The Clare People Archive

THERE was at least one wag in Hen- nessy Memorial Park on Sunday — wag in the sense of the dictionary meaning of the word that is (he or she who gossips about something as opposed to wives or girlfriends).

This wag spoke about the Kilmihil backroom team for 2008. He was ob- viously in Michael Cusacks’ corner because when leaving the ground after the ballgame was over he re- marked: “look at them, they’re like the League of Nations with who they have over them”.

Of course, it’s not the first time that the term has been used in Clare — they said it about the famous Ennis

Faughs team of the 1940s and ‘50s; they even said it about the last Lis- cannor team to win a senior champi- onship in 1940.

And, it’s true that the Kilmihil backroom team takes in a few differ- ent counties. Manager Mick Darby is an Offaly man; trainer/coach Dave Loughman is Cork; his sidekick John Hickey is Kerry.

Tommy Lyons, not to be con- fused with the Mayoman of Offaly and Dublin renown is Moneypoint man like Darby. That leaves local man Michael Keating – the veteran of many a battle for Kilmihil. You know where the disgruntled Michael Cusack’s man got his League of Na- tions from though.

It was very harsh though — Darby is as much Kilmihil as Rhode in Of- faly. Anyway, it’s the players out on the field that won this county final on the day, not the coalition of far-flung football minds off it.

Darby said as much as everyone around him started to celebrate. ““We started training on January 8. We have ten months done at this stage. All credit to the players. They put a fantastic effort in all year. This 1s their they day, they have been abso- lutely brilliant.

“They bonded hugely. They were going to stay working together for each other as a unit. They weren’t go- ing to lie down.

“The big thing that wins final is

character and I think the players showed a lot of that out there today,” he added.

Sure, it was too close for comfort near the end as Cusack’s ate into Kilmihil’s four-point lead, but ac- cording to Darby it was never going to be any other way.

“There was very little in it. It was very close. It was a dour battle and a battle all the way. The football was heavy going — there was nothing free, nothing easy given and we were just lucky to come out of it in the end.

“Cusack’s don’t give up. I said it during the week. They battled with 14 men against Clondegad. We knew this was never going to be over until the last whistle. They were going to

be fighting right to the end.”

And, what of the future, after an intermediate title was brought to the parish for the first time since Caher- murphy won the title 50 years ago. Senior for 2009; back to where eve- ryone in Kilmihil feels they belong.

‘I hope they set a standard for our club for the future,” said Darby. “To even have a chance of success that’s the standard that has to be main- tained and nothing less will do. Be- fore today we were trying to hammer home to them that in the last two years we’ve been together for about five and a half months in total. That’s a huge effort and it was worth every bit of it to win. This is a day these lads will never forget.”

NOT many selectors can claim to have been involved in team that have won county championships at minor, junior ‘B’, intermediate and senior. John Hickey is one of the few, if not the only one. The Kerryman, who has been long since domiciled in Ennis has all these successes to his footballing CV. Indeed, Sunday’s intermediate success means that the

only titles of note outstanding are the under 21 and junior ‘A’ titles. And, he came close to the junior ‘A’ in ’96 when the Townies were beaten in the county final by St Senan’s, Kilkee. aU Umea mm eee mer: ttm ata e Eire Og — he guided the minors to back-to-back titles in 1992 and 93, the junior ‘B’ team to championship glory in ’95, while he won the senior championship in 2000.

That senior title was achieved in

tandem with Dave Loughman (who led Clarecastle to intermediate suc- cess in 1998), while Kilmihil’s Noel Normoyle was a selector. Eight years on he greeted this latest success with the same enthusiasm as all the other wins, even if he was keen to heap praise on others.

“I was only tagging on. It was Dave and Mick who did all the work,’ he said. “Really I was only tagging on with this team,” he added.

Shrewd judges will tell you oth- erwise — Hickey was a vital cog in Kilmihil’s 2008 machine, patrolling the line, knocking heads with Dave Loughman, Mick Darby and com- pany as Kilmihil tried desperately to break free of Michael Cusacks’ dogged challenge.

“It was a great game to be involved in,’ he reflected, “because anytime you get into a final and win is great. This game was in the balance up un-

til the last kick of the game. Michael Cusack’s battled very hard and we knew they would. But we battled as well and it was a great team per- formance. It takes 15 to 18 players, it could have been 20, to win any final. There was a circle there of about 26 to 28 players. They won it.” John Hickey played his part too.

CLARE farmers could soon be counting the benefits of a number of new bio-energy crops which could soon be filling the fields of the coun- ty. SWEGEN is a new farm initia- tive covering Clare as well as parts of Limerick and Kerry and aims to show farmers the opportunities available in the production of alter- native energy sources.

