The Clare People Archive

IF YOU want to cross the “Bridge to Health’, Ennistymon may hold the connection you’re looking for with the opening of new local healing and therapy centre.

The centre, officially launched last Saturday, will offer various health and relaxation treatments including reflexology, massage and reiki and classes in belly-dancing and Tai Chi.

The centre will also incorporate a gift shop selling local and outsourced crafts, homewares and jewellery.

Owner Celeste Davis and her hus- band Brian, who met in Miltown Malbay nine years ago, have done extensive work in natural therapy.

“We support the conventional sys- tem too but alternatives can work alongside it. There are often fewer side effects and my husband had great results using natural therapy to treat cancer and chronic illnesses in Sydney. The classes and shop add an extra element. We have had a lot of interest from people who want to come and teach here.”

Ms Davis, originally from Byron

Bay in Australia, said that Ennisty- mon’s Steiner-Waldorf school was a major factor in the family’s move to north Clare and this openness to alternative forms would benefit the Le LUKBE Lee

‘Bridge to Health’ will also offer bioenergy healing- a natural therapy which is rapidly gaining popularity.

“Bioenergy comes from Chinese medicine, where it is used widely in hospitals, and it works with a type of energy called ‘external chi-gung’. We are all surrounded by electro- magnetic fields and illness is outside

as well as in. Bioenergy clears the aura,’ said Ms Davis, adding that its two leading Irish practitioners are from Clare.

She added that she hopes the busi- ness will expand quickly to include counselling and psychotherapy as well as more classes and treatments such as acupuncture.

The centre will be open from 1lam to 7pm daily and later on weekends. It will close on Tuesdays. For more information, call 065 7071968 or 085 1390381.

MARY Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna is celebrat- ing huge success by several students in the Northern Ireland Young Scien- tist Competition held in Belfast last Neto)

Fifth year student Laura Sims won first prize in her age category for the project ‘Mobile phone signal strength and topography ’- the second time she has won a prize for her sci- entific skills.

Matthew Egan and Kevin Theasby were runners up in their age category with ‘Relationship between Japanese Knotweed and soil type’.

Diarmaid O’ Donoghue was award- ed the Queens University Award for Biological Sciences for his project ‘The efficiency of seed dispersal’

and a fourth group of Amie Barrett, Sinead McNamara and Megan Byrne also took part with “The dispersal patterns of Patella vulgate on north Clare shores’.

The supervisor of the projects, Ge- ography teacher John Sims, said that his daughter and the other students had done the school proud.

‘This was the sixth year that we have taken part in the competition and we have never come away with- out a prize of some sort. All of these projects were picked because they also did well in the Irish competition. It takes passion and hard work to get everything done. It really helps kids to think outside the box.”

He added that one of the judges had complimented 17 year-old Laura on a particularly good project.

‘She worked on it since last August

and it was very intense because she had to physically map out the grid on foot and the terrain is not great. She used a mapping program called Geo- graphical Information Systems being piloted at the school by NUI May- nooth and the coverage she got was second to none. The results could be very useful, as could those of all of the other projects.”

Mr Sims said that Kevin, Mat- thew and Diarmaid had to do a crash course in the more advanced school curriculum to learn techniques like soil sample collection.

“They were in the junior category and started work in September. The Irish competition is early in the year SO work was very heavy over Christ- mas. Aside from the actual projects, they had to type up reports of up to 50 pages.

He added that the fourth project, in a category with a higher number of participants, could still get a ‘Highly Commended’ honour.

“IT have worked at the school since 1989 and past students often refer to the Young Scientist as a very useful experience. A lot of kids knew how to do reports and project work at col- lege later, which 1s a great plus.”

The students used a mix of labora- tory and field work as well as a wide variety of research methods.

After the summer, a new batch of young scientists will begin work at the school.

AMONG the groups taking part in the Clare People 10k walk/run are the Ennis based organisation, Living Links.

