The Clare People Archive

AN 81-YEAR-OLD retired farmer from Sixmilebridge who drowned in February may have slipped and fallen into the river, an inquest heard last Ni sle @

Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that the body of Tom McInerney was found, some time after he went missing from his home, at Ballysheen, Sixmilebri- dge, on February 26 last.

McMclInerney was well known and well respected in the locality, where he looked after the local church.

The inquest heard that Tom was at home with his wheelchair-bound nephew Michael, that evening.

The two watched television and Michael went to bed at 7pm.

He woke several times during the night and noticed that his uncle hadn’t brought him tea, as was the norm.

He realised early in the morning that his uncle wasn’t there and the televi- sion was still on in the sitting room.

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He searched for ‘Tom, but could not find him. He went out to the yard and called his name, but did not get a re- sponse.

A neighbour, Eddie Russell, said

Michael phoned him at around 8am and said that his uncle had not brought in his tea, as he usually would.

They searched the house, farm- yard and sheds, before extending the search to the local area.

Mr Russell said he saw a body in the river, close to Mike Gleeson’s pub, a short time later. He identified the body to a garda.

Pathologist Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy carried out an autopsy on Mr MclIner- ney’s body the following day.

She noted there were two small cuts to the forehead and apart from that, there were no other obvious external injuries.

“In my opinion, the cause of death was drowning,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney had “‘signif- icant heart disease”, adding, “it was possible he could have had a cardiac event, that may have caused him to NIB DAKOmssopUh ome

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the appropriate verdict was an open one.

“It may well be that Mr MclIner- ney suffered a cardiac incident and slipped,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney was a “*well- known member of the community” whose loss was deeply felt.

THE HSE Mid West said that it could not comment “at this stage on the out- come of the review” of acute hospital Services in the mid west, “as the re- view is not yet completed”.

In a letter to the chairman of the En- nis General Hospital, the HSE said that as the scope of the review has

been extended to incorporate changes currently underway in primary, com- munity and continuing care services, the completion date has been extended and is not expected to be ready for some weeks yet.”

It was expected that the review would be published in April but the day is now more likely to be late May.

“This review will identify an overall

model of acute hospital care and also take account of developing needs in the area of pre-hospital emergency care and the transformation programme underway in primary, community and continuing care Services.”

An invitation to tender for the review was issued last December and the consultants appointed were Horwarth Consulting Ireland, in association with

SR ed aU Eder ontonlmelo mel Gore Meanwhile, the plans for the develop- ment of Ennis General Hospital were lodged with Ennis Town Council on Monday. The development consists of the demolition of existing single-sto- rey extensions and the original chapel to the rear of the main hospital and the provision of a new two-storey exten- sion incorporating the new A&E unit.

THE spring has hardly had a chance to get its feet under itself but the summer show season is rearing its head over the horizon. The tradition- al first show of the year takes place in Ennistymon over the bank holiday weekend and preparations are al- ready well under way.

The North West Clare Agricultural Show, which will take place at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on June 2 and 3, has been going from strength to strength in recent years.

‘“Ennistymon has always been re- garded very highly in the horsing circles. It comes so early in the year

that it can be a very important show to win,’ said Maurice Harvey.

“If they win at Ennistymon, it sets them up for the year. They get a good name and it can lead to them winning more and more throughout the year.

“The quality of cattle has been in- creasingly steady in recent years but the quantity hasn’t. The show has been able to attract cattle from as far away aS Mayo and the quality is ex- cellent. The flip side of this is that it tends to discourage some of the lo- cals from taking part.”

Closing date for entries in all cat- egories 1s this Thursday, May 24, and no late entries will be accepted.

“The showjumping will take place

all day on Saturday. The biggest at- traction of this will be the Amateur Derby which is sponsored by West Clare Saddlery,” continued Maurice.

“This offers prizes all the way down to sixth place and will be the real highlight of Saturday. It is a very exciting competition.”

The show is celebrating its 31st an- niversary this year and a number of interesting new additions look set to draw a large crowd, both of exhibi- tors and the general public.

“Along with the agricultural sec- tions, there are also a lot of other sections for people. The children’s art competition has been a great suc- cess 1n recent years so, for the first

time, this year we are going to open up that competition to all ages. We are very hopeful that this will prove very popular,” continued Maurice.