The group has reported receiving a large number of visitors to their stand at the Nation Ploughing Champion- ships, with farmers seeming keep to find out how to get their own bio-en- ergy crops Started.

“The high standards of work done by SWEGEN over the last year has

been reflected in the large volume of interested parties at this years Na- tional Ploughing Championships,’ said the Director with SWEGEN, Liam Browne.

‘There was also a fantastic level of interest from national media, prov- ing just how relevant bio fuels and their production are to the public and industry.”

SWEGEN is currently working in tandem with both the GEGA and GESCO organisations.

GEGA was established in 2006 to facilitate the production and process- ing of bio energy crops and fuels.

The GESCO Network’s primary focus is to establish viable long term green energy supply services and is essentially a country wide network of

Green Energy Service Companies.

Their main aim is to develop real business opportunities for rural com- munities in the developing green en- ergy market and to ensure that rural communities continue to benefit long term from energy production. GEGA has doubled its crop production in the last year and expect to do the same this year by keeping in line with their organisational strategy.

The GESCO Network has an ongo- ing, rapidly expanding Miscanthus development programme and _ this year saw the first of large-scale field trials of industrial hemp to establish its suitability and application as a Bi- omass Corp. The crops both flourish in the Irish climate and the support of GEGA means that crop growers

can maximise the quality of their produce.

SWEGEN meetings will run in the Clare region between the end of October and January of next year. For more check www.swegen.ie, e- mail info@swegen.ie or contact the GEGA office directly on 1890 232 POE

A STRONG, profitable and sustain- able future for our counties fishing industry is what Clare TD, and junior agriculture minister, Tony Killeen, was looking for at last weeks meet- ing of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Killeen was taking part in a discus- sion by ministers marked the start of the debate on the reform CFP, which will see a new policy in place by PAU

‘“T hope that the debate on the CFP will lead to a simplified policy for all the stakeholders concerned. How- ever, I will not support a policy that promotes the concentration of ac- tivity and benefits in the hands of a small number of large companies,”

he said.

“Our aim is for a policy, which maximises the development of all our coastal communities, and for this reason it is vital that quotas and their management are retained under na- tional competence and not moved to a market based mechanism.

“T strongly argued that restrictive days at sea were not necessary for the Celtic Sea south and west coast fish- eries. I argued that alternative meas- ures such as closed areas to protect spawning stock could be as effec- tive.” Ireland also hosted a meeting in Brussels last week on its initia- tive for a pilot project on eliminating discards in fisheries. The meeting brought together the European Com- mission as well as representatives of France and the UK.

“This 1s one of my key priorities as discarding of fish at sea is an 1s- sue which needs to be tackled im- mediately and I am pleased that to- day’s meeting advanced the proposal which I presented to Commissioner Borg recently,” he said.

“T am hopeful that the Commission will consider carefully the detail of our proposed scheme which seeks to work in partnership with industry on providing incentives to reduce the current unacceptable level of dis- cards.”

Meanwhile, Minister Killeen, also last week launched a new online service, Integrated Forest Informa- tion System (IFORIS) Internet.

The new service will allow ap- proved foresters and forestry compa- nies to track online the processing of

Forestry applications that have been submitted to the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

‘The service is the first phase of a planned development for IFORIS In- ternet. The second phase will enable foresters and forestry companies to submit pre-approval applications online on behalf of their clients,’ he nLOe

“This will streamline admuinistra- tion issues for foresters and the For- est Service. The provision of online access to IFORIS for approved for- esters via the Internet is one of the eGovernment initiatives being un- dertaken by the Department as part of its current IT Strategy, and under- pins its commitment to the delivery of improved online services.”

THE Armada Hotel in Spanish Point will become a refuge from the woes and worries of the economic reces- sion next week-end when guests will be treated to a “Recession Escape” break on the Clare coast.

Guests will be asked to leave their recession gloom at the front door as they arrive for a weekend with a number of unique events lined up on Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, with a repeat planned for Novem- ber 21 and 22.

The Recession Escape programme will include an in-house newspaper, “Armada News’, which will feature only positive news and ensuring that guests start the day with the ‘feel good’ factor as they enjoy a cham- pagne breakfast

Internal news broadcasts through- out the day will be presented by members of the hotel staff includ-

ing a chef and housekeeper with real news, but good news. A Fortune Tell- er will read palms before dinner and predict all that is positive and happy. Every hour will be Happy Hour over the weekend with pints of Guinness reduced to pre-Celtic Tiger prices.

Guests will receive a gift of an in- spirational book with the Atlantic ocean as their perfect reading back- drop. There will also be complimen- tary advice from a personal trainer who will ensure that guests leave the hotel with a spring in their step

Price of the two-night stay, includ- ing dinner in the Pearl restaurant, is €159 per person and guests will be asked to leave the mobiles and black- berry’s off as well!!

