The Clare People Archive

THE Kilrush Family Resource Cen- tre will hold a day-long conference on all aspects of family health from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, May 26.

All interested parties can attend the free event, which will involve half- hour talks about everything from nutrition to sexually transmitted in- fections.

Development worker Viv Rooney outlined the speakers and topics lined up for the day.

“A representative from the HSE who is going to talk about healthy eating and cessation of smoking will attend. There will be a breast checker and someone from the Marie Keat- ing Foundation talking about cancer awareness. Staff from the Red Rib- bon Project will be there to address sexual health. We have two women from the Shannon Youth Service looking at relationships and STIs Koren

There will also be a public health nurse giving an update on their ac-

tivities in Clare, a spokesperson from Clare Haven will talk about the ef- fects of domestic violence as well as speakers on family planning, repro- ductive health and complimentary health.

Ms Rooney said that this is the big- gest event of its type staged by the family resource centre and it has been in the planning stages since January.

“This event is part of our three year plan because we wanted to do something around the area of health awareness and promotion. We all

talked about it and decided a confer- ence would be a good way to do it. It will be a great day – very interest- ing. There are lots of different talks and we will change topics quickly so that we can cover a snippet of every- den eetoaa

Numbers are not strictly limited but booking is needed, ideally before Spm on Tuesday, May 22 (today), so that lunch can be provided for every- one on the day. For information con- tact Kilrush Family Resource Centre on 065 9052173.

DOONBEG will play host to Irish and international musicians over the June bank holiday weekend when the eight International Jazz Festival comes to town.

The popular annual event attracts as many as 2,000 visitors to Doon- beg with its mix of swing, dixie and jazz and this year’s programme will suit all tastes with performers from Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, England, Guatemala, and Ireland.

Committee member, Philippa Sea- grist, said that the festival has gone from strength to strength over the years.

‘It has been a slow process but we

are getting a good reputation. The festival is not about heavy jazz but a lively jazz mix. We are just final- ising the last details now and we’re hoping for lovely weather like the last Whit weekend,” she said.

Philippa added that all the events are free despite the “miniature” budget and most will take place nightly in local bars before a hoped for “spill” of the crowd onto the streets for the final day.

The festival will officially open in The Igoe Inn on Friday night and there will also be a Saturday after- noon jazz ‘jam’ session.

The festival will have many high- lights this year including Edith van den Heuvel and Dany Schwickerath

with songs from The American Songbook, as well as modern jazz tunes from Horace Silver and Th- elonious Monk.

Manu and his Latino House is a showcase of international musi- cians who have joined with Manu Ramirez from Guatemala to make an exciting Latin-Dance fusion with Afro- Caribbean influences. They have appeared at the Gaiety Theatre Latin Club, The Temple Bar Music Centre, Half Moon Club and the Cork Jazz Festival.

The Portobello Jazzband from London will bring the flavour of New Orleans to west Clare with their six piece Dixie Band.

Flying the Irish flag will be The

Jazzberries a Dublin based duo who have been entertaining their audiences since 2002, playing jazz standards and swing as well as mod- ern tunes with a jazz twist.

The East Coast Jazz Band from Arklow are an exciting five-piece band playing popular jazz, bossa and blues and have appeared at the Cork Jazz Festival for the last 10 Nerd ase

Local band Skazz will be enter- taining with their unique mix of jazz, reggae and ska, fresh from be- ing voted ‘Best Band’ at Cork’s Bal- lydehob Jazz Festival. Limerick’s David Irwin Trio and Spilt Ends will also make highly anticipated appearances.

POLITICAL graffiti artists have tar- geted some 50 General Election post- ers in the north Clare area in an act of political ‘jamming’.

The effected posters, which are di- vided indiscriminately across all po- litical parties and candidates, feature a pair of false cartoon eyes stuck on the candidates’ faces, as well as the words “Obey Me’ embossed on their Ke)Ko store OMOmonvne

Jamming is a form of graffiti in which the artist targets public adver- tisements or political posters in order to express a political or moral point.

The posters are located in the Lahi- nch, Ennistymon and Inagh areas but

a number can also be seen on the In- agh Road in Ennis.

The process of jamming has become more commonplace in Irish elections in recent years. The most high-pro- file recent example of jamming took place in Cork City during the 2002 local election.

