The Clare People Archive

, suggested that the loss of the Aer Lingus Heathrow service could open up the possibility of new connections to China, South East Asia and India.

Referring to reports that the Shan- non Airport Authority had identified potential cost savings on the Heath- row route that could be passed on to the airline to encourage it to keep the slots in Shannon, Mr Slattery said if this was true, there was a funda- mental lesson there for the airport authority.

‘Stable doors are best shut while the horse is still inside. Aer Lingus might not have given warning of its inten- tions towards Heathrow but the onus was equally on the airport authority to be vigilant rather than complacent towards its airline customer base. Its management of costs should be as ruthless as that of its current leading airline customer – Ryanair.

“*T don’t believe that the Government emerges with either credit or cred- ibility from the situation. It is diffi- cult to see how maintaining a neutral position on such an important com- mercial decision squares with retain- ing a 25 per cent so-called strategic shareholding in the company. But it

seems quite clear that Aer Lingus is not for turning and that the Govern- ment is not going to intervene.

“The loss of the Heathrow connec- tion is unquestionably bad news. But it does have the silver lining of oblig- ing us to take stock. Initially, the objective was a simple restoration of

the Heathrow slots. Now, equivalent connectivity to any nearby major hub that can offer a wide range of far reaching destinations in one further hop would be a successful outcome. Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam are the most obvious candidates along- side Heathrow.

“Already, we are witnessing a marked shift in the balance of glo- bal economic clout away from North America and Europe towards China, South East Asia and India. IBEC has called for more direct flights between Ireland and Asia and I don’t see why Shannon shouldn’t aspire to connect directly with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bombay or Mumbai.

“There is no reason why the Mid- west can’t establish itself as the Euro- pean centre of excellence not just for people from this continent seeking to immerse themselves in the culture and ways of the large economies of Asia but also for their counterparts from China or India seeking to reach out and develop their understanding of how Europe works. Provided we have the confidence to believe in our own capacities, this region can be- come the premier European hub for commercial and intellectual inter- action and communication between Europe and Asia,” Mr Slattery con- cluded.

THERE was great news for Clare beef farmers last Wednesday with the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan, that Saudi Arabia was to open its doors once again to Irish beef.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia im- posed a temporary ban on Irish beef in 2000 following concerns over the spread of Bovine Spongiform En- cephalopathy (BSE).

The market is now to be reopened under the conditions recommended by Saudi experts who visited Ireland in June of this year.

This move is a significant victory for Coughan who has been courting Saudi officials for months in an ef- fort to reopen negotiations, and even paid an official state visit to the king- dom earlier this year.

Following on from the visit by Coughaln and An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, the Department of Agricul- ture in co-operation with An Bord Bia and the Department of Foreign Affairs had been working intensely to have the temporary ban removed.

Speaking after the announcement, the minister said this positive news was the result of intensive efforts at political, diplomatic and technical level especially since the beginning

of this year. “This is a very welcome decision as Saudi was traditionally an important market for Irish beef.”

“The decision by the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reopen their market to Irish beef was taken following an on-the- spot examination of the rigorous controls applied and reflects the high standards of food safety controls in place in Ireland.”

The minister said that she expected trade to resume as soon as the indi- vidual slaughter plants designated to supply the market are approved by the Saudi authorities.

Meanwhile, IFA President, Padraig Walshe said last week that EU Health

and Consumer Affairs Commission- er Markos Kyprianou has no choice but to impose a ban on Brazilian beef, as further procrastination on the issue was leaving the European Union exposed to unnecessary risk.

“Commissioner Kyprianou admit- ted that if the situation with Brazil does not improve the EU will take the necessary action including the implementation of a ban on beef 1m- ports by the end of this year.””.

Walshe said an assessment of the risks with Brazilian beef imports un- dertaken by the veterinary expert Dr Kevin Dodd has concluded that the EU Commission’s risk assessment 1s both ‘flawed and inadequate’.

CLARE families are being urged to Support a new Bothar initiative that will prepare African villages to re- ceive gifted livestock.