The show, in its current guise, has been taking place each year since 1976 but an annual agricultural show has been in existence in Ennistymon since 1960.

For more information, contact show secretary Josephine Blackwell at 7071121.

MORE than 200 farmers could be forced off the Rural Social Scheme in Ireland before the end of the year, according to a survey released last week by the ICMSA Rural Develop- ment Committee.

Chairperson of the ICMSA Ru- ral Development Committee, John O’Donnell, stated that he believes the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is a crucial measure for rural Ireland.

The scheme, which was introduced in 2004, helps to maintain farming in certain parts of the country. This is done by providing income sup- port to farmers who are currently in receipt of long-term social welfare

payments. It has also enhanced rural communities, through maintaining and improving local amenities, as well as delivering a range of other OMIA one

“Although there are over 200 on the waiting list nationally, in cer- tain parts of the country there are as many as 20 on the list, which would mean that 20 farmers could be forced to step down from the RSS in a sin- gle county,’ he said.

“The Leader companies _inter- viewed confirmed to ICMSA that they have stopped recruiting partici- pants for the RSS to avoid increasing the waiting list.”

O’Donnell also explained why over 200 participants in the scheme could

face the chop. The RSS is based on the FAS Community Employment Scheme and has many of the same terms and conditions.

‘Participation in the scheme is on an annual basis and the individual must therefore continue to be eligible for the scheme annually.

“However, 1n an area where there is a waiting list, after spending three years on the scheme, an individual could be forced to leave the scheme to accommodate the waiting list. Since the scheme has been in opera- tion since 2004, this is the first year that we will see this clause being UEtere

“The RSS has become a crucial scheme for the 2,600 families partic-

ipating in it and the rural communi- ties that they live in,” he continued.

“The earnings from the RSS now constitute a large proportion of these 2,600 familie’s household income. A certain level of dependence will have been built on this income and the threat of taking it away from some of the participants is not acceptable. Some RSS workers have also built up a certain level of social dependence over the last three years working on the scheme.

“When these factors are coupled with the huge benefit that the scheme has delivered to rural communities, there 1s a very strong argument to actually increase the places on the scheme.”

DUBLIN’S RDS belonged to the transition-year students of Gort Community School last week. Some 20 students and two teachers from the school made the long trek to the capital to take part in the National Young Social Innovators Showcase.

The journey was well worth it, how- ever, as the school saw off competi- tion from almost 400 other schools to win their category and come sec- ond in the overall competition.

The students presented a project based on the work they have been doing in highlighting issues around HIV and AIDS over the past year.

“Each school had a stand, the kids would man the stand and students

from other schools and judges would come and visit the stand. It is like a Young Scientist competition for so- cial issues,’ said teacher, Carmel Neylon.

“We thought that we were getting on well because the judges kept com- ing back for a second and third look. They especially liked the links that we made with outside partnership eroups, people like Aids West, Aids Partnership Africa and all the vari- ous projects that the students have undertaken on an ongoing basis, things like World Aids Day.

“We are also now selling pins with all the profits going to AIDS chari- ties. They organised workshops for other students in the school to make them aware of HIV/AIDS, to make

them and the wider community aware and got politicians involved as well.”

The project grabbed national head- lines last year when a photo-shoot was organised featuring almost 100 students spelling out the word HIV.

“It has really opened their eyes. They would have known of HIV/ AIDS, they probably would have known how people become infected but they would not have known the huge numbers of people who die in different countries every day. This is partly because there is a stigma at- tached to it and that is why it is not being tackled properly,’ continued Cr Turtoe

“The wider community was a big focus. It wouldn’t have been as effec-

tive if we had started it just here in the school. One the biggest achieve- ments of the project is the creation of a mural, which will be put up in the community as a long-term reminder of the project.”

Meanwhile, the school’s debating team reached the final of the Concern National Debating Championships for the second year in succession last week. The team — which included Kate O’Connor, Emma _ Fogarty, Danielle Cuffe and James Mahon — was coached by Sr de Lourdes Fahy and Caroline Meagher and lost out narrowly in the grand final.

FORGET the general election, it’s the European Union that has been cap- turing the imagination of students in north Clare over the past few weeks.

Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna and Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon have taken part in a number of exciting interna- tional events all centered around Eu- rope Day and the 50th anniversary of the EU.

First came Dublin, and a mock sit- ting of the European Council featur- ing the fifth-year students from Mary Immaculate.

