20th century after Hitler’s Albert Speer, was making a Catalan out of me for the

afternoon. Catalans want their inde- pendence from Spain — I was Lunster from the Munster Republic making my own independent stand.

However, something happened en route from Sagrada Familia (Gau- di’s cathedral) to Parc Guell (Gau- di’s Park). A fellow Paddy-traveller who was wearing a Leinster geansai crossed my path.

He’d been on Gaudi’s trail too, but had now turned deserter and was in search of Michael Collins — not the one who was alive in Gaudi’s time but the pub bearing his name.

Suddenly, I was caught between Gaudi and a very hard place. Some Michael Collins-like nationalism sparked. It wasn’t about being anti- Blackrock College any more. Same way as for Catalans last summer it wasn’t about being separatists any more as Spain marched on Austria/ Switzerland to win Euro ’08.

For the Catalans it was about being rabid nationalists, same way for this Lunster — it meant deserting Gaud1’s trail and hopping aboard the Leinster train to Michael Collins’ pub.

Of course, for my own peace of mind I cooked up a temporary get- out clause from my Lunster contract and Blackrock College prejudices.

‘Rock’s finest GAA man after Car- ron’s Citizen Cusack was Citizen O’ Driscoll — before rugby super-star- dom opened out before him he played football with Clontarf.

This was the same club that gave the lion-hearted Jim Roynane to the “Dirty Dozen’ team of 1983 that won the All-Ireland for the Dubs, while Kilmihil’s Noel Normoyle of Clare’s Munster championship win- ning squad of 1992 also togged out for “Tarf for a few years.

There were 20 minutes left in Mur- rayfield — the sides were level 16-16 and Michael Collins’ was a little melting pot of Irish rugby nationalist SroeLNDOOLSI 81m

There were Lunsters there; there were (by their Dawnybroke accents) a few ‘Rock old boys there; there were those from the fourth green field who support Ireland but not the flag; there were those who sing Ireland’s call in- stead of Ireland’s Soldiers Song.

But for those 20 minutes we were all Leinster and willed Jonathon Sex- ton’s penalty between the posts.

Still a Lunster thanks to the number 6 bus though, but always a rabid na- tionalist when it comes to the four eau BECCA K

Up Leinster!

Now it’s time to get back on Anto- nio Gaudi’s trail.

last week, following the publica- tion of a report by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. He said the report’s disturbing ac- count of systematic abuse in institu-

tions run by religious orders brought back painful memories of his own childhood.

He has recalled the type of physi- cal punishment given out by teach- ie

“I started in the school in 1956. I went to primary school at the age of six. I didn’t have too many happy days in that system,” he said.

“It was leathers, punches. One man in particular stands out. He had MoD KmOON Dates

‘“He’d get two other people to stand either side of you at the old desk and

he’d hit you into the sides.

“Now, you might say, what was wrong with that?

“First of all, it hurt. Secondly, it wasn’t a nice thing to do to anybody for any reason, let alone for getting something wrong in spelling or not being able to add a few numbers.”

The man said that he dreaded go- ing to school.

“Sometimes, after holidays, when I’d hear that the school was reopen- ing, my father used to tell me I’d be physically sick in the days before go- ing back to school,” he explained.

The man said that he told his fa- ther about the punishment but that corporal punishment was consid- ered appropriate behaviour in the Irish society of the 1950s.

“Ah sure, the thing was, they’d say that he wouldn’t have given you a clip unless you deserved it. This was the era where if you walked down the street and you saw two nuns coming, you stepped off the path completely.”

After battling depression for years and being admitted to several psy- chiatric units, the man said psychol-

ogists identified his school years as a source of immense trauma.

He said, “A lot of what happened to me, a lot of what caused the break- downs, was a build-up of major traumatic episodes from my child- hood in school.”

He added, “Obviously not every- body who’d been through my exper1- ence wouldn’t have had depression.

“Part of it was my personality as well. There are some people who soak up things and others don’t.

‘There are some tough and not so tough.”

THE TEMPLATE is there from the League final in Semple Stadium. That is the standard that we must aim to achieve — and exceed. Only the foolhardy would disagree that we are quite a long way from it at this moment in time. The League final action was simply terrific. Cold rea- son will even tell us that we have no hope ever of equaling it. Yet reason 1s often thrown to the wind at champt- onship time. Show strength of mind and body never seen before.

