The Clare People Archive

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which is as yet in its infancy will look

into tourism in the area and identify

any actions that may improve the in- CliamtA

The task force will also be charged

with progressing an economic devel- opment strategy for the region.

Covering a geographical area from Kildysart to Loop Head and north as far as Miltown Malbay Cllr Cham- bers said the main function of the task force will be to encourage in- dustry into west Clare.

He said it is vital that the Clare side of the Shannon estuary is developed and maintained and that the pier off Moneypoint is currently working at 25 per cent capacity.

“Kilkee to Loop Head is the finest scenery in Europe and that is not ex- aggerating. There is great potential,” he said.

“The long-term objective is to get people to settle in west Clare.”

The idea of a new task force was first mooted at a Kilrush Town Coun- cil meeting.

Town councillor Liam O’Looney (FF) said that the previous proved successful and folded only after it reached the three goals set for it

The first goal was to encourage broadband into the west Clare capi- tal, which was achieved.

Decentralisation was the second goal with came to fruition last year when the Revenue offices moved into Cappa.

The third goal set for the town was to source a much-needed hotel. Since then sites for a hotel have been iden- tified and interest shown by some ey ba Olen

“The task force should be es- tablished to organise sustainable

jobs for the area,” said Councillor O’Looney.

The West Clare Economic Task Force is made up of the seven Kil- rush area county councillors, the mayor of Kilrush, mayor of Kilkee, Kilrush and Kilkee Chambers of Commerce, Leader, FAS, Eiri Corca Baiscinn, Shannon Development, the County Enterprise Board, the VEC and the ESB.

THE physical and logistical chal- lenges that faced Kilrush Town Council when it embarked on the pi- lot phase of the reyuvenation of John Paul Estate paled into insignificance this week when local families got their first view of the newly reno- vated houses.

One who was on the coal face of the development from the start was the town clerk, Fiona Mooney.

“It was a case of how would we overcome the design mistakes that were there from the start,’ she said.

The first challenge facing the coun- cil was to remove the notorious back lanes to the houses.

Ms Mooney said that while some residents were initially concerned about how they would access the back of their houses, it soon became apparent that the security and privacy their removal would achieve would far outweigh the other difficulties.

The other major physical changes were the derelict spaces that had been left and the block of houses that had been built in what could easily have been an open public area.

She also paid tribute to the build-

ers, Martin Fitzgibbon Builders.

“This long term regeneration project is about more than the indi- vidual houses, it is about people tak- ing pride in their area and standing up for the positives in the commu- nity,’ said Ms Mooney.

She said that the houses in the pilot part of this project now have secure back gardens and boundaries.

There were more than physical boundaries to overcome for the town clerk and the council staff.

“We had to relocate households while the work was carried out.

‘We met with nothing but positivity

from people,’ said the town clerk.

“It was a leap of faith for people and we were So impressed with the leap of faith they took,” she said.

“We hope it has paid off for them.”

The pilot phase of the John Paul Estate Remedial Works Scheme cov- ered almost one quarter of the entire estate and now the council are hop- ing to get the support of central Gov- ernment so they can finish the estate as soon as possible.

The show house at Willow Green will be open for viewings until March 14, Monday-Saturday (1lam to lpm) and Sunday 9 (2pm to 4pm).

A SMALL island off Kilrush 1s making international headlines as wealthy men and women show an interest in buying their very own is- land.

Hog Island has been on the market for a number of months and accord- ing to the sole agent acting for its American owner there has been a lot of local, national and international interest.

Not as well known as its close neighbour Scattery Island, Hog Is- land lies on the Shannon Estuary just a half mile from Cappa Pier.

Islands along the west coast don’t come cheap however. Also known as Inis Beg, it has an asking price in ex- cess of half a million euro.

The 53-acre – at high tide – island was believed to have been inhabited by a family before the famine in 1837, but its only occupants now are a herd of wild goats.

An American family purchased the Island in 1972 from Major Wilson who also owned Scattery Island and Castletown in County Kildare.

“We are informed that Hog Island, unlike its neighbour, Scattery Island, has no environmental or _ histori- cal attributes of note, and therefore

should not have the same restrictions as to development,” said auctioneer Helen Cassidy.

While it is not clear if the island is covered by specific development re- Strictions it is part of the River Shan- non and River Fergus Estuary, which is a Special Protected Area.

Local County Councillor Tom Prenderville (FF) would be keen to see the island maintained as a herit- age site without any development.

“IT would not be very enthusiastic about a dwelling going up there. We need to preserve those areas,’ he Sr ALG

What any prospective buyer would

be sure of is that the island is locat- ed in an area of outstanding scenic beauty, close to amenities and is a private area of unspoilt tranquillity.