On that occasion, brown paper en- velopes were attached to hundreds of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael election posters in the centre of Cork City on the night before the election.

A Cork-based anarchist organisation later claimed responsibility for this stunt which was part of its ‘anti-elec- tion’ campaign. To date, no-one has claimed responsibility for the north Clare jamming.

According to the Head of Psychol- ogy at the University of Limerick, Tony Cassidy, the graffiti is actually a positive sign.

“It does represent some disillusion- ment with the state of politics in the area, but it is actually a quite positive thing that people are willing to put that much time and effort into mak- ing a political statement,’ said Dr Cassidy. “It shows a level of disillu- sionment with the system, but it also shows that the people involved have a will to make their voices heard. It is quite a positive thing in that respect.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael candidate Pat Breen has described as “politically motivated” the destruction of his bill- board in the outskirts of Kilrush just

hours after it was erected.

The €60, eight-by-four-foot bill- board, which was erected on Saturday evening, was discovered on Sunday in an adjacent field.

The board, which was promoting Fine Gael’s commitment to accident and emergency services in Ennis with a picture of Breen’s head, had been de- faced with the TD’s mouth cut away.

Deputy Breen told

A MAN who called gardai “paedo- philes” did so because of a previous incident, a court has heard.

Maurice Walsh (57), of Finian Park, Shannon, appeared in court last week, charged under the Public Order Act.

Shannon District Court was told the accused called gardai “paedophiles and c****s” and accused one garda of setting him up for drink driving, on March 3 last.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said the accused’s wife is deceased. This date would have been her 50th birthday. He drank too much alcohol and became emotional, she said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, ‘“What’s his problem with gardai?”

Ms Godfrey replied, “I think it’s his problem with the world at large.”

At that stage the accused addressed the judge.

“What have I got against the gardai? Four years ago, I was inside in Ennis General Hospital, having two operations carried out and while I was having the operations carried out, gardai arrived at my house with a search warrant, on the pretence I was after stealing a Kawasaki motor- bike from Sixmilebridge,” he said.

The judge told him that was a mat- ter for the Garda Complaints Board. The accused said he had made a complaint, but the garda officer who investigated it found there had been no wrongdoing.

The case was adjourned for a Pro- ley 1h(O0 Ke) Lam

A MAN who failed to abide by a court order to sign on daily has been refused bail.

Patrick Ballard, of Rossbracken, Shannon, appeared in court last week, accused of assaulting a garda in Shan- Wteyee

Ballard previously appeared on charges relating to the stealing of cig- arettes, alcohol and clothes in Ennis and Shannon.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Shannon District Court that he was objecting to bail.

He said that in February, the accused had been ordered to sign on daily, but had failed to do so in recent weeks.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client was a “troubled young- ster”. Sergeant Dermot O’Connor said he accepted that.

Ms Godfrey said her client was “*vul-

nerable”. The sergeant replied, “His mother and members of An Garda Siochana dealing with him are vulner- able as well”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said the accused was “committing crimes all over the place. Society has to be pro- tected”.

Ms Godfrey said the duty of the State to the accused has not been car- ried out. She said the probation serv- ices were to carry out a report and this concluded that prison was not a suit- able place for her client.

The judge replied, “The State is not in locus parentis to Mr Ballard. He has responsibilities.”

Ms Godfrey said her client has been ‘led astray” by people who are unde- sirable.

The judge noted the accused had breached his bail and remanded him in custody for a week. “I want to see a psychiatric report,’ he said.

A JUDGE has said he intends to put an end to a feud between two En- nis families and has advised two of those involved to stay away from each other.

Before Ennis District Court were Mike Molloy (18), of Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis, and Anne Mon- gans (43), of Shalee Drive, Ennis, accused of criminal damage, arising out of an incident in Cloughleigh, on September 27 last year.

Molloy told the court he was driv- ing along and the accused and her daughters stood in the middle of the road. He said the accused was carry- ing a baseball bat, while her daugh- ters carried hurleys.

He said something was thrown

through his windscreen and a young child, who was in the car, was cov- ered in glass as a result.

He said he stopped and the accused and her daughters then set upon his mother’s car, which had been travel- ling behind him. He admitted break- ing two windows in Mongans’ car.