The majority of it in our case will come down to managerial planning and preparedness.

Absolute ruthlessness in the correc- tion of rampant previous mistakes. Players must almost be put on oath not to repeat them. Of any sector of the Clare set-up that reached last year’s Munster final the manage- ment needs to improve the most. At the start we stated here that this is not a novice management. Excuses for failure in approach and planning are hardly acceptable at this stage. Yet some of the mistakes made last year were so obvious and fundamen- tal that one dreads that they may be repeated again.

This is groundhog time.

Back for a moment to the League final. This was trench warfare with style and skill. Those who com- plained that it was too tough should get real.

The only serious injury came from a fair shoulder. No point in dwelling further but one man deserves special mention. In half a century I cannot recall a better half back than Tommy

Walsh. More combative and deter- mined than even the great Whelehan. To my knowledge Walsh played eve- ry round of the league.

Never flinched, never stood back. Courage, skill, steel and spirit. The complete player.

On June 21st Clare will be facing consummate stickmen in either Tip- perary or Cork. It would be unwise to think that we can match their skills totally especially in scoring. Other measures and tactics will have to be produced.

Shock and awe must be the pass- word. The task is enormous. The problems are many. Two of the main ones are defenders who are not up to the pace for championship hurling and the provision of a balanced at- tack. Over the past decade Clare has tended to field too many big men up front. Big men need a lot of space for striking. Space that will not be given, especially by Tipperary.

We do not have a sacrificial fielder. One who would contribute little ex- cept the invaluable ability to field un- der pressure and lay off.

Barry Nugent could do a job here with persistent drilling. Tony Car- mody and Jonathon Clancy are capa- ble of running at defences and taking scores although the latter would be well advised to let it go more often. He was brought to a somewhat shud- dering stop by the Noresiders in Cu- sack Park.

Tony Griffin needs a lot of space these days and the fear is that he has left his best days on the roads with his bicycle. Even more worrying 1s the lack of pace in defence. For in- stance in the game against the Cats

Ritchie Hogan gave Conor McMa- hon five metres yet still managed to beat him to the ball.

Remember that? It was very signifi- cant. Brendan Bugler has some pace but needs to look to his discipline. We need a mobile fullback to help out Gerry O’Grady hence my prefer- ment for Brian O’Connell at No 3.

The loss of Gerry Quinn is cata- strophic for the defence. It is a deba- cle that should never have occurred.

Up in Westmeath when their key forward Dennis Glennon was absent from training his manager sought him out and brought him back to the camp. Domhnall O’Donovan was

brought in late into the panel. Had he played through the League he might well have made it at corner back. Nicky O’Connell could make the team right now either as a halfback or midfielder. Great skills and fire. Surely the makings of a good one. Tipp showed themselves power- fully against Kilkenny. They showed themselves to Cork as well. The Rebels will be primed and ready with plenty of extra incentives to jus- tify themselves after the managerial incident. Cork is bursting with hurl- ing talent. Denis Walsh is putting together a dynamic forward set-up. Thirty two points on the board re-

cently against Limerick.

Now the third O hAilpin is on the horizon. Hot stuff there. Fintan O’Leary too is making ground and Patrick Horgan has skill to burn. Their problems may arise in the last line of defence with the departure of the Rock and Brian Murphy. Two great defenders and sportsmen.

Can Clare learn enough from the league final and next Sunday’s semi- final to mount a decent challenge’?

Meer Mee B Le

Soy eSB KCC Tom ONCE

THE precarious nature of this year’s Garry Cup meant that every final round game had implications at both ends of the table. This one was no different, albeit that Clondegad’s win over St Senan’s on Tuesday evening ensured their place in the knock- out stages. However, with four other sides on six points and O’Curry’s lagging just one point behind, a win for the home side would have at least ensured their Division two status for another year.

As it turned out, Clondegad’s strong finish to the tie earned them

top spot in the division and relegated O’Curry’s in the process but it was the individual performances of Pad- dy O’Connell and Cormac Murphy that essentially lifted Clondegad to victory.

Murphy was immense throughout in the centre of the field, a fact that was magnified even more by the loss of Ger Quinlan who had got injured that day playing for the county in a challenge while O’Connell proved a rock at full-back, curbing the in- flunce of Michael Carmody who ap- peared to be running the show early on.