The highest peak is 14 metres, from which the rest of the low-lying island is visible. The northern and eastern shores of the island are largely com- posed of storm beach where there 1s evidence of winged plover, and low earth cliffs are evident in the western and southern coastline.

At the north of the island spits have formed and a well-developed salt marsh is found, providing food for swallows. There are no trees on the TSIEN eXeb

FINAL parades are being made across the Burren region for St Pad- dy’s Day with a number of quality parades in store for locals. Both Gort and Fanore are getting in early by hosting their parades before the big day itself.

Recognised as one of the smallest but best parades in the county, the Fanore Parade will take place on Saturday, March 15, from 12.30pm. The parade will assembly in the car park of Fanore Beach before making it’s way through the village.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact Kevin McCormack or

Anne Pilkington locally.

Parade fever hits Gort on Sunday loth March and the parade organi- sational committee are appealing for helpers to act as stewards for the day. The parade has grown in recent years and more help is now needed to make sure that everything goes off smoothly.

It has also been announced that Gort native and Galway hurling leg- end, Sylvie Linnane, will act as mar- shall for this years event.

The Band of the 4th Western Bri- gade have also been confirmed for the parade as has St Patrick’s Pipe Band from Tulla under conductor Sean Leamy.

The parade will start with the blessing of the shamrock outside the church immediately after 12.15pm mass before the shamrock is distrib- uted to members of the Gort Reserve Defence Force.

The parade will proceed through the Square and after going through Bridge Street, children’s groups will turn right at Supermac’s Corner and return via Church Walk.

The theme of this years parade is myth and legend, and a number ind1- vidual and street theatre entries have already been entered with the chil- dren’s art workshops re-enacting the Little Folk and the Children of Lir.

Entries can either be on foot or on

floats. However entrants are asked not to use long or wide vehicles or throw items from them for reasons of safety. Vintage cars, tractors and a threshing exhibition by Francis Lin- nane will also take place.

After the parade Gort Fire and Res- cue Service under John Lally, Station Officer, will simulate a motor acci- dent rescue scene.

On Saturday, Sean-Nos_ Danc- ing workshops will take place from 10.30am to 4.30pm in the Lady Gre- gory Hotel.

There will also give an exhibition of dancing at a Ceili with music pro- vided by Donie Nolan and Taylor’s Sivese

THE people of north Clare are being offered the chance to take advantage of the newly refurbished community space in Kilfenora.

The newly upgraded Kilfenora Community Centre will be formally re-opened this Friday evening and the centres committee is inviting lo- cal people along to see what the cen- tre has to offer.

“We already have badminton, set dancing, youth club, music, trad for teens, step dancing and we have the fitness club. There is lots on already but if anyone out there is interested in any other activities the should get in contact with myself or any mem- ber of the committee and we’d love

to help out,’ said chairperson, Pat aerator

“We also have a long tradition of boxing here in the hall. It’s been going here for years and they have achieved a lot of success over that apes lone

The hall committee has secured a number of grants for the hall, most notably a €30,000 grant from Clare County Council through the Com- munity Capital Scheme and has un- dergone fundraising activities.

The hope now is that the venue can become self financing before the end of the year.

‘We have done well with the grants and got some help from the local businesses. Our main fundraiser for the hall is our bring-and-buy sale

which takes place at Christmas. We use that to finance insurance, light and heat costs,” continued Pat.

“We hope that the hall can become self financing by the end of this year. We are looking at introducing a nom- inal fee, maybe a euro per head per hour, which would cover the basics of heat and light. Hopefully, if we get enough people involved we wont need to go fundraising anymore, it will be able to fund itself.”

Local councillor, Joe Arkins (FG) said the council funding was partly as a result of an increase in social hous- ing in the area over recent years.

“The hall at Kilfenora was badly in need of upgrading and is used by many orginisations in the commu- nity. The north Clare area committee

considered a number of worthwhile proposals. The members agreed on the Kilfenora proposal because it clearly met the criteria of the Social and Community Capital Scheme,” he said

The hall will be officially reopened this Friday, March 14, at 7pm. Any- one interested in organising or taking part in activities in the hall should contact Pat Keane on 086 8127903.

THE Ennistymon Community Cen- tre will be the venue on Easter Sun- day for a musical extravaganza fea- turing an 80 piece big band from America.

The Burnsville High School Big Band will take to the community centre stage for one evening only with all proceeds going towards the town’s Mol An Ojige Steiner school.

The event is being organised by the Mol An Oige parents committee and Hibernia Music, an organisa- tion which helps orchestras and large school bands from abroad find ven- ues to play in Ireland.

