The Clare People Archive

STAFF at Aer Lingus in Shannon have expressed concerns that they are no longer retraining for short- haul flights.

The 169 cabin crew at the airline must take part in a refresher course every year to retain the licence nec- essary to work on short-haul flights.

In recent months, however, staff returning from maternity leave were told that they would not be retrained in short-haul flights this year, just transatlantic.

Sources close to the airline said that since then no other cabin crew have been called for short-haul flight training. A concerned Shan- non worker said that staff have since learnt that a mandate has been issued stating such training will no longer continue in Shannon.

“If a case of lightning striking the plane happens in Shannon again, as it did at the weekend, and the plane is grounded, another crew will have to be brought from Dublin to accom- pany the passengers to Dublin as the new flight will be considered short-

haul.”

The worker said that the training 1s just one extra module with the trans- atlantic retraining and a few extra questions on the annual teat.

If this continues, there will be no staff trained in short-haul flights in Shannon this time next year. Mean- while, talks are continuing at the La- bour Relations Commission, based in Shannon for the first time ever.

While Aer Lingus is looking for 51 redundancies following the removal of the Heathrow slots from Shannon, it is believed that just 20 employees

have applied for the severance deal.

The original cut-off point for ap- plications for the severance deal was this Thursday but that has been ex- tended for three weeks, so staff can consider any recommendations made by the LRC.

Meanwhile, the last Aer Lingus flight to London-Heathrow will leave Shannon on Sunday.

Speaking on Radio One’s

GREEN Party councillor, Brian Meaney has accused his party col- league, Energy Minister, Eamon Ryan of showing little sensitivity towards the Shannon Heathrow controversy.

Cllr Meaney made the charge yes- terday after Minister Ryan admitted that he went and relaxed on a beach during a family holiday last August after hearing about the Aer Lingus decision to axe the Shannon-Heath- row service.

In a radio interview last week, Minister Ryan said, “I turned on the

radio every morning and heard that Shannon was top of the news. I’d just turn off the radio and go back to the beach and relax for the day so I had a lovely holiday. It was a great break.”

The minister’s remarks have pro- voked an angry reaction from Clare’s mayor, Cllr Patricia McCarthy and yesterday Cllr Meaney said, “Minis- ter Ryan’s remarks showed little sen- sitivity to the issue and to those who gave up their annual holidays to try to save the slots.”

Cllr Meaney said that Minister Ryan’s decision to relax on a beach

after hearing of the Shannon-Heath- row controversy reflected the attitude of the political establishment to the crisis last year.

Cllr Meaney said, “Minister Ry- an’s remarks were off the cuff and he could have chosen his words more or Nacsa veh Yam

Cllr Meaney said that the failure of the political establishment to act on the Shannon issue reinforces his belief that there is a certain indiffer- ence to the mid-west from Dublin.

In the aftermath of the Aer Lingus decision during the summer, Cllr Meaney said that he is considering

his future within the Greens and he confirmed yesterday that he hasn’t made his mind up on his future.

He said, “The Shannon-Heathrow controversy precipitated my thinking about my future within the Greens and other issues that will affect my decision include how the Greens view the upcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.”

Cllr Meaney said that there was very little that the Government could have done on the Shannon-Heathrow issue in the face of the Aer Lingus management transferring the slots by stealth.

FARMERS are being encouraged to place an embargo on cattle being sold to factories — unless a major price increase is forthcoming.

Stock levels being sold to factories are currently at very low levels and any further decrease in the supply coming to factories could result in shortages of Irish beef in the home market.

Last Thursday, IFA president Pad- raig Walshe said that Irish farmers are not prepared to Sell cattle with- out a substantial price increase. Mr Walshe said that with finished cat- tle supplies extremely tight, factory

procurement managers and agents are finding it impossible to get stock at current price levels ranging from €2.97/kg (06p/Ib) to €3.14/kg (112p/Ib).