Mongans said she was driving along When Molloy got out of his car and started throwing bricks at her car. One of the bricks hit the front wind- screen. She admitted, under cross- examination, breaking a window on Molloy’s car. She denied carrying a baseball bat and denied “standing waiting” for the Molloys.

Solicitor for Molloy, William Ca- hir, said, “This was an orchestrated attack on Mr Molloy and his vehi- cle.”

Mongans’ solicitor Tara Godfrey said, “It certainly looks as if my cli- ent came under attack.”

Garda Declan Keavey, who attend- ed the scene of the incident, said the windscreen and some windows were broken on Mongans’ car, while a window was broken on Molloy’s car. He said he saw bricks on the road at the roundabout.

Judge Aneas McCarthy said he did not believe Mongans was “waiting in ambush” for Molloy.

He convicted both accused, but pointed out that Mongans’ actions were not as serious as Molloy’s.

He asked was there a feud between both families. Inspector Kevin Moynihan replied, “The garda con- tention is that there is. One would hope this would be the end of the

matter.”

Judge McCarthy said, “The State has indicated there are difficulties between those two families. I intend to put an end to those difficulties.”

He imposed a nine-month sentence on Molloy and suspended it. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal. He bound Mongans to the peace for two years.

“IT am warning both parties if they appear before this court again relat- ing to any matter involving their dis- putes, the suspended sentence will be incurred,” he said.

Mr Cahir asked the judge to suggest that both parties stay away from each other. The judge replied, “It would be in both of their interests to stay away from each other. If they don’t, they will face the consequences.”

SOME 50 experts from 22 coun- tries descended on Clare last week to celebrate the life of one of Ire- land’s leading forestry pioneers.

Robert Tottenham, who spent the majority of his 82 years developing the grounds of his 400-hectare for- est in Mount Callan, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in his home on April 12.

A group from international forest- ry organisation, Pro Silva Europe, visited Mount Callan this week to pay tribute to Tottenham and view the ongoing reforestation work.

Born in 1925, Robert served in Europe during World War II and in India and Burma following the ie

At the age of 24, in 1949, he re- turned to Ireland to run the family farm in west Clare.

The land was rough and moun- tainy and he faced many challenges to simply eek out a living at a time with no farming subsidies.

In the late 1960s, he met with Tom Clear, a forestry professor from UCD, who showed him the possibilities of forestry.

Using his background in engineer- ing, Robert was able to use simple agricultural machinery to help him

plant the majority of his land over the next 20 years.

He adapted an old Massey Fergur- son 135 tractor and a single mole- bore plough to plant the saplings.

The trees grew strong and tall and before long Robert was travel- ling the world learning more about modern forestry techniques.

Following one such trip to Swit- zerland in 1999, he came across the Pro Silva organisation and was so impressed that he established Pro Silva Ireland at the Armada Hotel at Spanish Point in 2000.

Pro Silva advocated a ‘close-to- nature’ forestry technique, where forests are managed in perpetuity with mixed species of all ages.

Robert invited Pro Silva to host its international annual general meeting in Clare this year and was finalising preparations for the trip when he died.

The four-day tour, planned by Robert and sponsored by Pro Sil- va and COFORD, took place last week.

The event saw the international group visit Mount Callan as well as parts of the Burren and forests in Clare, Limerick and Kerry.

Robert Tottenham is survived by his wife Jan and sons Robin, Fred and George.

A COMPANY which did not allow a 17-year-old employee adequate rest periods between shifts has been prosecuted.

Clare Brook Properties Ltd, trad- ing as The Oakwood Arms Hotel, Mount Kennett Place, Henry Street, Limerick, was accused of offences relating to dates last August.

Defending solicitor Louis Kerin told Shannon District Court that his chent was pleading guilty, relating to six Summonses.

Caroline Hayes, of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employ- ment, told the court that a 17-year- old boy worked between 12.06pm and 12.09am, on August 5 last year.

This was 12 hours and three min- utes and was longer than should have

been allowed.

On August 10, he worked between 5.30pm and 11.5l1pm, when he should not have worked after 10pm.

Ms Hayes pointed out that a person aged between 16 and 18 was entitled to a minimum rest of 12 hours be- tween shifts and this was not given.

On one occasion, the boy had a rest period of less than eight hours.