AN Taisce has joined the campaign to stop Dublin taking water from the Shannon.

North Tipperary branch spokes- man Paddy Mackey – who is also a member of the Save Our Lough Derg (SOLD) group – has warned that ex- tracting water for Dublin could seri- ously threaten fish plants and other species.

A controversial proposal to extract water from the Shannon system to help meet the capital’s needs has met with mixed reactions.

Last week, when Clare County councillors discussed the proposal, ClUlr Colm Wiley(FF) said that Clare should “help Dublin out if the water is needed. We could use any compen- sation money paid to drain farmland that is under water and put as much back again into the system”.

Mr Mackey described the proposed water extraction as “a smash and grab raid..while we are the ones left with the responsibility of trying to protect the ecological quality of Lough Derg and achieve good water quality by the 2015 deadline set under the EU water Framework Directive.”

ALLEGATIONS of an odour ema- nating from the landfill site in Inagh are too serious to be heard in the dis- trict court – a judge has ruled.

Judge Joseph Mangan declined ju- risdiction in the case of the Environ- mental Protection Agency against Clare County Council.

The council faces two summonses alleging that an odour emanated

from the landfill site between August and November 2007. Solicitor for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gearodid Williams told En- nistymon District Court last week that the issue was whether the court would accept jurisdiction.

He explained that the case related to odours emanating from the land- fill site in Inagh.

“The council is operating a landfill on foot of a licence from the EPA,’

he said. One of the conditions was that there would not be any odour from the facility.

Mr Williams said the EPA was of the view that the matter be dealt with summarily, in the district court, where fines of up to €3,000 and/or a year in prison could be imposed in the event of a conviction.

“The allegations of odours are on a level that the EPA did not consider sufficiently serious to be tried on in-

dictment (in the circuit court), added the solicitor.

He said the EPA does not have the power to prosecute matters on indict- ment, in the circuit court. If jurisdic- tion were to be declined in the district court, the order would be for the case to be struck out and then referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“The question is, is this sufficiently Serious for the matter to be tried on indictment? . . . The EPA believes it

is not. If jurisdiction is not accepted, the EPA does not have a role in pros- ecuting it,” said Mr Williams.

However, Judge Joseph Mangan said he was declining jurisdiction. “It is too serious of a nature to come un- der the ambit of the penalties stated,” said the judge. He then struck out the matter.

The matter is now out of the hands of the EPA and will be referred to the DB) ae

SHERRY FitzGerald, Ireland’s larg- est estate agents has announced that the average price of a second-hand property in Ireland fell by 5.9 per cent during the third quarter of 2008. The results for the twelve months to September show a price reduction of 14 per cent.

According to Marian Finnegan, Chief Economist, Sherry FitzGer- ald Group, “The true extent of the market correction is more significant than either figure illustrates. The first evidence of market correction began during the third quarter of

2006. Assuming the market peak occurred in June 2006, this suggests a market correction in Ireland of 16.6 per cent in nominal terms and 26 per cent in real terms over the 27 month period”.

The Cork market recorded price deflation of 4.7 per cent in the quar- ter and 12.7 per cent in the twelve months to September.The results for the Dublin market are even more marked with price reductions of 7.1 per cent in the quarter and 15.7 per cent in the year to September 2008. From a peak in June 2006, the aver- age price of a second-hand property in Dublin has now fallen by 23.4 per

cent in nominal terms or 32.8 percent in real terms.

Marian Finnegan, added, “The lat- est results from the price barometer give a clear picture of the extent of price correction in the second hand market. The price decline originated in the Dublin market during the sum- mer months of 2006 however it was almost twelve months later that the price reductions truly spread to the rest of the country. All areas of the country are now enduring significant price falls with the upper end of the market most affected to date’.

An analysis of the purchaser profile in the year to date reveals that first

time buyers accounted for 38 per cent, compared to 34 per cent during the same period in 2007. Not sur- prisingly investors were less active in the year to date purchasing 10 per cent of the properties traded in the period, compared to 17.6 per cent in the same period in 2007.

The trend of rental inflation which has been a feature of this market dur- ing 2006 and 2007 effectively ended in 2008 with the CPI index of pri- vately owned rents falling by 0.64 per cent in the twelve months to August 2008, compared to an annual average growth of 9.98 per cent in 2007.

Looking to the immediate future,

Ms Finnegan acknowledged that “Activity levels will remain subdued in the coming weeks leading up to the Budget as consumers await the Government’s announcement on October 14th. In the post —budget market other factors should begin to influence consumer sentiment. Not least of which lies in the fact that the combination of the price reductions already present in the market place and the reduction in fixed interest rates in the mortgage market has re- sulted in enhanced affordability in the starter home market with an in- creasing number of properties more affordable to purchase than to rent”’.