“Finished cattle supplies are ex- tremely scarce and farmers with cat- tle to sell have something factories desperately need. There was a full sell-out of beef in both the UK and domestic markets over the Christ- mas period and there is nothing left in stock,” he said.

“Brazil is now out of the picture and retailers cannot plan for any availability of Brazilian beef consid- ering the recent decision of the EU Grosenbeebicsy (eye mae

IFA National Livestock Commit- tee Chairman John Bryan said cat- tle feeders are determined to secure higher prices for finished stock to cover the substantial feed price in- creases this year and leave a reason- able margin.

The cost of finishing cattle has increased greatly, especially in the winter, as the cost of feed has risen greatly across Europe. This increase is a result of a scarceness in corn, due to poor weather conditions across Europe in 2007 and the loss of a number of traditional corn pro- ducers to bio-fuel.

“Brazil is now out of the equa- tion. Finished cattle supplies are not

available in any volumes in either Ireland or the UK and retail demand remains very strong,’ said Mr Bry- 2aOe

‘Factories had the power on price prior to Christmas with large num- bers of cattle coming off grass. The price power balance has now shifted to the farmer. Cattle numbers are scarce and farmers must demand a major price increase.

‘Factories need the cattle and now is the time for cattle farmers to insist on a price that covers production costs and leave a reasonable margin. Factories need to respond posi- tively to ensure a year-round cattle

supply.”

FOLLOWING the Government climb-down on the water charges issue in primary schools before Christmas, farmers have launched a fresh campaign seeking a transitional period to be introduced governing the payment of water charges. Speaking last week, IFA Con- naught vice president Michael Silke said that contradictory comments made by various Government min- isters and Department of Environ- ment officials over the last number of weeks have caused further confusion as to the extent to which the penal

watering charging regime needs to be introduced. “Local authorities now recognise the excessive charges which are being imposed on farmers and are supporting the Irish Farm- ers’ Association (IFA) in our plight for fair and equitable water charging for all,” he said.

“This Government and the De- partment of the Environment have allowed local authorities to unfairly impose an inequitable domestic wa- ter usage restriction on farm families while every other user of local au- thority water has unlimited usage.”

Mr Silke has been critical of the local authority meter charges and

the charge for leaking water asso- ciated with the inadequate water Hevea KieueCe MUD KSs

“It is ludicrous to expect the farming community to pay for years of underinvestment in water infra- structure. It is ridiculous that farmers are expected to pay for the antiquat- ed leaking water pipes and the water, which never even reaches the farm. Farmers are not prepared to pay for water leakage or infrastructure,” Mr Silke added.

“The new water charging regime proposed by local authorities lacks clarity, varies 1n each county and penalises farmers for the excessive

water leakage of some 64 per cent, which local authorities have in their water infrastructure.

“IT cannot see how this Government can justify various levels of water charges, which for the average dairy farmer in a county such as Sligo will make it more than €1,500 more expensive to produce and process milk for drinking than other neigh- bouring countries.

“Until local authorities and the min- ister for the environment propose a reasonable water charging regime for farmers the IFA are advising farm- ers to pay the annual flat rates which were 1n place in previous years.”

WHILE businesses nationally were complaining of a slow Christmas trade, the west Clare capital was celebrating one of its busiest festive seasons in recent years.

“Given all the gloom and pessi- mism nationally we were pleasantly surprised to find Christmas trade slightly up on last year,’ said one busy retailer.

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce

reported that the businesses of the town were very pleased with trade this year.

PRO for the chamber Charles Glynn lay some of the success with the new designer Christmas lights which added new life to the town.

“It gave us as terrific boost,” he Sr HLGe

A special promotion day on Decem- ber 16 also started off the Christmas trade in style as shoppers availed of 20 per cent off at most shops.

While last year the west Clare capi- tal may have had to recycle decade old lights this year its residents and visitors had a state of the art LED lighting display to bring festive cheer to the town.

Designing the display for the mari- time town took a lot of planning, with challenges like the width of Francis Street having to be overcome.

The lights will be installed in two stages with the majority of the work already completed this year.