Over the past five years the Liv- ing Links organisation has offered a suicide outreach support service to families and individuals in Clare who have been bereaved by suicide. SU iloKomr-DeomCUUKC NU RAKoNMPAOUD DANN e-BDACeCe! volunteers staffing the service in Ee

In addition to healing programmes volunteers respond to approaches made by a bereaved family or in- dividual and can arrange to meet them inside or outside their homes or

wherever the bereaved person feels most comfortable.

All meeting are conducted in the strictest confidence.

Clare Living Links operates under the auspices of the Health Services Executive. Originally Clare Liv- ing Links formed part of a larger programme that provided Suicide Bereavement Support in Clare, Lim- erick and north Tipperary, but three years ago the service was divided into three separate units by the then Mid Western Health Board.

The service recently concluded an eight week healing programme for those who’s lives have been affected lo\VamcLe bea LO (on

The programme aimed to help

adults who have experienced a death by suicide to find healing and support in a Safe and caring environment and to provide an opportunity of meeting others who have experienced loss by suicide.

The meetings aimed to provide healing through talking and listen- ing in small groups.

A spokesperson for the service explained, “If they want, they can choose to meet one of the service’s volunteers at home or they can come to the centre, or wherever 1s suitable. It’s about giving them the opportu- nity to talk about it.

‘Depending on the need of the per- son there might be one session or they might be a number. There is no

set number”’.

The spokesperson continued, “The aim is to help people talk about their loss and the whole process of be- reavement. There is no set formula for bereaved persons feelings or re- actions. Different people will react in different ways and in a different Ocal ue

Clare Living Links also provide a booklet entitled “You Are Not Alone” which aims to provide in- formation that will be of help in the immediate aftermath of a death by suicide occurring, such as immedi- ate reactions; natural responses pro- cedures in unexpected deaths, sort- ing out your affairs and getting help for you and your children.

LEAVING cert students get the chance to blow of some steam next weekend when the Q-ness festival hits venues in Ennis and Shannon

Hosted by Clare Youth Services, Q-Ness is a post leaving cert festival of fun and relaxation that will take place from Friday, June 22, to Sun- day, June 24.

The idea behind it is that it offers exam students the opportunity to relax after the stressful period of Leaving Cert exams. Q-Ness is the brainchild of four students from En- nis who felt that every year there was a big anti-climax in the aftermath of the summer exams.

The programme begins in Shannon on Friday night with a concert in the Respond building in Rineanna.

Saturday will feature a full day of activities at the Clare Youth Service on Carmody Street. The now legen- dary “Outdoor Exam Bash” will start at 3pm and will feature over 12 local bands. There will be an eclectic mix of music, with all tastes (bar classi- cal) catered for which is guaranteed ORS NoMeDONE

This will be followed by a barbe- cue before the proceedings move in- doors for a more mellow and relax- ing Acoustic Gig within the walls of the Clare Youth Service. Places are limited so it’s advisable to grab your seat early.

To top off the festivities Glor will play host to the proceedings on Sun- day.

Running from 7.30pm to 9.30pm the event will feature DJs, a Video Jockey, Sumo Wrestling, Gladiators, Cult Movies, Music, Madness, May- hem & a touch of mystery. Jonelle Mannion, Leaving Cert Student at Colaiste Mhuire explained students were fed up with the lack of post leaving cert activities in the county and decided to take matters into their own hands.

She said, “Students spend two years preparing for a set of exams that are over in the space of two weeks. They then find themselves facing into the long hot summer waiting for results.

Allin all, the whole thing boils down to quite a lot of stress. We decided that the best way to mark the end of the exams was to take all the things that people like to do to unwind and bring them all together in one big event”.

Glen Guilfoyle, Clare Youth Serv- ice said: “The weekend will kick off with a gig in Shannon. This will take place in the Respond Building in R1- neanna from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and will also feature a barbecue at the newly developed Kick Back Café”’.

Tickets cost €20 and are available from glor box office. The event is strictly alcohol and drug free. More information available from: http://q-nessl.bebo.com

THE disposal of a key community position in Shannon, allied to the lo- cal sergeant being moved from the town, are indicators that locals are being neglected.

