The Clare People Archive

KILFENORA is_ slowly — starting to return to normal after the week that belonged to Fr Ted. Hundreds of revellers, most of them dressed as priests, nuns and cups of tea, de- scended on the village for the first Fr Ted Festival ever to take place in OE IKe

The week was packed with many events, including an informal ques- tions and answers session with the Fr Ted creators.

“T think that the questions and an- swers session with Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews was one of the real highlights for a lot of people, it was really good. It was great fun,

people shouted up questions from the audience and they answered them. There was a lot of chat about how the series was made and questions like that,” said event organiser Janet KE Merirreaee

“We have a little play before that, a drama group from Athenry put on a reduced Father Ted over 15 min- utes with little segments from loads of the episodes. Besides that the one thing that people really loved was the Cole

“The lovely girls competition was a great success as well. Everyone had a ereat laugh out of it. Katie Vaughan from Vaughan’s Pub in Kilfenora won the competition in the end but it was a close one. She was great craic

though. I saw her yesterday, days af- ter the competition, and she was still wearing her crown and her sash.”

The festival had a big economic im- pact on the area, bringing a host of tourist to north Clare in the normally quiet month of February.

“People were staying in town and as far away as Lisdoonvarna and Ennistymon. Local people had their houses rented out and all the local bed and breakfasts were full,’ con- tinued Janet.

“We are definitely looking at run- ning the event again next year. We have to look carefully at the possibil- ity of making it any bigger because the infrastructure just isn’t here for that. We just about coped with the

numbers that we had.

‘“Kilfenora is the place where most of the series was filmed but some was filmed in Ennistymon, so mov- ing part of it to Ennistymon next year is something that we would look at. But Kilfenora is the real spiritual home of it.”

Following the Kilfenora Festival, the second annual Aran Islands Ted- Fest took place over the weekend.

THE North Clare Farm Family Sup- port Service are inviting all Clare farmers to an information evening to discuss one of the most contentious and confusing issued currently faced eM Denture

Eligibility for the Contributory State Pension is an issue which ef- fects thousands of farmer in every corner of the county with the eligibil- ity of farm spouses a real hot potato.

The information evening, which 1s being organised in association with IFA Skillnets and the IFAC, is open to all Clare farmers and takes place in the Woodstock Hotel in Ennis this

evening, Tuesday, March 4.

Four expert speakers will be in En- nis for the evening, each of which will explore a different aspect of the application process for the contribu- tory state pension.

Pat Coen from the Department of Social and Family Affairs will give an overview of how to apply for the contributory state pension.

The Revenue Commission’s Kitty Maloney will examine how farmers are effected by PRSI and income tax. John Duane from IFAC will also be present and will explain the differ- ent situation that farmers could find themselves in regarding the eligibil- ity for the state pension.

Finally, Mary Shelly, IFA Farm Family Committee Chairperson, will give an update on the eligibility of farmers spouses for the pension.

“In the past a lot of farmers, maybe through lack of information, would not have understood the importance of maintaining their PRSI contribu- tions, and a lot of them would have been disqualified because of this,” said Gerry McDonagh of the North Clare Farm Family Support Service.

“Getting on top of this is something that could benefit a lot of farmers. Farmers need to make sure that once they reach the age of 56 that they must be making PRSI contributions.

“But it 1s a complex situation for

farmers, some of who might have worked off the farm for a time. Basi- cally any farmers who want to secure a state pension for themselves should try and attend on the night. It’s a very complex area.”

The cost of entering the event is €20 per farming family. However admission is free for all IFA mem- bers or present and future clients of the Farm Family Support Service. Complimentary tea and sandwiches will also be provided for all who at- tend. For more information, please contact Gerry McDonagh, Rural Development Officer North Clare Farm Family Support Service at 065 7072467 or 086 8544036.

A GORT whizz kid will next month take on some of Ireland most talent- ed young minds in a competition to design a new version of Space Invad- ae

Finn Krewer, a Leaving Cert stu- dent from Gort Community School, has qualified for a major program- ming competition which takes place at the Tipperary Institute on March iF

Finn will be one of just two sec- ond level students taking part in the competition, with the vast majority of entries coming from third level students and above. The competition is being organised to mark the 30th

anniversary of the creation Space Invades, which went on to revolu- tionise technology and help bring the computer to the masses.

“We all got a starter pack and a very basic version and we all had to design three levels of space invad- ers,’ he said.