The main streets were lit up for December 2007, with smaller streets catered for in the second phase.

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Kilrush Town Council is currently undertaking the ambitious “Spirit of Kilrush Christ- mas Lighting Project’.

Th project is being supported by generous sponsorship from ESB Moneypoint, Kilrush Credit Union and other smaller businesses in the area.

THE innovative village of Miltown Malbay has produced yet another first this week – a new Family Re- course Centre.

The newly finished state-of-the-art building will provide a variety of Support services to parents from the area, including childcare facilities, a home work club, internet café and a meeting room.

The brainchild of a number of lo-

cal women, Spraoi Family Resource Centre, has the capacity to care for 80 children in total.

Project co-ordinator Francis Mc- Mahon said that for years working parents had to bring their children to Inagh and Toonagh for childcare.

‘There was no pre-school for our kids,” she said.

In September 1999, a group of five local women decided to open a pre- school.

They registered with the Pre-School

Association and rented a room from the community centre.

The determined group approached the health board for a grant after which they renovated the room and employed two play leaders, a special needs assistant and other staff.

The service was so popular locally the group had to rent a second room for the 36 children enrolled.

Realising the success to date the ambitious group carried out a feasi- bility study of the area to see what

1 ADE GM mis (Con LoKom ie LUUNKCOE

Leasing the land from the VEC the Spraoi committee set about building the new unit onto the West Clare Re- course Centre.

With the support of letters and emails from the local community the group received grant aid for the building in 2005.

The equipment for the new centre was sourced locally. The complete project cost €750,000 to build.

Even before the new centre, which opens this week, was advertised peo- ple were registering their children from as far away as Doonbeg and OT rer

The innovated centre will not just cater for working parents, but will provide a drop off service for parents who wish to go shopping or keep ap- pointments and require a baby-sit- ting service.

Children will also be dropped off to school and picked up in the evening.

The centre contains a baby sleep and awake room for nine babies, 20 “waddlers” for children aged nine months to two years and pre-school facilities for 40 children and after- school facilities for 20 more chil- Chon

Spraoi will employ 16 full time staff, eight part time staff, a man- ager, office and admin staff, a cook and a cleaner. Further information contact 065 7079893.

EAST clare land owners are calling for an extension of time to appeal their lands being included in Special Protection Areas (SPA’s) for the Hen Harrier.

Lands on Sliabh Aughty and envi- rons have been earmarked as breed- ing grounds for the birds by the Na- tional Parks and Wildlife Service.

But while many farmers are wel- coming the move as it will give them payments on land which is otherwise

nothing but mountain scrub, others say there 1s confusion about what the designation will mean, with no clarity on the matter coming from the Wildlife Service.

After two meetings held before Christmas in Tulla and Scariff with representatives of the Wildlife Serv- ice explaining the implications of the designations, local landowner and councillor, Pat Hayes, says that there are still many questions to be answered.

“Some landowners have been told

that it will not affect planning ap- plications which they might make on their lands but we don’t have that officially. We do know that every planning application which comes before the local authority relating to these areas now has to be forwarded to the Wildlife Service but planning is the remit of the local authority, not the Wildlife Service.

“There’s a lot of confusion. Peo- ple can opt out of the designation scheme but they will still be subject to certain restrictions — it’s just not

clear to many people whether they would be better in or out of the scheme,” said Cllr Hayes.

It’s with this in mind that the serv- ice 1s to be asked to extend the dead- line for landowners to appeal being included in the SPA’s beyond Febru- ary 8.

“We need at least a couple of months for people to find out what the drawbacks and restrictions are and what the advantages might be in their own cases. As of now, a lot of people just don’t know,” he said.

VISITORS to Tulla next week will be able to go away with a piece of the past as well as having a look at the future of art in east Clare.

In conjunction with a ‘Percent for Art’ project commissioned by the Clare Arts Office, resident artist, Kathleen Moroney will open her stu- dio at The Stables to the public on select Saturdays during January and February.

