The Clare People Archive

THERE was double All-Ireland suc- cess for Clare at the weekend as the Banner County claimed the Under 14/15 and Under 16/17 team cham- pionship titles at Clarecastle on Sun- day. In theUunder 14/15 event (team of six), Clare won their semi-final against Galway by 86 to 55 and came up against Kilkenny in the final. The home team was much too strong on the day and recorded an 82-59 win.

Christopher Philpot (Kilkishen) and Keith Hogan (Newmarket) won their games on a 14/15, 15/8 score, with Darren Cooney and Kevin O’Callaghan (both Kilkishen) re- cording a score of 8/15, 15/4 while Evan Corbett (Tulla) and Patrick Fitzgerald (Tuamgraney) won 15/10, RAE

This was a double for the Tulla Tua- mgraney pair as they were members of the under 12/13 team that won last years title, as was Barry Nash who did not play this weekend due to a bout of flu. Clooney’s Peter Duggan (captain) also played in the semi-fi- nal against Galway.

Not to be outdone, the Clare Under 16/17 team also went all the way and captured their own All-Ireland title. Also played at Clarecastle on Sun- day, the Clare team of Sam Edbrooke (Tulla), Chris Ryan (Clarecastle), Ryan O’Neill (Clooney), Liam

Clancy (Newmarket), Shane Crehan and Eoin McGrath (both O’C. Mills) overcame Wexford in an epic final, eventually emerging as winners by a single ace, 48 to 47. Great credit must go to the mentors of both teams who put in a lot of hours in the run up to the semi-finals and finals and Clare handball owes a debt of gratitude to people like Christy Philpot, Joe Cor- bett, John Clune and Owen Conlon.

The weekend just passed also saw the East Clare Construction-sposn- sored Boys Under 11 tournament, hosted by the Kilkishen club. There was a large turnout and the day con- cluded with Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 finals. One of Clare’s great handball servants through the years, in the shape of Donal Flem- ing, was on hand to help organise, run and referee the various games.

Meanwhile, the Clare County Ju- venile Handball Committee held the annual Medal Presentation Evening at East Clare Golf Club on Sunday last. All players who won county, Munster or All-Ireland honours, in- cluding Sunday’s victorious team- event winners, were presented with iW eLoyDMmBaLeLO rN ECE

County Chairman Matthew Mc- Mahon addressed those present and highlighted the importance of a strong juvenile structure in keeping handball booming within the coun-

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THE Clare Primary School 5-a- side soccer tournament went ahead at the Lees Road astro turf facility last week with a huge turnout for the various competitions.

The smaller school competition went ahead on day one with 24 teams taking part in the boys competition. Lahinch NS had the better of An- nagh NS in the first semi final while Quilty beat Kilkee in the second with Lahinch prevailing over Quilty in the final on a score of 2-0.

A total of 20 girls teams took part in the girls competition. Newmarket NS beat Liscannor NS in one semi final and Quilty NS beat Lisdoonvarna in the second. The Quilty girls avenged the defeat of their boys counterparts when they won the final by 2-0.

The Lahinch boys and Quilty girls will now go on to represent Clare in the Munster finals later in the month.

In the bigger schools tournament, Ennis NS won the girls B event in a thrilling final which saw them pre-

vail over Kilrush NS after a tense penalty shoot-out and in the boys B event, Newmarket were 2-1 winners over Kilrush NS.

There was further success for Ennis NS in the large schools section of the draw when they beat the holy family in an entertaining final by 5-1.

“The event was a great success,’ said Tom Glynn, Clare co-ordinator of the event. “The facilities were top quality as were the referees, from Rice College.”

I CAN’T speak for you, but for me the last 12 months have passed in a blur. It doesn’t seem like a year since we began to wind up for The Clare 10k 2007, but there you go.

Taking place on June 28, 2008, The Clare 10k is ready for it’s third out- ing. Last year the race attracted over 1200 participants. This year we are

hoping for more.