That’s according to Independent councillor Gerry Flynn, who said he was disappointed to hear that the Sergeant-in-Charge of Shannon Garda Station moved to Ennis Garda Station last week.

Sergeant Dermot O’Connor, who had held the post for two years, 1s now stationed in the Chief Superin- tendent’s office at Ennis Garda Sta- tion. He replaced Sergeant Seamus

Ruane, who has been promoted to the rank of inspector. The vacancy created in Shannon will be filled within weeks.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council did not renew Develop- ment Officer Padraig McCormaic’s contract, which he had held for four years.

He had held a key post in Shan- non, where he had played an integral role on many committees and was involved in several projects which were seen as a major benefit to the town.

Councillor Flynn said the people of the town feel very concerned that Sergeant O’Connor has left, while

the crucial Development Officer’s role has been discontinued.

“We need a continuing of personnel at Shannon Garda Station. We are not getting that as Shannon is being used as a training ground. Shannon is growing, yet we are a sub-station of Ennis. Ennistymon, Kilrush and Killaloe all have their own district stations. It is not good medicine here for us in Shannon,” said Cllr Flynn.

“If we had a situation where Shan- non was a district station with a su- perintendent, they would stay and there would be more continuation,” he added.

He said that the people of Shannon have not been informed who will

take over Mr McCormaic’s work.

“A lot of the projects he was in- volved in will fall, while the loss of the sergeant-in-charge will have huge repercussions for the local area,” he Sr BKGE

Cllr Flynn believes that Shannon should be afforded the status of dis- trict garda station, while substations should be created in Newmarket-on- Fergus and Sixmilebridge.

“What we have in Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus are not even substations. There are huge social issues in the community. Rob- beries are becoming more frequency and we need stability in policing in the area,’ he said.

THE success enjoyed by local gov- ernment in Shannon over the past 25 years was celebrated, when council- lors – past and present – gathered to- gether last week.

At a special function to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of local government in the town, spe- cial tributes were paid to Town Clerk Tomas MacCormaic and Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Independent). Both have been involved with the lo- cal authority since its inception.

Current councillors were joined in the celebrations by former council- lors, including the first chairman of the local authority in the town Brendan Regan and Pat O’Brien, who was among the first elected mem- bers.

Shannon Town Manager Ger Dol- lard said he was proud that two ma- jor projects, which have been “in the blocks” for some time, are nearing CeO eF

One of those, the €3.5 million Shan- non Southern Primary Road project will open to traffic within a week and will be officially opened in July.

The other major project, the Shan- non Recycling Centre in Smithstown, will also be open for business this Ssseloe

Mr Dollard told the group that “a debt of gratitude” was owed to those who set up Shannon Town Commis- sion, back in 1982.

“That sense of community 1s still in Shannon,” said Mr Dollard.

He said that since Clare County Council took over the running of the town in 2004, a strong link between

the town authority and the county council has been maintained.

The mayor of Shannon, Councillor Tony McMahon (Labour), pointed out that the town has grown signifi- cantly over the years.

“It is a sign of the times in the de- velopment of Shannon that Shannon has progressed to the stage where we need to look at our boundaries. That is a sign of growth. It is a very posi- tive thing that Shannon has grown to that degree,” said Cllr McMahon.

He said the local authority is a “master of our own destiny” in look- ing ahead to the future status of the reaa

“We long for the day when Shannon has a different status. We do want to see that in the future,’ he said.

He expressed hope that the views of the people of Shannon are taken

into consideration, in the event of a proposed overhaul of the town taking se eeleres

Councillor Patricia McCarthy said she was honoured to be present, hav- ing represented the people of Shan- non at local authority level for the past 25 years.

“T first heard of Shannon in 1959. That was when my father moved us from Kilrush to take up a post in Sixmilebridge station. I always thank my family for that decision,’ she nee

“We all came to Shannon to make our home in Shannon. People always made us feel welcome,’ she added.