Kathleen was given the opportunity by the arts office to create a project that would reflect her local surround- ings at the studios.

The themes that have inspired Kath- leen’s work to date reflect on gradual change and the passage of time. This

current project, entitled ‘2nd Gen- eration’ 1s in direct response to the transition of the stables into artist’s studios.

The facility was lovingly restored under the eagle eye of award-win- ning local architect, Siobhan Mul- cachy and has been running for two years now.

The building was originally the stables for the local great house and now rising artists are awarded leas- es of studio space to help them get SIDE Kslee

“In recent time a number of public buildings in Tulla have been success- fully renovated and continue to func- tion in a new capacity. These build- ings serve as a visual timeline that unites the past with the present,” said

Kathleen.

For her project, Kathleen is using the old cobblestones from the site, ‘as a metaphor to reflect change”’.

She is currently making plaster moulds of a number of the stones and in the coming weeks will re-create them in porcelain clay and fire them in the kiln to create a bone-like ce- ramic cobblestone, that will resemble the original — “the ‘2nd Generation of the stone”, she explained.

Kathleen is particularly interested in the cobblestones as they were part of the original structure, dating from 1817, containing tangible traces of the past.

While this project is ongoing, Kath- leen will welcome visitors to view the process and participate. Her stu-

dio will be open to the public from 11.00am to 4.00pm on seven con- secutive Saturdays: January 12, 19, 26 and February 2, 9, 16, 26.

The project will culminate with an exhibition of the porcelain cobble- stones in the Studio Gallery on the last weekend in March.

“Visitors to The Stables on this weekend and throughout the event, will be invited to take away one of the porcelain cobblestones, a symbol of the past and present,” Kathleen told

THE WEALTH of new cultural influ- ences which have poured into Ireland since the expansion of the European Union has not bypassed east Clare.

More than a hundred Polish people are now living and working in and around the Scariff area.

To give the new east Clare residents a place to meet and socialise, a new Polish association is being mooted while there is already a Polish coffee morning at Brian and Joe’s Cafe in the village. The coffee morning takes place every Sunday morning from around 10am.

Coffee and tea are served, along with home-made Polish cakes.

Those who help out at the coffee shop event stress that it is not just for Polish people and lots of local people drop in for a hot drink and chat too.

Part of the attraction for Polish workers are the numerous work op- portunities in the locality. Finsa is a major employer, as is AJ Precision in Tuamgraney, as well as Gala super- market and various building sites.

Ola and Tolek Szostak came to Ireland from Poland 18 years ago. They are now well established in east Clare, and their children have grown up here.

Ola is the driving force behind the initiative and is in the process of set- ting up a formal association to cater to the needs of the Polish commu- nity.

‘We want to do some research first to determine the needs and aspira- tions of this group, as at present we know very little about them,” she says. “One of the first issues to ad- dress is language. Many Eastern Europeans arrive with little knowl- edge of English, so we would like to provide English lessons to help them integrate professionally and person- rN A

The coffee shop has been going for

more than six weeks and has gener- ated new ideas for providing activi- ties and entertainment that will both bring Polish people together and pro- vide opportunities to socialise with local people. Possibilities include showing Polish films and setting up sports and other activities.

A “continental” disco has also been going for some time in Ryan’s on Saturday nights, with DJ David, a member of the Polish community.

Plans for the future include putting together a float for St Patrick’s Day and also to become involved in the prepaprations and celebrations in the Scariff Harbour Festival.

EAST Clare virtuoso violinist, Eliz- abeth Cooney, hit the right note when she called in a political promise of

help to scale musical heights.

The 29-year old — one of the bright- est stars in the classical music world — set her heart on a 300-year old vio- rhe

The only problem was the price tag, which read €427,000.

But Elizabeth picked the instru- ment by Venice musical craftsmaster Matteo Goffriller in a London show-

rooms over 14 other violins, some with pice tags of a million Euro.

‘I just loved it the moment I played it. But I had to rack my brians to see what I could do,” Elizabeth told