“I organise concerts with incom-

ing choirs, youth orchestras and high school bands who come to Ireland through a tour operator,’ said Ann Farrelly of Hibernia Music whose grandchildren attend Mol An Oige.

‘The concerts take place north and south of the order and are all for tbe laYs

“None of the groups charge for their performance, so all the money can go towards the charity, which is perfect.

“We tailor the concert venues to suit where the group themselves want to play, so if they want to see Clare, I try to organise a charity concert for eles nm bOm Oi E-BRon

‘This group is an 80 piece big band from Burnsville Highschool in Min-

nesota.”

After they plan in Ennistymon they will travel to Kerry and play another charity concert down there before going home.”

SW cViMe ream some ODe MED OOCoMBDIEBRceronle years that a top quality large Ameri- can band has visited Ennistymon.

“We had a 50 piece orchestra here in Ennistymon last year and that was great. So we are all hoping that this will be even better,” said local organ- iser Roisin Garvey.

‘Tickets are available from Custys in Ennis, from Unglerts in Ennisty- mon or by ringing Susanne on 086 6044113.” ;

Last month, the Mol an Oige Stein- er School in Ennistymon and the

Raheen Wood Steiner School in east Clare became the first two Steiner School’s in the country to be granted official recognition by the Depart- ment of Education.

This follows a long struggle for the recognition which means that the schools can obtain grants and teach- ers’ salaries from this September.

Up until this point the Ennistymon school had to raise all the capital needed to operate the school from fundraising exercises, parent dona- tion and the support of local busi- nesses.

The concert takes place on Easter Sunday, March 23, in the Ennisty- mon Community Centre at 8.30pm – tickets cost €10.

AFTER more than five years of an absence, homeopathy is returning to Ennistymon with the opening of the Ennistymon Homeopathy Clinic.

The new clinic located on Ennisty- mon’s Main Street is operated by Clare natives Diane Stapleton and OE tee

‘There is going to be two of us here, and hopefully a full time acupunc- turist, so it will be a full-on five day a week service,’ said Clare Sheehan.

“It is the case now where homeopa- thy can be the primary care for peo- ple. I have a family in Galway, for ex- ample, who come to me as their first point of call for all illnesses.

‘There was one time when one of the children was not responding to treatment and had to go for a course of antibiotics, but other than that the family has been antibiotic free for 12 Were ace

“So it’s not a case of one or the other. Homeopathy can work well alongside any other medicine. Peo- ple don’t have to come off any other medicine to use it and it’s a very safe and effective way to treat children and adults.”

Clare and Diane hosted an open public talk in Ennistymon library last night. They plan to continue with a series of talks in the library where they will examine all areas of homeopathy, including homeopathy

for men, for children and for vacci- nations.

‘As well as this we are also look- ing at having a regular open-morning here in the clinic where people can find out some information and get a feel for homeopathy,’ continued Ore

“We also want to look at organising mini courses for people. The idea be- hind this is that people, and parents in particular, can understand what they or their child is taking and why they are taking it.

“The parents can then take back control and the responsibility for the healing of their family. So it’s not something outside of them that they have to rely on.

“It’s so much cheaper as well. A lot of the health insurers will now cover a certain amount of the cost of ho- meopathy.”

Clare graduated from the Burren School of Homeopathy in 1995. She operated a practice in Galway City for seven years before moving to Kil- colgan and then on to Ennistymon.

Clare is also the founder and di- rector of the Galway College of ho- meopathy. More information can be found on www.galwayhomeopathy. com

MEELICK GAA club is celebrating having acquired the first defibrillator for their grounds and for the village itself.

Thanks to the very generous spon- sorship of ex-player and successful business man Joe McNamara, Meel- ick GAA Club have acquired a de- fibrillator and are in the process of arranging training for it.

Treasurer Seamus Speight said he would like to “thank Joe for his very generous sponsorship that enables the club to provide a very important service to the community. We also

have plans to increase the number of both defibrillators and qualified peo- ple to use it in the near future.”

Club PRO, Cathal Sherlock, said that getting the potentially life-sav- ing device is part of the club’s on- going effort to have state-of-the-art health and safety procedures.

“We already have a number of peo- ple trained in first aid and this is an extension of that,’ said Cathal.

“We’re delighted that we have this facility for the community now and we will be continuing our fundrais- ing to get a second one. The current defibrillator will probably be kept at the club as that is a fairly central

point for the whole community,” said OFTHE

Meanwhile, the club is opening a challenge to have members and sup- porters design the new club crest.

“This competition is open to all but we would especially like to see entries from families. The design 1s completely up to those entering, the committee will make the final deci- sion,’ Cathal said.

The prize is a E100 one4all voucher. Many of the entries will be displayed on the new website Meelick.Clare. GAA.ie. Entries need to be submit- ted before Good Friday, March 21.