“We were asked to keep the game play fairly similar to the original but the functions, graphics, sound and memory are all your own. It’s for the X-Box 360 so you have more abilities in the design than you would iLeyweee NOAA

“It’s difficult enough, you do need some good coding experience. It’s all hard code, there is a nice developing environment but you still need to be

able to write thousands of lines of code.”

The event is also being used to launch Tipperary Institute’s new De- gree in Computing and Game Design and Development. ‘Talent scouts from major computer game companies SEGA, BlackRock Studios (Disney Interactive Studios), Square ENIX and Blitz Games will be in Thurles for the event.

“I started programming pretty young and then last year I represent- ed Ireland in the Imaging Cup which is sponsored by Microsoft. Myself and a friend programmed artificial intelligence strategies for computer- ised robots to move around in and work,” continued Finn.

“IT was also in the young scientist last year where we developed an electromagnetic glove. It was a crazy idea of a friend of mine and I ended up making all the electronics for that. This year we tried to make a virtual chemistry lab. It was very simple but it was really the idea of it that we were trying to get across.

‘Tam also helping a group of second years in the school with their coding. They are taking part in a competition called Schoolbots, which is small lit- tle tanks moving around and trying to blow each other up.”

OF uu (orem Menara Leys feature on the area after one of their journalists enjoyed a stay in east Clare on her holidays.

Theresa Brown of East Clare Tour- ism said her organisation had been involved in helping the newspaper to put together an article on things to do and amenities in the Lough Derg

area.

“They had a huge interest in the lake and the various activities avail- able and they were particularly inter- ested in fishing and other activities,” said Theresa. “We gave them all the information we could. We’re very pleased that the area is getting this kind of exposure and publicity.”

A spokesperson for Clare County Council said the local authority had also been involved in supplying in- formation on places to stay and things to do in the environs of Lough Doyse

Meanwhile, the East Clare Tourism

organisation held its annual general meeting last week, and elected Ea- mon Moroney of Scariff as chair- man, and Bodyke councillor, Colm Wiley as vice chair.

Teresa Brown was appointed sec- retary and Mary Corry of Tulla was elected assistant secretary. Joint treasurers for the year are Vera O’Rourke of Mountshannon and Elaine Rodgers of Whitegate.

Councillor Pat Hayes told the group that funds have been sanctioned by Clare County Council to support their work.

Members of East Clare Tourism

attending the AGM said they were very pleased with the proposed de- velopment of the hotel, golf club and equestrian centre at Tinarana, which, it was felt would greatly enhance the amenities in Lough Derg and the surrounding area.

The next meeting of the group will take place on March 11 in Teach Ui Bhriain at 8pm.

NEW facilities which will help pro- mote the increasingly popular farm- er’s market in Killaloe are being sought.

Local councillor, Tony O’Brien is to ask Clare County Council to cost the provision of facilities such as electricity, running water, signage and road markings for the site of Kil- laloe Farmers Market.

The call will go out to the council’s Director of Services at a meeting of the Killaloe area representatives of the council today.

“The market has become a very popular feature in Killaloe each

Sunday and I have met with some of the traders about their concerns and ways in which the market could be supported and improved,’ Cllr O’Brien said.

He added that those stalls which require power, such as hot food ven- dors and stalls which need chill ca- pacity for fresh food, are currently using generators.

“A power supply would be a big help to the traders and would help create a more pleasant atmosphere at the weekly event,” he said.

Farmers markets are becoming well supported countrywide as peo- ple become more aware of where their food comes from and buying

locally sourced and produced food gains in popularity.

“This is in line with Minister John Gormley’s recent statement about supporting local markets,” said Cllr O’Brien.

He added that he is “not asking the county council to pay for these facilities. just to cost them. Once we know what is involved, then we can look at what finances are available and maybe do some sort of scheme which involves input from the mar- kets vendors and whatever funding 1s available.”

The move to improve conditions for the market comes as Clare County Council finalises details of its desig-

nated casual trading areas.

The new by-laws on casual trad- ing will control where stall holders can set up and the area between the waters has been designated as one of these areas.

Meanwhile, Cllr O’Brien will also be chasing the local authority to check the water supply system in Killaloe to ensure there will be no further loss of supply like the one which affected homes in the town last week.

A leaking main was responsible, dumping 40,000 gallons a day into the ground.

“We can’t have this happening in the long term,” said Cllr O’Brien.