The home side were O-5 to O-2

ahead by the turn of the first quar- ter, with Eoin Troy scoring a brace of frees either side of Michael Carmo- dy’s point for O’Curry’s while Clon- degad could only reply with a Paudge McMahon free and a Rory Clohessy point in that period.

O’Connell’s. switch was crucial though and it helped Clondegad grab a foothold in the match when Kieran Browne pointed in the 18th minute followed soon afterwards by a superb Gary Brennan point from almost on the endline. Eoin Troy and Kieran Browne traded scores ap- proaching the finish of the half but it was O’Curry’s who would have the

last say when Carmody pointed right on the stroke of half-time to give the home side a two point advantage at ORT rone ay

Needing the points more, O’Curry’s continued where they left off on the restart with another brace from Eoin Troy pushing them O-9 to O-6 in front. However, it was to prove their final score of the game as Clonde- gad started to turn the screw around the centre and O’Curry’s ran out of steam.

The score that proved the catalyst for Clondegad’s revival came at the turn of the final quarter when a swift passing move involving Kenneth Kelly and Paudge McMahon ended up with Francie Neylon who goaled from close range. Bouyed by that score, Clondegad upped it another gear and only ten minutes from time, Eoin Griffin gave them the lead for the first time in the match.

However, the decisive score that came only minutes later was worthy of winning any game when Paudge McMahon raided down the flank and fended off several challenges be- fore rifling the ball to the net from an acute angle. That score sucked the life out of O’Curry’s and it al- lowed Clondegad, and McMahon in particular to pile more misery on the home side, as he kicked the final two points of the game. A win that gives Clondegad pole position for the semi-finals while subjecting a luck- less O’Curry’s to their second suc- cessive relegation.

THE family of a Newmarket-on- Fergus baby who died suddenly a year ago has raised €18,000 in his memory.

15-month-old Aaron Smith died from cot death in April of last year. His heartbroken parents Richie and Therese have decided to help others in a similar situation to themselves and set about raising money for the Irish Sudden Infant Death Associa- tion (ISIDA).

With the help of EI Electronics in Shannon, along with a large circle of family and friends, they raised the money, through a race night at the Oakwood Arms Hotel in Shannon.

Therese’s sister Lesley Kennedy explained the idea behind raising the THe) IAA

“There was nothing wrong with Aaron. They were just told it was a cot death. There was no explana- tion,’ she said.

“It was difficult for everybody. We felt if we organised a fundraiser, it would make people aware of it and of how it happens. We approached EI Electronics because they are involved in race nights. They were very keen to help and we got a great response, ’ she said.

While €18,000 was raised, con- tributions are still being made. “We just want people to be aware of it. It happens,’ she added.

She said that while Aaron’s parents are devastated, they are trying their best to get on with their lives.

“They are coping. They still have bad days but they are just fantastic. If he was sick, you could cope with

it, knowing there was a reason. It shouldn’t happen,” she said.

She said that everyone holds very fond memories of baby Aaron, who was Richie’s and Therese’s pride and joy. “Aaron was a dote. He was a lovely little boy and had a lovely head of blond hair. Everyone was shocked by his death,” said Lesley Kennedy.

She paid tribute, in particular, to the people of Newmarket-on-Fergus, who supported the Smiths both in the aftermath of baby Aaron’s death and also through the fundraiser.

“The people of Newmarket were just fantastic and gave us great sup- port,” said Ms Kennedy.

ISIDA provides support to families bereaved by the sudden death of an infant or young child and to others affected by it. It promotes research into the causes and prevention of

Sudden Infant Death. Its national helpline is 1850 391 391.

SPU OL UNE Sard sloma cham ssbeercmmaeem omelet in the Cusack Cup. Playing only a to- tal of seven games in a league struc- ture will never allow much leeway for manoeuvre, meaning that every two points are potentially crucial. In effect, an extra win could mean the difference between a play-off to make a semi-final spot or a play-off to avoid relegation.

SU elem erulme mnie lomr- Mi NUb(GRUNKomE-Tue questionable and though Liscannor didn’t exactly find themselves in that predicament on Saturday evening, they were lying fifth in the table before the final round of games and now, thanks to a one-point defeat to Shannon Gaels, find themselves in a play-off against the Gaels to find out who will join Kilrush Shamrocks in the Garry Cup next season.

For a while, it looked like Liscan- nor would pull through, though.