The students, who were the only

ones from Clare chosen to take part, were asked to represent the Europe- an Commission on the day and pre- sented a report on global warming and terrorism.

Thirteen students from Mary Im- maculate were then joined by 12 more from Scoil Mhuire for a Eu- ropean trip to take part in the Euro Schola programme.

The students, along with teach- ers Marian O’Callaghan, Mary O’Flaherty and Helen Cleary, joined 650 students from every corner of Europe who took over the EU Parlia- ment in Strasbourg for a day.

“We found the discussion very good, especially in term of the dif-

ferent languages,’ said Marian O’Callaghan from Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna.

‘Each student received a certificate and this was the first time that they were printed in Irish. Later in the af- ternoon, there was a mini quiz with questions in all different languages.

‘The students had to go around and try and communicate with people from other countries to find out what the questions meant.

‘There was an Irish question so we were very much in demand from the 0) ates mi AUCOCo LAS

“Fifth-year student, Daniel Col- lin, then addressed the parliament in Irish, which was a very proud mo-

ment for all of us.”

Ennistymon’s Aisling Geraghty was also given the chance to address the Parliament.

“We went over as acting MEPs for the day. We were broken into dif- ferent groups, discussing different topics. The group I was in was En- vironment, Energy and Transport,’ she said.

“IT was chosen as president of my committee and had to report back to the parliament in the evening. It was scary, but it was a brilliant experience as well. I was asked questions from the house and it was really exciting. It would give you a real insight and wake you up to that sort of career.”

MEP Sean O Neachtain was in En- nistymon on Friday to meet with the staff and students of Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon. The Galway-based MEP was in town to examine the European Studies projects of some 40 students of the school.

O Neachtain is the latest in a series of MEPs to have visited the school in recent years, with Dana and Brian Crowley also paying a visit.

“At the start of the year, we re- ally didn’t know all that much about European studies or how the EU worked. At first we were introduced into the basics of how the parliament is divided and how there is so much

peace between the counties now,” said Hannah O’Brien, from Lahinch.

‘But we were also introduced to the cultural side of it and were allowed to decide what topic we wanted to take on for ourselves.”

The projects ranged from politi- cal issues such as immigration and economic matters to more cultural topics.

“My topic focused on the develop- ment of film in three countries — France, Italy and Spain,” continued Hannah.

“We were given loads of choice as long as it had some connection with the EU. Some people chose more politically-orientated subjects, like for example the inclusion of Turkey

in the EU. If you were good at mu- sic, you could branch off into that or horse riding, whatever, as long as you looked at the cultures of the different countries.

‘“T looked at the beginnings of film, and how things like religion and war effected them. I also looked at the progression to modern day and how European film is now standing up to big Hollywood films.”

Sean O Neachtain was elected as a MEP for the north and west region in 2004. He currently sits on commit- tees for fisheries, transport and tour- ism and is a substitute on the com- mittee on the budget.

“I guess I wouldn’t have known who Sean Neachtain was this time last

year,’ Hannah continued. “Now we know what he looks like at least. No, we also know a lot more about the work he does and how it all works. We all definitely have a better idea of it now than we had coming into the year. I see how Ireland has benefited so much in term of funding and how the EU has promoted so much over there.”

SHARON Shannon returns to north Clare early next month for a spe- cial once-off concert in support of Ennistymon’s Mol an Oige Steiner school.

The trad legend will play an inti- mate concert at the Falls Hotel and Spa Resort on Thursday, June 7, along with her sister Mary and Jim Murray on guitar.

Renowned in the past for taking on causes such as animal welfare, the Ruan musician has joined the likes of the Frank and Walters in putting on support concerts for the school.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have

Sharon coming up and putting on a concert. It’s areal boost for the school to have someone of her calibre who is willing to get behind it and help,” said Mary Fahy of Mol an Oige.

‘There is a great buzz around about it already, even the young kids are getting excited about it. Tickets are selling out so quickly and we would advise people to get theirs sooner jel elo) mm Oe- DOM Esl Kos ie

Also appearing on the night will be vocalist and guitarist Jack Maher, Eoin O’Neill, Quentin Cooper, Tara Connaghan and Jon O’Connell from The Walls.

All proceeds from the concert will go directly to the Mol An Oige

primary school, which does not, at present, receive any government funding. The school instead relies heavily on fundraising events and donations to cover the costs of run- ning the school.

