The Clare People Archive

2008 will go down in the annals of the club as the year of the breakthrough at senior level — the culmination of a long road travelled since the club had its maiden voyage in 1994.

Under manager Joe Reidy, trainer Gerry Keane and selection commit- tee JJ O’Dea, Patricia Ryan, Dr. Paul McKenna and Pat Crotty the senior team laid down a marker very early on that they meant business.

Undefeated in the senior league the team progressed to a final victory over West Clare Gaels and team cap- tain Michelle Delaney became the first Banner Ladies player to lift a Clare senior trophy.

More was to come however with the club remaining undefeated through- out the Eleven-A-Side Championship which culminated with a Banner La- dies victory over Fergus Rovers on a 4-5 to 2-2 score line.

The Banner Ladies then entered the All Ireland Intermediate Sevens Championship and despite not hav- ing the services of their Clare county panellists the team went all the way to the All Ireland Shield final and were decidedly unlucky to lose to

Cork divisional side Beara on a 4-4 to 4-6 score line.

But best was served last with the crowning glory of the senior county final win over West Clare Gaels. In the group stages victories were

Secured over Miltown, West Clare Gaels and Cooraclare to earn a sem1- final spot. Crusheen were the semi- final opponents and the Banner la- dies emerged victorious on a 4-15 to 3-4 score line.

The club had reached only its sec- ond senior final ever and this time there was to be no regrets as the Banner Ladies overcame final op- ponents West Clare Gaels by 2-10 to Q-8. It was a magnificent sight to see

Michelle Delaney raise the county championship trophy in the spiritual home of Clare ladies football in Co- Oe A elu

LAST week the county A doubles juvenile champonships took place at various venues in the county and culminated with the finals on Satur- day and Sunday in Clarecastle and Clooney.

On Saturday in Clarecastle, it was extra busy as the under 11 league commenced. Three teams took part in a round robin fixture namely Clarecastle A & B and Tuamgraney. All the youngsters who participated on the day showed great potential for the game which is an advantage and encouraging for Clare handball. Clarecastle A bt Clarecastle B by 72- 59 and then they beat Tuamgraney OAL

At the same venue two county dou- bles finals were contested, namely the under 12 A and under 14 A. First up was the under 12 competition in which Fergal and Natasha Coughlan of Clooney took on Padraig McNa- mara and Sean Cotter of O’Callaghan Mills. This contest went down to the wire before the O’Callaghan’s Mills pair won the decisive third game by 15-12.

The under 14 A final was more clearcut with Barry Nash and Patrick Fitzgerald of Tuamgraney beating Colin Crehan and Pat McMahon of O’Callaghan’s Mills on a 15-13, 15-8 scoreline.

The under 13 final was an all

O’Callaghan’s Mills affair, with Sean Donnellan and Ciaran Cooney scor- ing a 15-13 and 15-6 win over Jacob Loughnane and Pat O’Brien.

Second up on the card was the un- der 15 A Doubles final which was contested between Evan Corbett and Niall Bolton of Tulla and Keith Hog- an and Orlaith Duggan of Clooney. It went the Tulla pair’s way on a 21-16, 21-10 scoreline.

The final contest of the day saw the big guns of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Chris Ryan and Liam Clancy take on home favourites Ryan O’Neill and Joe Clune.

The Clooney pair held the early advantage until the scales tipped in Newmarket’s favour when Chris Ryan stepped up a gear to clinch the first game on a 21-17 scoreline.

They then added the second on a 21-15 scoreline to clinch the title. The under 16 doubles final was post- poned due to illness of one of the fey anh olein Key Ece

On the adult scene, Shane and Ciaran Walsh of Tuamgraney pro- gressed in the Junior B provincial championships with a well deserved win over Tipperary.

Clare’s John Nihill of Clooney re- ceived a walkover aganist his oppo- nent and proceeds to the next round in the Masters B singles champion- ships when he takes on John Mc- Donagh from Cork in his semi-final Coe

IT’S days like this that Bunratty real- ly earn their badge as league leaders. A tricky away tie to newly promoted Bridge United, torrential rain, a driv- ing wind and treacherous underfoot conditions combined to thwart the form side of the division but through Sheer obstinance and determination, Bunratty dug in to complete their sixth successive league victory.