IN 2005/06 Scariff Community College’s Home Economics Depart- ment with the help of Red Branch – an international health and lifestyle consultancy – set about trying to encourage a change of attitude to- wards healthy eating and a healthy Perea (er

A survey was carried out by Red Branch to determine lifestyle pat- terns of students and the four main issues addressed as a result of this Survey were:

To increase water consumption.

To increase fruit consumption.

To encourage the eating of a healthy lunch.

To increase physical activity for girls.

Initially the vending machines were removed from the school cor- ridors and instead bottled water was for sale from the school canteen at a reduced price.

To tackle the low levels of fruit consumption a school fruit micro- business was established. Through this initiative transition year students were responsible for sourcing, order- ing, promoting and selling organic fruit. A local supplier Blue Moon Farm is used and around 4,540 units of fruit are sold per term.

Lunches were the big problem. Foods high in saturated fats, sugar and additives were the mainstay of

lunches and all were easily available from local fast-food outlets. Meet- ings were held between Red Branch, teachers and the student council to solve this dilemma. After a period of trial and error we now have a system in place which suits everybody.

Pallas Foods supply a variety of fill- ings for sandwiches, rolls and wraps. All these have been evaluated for salt, sugar and fat content and only foods that are trans fat free are per- mitted for sale, along with organic soup, smoothies and orange juice.

A group called Teenage Lifestylers introduced hip hop dancing, tae kwon-do and yoga for girls who are not into contact sports. The dancing is a big hit and is a regular feature in

school variety shows and musicals.

‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ philosophy is promoted in transition year with a trip to an outdoor edu- cation centre for a week’s activities in October, a programme of fitness training with power bags by Fitness Solutions from Ennis in November/ December and a personal develop- ment programme in March.

PUBLIC patients in Clare are wait- ing up to a year for a critical lifesav- ing test.

It emerged this week that Clare patients referred to the University College Hospital Galway for colon- OScopy examinations are waiting up to 12 months.

Those referred to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick for these crucial tests to determine life-threat- ening diseases such as bowl cancer are waiting up to nine months.

Urgent referals to the Limerick hos- pital are seen within “two to three” weeks, while urgent referrals to UCHG are “prioritised”.

Last October Kilkenny woman Su- sie Long died from bowl cancer.

The brave woman had highlight- ed how a seven-month wait for her colonoscopy meant that it was too late when her cancer was detected.

Shortly after her death, the govern- ment vowed that such a fatal delay would never occur again, but yet the waiting list remains.

SUN our CBM hmele tone more ce

ing the waiting lists to see if those on the waiting lists still require the test and then assessing patients for the Treatment Purchase Fund.

Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the large colon and of the small bowel with a fibre op- tic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It can provide a visual diagnosis and grants the op- portunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.

Meanwhile the Irish Country Wom- an’s Association 1s also critical of de- lays in the healthy service.

The ICA is to discuss waiting times of up to two years in Limerick for mammogrammes for woman who are concerned but have no obvious Symptoms of breast cancer at its na- tional meeting in Cork on Saturday.

The meeting will also discuss the delays in the publication of enquiries into breast cancer services in Limer- ick, Galway and Portlaoise, including the report into the misdiagnoses of Killaloe woman Rebecca O’ Malley.

After learning that, for ‘legal rea- sons’, the release of the HIQA report into her breast cancer misdiagnosis

has now been delayed for a third time in as many months, the mother of three is demanding that the ability of individuals or groups within our health services to delay or block the publication of independent reports that deal with issues relevant to pa- tient safety, should be severely cur- Aer!

“It really makes me despair that any recommendations within the re- port into my case still cannot be im- plemented,’ said Ms O’ Malley.

The report was initially to be pub- lished on December 17.

GARDAI are urging people to keep an eye on their elderly neighbours, after an 82-year-old man died at his home last week. Christopher Nugent was found dead at his house at Kil- feara, Kilkee, last Tuesday evening.

Neighbours alerted gardai, who at- tended the scene. Mr Nugent’s body was found close to a two-bar heater in the sitting room of the house.

Gardai believe he may have fallen from a chair and landed near the heater. The cause of the sudden death was possibly medical.

Mr Nugent was last seen on Mon- day evening, after he returned to his home, from Kilkee town.

The State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy carried out a post mortem examination on Mr Nugent’s body, at the Mid Western Regional Hospi- tal, Limerick. Garda forensic officers also carried out a detailed examina- tion of the scene.