Bothar, the Irish charity that spe- cialises in livestock-based develop- ment programmes, has launched the Give the Gift of Trees Campaign, a unique promotion with Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. The charity has set a goal of planting 150,000 trees for disadvantaged communities in eight African countries.

The Give the Gift of Trees Cam- paign will help develop sustainable farming practices in Tanzania, Ma- lawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and Uganda.

In these countries, Bothar will train farmers in good environmental prac- tices to ensure the saplings improve the ecological balance by controlling erosion and maintaining soil fertil- LANs

To help African families, Irish families are encouraged to collect special tokens from boxes of Kel- loge’s Corn Flakes and send them to Kellogg’s. All of the money con- tributed goes directly to Bothar and for every 10 donations Kellogg’s will fund an additional 10 trees. The Give the Gift of Trees Campaign will run on Kellogg’s Corn Flakes boxes until Christmas.

“Trees are the critical first step toward sustainable agriculture, and Bothar requires that trees be plant-

ed before a family can receive any gifted livestock,” said Father Peter Ssenkaayi, who works in Uganda for eXojaer-e

“Trees are special because they serve so many vital functions. They provide fruit, shade, wind breaks, animal fodder, fencing, and build- ing materials. In addition, they are crucial to preventing soil erosion and flooding, while replenishing nu- trients in the soil to make farming more productive.”

Fr Peter noted that trees provide an entire tool kit for African farmers, helping them to support themselves and their families. “This is a won- derful opportunity for Irish families to support families in Africa who are trying to improve their lives by es-

tablishing sustainable farms.”

“Trees form an integral part of all Bothar livestock projects and form a central part of Bothar’s commitment to finding a sustainable solution to world hunger and poverty. Bothar strives to replenish depleted forest areas and teach communities the benefits of cultivating one of nature’s greatest gifts.

“During dry periods, when feed for livestock is scarce, trees continue to produce fodder. A farmer who has a continuous supply of nutritious fod- der will have healthier animals year round, while a farmer whose animals are well fed only during the rainy season will ‘go back’ a bit during the dry season causing milk yield to be affected.”

STRIKE action at Ennis General hospital had been averted as man- agement and unions enter a second round of talks this week.

On Wednesday last an interim agreement was entered into after talks at the Labour Relations Com- mission, as both parties agreed to consider all proposal.

The talks convened after 90 per cent of the staff at the hospital voted for industrial action, claiming low staff- ing levels, brought to a head during the current HSE recruitment freeze, were endangering patients’ lives.

Meanwhile, the HSE released fig- ure yesterday showing that €2 billion was paid to 5,811 doctors, pharma- cies, dentists and optometrists/oph- thalmologists in 2006 through the Primary Care Reimbursement Serv- ice (PCRS), with €681 mullion of this in fees alone for services (in- cluding dispensing) delivered.

In county Clare an Ennis optome- trists was the third highest paid opti- cian under the scheme.

Dr Jarlath Gallagher from _ the Eyecare centre received a total of €164,770 under the scheme.

Ennistymon dentist Dr John Shee- han from the medical centre on Main

Street was listed as the highest paid in his profession in Clare under the scheme at €192,846.

Seven pharmacists in Clare were among the 500 pharmacists nation- ally that earned over €240,000.

Duffy’s Pharmacy in Ennis topped the Clare list receiving a total of €435,761. 191,560 was for medical card fees, €184,858 was under the Drugs Payment Scheme fees mark ups and €59,344 was for Long Term IlIness Scheme fee or mark up.

Over 600 GPs earned over €240,000 in fees in 2006, with 18 earning over €500,000 and one doc- tor receiving over €7/00,000.

The highest paid GP in Clare un- der the scheme was Dr Michael Kel- leher in Ennistymon who received €423,457 in total – €347,026 for fees and another €76,431 for practice Support.

The figures released showed the fees received under the public health schemes and did not include the earnings received by GPs and phar- macists through their private/retail eeu

Publishing the 2006 PCRS Over- view, the HSE confirmed that a to- tal of €2.07 billion had been paid in 2006, representing an increase of €194m in 2006.

that

there were two wards closed in the

unit as a result of the budget and re- cruitment freeze.