There are some changes to The Clare 10k this year, the main one be- ing the starting time. For the last two years the gun has gone off at llam, this year the time has been moved forward to 10am.

There are also some new faces on board. Mr Binman have taken on part sponsorship of The Clare 10k and our second nominated charity

will be the Building for Hope – Sr Ethel Normoyle – Project.

Still involved are The Clare People, O’Brien’s sandwich bar and Clare Haven Services and Run Republic.

This we, while we are hoping that more people will take part, we are also hoping that more people will decide to get involved for a worthy oN on

Again, your entry fee will be split

between Clare Haven Services and the Building for Hope Project, but outside of this you can choose the charity you want to raise funds for.

So, dust off your training gear, make the most of the long (hopefully sunny) evenings, and get prepared for The Clare 10k 2008.

Clare’s largest mass participation event. For more details visit www. clarelOk.com.

A SOUTH-EAST Clare developer has for the fourth time been refused planning permission for a helicopter pad on his land at Clonlara.

Clare County Council rejected the latest application from Peter Stritch with an internal council memo stat- ing that legal action over unauthor- ised helicopter activity at the site was ongoing. Mr Stritch had previously been refused planning permission

for a helipad on two occasions while he was also refused permission to construct a hangar for a helicopter.

In response to the latest applica- tion, the council concluded that the helipad would seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of adjacent residential properties and be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area.

The council refused planning per- mission after objections were lodged by a number of local residents.

In his objection, David Beckett stated that the grounds on which the previous applications were refused were still valid and unchanged and the fact that the location of the site on the farm was moved made no dif- eon Gen

“His appeal to An Bord Pleanala was refused and it is possible that this application is being used as a re- placement for the rejected helicopter landing area.

“My family and I were greatly dis-

turbed by the noise. Helicopters are very noisy and the beat of the ro- tor blades is particularly irritating. Even an approaching helicopter can be heard when it is only a dot in the sky. The applicant will argue that the landing site is well away from hous- es, but this ignores the fact that when the helicopter is flying overhead, it 1s less than 100 metres away and can be heard throughout the house.”

Mr Beckett said there were im- portant safety concerns to consider,

including the fact that the proposed site was next to a gallop which was used daily and there was a high risk of an equestrian accident.

‘According to a UK accident data- base, 57 helicopters have crashed so far this year. On March 20, a heli- copter crashed in Meath, while in July 2007, a helicopter crashed near Ballynacally. We live in a quiet, rural and increasingly residential area and it is not suitable for aircraft activity,” Mr Beckett concluded.

MEZZO-soprano Naomi O’Connell from Ballyvaughan and tenor Dean Power, a native of Clarecastle, will perform at a free lunchtime concert on Friday at European Commission headquarters in Dublin to celebrate Europe Day.

Naomi is completing her final year of a BA in performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, while Dean is in the final year of the Bachelor of Music “Performance Course’ at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Both Naomi and Dean began their vocal studies with Archie Simpson in Clare and now study in Dublin WA LOM\Z EV aYas BIESONITTEE

Over the last four years, Naomi has won 11 first places in Feis Ceoil and last year won three prizes in the Veronica Dunne international singing competition, including the

Dame Joan Sutherland prize for the most promising young singer as well as overall fourth prize in the com- petition. Next September, she will continue her studies with a Masters Degree at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.

Dean has also won numerous priz- es at Feis Ceoil and this year was overall winner in the Ballymena Feis as well as coming joint first in the Male Voice Repertoire and Grand Opera competitions. He has travelled widely, singing in the Irish dance show, “Rhthym Of The Dance’ and has sung tenor solo in Handel’s OW SSE

The Dublin concert takes place from | to 2pm on Friday at the EC building in Dawson Street.

FIVE staff members of The Lodge at Doonbeg Golf Club have skilled up on information technology through a special upskilling course.