THE mist was down in Miltown, but football folk from Liscannor could see as far as the promised land of a county final. Six weeks previously at the same ground when they were beaten by 3-10 to 0-9 by Doonbeg, it was very hard to see it happening.

But, Liscannor’s spirit was willing. Back then and in subsequent games against Lissycasey and Eire Og and in this second crack at mighty Doon- beg. Kieran Considine admitted as much afterwards.

“It came from a bit of honesty,” he revealed. “We asked for fellas to stand up and be counted and they did that. We went a goal down against the run of play today. Doonbeg were cheering and felt they were half way there, but this group of players are

very strong mentally. We’ve been around a very long time.

“People were probably saying that with all the wides in the first half we were back to the Liscannor of old. We got refocused at half-time and tried to work the ball into scoring po- sitions. We got good scores. I think we showed today what we’re capable of. People write us off. We’re a small parish and we have a lot of heart,’ he added.

Selector Pat Murphy touched on this same spirit and the fact that they were written off before the champi- onship started and before this game. “There were four teams left in the competition before today and we were still 10 to 1 to win the champi- onship. That drove on the boys.

““T think they were on about a wed- ding in Doonbeg and they wanted

the county final brought forward. I was sitting below at a meeting in Ennis when I heard about it. I came back and told the lads that all they were talking about in Doonbeg was the wedding and that everyone was saying that we wouldn’t be involved in the county final, that we were in- terfering with a wedding. They gave their answer to that out there.”

And they hope to provide more an- swers in the county final. “We a have a few weeks now to get the injuries right, put our heads back down again. There’s more in us. We’ve improved with every game and we can improve again,’ said Kieran Considine.

No one doubts him.

SECONDS after the final whis- tle sounds, Tommy Curtin springs from the dugout and is enveloped in a small ocean of Liscannor bod- ies. Between the thick mist that has cloaked the field and the celebrations going on around him, he’s difficult to pinpoint but suddenly he shuffles off to the side of the festive group where you catch him and ask for two min- utes of his time.

Face beaming, he says he’ll give you ten.

You ask him was he concerned in that extraordinary second-half when it looked like Doonbeg had sucked the momentum from Liscannor.

He pauses for a minute, gathers his breath and tells you that yes, there’s no point saying other otherwise, he was anxi0us.

“I’d have to say I was worried al- right. They got the goal, they went ahead then by two points, got it up to three and there wasn’t a whole load of time left.

“But deep down I still had faith. At half-time, I knew we hadn’t got go- ing. We’d only kicked a couple of points and I sat the lads down and said that we hadn’t brought the inten- sity that a semi-final of a champion- ship deserved. It was put up to them that they had to come back out and improve.”

That they did. The vigour and force they applied for 25 minutes after the break was almost tangible. They scavenged for breaks, closed space and defended from the front but most of all, they didn’t once show any signs of panic.

Even after Doonbeg shook the net, Liscannor held their nerve and be- lieved that the football they played to bring them into contention would allow them breast the finishing tape ahead of Doonbeg.

Though Doonbeg continued to push every central Liscannor attack out wide towards the sidelines, Lis- cannor, contrary to the belief before the game, kicked well in front of the posts to claw back the deficit and

spring the win.

“We looked on the second-half as the time to step up. We said, look, were in a decent position to go back out and face the elements. In the group game, it was a different

situation at half-time and maybe we showed some complacency that day.

“That wasn’t going to happen here. We said we’d leave everything we had on the fields and in fairness to these lads, that’s exactly what they did.”

As he travelled to Miltown in the early afternoon rain of Saturday, Cur- tin’s confidence was rising. It wasn’t an arrogance or conceit, just a sense of contentment that the work logged since the summer began would tip the balance.

‘“We’ve put in an amount of train- ing and I just felt wed step it up today. So I did feel a certain con- fidence and that’s nothing against Doonbeg. They’re a fantastic side as they showed, but I had faith in these lads. We’ve had a couple of lads out injured and they were in the mind of the 15 lads who started as well.

“It’s an amazing feeling to get toa county final. It’s such a small parish, it must be one of the smallest foot- balling parishes in the country and it’s great for everybody involved to have that crack at the title.

“But look. We’ve still won nothing. We’re back to basics again in a couple of days, back training and we’re go- ing to be focused on the final. That’s the one we’ve got to get over now.”

One mountain scaled, another peak in the distance. With Curtin ready for this final ascent, Liscannor should have the energy and enthusiasm to reach the top.