Patients who have been ready for

discharge are also confined to the

specialised rehabilitation hospital as the personnel for their follow up care or rehabilitation at homes are also af- fected by the controversial move by the HSE to tackle the projected €245 budget overspend.

As aresult the bed he left on a tem- porary basis just months ago is not available.

Ms Mc Tiernan said that her flancé is in a private bed in the neurosurg!- cal ward in Cork University Hospital that should be freed for another pa- tient “probably waiting in pain on a trolley”.

The young woman, who travels from Shannon to Cork every evening to see Gerard is in no doubt who is to blame:

“Mary Harney (the Minister for

Health) is saying that it is not affect- ing front line staff and patients but it is. Gerard paid his taxes for long enough and this is how he 1s repaid.”

Gerard suffered serious brain inju- ries as a result of a hit and run ac- cident that saw him propelled 10 feet into the air while on a golfing trip to Sy oy ube bey Eh are elon

The 44-year-old spent four months in a Malaga hospital following life Saving surgery that saw part of his skull removed.

The self-employed man then re- turned home and spent six months in the Mid Western Regional Hospi- tal Limerick, all the time awaiting a place in Dun Laoghaire.

After intensive campaigning and fighting by his fiancée he got a place

in the rehabilitation unit in late May of this year, a year after the life alter- ing accident.

Two weeks into his rehabilitation treatment he was sent to Cork Uni- versity Hospital to have a titanium plate inserted in his skull, an opera- tion that was to aid his recovery and have him away from the rehabilita- tion unit for just a week.

Further complications meant that the Shannon father of one had to stay in Cork for three months of intensive treatment including painful spinal taps.

As he was confined to bed a lot of the rehabilitation work was undone, but two months ago the doctors gave him the all clear to return for reha- eyebie-nele)eF

The recruitment freeze has meant that the Shannon man must stay put, however, losing vital time away from the unit.

‘The first 18 months are crucial for major brain surgery patients like Ger because that is when they re-learn to speak and walk again,” said Yvonne.

Gerard has just a three-month win- dow left to return to the rehabilita- tion unit for maximum impact and the young couple are aware that time is very quickly running out.

‘We can’t move on with the rest of our lives,’ said a frustrated Yvonne.

She said that while Gerard was in Cork he had access to intensive phys- iotherapy and a speech therapist – treatment not available in Limerick.

He must therefore remain miles away from his eight-year-old son Adam and his fiancée.

Gerard is very aware of what is hap- pening to him and has regained some of his walk and a little speech.

SM elemolerravsleemeeteliB MoM mRMeieE-lKere| with his situation.

‘Mary Harney – what she is doing is affecting him and us for the rest of our lives. She is stopping him getting better,” said Yvonne.

“Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Fighting the system is unbelievable,” she said.

“It is hard enough to deal with the changes without these obstacles in OTe Ne

“It is not just Ger. The whole coun- try is being affected by it,’ said a tired and frustrated Ms McTiernan.

TODAY is an early pay day for Clare farmers. Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen received confirmation from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisher- ies and Food Mary Coughlan, that half of the advance single farm pay- ment will be paid out to Clare Farm- ers today, October 16.

While welcoming the confirmation Deputy Breen urged the minister to ensure that adequate resources are put in place in the SPS unit of the de- partment to deal with any outstand- ing farmers administrative queries 1n

the days preceding this payout.

Deputy Breen said “I welcome this acknowledgement by the minister of the serious problems experienced by Clare Farmers due to the bad weather. The Department has set up a Lo-Call Telephone Number 1890 252 235 in the SPS Unit to assist Clare Farmers with any outstanding queries.

“It is important that the depart- ment allocates sufficient staff in the SPS unit to deal with these queries; the farming community in County Clare should not experience any un- necessary delays because of the de- partment’s failure to assign adequate

resources,” said Deputy Breen.

During parlimentary questions the Fine Gael deputy asked the minis- ter if she would make 80 per cent of the advance single farm payment in October 2007, due to the increased costs incurred by farmers as a result of the bad weather.