They were presented with cer- tificates from FAS, whose Skills for Work computer-based course was facilitated by the Clare Vocational Education Committee.

The staff members – Harry Crowe, Anna Cooney, Dermot Healy, Len

Wilson and Michael Ryan – took the course for 15 weeks at the West Clare Resource Centre in Miltown Malbay where training was provided by Jenny Bostock of Clare VEC.

Doonbeg General Manager, Joe Russell and HR Manager, Patrice Scanlan facilitated their employ- ees in attending training during the LO) 0. GOTO ENA

Commenting on the development, Joe Russell said The Lodge at Doon- beg was committed to its employees

and their professional growth. The programme provided the training necessary for them to enhance their skills, further improving what has always been a wonderfully talented team. ;

Skills for Work, a new FAS Serv- ices to Business programme, is being offered to people in employment at a number of Clare locations.

It is designed to provide easy access to training for employees, improving essential information technology

and communications skills as well as educational levels in the workplace.

Training is fully subsidised by FAS and focuses on _ industry-specific topics, such as health and safety, customer care, familiarisation with computers, personal and interper- sonal skills, etc.

Classes are usually on-site and fully funded. Certification is through the Further Education and Training Awards Council of Ireland but op- wLOyat-N B

With a workplace Skills For Work course, employees can avail of train- ing to start on the one-step-up cycle. In gaining enhanced confidence and skills, participants can go on to ac- cess a broader range of training op- tions.

This in turn assists the employer in taking one-step-up in terms of effec- tiveness.

Several such courses are running successfully in companies around Clare.

THE Lord Mayor of Cork, Donal Counihan, has paid a warm tribute to the late President Hillery, describing the Clare man as “the epitome of all that was statesmanlike”’.

Mr Counihan, who, for three years, lived in Corrovorin, Ennis while working for Clare County Council, said Dr Hillery was characterised by ‘“‘an impeccable integrity”’.

“His innate decency and humil- ity and the qualities of being able to ‘walk with kings’ while at the same time relate so sincerely with ordi- nary people.”

Mr Counihan praised Dr Hillery’s work as minister for education when

he paved the way for the establish- ment of regional technical colleges.

“In his next role, as minister for industry and commerce, he saw the move for greater protection and safe- ty in industry for workers and the then vexed issue of industrial rela- tions. This led to the establishment of a Department of Labour and his appointment as the first minister for labour.”

Mr Counihan said that, while ex- ternal affairs minister, Dr Hillery showed a steely resolve by turning up on the Falls Road in Belfast at the height of the Northern troubles. Thereafter he travelled to the UN in New York, drawing the attention of the world to the plight of Northern

Nationalists.

“This personal mettle was again demonstrated when he faced down at a Fianna Fail Ard-Fheis a group who did not fully share his democratic national instincts on the resolution of the Northern question.”

Mr Counihan went on to praise Dr Hillery’s term as EU Commissioner and his decision, despite personal reservations, to become President of Ireland in 1976.

“He fulfilled this role with dignity and commenced a process whereby the President became much more en- gaged with Irish society and particu- larly with communities throughout the country. His display of profound loyalty to the State and the proprie-

ties regarding the Presidency in par- ticular became manifest when he granted a dissolution to a Taoiseach despite pressure from his political colleagues not to do so.

“On a personal level, I had the great pleasure of meeting him intermit- tently over many years past and have gladly accepted invitations to Aras an Uachtaran. On these occasions, he felt most relaxed when recounting anecdote stories of political and per- sonal events and it was a great pleas- ure to have had the rare opportunity O) Ml oLesuNTcam bem Obmere)esl Oy: DEhVA

“As a presidential couple with his wife, Dr Maeve Hillery, both set an excellent example and were univer- sally admired.”

ALMOST €24.5 million has been allocated to support the 2008 social housing programme in Clare, with €2 million going to Traveller-spe- cific accommodation in the year.

