The Clare People Archive

AN all-round community effort in Corofin has played a key role in over €2,000 being collected for a charita- ble organisation.

Corofin national school organised a cake sale in aid of Bothar, an Afri- can-based charity.

The event, co-ordinated by junior infants teacher Eilish O’Connor, in- volved all staff and students at the school and the money raised signifi-

cantly surpassed all expectations.

All 139 students were encouraged to bake cakes and buns and all were sold at the one-day cake sale at the school. School secretary Geraldine Cahill explained the idea behind the fundraiser.

“The junior infants decided that, as their Lenten contribution, they would help others who are less well off than themselves,” said Ms Cahill.

“A curricular was sent to all par- ents, inviting them to get involved

and the response was overwhelming.

“This was the first time this was done to that scale. The whole com- munity got involved, coming and buying cakes, while the children sold raffle tickets on the day. It was an all-round community effort,” she added. Ms O’Connor, supported by the school’s student council, then de- cided to encourage everybody to get involved in the project.

The organisers set a fundraising target of €300, but were overjoyed

when the final tally amounted to €2,170.

Under the Bothar project, live ani- mals are purchased here and sent to villages in Africa. All of the money raised helps improve the lives of those who are deprived of many of the basics in life.

All seven teachers at the school, including acting principal Gareth Heagney, played a role in ensuring the project was a resounding suc- cess.

THE countdown is on for all north Clare romantics, a special Moonlight to Midnight walk will take place on the Flaggy Shore in north Clare later this week.

The walk, which will take place on April 18, will be undertaken in complete darkness except for the moonlight and a few guiding torches placed along the way to add atmos- je) aster

All the money from the event will go towards the Irish Red Cross.

“It is going to be a very relaxed, kind of serene night. We will have no light, no nothing. The full moon is out that night so we are going to meet at the Flaggy Shore at half nine and we are going to start rambling at 10,” said organiser Joe Queally.

“It’s about four and a half miles of a ramble, maybe five. Just to add a bit of extra atmosphere to the occasion we are going to have a few old fash- ioned lanterns placed along the way.

“We are going to have music on the beach as well. As people pass by in the moonlight we have a flute player

and a violin player going as well. They are just to help to get the stones talking and get the ocean talking as well. We are hoping it’s going to be a bit of a fairytale night.

“It would be a great night for peo- ple to look to renew old friendships, a night to help the Red Cross or for young people just to get out there and enjoy themselves, to hold hands and EN e

“It’s not a long walk and we will be taking it very handy as well. More of a stroll. We will be keeping the group fairly together, no one will be flying

off in front, but we want people to have their privacy to be together in the group.

“It’s a nice relaxing walk for eve- ryone. It would be a great walk for people who want to walk it on their own, clear their head and find peace in their head. It should be a very spe- cial night.”

All people need to do to take part is to get a sponsorship card from Joe and collect €100 worth of sponsor- ship for the Red Cross. For more in- formation or to collect a sponsorship card, contact Joe on 087 6260301.

A MAJOR fundraiser for the devel- opment of the school field in Quin will take place on Friday night.

‘Who wants to be a Thousandaire’ will take place at The Clare Inn ho- tel. The aim of the event is to raise €100,000 for the development of the nCOAKGD

The overall project is costing more than €200,000. While more than half of this has been raised locally,

Friday night’s event is the single big- gest fundraiser for the project.

Contestants will have the opportu- nity to win up to €1,000 on the night, as well as entering a draw for a holi- day worth €750.

The cost of tickets for the event is €15 and they are available at the school office and from parents and members of the organising commit- Koto

The fundraising at the school is not confined to this initiative. The par-

ents association, assisted by school staff, raised almost €2,000 through bag packing in Dunnes Stores re- cently.

This initiative was carried out with the aim of buying a third interactive board for the fourth and fifth class- room.

A churchgate collection generated €500, towards software for the in- teractive boards, while a clean-up af- ter the Point-to-Point in Dromoland added €300 to the school develop-

ment fund.

Elsewhere, two of the school’s young students, Liam Fahy and Cian O’Mara, brought joy to the school when they appeared on national tel- evision on April 1. The duo entered the Fado Fado competition and were shortlisted to appear on RTE televi- sion. Through the competition, which is based on myths and legends, the two were filmed during last summer. The culmination of this was their tel- evision performance.