Minister Coughlin said she ap- proached Commissioner Fischer Boel earlier this year, seeking her agreement to have payments made with effect from October 16 rather than December I, as is provided for in the relevant EU regulations.

“While the Commissioner indi-

cated that she could not agree to this request at this time, she did make it clear in her written response that she agreed with the need to work for greater simplification, proposing that the matter be further pursued in the broader context of the CAP Health Check, scheduled to commence later this year. “The commitment by the Commissioner to pursue this matter is important to Ireland, as we will be seeking, as part of the Health Check negotiations, a change in the Regula- tions to provide for a Single Payment Scheme payment commencement date of October 16,” she said.

THE gloves have come off and it’s starting to get personal. The ICMSA launched an incredible attack on Teagasc last week, describing their plans for a massive increase in the milk quotas as ‘half-baked and glo- rified pub talk’.

ICMSA president, Jackie Cahill, bashed Teagasc’s call for a massive expansion in milk quota and called on the organisation to weigh up the different quota options open to Ire- land and make a recommendation based on the best interests of Irish dairy farmers and the dairy sector

which those farmers underpin.

“This is unfortunately typical of the kind of half-baked theorising that Teagasc has lately chosen to describe as ‘research’ and which always seems to obscure a question rather than throwing some light on it,” said Cahill.

‘Proper research 1s needed and this is precisely what we’re not getting. Today’s statement might be charita- bly described as useless and could more accurately be described as con- fused nonsense.

“Dairy farmers will be veering be- tween amusement and bewilderment as they try and work out how a three

per cent increase in milk quota would depress milk prices and lead to an overall loss to dairy farmers while a 20 per cent increase in quota would leave many farmers better off.

“Can Teagasc tell us how many farmers and how much better off they’d be? What we’re seeing here — yet again — 1s Teagasc’s inability to give direct answers to relatively straightforward questions. [If it’ll help them, Ill happily set out here the questions to which dairy farmers need a direct answer from Teagasc.

“What will be the impact of milk price for every one per cent increase in quota, what will be the likely

price in Ireland for every one per cent reduction in the tariff protec- tion in WTO and what will be the likely price of milk if there was no quota?”

Last week Teagasc had called for a large expansion of the EU milk quo- ta, which they claimed would benefit the Irish dairy sector in advance of milk quota abolition, but may not suit all dairy farmers.

Teagasc economist, Trevor Don- nellan, said that if a large quota increase was agreed as part of the upcoming CAP Health Check, few other EU Member States would have the potential to increase production

is the title of the DVD which features a magical night of mu- sic by Mickaleen Conlon and friends, which was recorded in Greene’s pub, Ballyvaughan, on August 17, 1994.

The 13-year gap between that famous session and the release of the recording will be bridged on Octo- ber 26 when The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna hosts the launch of the

DVD, which also features some of the great names of traditional music.

Mickaleen Conlon was born in Poulnagun , three miles outside Lis- doonvarna, and lived all his life in an area that had a rich tradition of mu- sic, particularly “box’ music.

He learned the concertina from his father at a young age and was to car- ry his distinctive ‘hob’ style of play- ing with him all though his life. He later learned to play the accordion, at which he became equally adept.

The country house dances provided the setting for Mickaleen’s music in his youth and, in later years, he played in the pubs of north Clare,

especially the Roadside ‘Tavern, Where he enjoyed music for more than 50 years.

Apart from the rich musical tradi- tion which he represented, Micka- leen was also a great storyteller and humourist who is fondly remembered as a gentle and colourful character.

Indeed, one of the musicians who featured in that memorable session in August 1994, Sean Tyrrell, recalls Mickaleen’s legacy in the sleeve notes to the DVD in which he credits the Poulnagun maestro with teaching him the “art of magic in music”.

“T owe him a huge debt of gratitude for all the wondrous nights of music

we played together and shared with another musician, Shane Holden, who, like Mickaleen, is no longer with us. Shane helped me forge the style I have in song. No matter what rhythmic ramble I took, he was always there beside me, right on the beat. They were both masters of the rhythm, the bedrock of music’, ‘Tyr- rell said.