‘Numbers are good at the moment. We have 40 children attending which is all that we can accommodate.

‘Numbers are high for next year and the year after already. The local community is really getting behind the school,” continued Mary.

‘Fundraisers like this are essential for wages, for classes and for equip- ment.

“We have had a lot of donations from local businesses, and local

craftspeople have been doing a lot of work at the school for free.

‘The fundraising is essential. We wouldn’t be able to survive without it.”

Tickets, as a cost of €25, can be bought in Ennistymon from the Falls Hotel itself, Daly’s Bar and Unglert’s Bakery as well as from the Celtic t- shirt shop in Lahinch.

Custy’s music shop in Ennis and Record Rack (065 6820769) will take credit card bookings.

The Falls Hotel has accommoda- tion on offer on the night and can be contacted on 065 7071004 for all overnight booking requirements.

ENNIS Town Council are to write to the government requesting a change in the current rules on displaying election posters in urban centers.

Members opted to do so after de- ciding against adopting a policy that would have seen posters be given a designated area.

The proposal was put forward by Green Party councillor Donal O’Beara and follows a similar sys- tem to one used in France.

Proposing the motion, Cllr O’ Beara called for “the council to adopt a sys-

tem of providing a designated area of panels for posters would avoid the cost, litter potential, inequality due to differing means of raising finance and waste associated with traditional postering. It would continue the pro- motion of elections and democratic system and assist Ennis Tidy Town’s OKO) a ae

Prior to the general election cam- paign, Ennis Town Council wrote to all candidates requesting they refrain from erecting posters within the town. The request was made in light of the town’s success in the an- nual Tidy Towns competition.

Cllr O’Beara added, ““We’ve taken a step forward with the current sys- tem. I think we should take it to the next level and lead the way on this”.

Town manager Tom Coughlan sug- gested more information would be required before the policy could be fully adopted.

“We make informed policy deci- sions but we can’t advise here be- cause we don’t have the full informa- nln

“[’m not opposed to the proposal. I would have to know whether it is possible to do it and I don’t know if we can do it or not.”

Cllr Tatwoo Matthew (Ind) stated more information would be needed. Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said ‘Everyone has respected the current system, if it is working so well why change it”.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) proposed that the walls be multi-functional “There is a growing cult of graffiti walls in towns and cities that are used by artists. You could set aside two or three panels for it. If we are doing this we might as well go the whole hog”. Town Clerk Eddie Power said problems could develop in enforcing the policy.

AFTER 34 years as principal of St Anne’s School in Ennis, Mary Han- rahan is retiring from her post.

She has marked her departure by raising €5,000 for Cahercalla Hos- pice and a nursery in Rio de Janeiro.

Mary raised the money at an event she organised shortly before Christ- mas 2006. As a teacher Mary has al- ways encouraged her students to take a keen interest in humanitarian issues affecting third world countries.

Every year students raise money for different aid projects in countries around the world.

St Anne’s has also played host to a number of renowned speakers in- cluding Fergal Keane. The respected

Irish journalist talked to the students about his experiences reporting for the BBC.

Mary’s own interest in aid work stemmed from meeting Terrence Gallagher, an assessor with the UN who has worked with the organiza- tion in some of the world’s poorest areas.

Mary says “I’ve been lucky. I’ve been able to travel to places like Peru and Chile. The children have helped raise money for some of the projects Terrence has worked on”.

A vastly experienced teacher, Mary has worked in schools in Ireland, England and Canada.

For a time Mary taught at Hollies comprehensive school in Manchester where she counted among her pupils

the children of football legends Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton.

She says she enjoyed immensely working in St Anne’s and is happy at how the school has continued to develop as a centre of learning.

Located on St Senans road St Anne’s School is a_ progressively modern primary and_ secondary School that specialises in providing programmes designed to cater for students with learning difficulties ranging in ages from 4 to 18.

The school emphasizes that each student should have a well-balanced education along with an appreciation of self and others. The school’s motto is “To Be All That You Can Be”.

Mary says, “I’d say I’ve missed about five days in around 40 years.

I’m looking forward to the rest of my life. There are a lot of things I would have liked to have done bet- ter, but you can’t roll back the clock. I have always believed that school should be about continuous learning. It gives students dignity and purpose hebben