The key to the victory was strik- ing early and catching the home side cold. Bridge Utd have struggled to adjust to the top division this season but with a plethora of games in hand and coming into some decent form recently, they would have felt confi- dent in taking on the league leaders at home. Undoubtedly, their team talk would have consisted of keep- ing things tight in the early stages in order to frustrate Bunratty but that plan went out the window as early as the third minute when Con Collins stooped at the back post to guide a curling David Hogan free kick into the left corner of the net.

With Bunratty backed by a strong breeze, it was a sucker-punch for the home side who had to resort to long balls to their lively front pair- ing of Trevor Maxwell and Derek Fahy. Instead, Bunratty used the lead and wind advantage to control the midfield with Shane O’Connor pre- dominantly foraging alone up front as Peter Ballough dropped deep to make a midfield five. It worked well

as Ballough found space in the hole between United’s defence and mid- field but despite a 12th minute effort that went straight at goalkeeper Tuo- hy, the Oscar Traynor player often preferred to become provider rather than striker.

It took the home side 25 minutes to produce their first clearcut oppor- tunity but after a neat build up that saw playmaker Greg Deegan set up Tadgh Keogh at the edge of the box, the midfielder blazed his shot over deem KOlis10y- 0

As the half wore on though, Bun- ratty began to up the tempo and it had to take some brave defending to keep them at bay. In the 34th minute, a Noel Collins inswinging corner had to be clawed away by goalkeeper Paul Tuohy and the subsequent shots were repelled by the Bridge defence. Then in the space of a minute, Bun- ratty had two efforts deflected to safety, first from Con Collins which ended up in Tuohy’s arms while the second from Shane O’Connor just squirmed wide of the right hand post Kou mee) ute

Bridge Utd meanwhile had to de- pend on counter-attacks and right before half-time, the ball fell nicely to winger Geoffrey Flynn but his shot held up in the mud, much to the delight of Bunratty keeper Gary Mc- Gettrick.

The second half was a complete transformation as it was the home side who now had the advantage of the gale that blew towards the vil-

lage. They were also helped by the fact that Bunratty goalscorer Con Collins was substituted at the break and right winger Ryan Kelly soon followed after picking up a knock PNM RABE O MU eComOr-N Ee

In fact, Bridge Utd could have equalised as early as the first minute when Greg Deegan’s free kick was spilled by McGettrick but neither Trevor Maxwell or Tadgh Keogh could reach the ball in time. It did give the home side confidence how- ever, and even though Bunratty did have a goal ruled off for offside, it was a rare attack in a sea of United pressure

For all their endeavour though, the Sixmulebridge side’s final ball was repeatedly disappointing and Max- well and Fahy seemed to receive the ball in non-threatening areas and had to feed off scraps. There were several goalmouth scrambles but McGettrick was rather untroubled in goal and it led to increasing frustration for the home side.

In fact, for all Bridge Utd’s pressure, it was Bunratty who arguably creat- ed the best chances of the half, with Ballough the main threat. In the 63rd minute, his effort from distance went straight at Tuohy and twenty minutes later, he produced the best out of the Bridge goalkeeper with two succes- sive shots, the first from a free kick that was tipped over the bar and the second a stinging attempt from that set piece that made Tuohy scramble through the mud to save at the front

post. Substitue Christy Griffin also had a late effort saved but there was still time for one final opportunity for Bridge Utd when Derek Fahy re- ceived the ball at the edge of the area but his curling effort just evaded the top of the crossbar.

Bunratty’s relief was compounded by the news that Bridge Celtic had beaten second placed Lifford, thus Open up a seven point gap for the leaders at the summit. It’s still early days yet and their other rivals still have games in hand but if Bunratty can keep churning out results lke this, it will be difficult to stop them.

A RESEARCH and development di- vision of the Intel computer corpo- ration based in Shannon more than doubled its operating profit to $1 million to the end of 2007.