A WEBSITE, linking those involved in the tourism sector in Shannon, 1s being set up, in an effort to ensure the town benefits more from the in- flux of visitors to the region.

The website is the brainchild of the mayor of Shannon, Councillor Sean McLoughlin (FG), who included the project as one of his aims when he was elected mayor last year.

He feels that tourists coming in to Shannon should spend longer peri- ods of time in the town. He believes that if the incentive was there, tour- ists would spend more than just one night in the town, after they fly into

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He said that positive feedback was generated from a meeting on the is- sue earlier this year.

“There was a good response. We are setting up a dedicated website for Shannon, so that people can stay in Shannon. The idea is to keep peo- ple in Shannon for longer than one night,” he said.

“I feel that people who use the airport generally stay in Shannon for one night. They fly in and are gone the following morning. Shan- non hasn’t been getting its fair share of the trade. We need to let people know we have a town here and nice facilities.

“Shannon is well located. People could take bus and coach tours to places such as the Cliffs of Moher, Ailwee Caves or St John’s Castle in Limerick. Shannon 1s just a half hour drive from those places. It is a good place to base yourself for a couple of days,” he added.

“We are hoping to tie up with all the other agencies in the county. If we can get all the agencies working together, we can all link together,’ he said.

He said the ultimate aim is that the Shannon area will benefit from the establishment of the website.

‘We hope to be able to attract more people into Shannon and that they

can stay longer,’ he stressed.

Among the services he hopes to link through the website include bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, coach and car hire firms and taxis, in Shannon and surrounding areas.

So how will the website work, once it is up and running?

“Anybody involved in tourism in the area is invited to take space on the website,’ he said.

Councillor McLoughlin and Paddy Halton — who was the grand mar- shall at the St Patrick’s Day parade in Shannon last month — have been working on the website and will an- nounce details of its launch within weeks.

THE Brothers of Charity and the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club will benefit from the proceeds of this year’s Mayor’s Ball in Shan- nee

The ball will be one of Fine Gael councillor Sean McLoughlin’s final functions as mayor of the town, be- fore he completes his one-year term in office. He is due to be succeeded by Independent councillor Gerry Flynn as mayor, in June.

Each year, the mayor picks one or more charities of his choice, who will receive the proceeds of the ball. Last year’s mayor, Labour councillor Tony McMahon chose Clare Haven, which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse.

This year, Cllr McLoughlin picked

two charities which he feels are de- serving of funds. The ball will take place at the Oakwood Arms Hotel on May 17.

“It 1s one way for the mayor to show his appreciation to the people by lending his name to this event to raise money for people in need,’ said SY la Retell ite

“We did look at a lot of local chari- ties in Shannon. We felt these groups were deserving of the money,” he SHIGE

According to the mayor, the Broth- ers of Charity money will go towards providing respite for children with special needs in Shannon.

Chairman of the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club, Frank Fit- zgerald, said his organisation de- pends on local financial assistance. He is delighted his group has been

chosen by the mayor.

The club caters for up to 20 athletes, ranging in age from six to 16.

“We are going to use the money to buy new tracksuits and gear for the athletes. Our athletes will take part in the regionals in Cork in May and June and some of the money will also be used for that,’ he said.

“We need funding and the local organisations keep us going. Funds are an important part of any club,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald said that allied to funds, the availability of volunteers is essential to the existence of the club.

‘The Special Olympics is a one-on- one club. Volunteers are stretched. We need between six and eight vol- unteers every week. While we are lucky in Shannon, we are always

looking for volunteers to help out,” he said.

He pointed out that the club, which has been in existence for the past five years, 1S consistently expand- ing and caters for children not just from Shannon, but from all over the county.

“The club is growing. We need more bodies on board,” he said.

The club meets and trains every Saturday morning at Shannon leisure centre, between 10am and Ilam. An- yone wishing to get involved should contact Frank on 086 2557001.

FACTORY workers are being asked to play a role in ensuring Shannon is kept clean and neat this summer.

In advance of the tidy towns com- mittee’s Annual General Meeting tonight (Tuesday), the chairperson has appealed for more people to get involved in the group.