Addressing County Manager Alec Fleming, Cllr McCarthy said, “I still think he should evolve a budget each year for us to decide on how to spend on the town.”

STRESSED out exam students in Shannon have had the opportunity to relax in a friendly environment over the past few weeks, in their very own café!

The Kick Back café opened in Feb- ruary, specifically geared towards those between the ages of 16 and 21. It has been a hive of activity during weekends, over the past few months.

Students sitting the Junior and Leaving Certificates this year have taken the opportunity to reflect on their various exams, in the café.

Exam students mingled with volun- teers and other non-exam students, in a friendly and relaxed environment.

The café is run by Shannon Youth Office and the organisers were very happy with its success.

Shannon Youth Worker Cathal Dil- lon said the café has been running very well.

“We had an average of 18 people attending, which is good, and they seemed to really like having the chance to unwind with their pals af- ter the exams were over,” said Cathal DIU eye

All of those who attended the café over the past few weeks paid glowing tributes.

‘This cafe 1s just what we need, a place to chill and relax after the ex- ams, it’s so cool,” said Junior Cert student Hayley.

Another Junior Cert student, Si- mon, pointed out that the refresh- ments were particularly nice!

“IT love the cafe as its really relax- ing, I love the hot chocolate especial- ly,” he said.

His classmate Estelle said, ““The cafe is a fun place to hang with friends, its a place where teens can relax, its great.”

“I love coming here, the youth information boards here are very helpful,’ said another exam student, Lindsay.

Aine, who a fourth year student and a volunteer at the café, was delighted with her chance to help out.

“LT enjoy working at the exam cafe! I get on great with the customers and I

think its a relaxing place for students to come after exams. I hope it will still be around when I’m doing my leaving,” she said.

Grainne, who was a volunteer with the group over the past few weeks, enjoyed her role.

“Volunteering in the cafe was a great experience, and I will definitely do it again. I thinks it’s great for the exam students to have such an outlet to unwind after important exams and relieve the pressure,” she said.

THE future of an ambulance base for Shannon must be clarified as a matter of urgency, according to the mayor of Shannon.

Councillor Tony McMahon (La- bour) is seeking clarification on the issue, which has been on the cards for a long time.

A letter, sent by Acting Chief Am- bulance Officer Pat Daly to Shannon Town Clerk Tomas McCormaic last month, said that a spatial analysis will be carried out on the service in the Mid west area in the near fu- REN Ken

Mr Daly stated that future capital infrastructural developments will

be reviewed and prioritised on a na- tional basis.

He said that a review was commis- sioned in December 2003 and com- pleted in September 2004. Propos- als included in the review included an ambulance station for Shannon.

‘However, this was prior to the es- tablishment of a national ambulance service,’ said Mr Daly, in his letter.

Councillor McMahon said Shan- non has been identified as needing an ambulance base, but progress has not been forthcoming.

“Just because the responsibility for the service has been moved to an- other body doesn’t mean our needs have changed,’ said Cllr McMahon.

He said that a spatial analysis was

“nonsense”.

“What has a spatial analysis got to do with a service of that nature in Shannon?” he asked.

“It 1s another example of the typi- cal kind of thing that is done to Shannon. There are a lot of reasons why there should be an ambulance in Shannon. What I am talking about is a service to get people from A to B. I don’t care what they call it, an ambulance car or a helicopter,’ he added.

Last year, the Shannon Ambulance Action Group collected signatures for a petition, demanding that plans for an ambulance base be situated in the town. They are concerned that no major progress has been made,

since then.

Green Party councillor Brian Meaney said he will raise the issue at a meeting of the Health Service Executive later this month.

He pointed out that the key issue is quick response times, rather than the location of the ambulance bases.

“IT would be very concerned if there are issues in relation to response times,” said Cllr Meaney.

“Essentially it doesn’t matter where the ambulance station is. If there is a disparity between response times across the county, then there 1s an 1s- Sue,’ he said.