But according to accounts recently returned to the Companies Office, Intel Shannon Ltd incurred a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million after writing off a capital contribution to a subsidiary costed at $12 million.

The Shannon site is the European research and development arm of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group (DEG).

According to the figures, the com- pany increased its turnover by 16% from $24 million to $28 million while cost of sales increased by 19% from $20.7 million to $24.8 million.

The company’s pre-tax loss of $10.6 million followed a pre-tax profit of $611,843 for the previous year.

The accounts show that the com- pany had accumulated funds of $11.1 million. This followed a non-refund- able capital contribution from Intel Ireland Ltd of $12 million. No divi- dend was paid during the year.

The site in Shannon hosts a number of divisions focusing on_ server chipset, security and communication silicon and software design and pro- vides business, technical and market- ing support for European customers and field sales.

Intel Shannon employs 103 of its 142 employees in R&D with the re- mainder engaged in management and administration

Its parent company, Intel Corpora- tion, is the world’s leading semicon- ductor chip maker, employing over 80,000 people worldwide, and sup- plying the computing and communi- cations industries with chips, boards, systems and software building blocks that are integral to computers, serv- ers, networking and communications products.

The company’s Shannon and Leix- lip plants work in close association and together launched the first com- munications processor to be fully de- signed developed and manufactured in Ireland.

The design and development of the [XP425 processor was carried out by ICE in Shannon before being manu- factured in Leixlip.

Intel Ireland employs over 5,000 employees at its Leixlip campus and the corporation’s overall investment in its Irish operation is in the region of €5 billion

Shannon is the European base for the embedded businesses of DEG and home to the technical marketing and business development teams.

In relation to risks facing the com- pany, the directors state that legal action by third parties and loss of, or damage to the company’s fixed as- sets are the principal risk factors that could materially and adversely affect the company’s future operating protf- its or financial position.

SINCE January of this year, the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme has been extended to cover all residential property. This means a BER certificate is now legally re- quired when selling or renting hous- es and apartments.

Roger Leyden of Leyden Auction- eers Ennis, is a qualified BER As- sessor, accredited by Sustainable En- ergy Ireland (SEI). He explains, “A BER Cert rates the energy efficiency of a property. The Cert is designed to make it easier for prospective buyers or tenants to calculate how efficient a property is to heat.

Anyone selling or renting resi- dential property is now obliged to provide a BER Cert and solicitors require a BER Cert as part of the documentation needed to close the sale of a property”.

The good news is that the Cert re- mains valid for ten years from the date of issue, unless there is a ma- terial change to the building, which could affect its energy performance, for example an extension or a sig- nificant change to the building fabric or a change in the heating system or fuel used.

Although there has been much con- troversy about the cost of certifica- tion, Roger commented that while he could not speak for others, “we oper- ate a three- tiered pricing structure. A BER survey and certificate for an apartment is €225, which includes

the €25 obligatory fee to the SEI. We charge €250 for a semi-detached or town house and €275 for a larger detached house of up to 2,000 sq. ft

— again those prices are inclusive of price”.

the SEI fee.

For landlords with a portfolio of | with properties to sell is, “don’t wait

properties, Roger will “negotiate on

His advice to landlords and those

until the last minute to get your BER

cert in order, after all, once issued it remains valid for ten years”.

Roger 1s critical of the Govern- ment’s performance in communicat- ing this scheme to the general pub- lic.

“The Ratings are graded from Bands A- G, ‘A’ being the highest level of energy efficiency. Most of the second hand houses that are 10 to 15 years old, are commonly re- ceiving a C or D rating and many of the owners are disappointed by what they perceive to be a low rating, but that’s as much as they should expect because to make the leap to an ‘A’ rating they would need to have so- lar panels and geo-thermal heating installed and that is the exception rather than the norm’, said Roger.

He issued a word of caution to landlords, “Storage rads, which are prevalent in so many apartments greatly reduce energy efficiency and they alone can bring the ratings right Kenyan lee

From now on letting agencies will have to include the energy rating of all apartments and houses on their books, so landlords should act sooner rather than later to get their proper- ties assessed.