She said when she visited the

premises, the employer wasn’t there and she met the payroll clerk.

‘Legislation in relation to the pro- tection of young persons wasn’t be- ThOrcmreKOl ates us10 KO MMMESJOLoMCT-BLOE

Mr Kerin said the case arose from a “routine inspection’.

“My client co-operated fully. You have assisted them with instructions, to ensure it won’t happen again,” said Mr Kerin.

He said the 17-year-old boy has sought weekend work and his super- visor didn’t realise he was under the age of 18.

‘He was given as many hours as he wanted,’ said the solicitor.

Mr Hayes said this occurred during the summer holidays and the boy was going back to school after the break.

Judge Aneas McCarthy imposed fines totalling €1,600.

THE Shannon Airport Authority is seeking a significant cash injection from the Dublin Airport Authority to upgrade the airport.

In an interview with Shannon Com- munity Radio Jet-FM this week, Ex- ecutive Chairman Pat Shanahan ad- mitted that the airport has suffered from under-investment in recent years.

“Shannon needs some equity now. Up until fairly recently, it was loss- making but with the restructuring we have made it profitable and it will be able to sustain its capital programme

into the future.”

“We have catch-up investment to put into the airport and it is impor- tant we consolidate that and Shannon gets a significant equity injection and moves into an environment where it is profitable and can pay for its own capital programme.

“We are now talking to the DAA about that. It is about putting the company on a good financial footing So it can invest in infrastructure,” he added

Mr Shanahan said the airport has offered discount deals for airlines operating transatlantic services over the winter.

“We are doing our bit from a com- petitive point of view so that these airlines are making money year round in Shannon and if they are making money year round, they will continue to serve Shannon.”

Mr Shanahan also revealed that a customs and borders protection fa- cility will be in place in Shannon by April 2008, when the ending of the Shannon stop-over will be complete.

Explaining the significance of the move, he said airlines could fly into any domestic terminal in the US, without going through international hubs. Shannon would be the first air- port in Europe to have that facility.

EARLY May and the time to dream returns. For the Clare footballers – with the safety net of the backdoor now removed – only a win will pro- long a championship summer.

The Tommy Murphy Cup, the sec- ondary and often ignored champion- ship sibling, will be all that’s on offer for whoever crashes out of Munster this weekend.

It’s an unthinkable fate for a county with Paidi O Sé at the helm, but it’s the result of a league that began well and finished poorly.

Since the beginning of the season,

interest among a number of play- ers had amazingly waned and the withdrawal of Ger Quinlan from the camp last week will be another blow for Clare.

After selector Vincent O’Connor appealed to the cream of Clare talent to come on board for the county team, he didn’t get a positive response.

“Clare are not blessed with a lot of quality players and they need every good player that’s available,” he said TOMEI aAe

Back then, he couldn’t have fore- seen the withdrawal of a player of Quinlan’s standard in the immediate lead in to Clare’s Munster campaign,

but that’s the deck Clare have to play with now and O’Connor isn’t getting or Neu cemr hue W

“We’re going to pick the team on Thursday night and see where we are but bar one or two niggling problems that we should get sorted out, things aren’t looking in bad shape.”

Even with a few bends in the road, Clare will still expect to get past Waterford when they meet in Dun- eee Ne

Should they do so, a trip to Kerry for the next round, televised live, is the prize. The opportunity for Paidi O Sé and his fellow west Kerryman O’Connor to field a team in front of

their native audience would be ap- pealing.

“The prospect of playing Kerry is something which we’re not worried about right now. Waterford went to Kerry this time last year and gave them a real fright. If they hadn’t missed a penalty they’d have pushed Kerry, so they’re a decent team. We can’t contemplate anything else but Sunday’s game. Waterford are in the frame for us, they’re a tough team and that’s all we can see.”

Over in Waterford, manager John Kiely is upbeat about his side’s prospects. They had an even poorer league run than Clare but that hasn’t

dampened his spirits.

“We’ll be ready to give Clare a right good game when they come here,” he said. “It’s fair to say we had a bad run of things in the league but we’re not worried about that right now. We ran Kerry and Longford close last year and we’ve shown the kind of football we can play. We want another big performance against Clare.”

Two teams coming at it from a sim- ilar standpoint. The summer opens and judgement time is looming. It’s May and there’s everything to play oe