The 2008 allocation represents a €2 million increase on the figure provided to Clare Local Authorities last year.

The biggest share of the funding will go to the local authority hous- ing programme which has been al- located €18 million with a further €4.25 million going to improvement works.

Welcoming the increased alloca- tion, Clare Minister of State, Tony Killeen said the money will enable the local authority to continue with its house-building programmes

which delivered approximately 120 starts and completions in 2007.

“The county also has an ambitious programme of improvement works relating to existing local author- ity estates with extensive works to be undertaken in John Paul Estate, Kilrush and Inis Eagla in Shannon amongst others. The allocation for this work has almost tripled to €4.2 million,” he said.

“An allocation of €150,000 has also been made to Ennis Town Council for the completion of its central heating programme. Under this programme, the Department of the Environment provides co-fund- ing for the installation of modern central heating systems into local authority houses. Priority continues to be given to installations for older people,” the minister concluded.

CLARE County Council’s policy of banning holiday homes across the county has become even more ex- treme with the local authority over- ruling its own planner to prevent any further holiday homes in Bally- vaughan.

Last month, the council granted planning permission to Kevin Tuo- hy to construct 44 homes in Bal- Ivaughan. In the planner’s report, it was recommended that 19 of the

houses be used as holiday homes, with 20 as permanent residences and five to be used as affordable homes. The planner cited an application lodged in 2005 proposing that a pro- portion of homes be used as holiday homes and said it was reasonable to approach the use of the Tuohy devel- opment homes in a similar manner. However, the planner was overruled by the council and all homes must be used for permanent occupancy, though it is unclear if the Clare County Development Plan proposes

that there should be a ban on holiday homes in the county.

The council granted planning per- mission on the basis that the develop- ment should not commence until the water system 1s upgraded.

This decision has been appealed by Pauline Burke of the Ballyvaughan Lodge who described the design of the houses as “a perfect example of the architectural banality that is spreading like a disease across Ire- land”.

“A cursory review of the Bal-

lyvaughan area will show that the houses that were for sale at the time of our original objection in July 2007 are still for sale. There are approxi- mately 300 permanent residents in Ballyvaughan and this development seeks to increase this by at least 50 per cent – an unsustainable figure in reality.

“Given these statistics, it 1s clear that the developers intend to market the development as holiday accommo- dation. We do not feel that this is in keeping with the current Government

policy on development in villages in the west of Ireland and not in keeping with recent high-profile similar cases in Liscannor and Doolin.”

Elsewhere in her appeal, Ms Burke states that employment in Bally- vaughan cannot sustain its popu- lation and thus commuting is the norm. The N67 bears the majority, if not all, of this traffic and is already at breaking point. The road in ques- tion is full to capacity and congested all day every day. A decision is due on the appeal later this year.

SHANNON-based Halifax Insur- ance Ireland was one of the com- panies awarded the prestigious FAS Excellence Through People award by Labour Affairs Minister, Billy OTS om em os.e

A subsidiary of Halifax Bank of Scotland, Halifax Insurance Ireland has 320 employees specialising in creditor repayments insurance for HBOS customers. All business func- tions are located in Shannon, includ- ing underwriting, customer services, direct sales, finance, information technology and human resources.

Paying tribute to the company, Min- ister Kelleher said the Excellence Through People awards scheme was unique in that it is the only standard dedicated to the role of people.

He went on to stress the importance of innovation and emphasised that “people and corporate culture are in- ternationally recognised as the most important drivers of innovation”.

FAS Director General, Rody Mol- loy added that the FAS Excellence Through People Standard provides a step-by-step roadmap for human resource management and helps achieve bottom-line business results “through valuing, involving and de-

veloping employees”.

The 36 organisations who received this national standard comprise a variety of sectors including retail, hospitality and transport and the to- tal number of employers who have received this accolade now stands at more than 600 nationwide.