A core group of five people run the committee and chairperson Tess Bar- ry is hopeful that this can increase.

‘There are a lot of projects on hand this year. We are hoping to encour-

age more people to get involved,” said Ms Barry.

Ms Barry, who was one of the founders of the tidy towns committee in 1973, said that parts of the town have been plagued by litter over the years but things have improved in re- Ton Bb Nel eAy

“The litter issue has improved im- mensely, but we still have blackspots and we are going to address those,” she said.

“Litter has been our big problem. We are very grateful to the council for the work it is doing in improving

the footpaths. The last phase of the street signs will soon be put in place and we are very happy with that,” she said.

She also paid tribute to the town’s residents groups, who play a vital role in ensuring the town is looking good.

“We would never manage without the residents associations. We are also grateful to the offer made to us by McDonald’s to help in the clean- ups this year, having helped out last year,’ she said.

The local youth clubs — the Chris-

tian leadership movement and the Shannon Youth Office — and the stu- dents of St Patrick’s Comprehensive School have also pledged to help out with the clean-ups this year.

“We are hoping that a few of the industrialists will come on board and lend a hand with a few projects,” added Ms Barry.

The AGM will take place in the Alley Diner at the Shannon Knights Inn at 7.30pm tonight. For informa- tion phone Ms Barry on 061 362241 or the PRO Olive Bowen on O61 See

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has raised questions over the water supply systems servic- ing almost half of Clare.

The agency, in a report, has placed nine schemes serving in excess of 50,000 people on a remedial list.

The EPA found in the Ennis public water supply levels of Trihalometh- anes (THM) above the current stand- ard as set down in the drinking water regulations. The Ennis public water supply provides water to 23,000 peo- eter

A number of scientific studies have linked high concentrations of THM to increased risk of cancer. It is a by-product of treating the water with chlorine.

“It is worrying and if there is a case study on how not to put in place a water supply system, the Ennis pub- lic water system 1s it,” said Cllr Brian Meaney (GP).

The EPA expressed similar con- cerns in relation to the Ennistymon water supply scheme that supplies water to 8,220 people.

In relation to the Shannon-Sixmile- bridge scheme, which supplies water

to 16,000 people, the EPA states the supply may not be able to meet forth- coming THM standards.

The EPA found that the Turlough public water scheme, serving 500 people, “failed to meet e.coli stand- ards as reported in drinking water regulations and needs investigation and improvement if necessary to en- sure that the root problems have been rectified”.

The report also found excessive lev- els of aluminum in the treated water supply in Miltown Malbay which supplies 1,443 people.

In relation to schemes at Bally-

vaughan (1,000) and Broadford (350), the EPA states that the Health Serv- ice Executive (HSE) have identified supplies where further investigation or improvement maybe required.

“Of greater concern was the rela- tively low level of compliance with the trihalomethanes standard (88 per cent compliance).

“Four public water supplies (En- nistymon, Ennis, West Clare New and West Clare Old) reported con- centrations of trihalomethanes that were unacceptably high.

“While the latter two were unchar- acteristic (subsequent monitoring

has indicated low levels of THMs) the latter two are in need of urgent corrective action particularly as the standard for trihalomethanes is tight- ening in 2008.”

The report states: “Clare County Council carried out analysis on 529 check and 54 audit samples during 2006.

“No monitoring was carried out in one public group water scheme.”

The EPA report stated: “The overall rate of compliance in County Clare, 98.2 per cent, was above the national average in 2006 and improved com- pared from 97.7 per cent in 2005.

A ROMANTIC evening of candle- light, poetry and music on the shores of Lough Derg will raise cash for a life-saving cause.

A collaboration between the RNLI lifeboat service and the Killaloe- based Writer’s Hedge School has re- sulted in a poets and pipers evening on May Day.

Famed Scottish poet, Kenneth Steven will be the star reader at the event.

Kenneth is coming to Killaloe at

the invitation of best-selling author in residence, David Rice who runs the Killaloe Writers Hedge School along with poet and writer, Kathleen Thorne.

Providing the music for the evening will be talented piper, Brian Mooney and friends and between 8pm and 10pm, the lights will be lowered, the music mellow and the poetry mov- ing.

All the profits will be going to sup- port the voluntary RNLI service for Lough Derg and the Shannon.