The DVD, which was produced by Dark Horse Films, also features the music of Vincent Browne (gul- tar), Gabriel Casey (whistle), Shane Holden (guitar), Liam Lewis (fiddle) as well as Tyrrell on vocals, mando- cello and banjo.

CLARE matchmaker Willie Daly and Matchmaking Festival organ- iser Marcus White are to travel to south-east Asia to share their match- making expertise with the people of Singapore.

The pair have been invited to address a conference next month organised by that country’s ministry of community development, youth and sports on November 2 and 3.

The Matchmakers’ Trade Seminar, which is the first meeting of its kind ever organised, will feature keynote speakers from Japan, Korea and Chi- na as well as the Lisdoonvarna pair.

“The Singapore chamber of com- merce is paying for them to come out and speak. They have witnessed the success of the festival here and have seen how it brings in €3.6 mil- hon for Lisdoonvarna,” said festival organiser Mark Flanaghan.

“It’s a double-edged sword really. They have invited us over because they want to start their own festivals in Asia.

“At the same time, we want to forge connections in that region so we can increase the number of people visit- ing Lisdoonvarna. We want them to bring a plane-load of people here for next year’s festival.”

Thousands of people _ visited

Lisdoonvarna over the past six weeks in one of the best-attended festivals in years. “This year was different from the last few years. We started to get a more middle-aged crowd back, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. I think that the television advertis- ing had a lot to do with that,” added Flanaghan.

“We have six weeks of a festival here, with dancing going from first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. There is no place in the world with that going on.

“The daytime dancing was really great this year. It’s not Lisdoonvarna, it’s the whole catchment area. People take trips to Fanore, out to Doolin,

all around the place. We get all kinds of people.

“We get people who would just come for the dancing and would have no interest in the matchmaking and we would get other people who would not have a dance through the whole festival.

“It is a great benefit for the area – there is really nothing like it.”

This year’s festival ended last weekend with the Mr Lisdoonvarna and the Queen of the Burren com- petitions. The coveted Queen of the Burren title was won by local woman Roisin Crowe, while Michael Hugh- es from Limerick city won the Mr Lisdoonvarna contest.

TWO Clare men are to brave the rugged terrain and sweltering heat of Cuba to take part in a gruelling six- day fundraising cycle in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

John Stack from Lisdoonvarna and Ennistymon man Matthew Grilf- fin will arrive in the country on November 6 to take part in the mam- moth challenge.

“I do a lot of charity stuff. I heard about this about three months ago, looked it up and it seemed like a good thing to do.

“IT have done fundraising work for cancer and the Irish Heart Founda-

tion but I haven’t done anything for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind,” said Mr Stack.

“We are going to Cuba on the November 6 and will be cycling for six full days out there. Matthew is going out as well but there will a group from all over the country.

“I do a lot of cycling myself but it’s mostly all charity stuff. In the past I have taken part in the Clare 250, the Wicklow 200, Inishowen Peninsula Cycle, Tour of Lough Corrib, the Tour of the Burren and the Ring of Kerry, so I am well used to the challenge.”

Last summer John was part of a eroup of cyclists from north Clare

who took on the most famous climb of them all, the Alpe d’Huez.

“It really was very challenging, the temperatures were totally unreal. When we started in the morning it was 29 degrees and before we be- gan to climb Alpe d’Huez it was 36 Olfeaneteny

“It was very hot but there was three massive climbs to tackle as well. It is the exact same stage that the rid- ers on the Tour de France did a week later,’ Mr Stack added.

“We are hoping to get a bit of a different type of challenge out in Cuba. That is one of the reasons for going, to get the change of scenery and to see what the terrain is like out

there as well.” Following the success of a charity poker challenge in Lynch’s Hotel last Saturday, John has organised another fundraising event for Doolin later this month.

“We have organised a 45-card drive game in McDermotts in Doolin for October 24. That’s starting at nine and people are welcome to come along to that,” he said.

“Otherwise, if people want to donate money to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, they can contact me directly on my mobile number, 086 2552709, or they can post anything to John Stack, Lisdoonvarna. Any donations made would be very wel- come indeed.”