“There is an ongoing review of the ambulance services in the region,’ he added.

WEST Clare is to play host to what promises to be one of the most excit- ing events in the Irish music calendar

this year.

Sony Ericsson and MCD are launching the “new boutique music and surfing festival” in The Lodge at Doonbeg Golf Club tomorrow

QU eretiTeeE ASF

Details of the event remain a close- ly guarded secret among organisers but The Clare People has learnt that a three-day music and surfing festi-

val is planned in the coastal towns of Kilkee and Doonbeg.

Surfing will be organised during the day at the White Stand beach in Doonbeg while the concerts will be held at night in the popular tourist resort of Kilkee.

Among the acts rumoured to per- form at the concert are Republic of Loose and The Blizzards.

Speculation also suggests that Ocean Colour Scene, who were originally scheduled to appear at the launch, may also be playing at the event.

Republic of Loose, The Blizzard and a new band called “28 Cos- tumes” are to visit Doonbeg for the launch during which the date of the event and further details will be re- vealed for the first time.

Meanwhile a series of events have been announced to mark the home- coming of Clare hurler Tony Griffin. Saturday June 30 will see a major celebration of life, sport and peo- ple with events organised by Ennis Street Festival, Clare Community Games and the Tony Griffin Cycle. On Saturday morning Griffin will begin the final leg of his epic 7,000

mile trip which started in Canada and ends with a cycle from Dublin to Ennis. The day begins with the finals of the Clare Community Games in Ennis. The finals are preceded by a parade from Station Road in Ennis to the courthouse.

Details have also been revealed of another festival to hit the streets of Ennis on the same weekend. The En- nis Street Festival will take place in the town on Sunday July 1 from 12 pm until late. Music, dance, work- shops, story telling, magicians, pup- pets, art exhibitions, street entertain- ment, pub gigs and an outdoor gig rig will be held in the Upper Market area.

Griffin and his group are due to arrive back to Ennis at about 4pm. The celebrations kick off later that evening in the West County Hotel.

Further information on the weekend can be found at www.ennisstreetfes- tival.com and www.tonygriffinfoun- dation.com

DUMPERS who foist their rubbish on others and dump their bin bags in beauty spots will be getting a taste of their own medicine if a local coun- cillor gets his way.

After another weekend in which bags and bundles of litter were dumped by the roadside in Meelick, an angry Councillor Cathal Crowe has threatened to trace the culprits and dump the rubbish back on their doorsteps.

‘“Meelick was once again scourged with litter dumping last weekend. Bags of litter and several bundles of loose litter were dropped at roadsides

in the Knockroe and Cappantymore areas of Meelick,’ the councillor nee

“The dumping of litter in this lo- cality has become a very serious and disgusting problem. At least once a week I am in contact with Clare County Council’s environmental pa- trol wardens regarding dump sites in the south east Clare area,’ he said.

Cllr Crowe said that he wants peo- ple to fight back by taking numbers of the cars dumpers and reporting aetoeee

“I would urge people to be vigilant of any vehicles pulling trailers or pick-up trucks driving suspiciously in the locality,’ he said.

And the councillor said he would personally go one step further. “I re- call hearing a story some years ago about a farmer who found an address whilst rummaging through bags of domestic waste dumped on his land. He brought the bags to this address and dropped them right at the front door. I am extremely fed up with the extent of dumping 1n our locality and I may well consider taking a similar approach in the future.”

Cllr Crowe said that while the council’s staff are doing “Trojan work” to keep on top of the litter problem, the reality is that many of the people who dump are undeterred y litter fines.

“It might be time for some of them to get a taste of their own medicine,” he said.

The councillor had recently to call in the local authority’s environment department because of the number of cars being abandoned and burned out at the side of the road in Meelick and Parteen.

After contacting the local authority with a complaint that the cars were being left in situ for too long, he was told that the regulations require that a vehicle be left for a number of days to give the owner a chance to recover 1

Only after that can the cars be tak- en away, the councillor was told.