While the final report on the post mortem will not be available for some time, initial reports have concluded that the cause of death was not suspi- cious. The rear door of his home was unlocked, but gardai are satisfied that no other person gained entry to the |ateyeslon

“We are not treating this as suspi- cious at the moment. Investigations are still ongoing and we are wait- ing for the State Pathologist’s final

report,’ said Superintendent Declan Brogan, who is leading the investiga- tion into the incident.

The Chief Fire Officer in Clare is also stressing the importance of fire safety in the home, in the wake of the tragic death of Mr Nugent.

“The fire service regularly pro- vides fire safety talks and presenta- tions to various groups, including the ICA and retired persons’ groups and would be pleased to assist if possible. Should groups want to avail of our assistance, they should contact the fire service on 065 6846302,” said Adrian Kelly.

INTEGRATION and community will form the key themes of an Afro- Irish festival of music planned for Ennis in March.

The main aim of the Afro-Irish gospel extravaganza, details of which were revealed last week, seeks to bring together Ennis’ African and Irish communities through music.

Taking place on Saturday, March 22, the event will feature a host of traditional African and Irish musi- GETS

Organised by the Ennis _ based Foundation Ministries, the concert at elor will feature performances from the Children of Soweto Group, the Ennis Youth Choir, Mary Ayo Tade,

James Kilbane and many other art- ists and choirs from abroad.

Event organiser and singer Chinwe Obadeyi explained Easter was cho- sen specifically as the ideal time to bring the two communities together.

She said, “It 1s important that in- tegration takes place in Ennis. We were trying to think what would be the best way of bringing Irish and Africans’ together and we though the best was through music. Music is the best way to it. I saw that when I launched my cd in Ennis”.

She continued “Easter is a good time to do it because it 1s such an im- portant time for people with a Chris- tian faith. Irish and African people share very strong religious beliefs and hopefully we can use this occa-

sion as an united force”’.

A prominent member of Ennis’s African community, Obadey1 moved to Ennis from Nigeria eight years ago.

Having completed her education in Ireland at the University of Limerick, Obadeyi released her debut album, Beyond the Sky, in Ennis two years ago.

She is a founding member of the Foundation Ministries Church and is also an active member of the African Forum in Ireland.

She said the concert will celebrate aspects of African and Irish culture.

“There will be music, dance, Afro- beats, Irish set dancing, everything. The African community has been made very welcome in Ennis and

we want to give something back to the town. This is one of showing that appreciation. In the future maybe we ll organise exhibitions, or fash- ion shows, but for we are focusing on music. It is a great way to show USD IA Vaan

Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy and Mayor of Ennis Tommy Bren- nan are both being invited to open the event. Obadeyi urged people in Ennis to come out and support the event.

“We have got great support from people. It’s going to be a great night and the best way people in Ennis can show their support is by com- ing along. This is the only way it can work. We need the presence of Ennis people to make the event a success”.

IT looks like another busy week for students at Barefield National school as they prepare to highlight the bene- fits of an active and healthy lifestyle.

After a month where the school continued its drive for green flag sta- tus with a series of environmentally friendly initiatives, staff and students will take part in another important promotional campaign.

Pupils from Barefield National School will this week join the list of schools nationwide who are cel- ebrating Active School Week. For the school this means increasing the amount of time spent on PE and

physical activity and highlighting the benefits of an active lifestyle.

According to teacher Peadar Mc- Mahon that means a number of ac- tivities running throughout the week including an infant programme which involves different events every day culminating in a Blitz on Friday March 7.

First class pupils are taking the whole thing very seriously by organ- ising a survey on physical activity, which will focus on their favour- ite activities and how to promote a healthier lifestyle for all the family. Of course, the events next week in Barefield National School will in- volve students from different nation-

alities and even the language teacher has been drafted in to explain the intricacies of cricket amongst many other things!

Active School Week is the high- light of the Active School Awards 2008 which is a nationwide search for the schools who best incorporate physical activity into their school CEMA

The Awards, which are now in their fourth year, are funded by the De- partment of Education and Science and entries are assessed on a region- al basis and then a short list will be invited to the National Celebration Event in May 2008 where the win- ners receive cash prizes.

The closing date for submissions is April 4 and those interested in participating should log onto www. activeschoolawards.ie

The Active Schools Awards for 2008 was launched by Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Education and Sci- ence at St Clare’s Primary School, Harold’s Cross, Dublin on Friday 18th January._

The main aim of this initiative is to raise the profile of PE and co-curric- ular physical activity in the context of the introduction of the Primary J SCUiw ue levee mr-DeCeMdsComMiebeN OME OaVelle PE syllabus and to promote lifelong involvement in sport and physical activity.