Entries can be handed in to teach-

ers in Meelick National School or any club officer. They can also be e-mailed to MeelickPhysicalTherapy @gmail.com. Alternatively, you can post your design to Cathal Sherlock, Knockalisheen, Meelick. Club offic- ers include Padraic O’Brien, Seamus Speight, Mike Mulvihill, Ray Ryan and Cathal Sherlock.

The club would also like to thank the following sponsors for their gen- erosity throughout the year. Squire Maguires, Mojo’s, Pat Russell, Brendan Healy, Gerry Markham, Frank Quinn, Bobby O’Connell, Ca- thal Sherlock and Dermot Fahy in Guinness.

A NEW pilot scheme to bring people to east Clare on holidays where they can learn traditional skills and crafts is being launched this summer.

The Centre for Environmental Liv- ing and Training, CELT are now ex- panding their operations to include new initiatives.

CELT are now offering eco-holi- days where visitors can learn a tra- ditional skill for three days, enjoy a guided woodland walk, or take a day off, then learn a second skill for two more days, creating a package week’s holiday.

Skills included are of the kind that CELT usually offer in one of their

bigger camps, such as blacksmith- ing, weaving, basket-making, chair- making or other crafts.

“We have put together packages that will suit all budgets, whether people want to do bed and breakfast, camp, self-cater or stay in a hostel,” said CELT administrator, Sarah Thomson.

The organisation is also booking beds in B&B’s locally which use eco-friendly practices, such as com- posting recycling or eco-friendly cleaning products.

“We’ve brought a lot of visitors into the area with our weekends in the woods but this is a different pack- age, which will give people a chance to come for just a few days and pick

and choose the courses they want,’ Ce RCOMmO YD eT Oe

The visitors will be encouraged to visit local pub traditional music ses- sions, sports events, fairs and other activities.

The eco-holidays are being adver- tised both at home and abroad and a representative of CELT is travelling to Poland this week to promote the package.

There is also an option for visitors to simply book one of the skills train- ing courses and sort out the rest of the holiday for themselves, for which CELT will provide suggestions and recommendations.

“We will be starting the first of the holidays in May and we already have

bookings for June, so we are hoping this will take off. At the moment, we’re still tweaking the details and making a list of accommodation op- tions which use eco-friendly prac- tices. We’ve had a lot of interest and co-operation and once the eco-holi- days are up and running for a while, we will have a better idea of which courses and packages are most popu- lar,’ said Sarah.

For further information on the CELT eco-holiday package contact Sarah or Bob on 061 640765 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursday between 10am and 3pm. You can also email enquiries to info@celtnet. org or visit the website on www.celt- net.org.

RELIEF is in sight for long-suffer- ing residents of St Louis Villas in Killaloe after a local councillor was promised that works will be done to alleviate flooding in the area.

Cllr Tony O’Brien asked the en- gineering section of Clare County Council what could be done as the area has been badly flooded on a number of occasion in recent times.

“I asked that they explore getting funding for the project under the housing regeneration programme. People have put up with a lot in those houses because of flooding and it has to be sorted,’ the councillor said.

Senior Executive Engineer, Sean

Lenihan told the councillor that works will be done to stop the flood- waters rising in the villas.

He told Cllr O’Brien that funding would be found and the works com- pleted. The councillor was also given good news on a number of other mat- ters he raised in relation to the lake- side town.

“T’ve also been given assurances that work will be carried out on re- surfacing the road between the GAA field and Ballheigue Bridge. It has been completely worn away and it’s in a terrible state.”

There was also good news for east Clare councillor Pascal Fitzgerald who had asked that additional light- ing be put in place at the top of Par-

teen village “as this is a health and safety hazard at night”.

Mr Lenihan said that “following an inspection, I am satisfied that the necessary lighting infrastructure is in place in the area referred to. I will however, follow up to ensure that all lamps are working and if higher wattage bulbs are required to 1m- prove the situation there.”

Cllr Fitzgerald also called on the director of services to ensure that new road markings be put in place at Griffins Cross and Larkins Cross, Parteen as soon as possible.

The senior executive engineer said that “the members will be aware that our application for funding under the Low Cost Safety Scheme for 2008

for the much needed improvement works at Griffins Cross was success- ful. These works will be carried out in the coming months.”

He added that regarding Larkins Cross, “it 1S accepted that works are required here due primarily to the large volumes of traffic and re- cent infrastructure carried out in the area. It would not make any sense to upgrade the road surface and then shortly after come back and dig it up to lay water and sewer services. Having said that, I do accept that the works can’t be put off for much long- er. We will be reviewing the situation there shortly and in the meantime, maintenance works will be carried out.”