Most of the opening half was con- trolled by Liscannor and when the Gaels did aim to build something, their final ball was often laboured and it didn’t help that among the for- wards, space was difficult to locate.

As the half wound down, the Gaels managed to dominate possession — similar to the first five minutes when they blasted four wides — and at last, they got some reward. Declan Power popped over his side’s second score of the game on 24 minutes and three minutes later, he got the final touch on the move that kick-started the Gaels’ revival, not just in this game, but in the league in general.

Having lost their opening five games, it looked like they were des- tined for second tier football in 2010. Their hopes for next season and Cu- sack Cup competition are still alive, though.

David Neylon floated a free kick into the danger zone. It was deflected closer to goal through a crowd of players and Power managed to nudge it to the net.

It provided the Gaels with the lead

for the first time in the game but 1m- mediately after, Kieran Considine slotted over a free kick to tie things up, going into the second-half.

Niall Considine, who started on the half-forward line and kicked two fine points in the opening 30 minutes, was now re-located to his full-back line. In one sense, the move allowed

the Gaels gain a foothold around the middle third of the field.

Neylon tapped over a Gaels free just after the re-start following a foul on Eugene O’Neill and shortly after, Michael O’Donoghue was accurate form 50 yards out with a belting point. The score pushed the Gaels into a two-point lead and suddenly,

Liscannor were on the back-foot.

Neylon then maintained the Gaels lead with a 45, which came about un- necessarily when two Liscannor de- fenders competed for a dropping ball only to knock it out of play.

Liscannor didn’t lie down, though. Ronan Slattery, in particular, began to lead the fightback.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Slat- tery was fouled a distance from the posts. He brushed himself off and floated over a fine left-foot free kick. A minute later, Slattery was once again fouled and once more, he con- verted successfully.

With time running out, Liscannor were still two adrift. A loss meant they were waiting on results else- where to figure out if they were safe from a relegation play-off.

When Slattery converted his fourth free and Ger Considine popped over a crucial score from 30 yards out, it tied things up and a draw, which would have relegated the Gaels, looked likely.

The game wasn’t done with yet, though. With two minutes left, John Paul O’Neill drifted into possession close to goal on the right wing. He turned and curled over the winning point which means that these two must do it all again to maintain their top flight status.

A UNIQUE collaboration between the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Iniscealtra Festival of the Arts based in Mountshannon will have people aged seven to seventy getting out the paint and brushes.

While youngsters and older people alike are enjoying the experience of producing their own art, one resident in Raheen, Paddy Gleeson, was cel- ebrating a very special birthday this week.

Art by Alice Maher and Paula Rego is on loan to Scariff Library as part of the festival.

More than 100 local school chil- CUCU MM AU MM ATS [Mn NeCoMy Col loimB DOMES KOEI OSS and then use the art room at Raheen to produce their own works, based on what they have seen.

Later in the day, more visitors to Raheen will have the opportunity to see the exhibition and can also pro- duce their own work.

All of the artwork will be later put on exhibit in Scariff library. The exhibitions will also be open to the public.

The art on loan from the Irish Mu- seum of Modern Art’s collection by internationally renowned artists Al- ice Maher and Paula Rego explores the world of childhood stories and memories, nursery rhymes and fairy

tales, in keeping with this year’s fes- tival theme of ‘Myths and Legends’. School children and Raheen Day Care Centre visitors will be led by artists Terry O’Farrell and Nicola Henley in producing their own mas-

terpieces.

“The IMMA has been co-operating with us for 14 years in loaning art during the festival and it’s an impor- tant part of the event because other- wise, a lot of people would never get

the chance to see these works. Not many people would travel to Dublin just to see them,” said Nicola.

The art event 1s supported by the Department of Education and Sci- ence.

Meanwhile, friends and staff at Raheen were helping Paddy Glee- son celebrate his 105th birthday on Wednesday.

Described as a great historian and storyteller, Paddy is “very spry and with it”, staff say.

A full time resident in Raheen in recent months, Paddy was living in a sheltered housing scheme until then.

“He had lots of friends coming in to congratulate him. He’s a great man for telling stories and people love to hear him,” a staff member at the hos- pital said.

To mark the day, Paddy got his fifth presidential medal, an accolade presented to people who reach their 100th birthday and more.

‘“He’s got quite a collection now,” a friend said.

Life of Caher motorcyclist remembered at special mass