Roger’s final word of advice is to “ensure your BER assessor 1s regis- tered with the SEI, otherwise your Cert will not be valid”.

Maverick McCabe stepping into the ring

that he has not yet decided which electoral area he will stand in, but will make the announcement in the coming weeks.

The colourful politician took some time to consider his future after los- ing his seat to Fine Gael’s Joe Carey in last May’s General Election.

The Kilnamona man was never too far from the world of politics howev- er, as he remained a regular attendee at public meetings and kept a firm in- terest in the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee and MRSA and Families Network.

Having previously served as a Fi- anna Fail councillor in the Ennisty- mon electoral area, it may be prudent for the Kilnamona native to consider Ennis West this time around, as the boundary changes could see most of his area in the new Ennis electoral area.

Mr Breen was elected as an In-

dependent candidate to the Dail in 2002, after leaving the Fianna Fail party when he failed to get the party pLeveaupar-la(eyee

His formative years growing up in Kilnamona had a strong influence on his later life.

Although not politically active his father was a Fine Gael supporter while his mother’s allegiance was to Fianna Fail.

Throughout his early life he took an interest in political life but de- scribed himself as a freelancer at the time with no allegiance to a particu- lar party.

In 1966 he was approached to form a local cumann for Fianna Fail.

In 1979 he ran for local election on the Fianna Fail ticket and while he was not elected at that stage he was successful in 1985.

The Kilnamona man represented the party in Clare until 2002.

On February 11, 2002 James walked away from the Soldiers of Destiny after 36 years and decided to march alone when he did not make the party ticket.

He will begin the march again – door-to-door next year.

Loneliness a factor in alcoholism

es terday, the National Director of One in Four, Maeve Lewis, said that even the bishops who acted responsibly

should be stripped of all discretion- ary power. She was speaking follow- ing a statement from Cardinal Séan Brady, which said that the Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, should not re- sign as he had learned his lesson.

‘I think that the recent position ex- pressed by the vast majority of the bishops would show that they sim- ply don’t understand the dynamics of sexual violence and the degree to which the offender can manipulate the situation,” she said.

“They simply do not have the ex- pertise to be the judge for these types

of situations and this power should now be taken away from them. ‘When you have a bishop who re- ally understands all of the nuances in relation to child sexual abuse then the protocol will be implemented not only to the letter of the law but also to the spirit of the law. But this is clearly not the situation so we are now call- ing for the power of discretion to be taken away from all bishops.” Despite calling for his discretionary powers to be taken away, the One in Four director praised Bishop Walsh for his commitment to child protec-

tion. “Our experience would be that Bishop Willie Walsh is very commit- ted to child protection and has man- aged cases in the diocese very well in the past,’ she continued.

“We would commend him for this and would also recognise that the Bishop was one of the few to call for Bishop John Magee to consider his position over the situation in Cloyne.

“But we also believe that the bish- ops in the main have not aligned themselves with the thinking of the priests and people who they repre- sent.”

THE HSE has warned that visitors arriving outside the new visiting hours at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis will not be allowed enter.

From February 1, the general visit- ing times at Ennis General Hospital will change, with half an hour less being allowed for day time visitors, and half an hour extra allowed at night.

The new times will see people visit- ing patients from 2.15pm to 3.45pm

In the evening visitors can spend time with patients from 6.30pm to Opm. Visitors to the Intensive Care Unit be restricted to family members or carers and will be determined on an individual basis.

Only two visitors at any time will be allowed visit a patient.

A spokesperson for the HSE said

visiting hours would be strictly ad- hered to from now on.

“Visitors arriving outside of these hours will not be allowed admis- sion.”

Currently visiting hours are from 2 pm to 4 pm in the day and 7pm to 9 pm at night.

Meanwhile visiting restrictions are in operation due to an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug at the county hospital.

Four cases of the highly contagious virus have been reported at Ennis General Hospital, with another four cases confirmed at St Joseph’s Ger1- atric Hospital.

Relatives of patients are asked not to enter the wards without informing nursing staff.

Patients are also asked to attend their GP, if at all possible, before presenting at the Accident and Emer- gency Department.