The lifeboat was in Killaloe at the

weekend for the official launch of the poets and pipers night.

Every week, the lifeboat service saves twelve lives when people get into deadly danger on the inland and coastal waters of Ireland.

The Lough Derg boat, which is sta- tioned at Dromineer, has a voluntary crew of 20 and provides 24-7 cover for the lake and that portion of the river.

“They come out in every weather and have saved countless lives and helped people in great distress. It’s an important service and is volun-

tary with people giving their time and skills to rescue victims in trou- ble on the water,” a spokesman for the service said.

Tickets for the lovely evening are €20 a head and can be had from N1- amh McCutcheon on 087 6592955 or Eleanor Hooker, 067 24186.

i eFeTMncva CoN Oaks another cause to be happy. “I’ve been told I’m accepted at NCAD in Dublin, providing I get my Leaving

Cert,’ the sixth year student said.

No stranger to success in the com- petition, Lucy has won three special merit awards in recent years.

“T couldn’t believe it – I thought it was a joke,’ Lucy said of her reac- tion to the win. She is delighted to have been accepted for the Dublin college, but is keeping her options open. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet’, said the girl who has been painting since she was a child. Nor did she lick her talent off the stones. Lucy’s mother, and sister both paint while her aunt is an artist and her erand-uncle a sculptor.

A second Clare student, Edel Mulqueen, aged 18, from Kilrush Community School also won a spe-

cial merit award in the competition.

Praising Lucy as “a well deserved winner’, the chairman of the judging panel, Professor Declan McGonagle said that she had produced an intense portrait painting in which every inch of the surface is active and alive with brushmarks and paint.

This is the second successive year in which the top prize has been won by a Clare student. Last year, the overall winner was Cillian Boyd, a student at Gaelcholaiste An Chlair, Ennis. This year, a total of 754 stu- dents from County Clare entered the competition, a 21 per cent increase on the 2007 figure.

Announcing the awards at a recep- tion held in the Dublin City Gallery,

The Hugh Lane, Enda Riney, Coun- try Chairman of Chevron (Ireland) Limited described Lucy as an ex- tremely talented young artist whose work has featured prominently in previous competitions.

In 2004, 2005 and 2006, she won a Special Merit Award for her entries. ‘Her achievement in winning the top prize this year has helped maintain the very high standard set by Clare students in the competition,” Mr Riney said.

THE third annual 10km walk in aid of suicide awareness takes place in Ennis on April 22.

This year’s event is being organised to raise money for the Ennis based support group, Living Links.

A poker night, also in aid of Living Links, takes place in Ennis on Friday April 18.

Ennis student Sasha O’Brien is the woman behind the event. Along with her uncles, Keith Molloy and Gerry O’Brien, Sasha has championed the cause of suicide awareness, in a bid to encourage greater debate and highlight the impact of suicide on

bereaved families.

Sasha explained the campaign has received great support. “It has been brilliant since we started it. I’ve got great help from my uncles. We just wanted to get people talking about it. We had an event there recently, and I must have had about 20 people com- ing up to me, who had been affected by suicide, and they were really de- lighted with what we are doing.

Sasha’s efforts were recognised last year when she was among 20 Irish students to be nominated for a Pra- merica Spirit of Community Award.

The Pramerica Spirit of Commu- nity Awards programme recognises and rewards post-primary/second-

level students for volunteer work car- ried out in their communities.

For the past six years the Living Links organisation has offered a suicide outreach support service to families and individuals in Clare who have been bereaved by suicide. SU ilcceTKcMC ISRO NON MNCOOUMBRUDUKanRe-BDO Tere! volunteers staffing the service in Ee

Clare Living Links operates under the auspices of the Health Service Executive and all volunteers are ful- ly trained.

In addition to healing programmes volunteers respond to approaches made by a bereaved family or in- dividual and can arrange to meet

them inside or outside their homes or wherever the bereaved person feels most comfortable. All meetings are conducted with complete confiden- SEUOIAYs

The 10km walk will take in a route around Ennis. Last year’s 10km walk raised over €24,000 for the Samarti- tans.

For further information on Living Links contact the support co-ordina- tor between 5pm to 7pm Monday- Friday at 086 0565373.