The Clare People Archive

MEMBERS of Clare County Council have re-iterated their support for the retention of a 24-hour accident and emergency service at Ennis General Hospital, but not before clashing over the role of the Ennis Hospital Devel- opment Committee.

Speaking at last night’s meeting, Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said people in Clare deserved an A&E service that was on a par with service offered by their local

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Cllr McCarthy said, “We are ex- tremely mindful that we don’t want a service that is less than what we would get from our GP. I would con- sider a service led by junior doctors to be less than that. I would consider a nurse led service to not be the same as what would be offered by my GP.”

But tensions flared late on as the meeting drew to a close.

Independent councillor Martin Laf- ferty, who tabled the joint motion with Cllr Christy Curtin calling on

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to remember commitments he made to the Ennis Hospital Committee, said he was dis- appointed by what he called attempts to “denigrate” the Ennis Hospital Sroyebenvliraen

He said, “I am disappointed that politics has been brought into this debate. What I see is the worst type of spin and the worst type of effort to denigrate the Ennis Hospital Com- Pe bLAKoLonie

After a meeting with Cllr McCa- rthy, the mayors of Kilrush, Kilkee

and Shannon and Minster Harney, Independent councillor Tommy Brennan hit out at the committee.

“T take great exception to being directed by the Ennis Hospital De- velopment Committee on what ques- tions to ask, where I should go, and where we should go to pose for a picture. How can any committee tell the five mayors of this county what to do.”

Fianna Fail councillor Pat Daly said he was disappointed at the anti-Fi- anna Fail sentiment expressed at last

week’s hospital rally. CUr Daly said he was also confident a 24-hour serv- ice would be retained at the hospital. Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) said, “This is the Government that put the Hanly report in place, that put the HSE in place and are insisting on putting pri- vate hospitals in public facilities.” Cilr Curtin said, “I would invite Mary Harney to come down to Mike Crotty’s house in Loop Head and time how long it takes to drive to En- nis. People in Clare need Ennis and they need acute services in Ennis.”

THE STATE of walls in many of the county’s graveyards is becom- ing a danger to life and limb for the bereaved, a meeting of Clare County Council heard last night.

Councillor Michael Kelly (FF) had asked to have a report prepared on the cost of repairs to environmen-

tally sensitive walls and buildings in the county’s graveyards.

He said that concerning a short sec- tion of wall in a cemetery in his own area, he had been told it would cost anything up to €250,000 to repair.

‘This is the most outrageous quote – a quarter of a million for one lit- tle corner of a wall, which should cost €10,000, at the outside. There

should be an itemised explanation of these costs so the taxpayer knows where the money is going,’ he said. Councillor Gerry Flynn (Ind) said that in some cases “people cannot get near their loved one’s graves be- cause some of these old buildings are literally falling down. If it’s a matter of health and safety and they can’t be repaired, they should be removed.”

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In a reply to Councillor Kelly, the council officials said that in line with the department’s requirements, the council is mindful of the social and archaeological history of the county graveyards and because of this renovation work is always going to cost more than the normal build- ing costs.

THE trial of jockey Kieren Fallon, who is accused of race fixing has heard the Ballinruan native was part of a plot to throw races to make mon- ey for a crooked betting syndicate.

The opening day of his trial at the Old Bailey yesterday heard allega- tions that businessman Miles Rodg- ers bet £2.12m (€3m) on various internet accounts that 27 horses – rid- den by Fallon and two other jockeys – would lose.

Fallon stood in the dock yesterday. It’s alleged he was involved, with others, in a conspiracy between De- cember 2002 and September 2004 to defraud Betfair customers and other punters. All deny the charges

Jonathan Caplan, QC, prosecuting, said it would be alleged that one of the accused, Miles Rodgers (38) of Silkstone, South Yorkshire had been tipped off by the riders just before the various races. Seventeen of the horses were ridden by Fallon. But he won five of the races, losing the syn- dicate around half-a-million pounds, said Caplan.

The day after a race at Newmar- ket on July 23, 2004, there was an exchange of text messages between Fallon and Philip Sherkle (42) of Tamworth Staffordshire, said to be the go-between.

The court heard that Fallon texted, “They will take my licences off me if they drift like that last night. They PROM cKO) OUNOTSAN DOC om

On July 27, Sherkle wrote, “I am away weds morning just text as nor- mal make sure u do please I don’t want any grief from them when I get back thanks.”

An undated message from Fallon to Sherkle read, “no, I can’t chance it”’.

Mr Caplan said Rodgers’ records showed Fallon’s losses for the syndi- cate were £436.579.

Mr Caplan said there was no evi- dence that Fallon ever received any money or benefit from Rodgers or anyone else connected with the con- spiracy. But it was the prosecution case that he held himself accountable for losses that cost the conspirators about £500,000.

The trial continues today and is ex- pected to last several months.

BULLYING 1s a subject which is of- ten touched upon but seldom hight- lighted. With the mushrooming of technology in recent years, this problem has increased dramatically but still gets insufficient attention in Ireland.

This was one of the factors that prompted the Ballynacally Develop- ment Association in conjunction with the Ballynacally National School Parents Council to hold an Anti-Bul- lying Awareness Day last Thursday, culminating with an information evening at the Woodstock Hotel.

Attended by both adults and chil- dren, the meeting was arranged to raise awareness of the problem and used various innovative methods in order to emphasise the plight of the victims involved in bullying, ranging from live readings from the victims and their families to role-playing video clips featuring teenage actors from both sides of the bullying di- vide.

As well as general bullying statis- tics, the committee also organised bullying questionaires which were sent to various schools and work- places around the county.

Probably the most alarming statis- tic mentioned on the night was that out of 165 children questioned in the

five schools in the Ballynacally area, a staggering 111 of those questioned said that they had been the victims of bullying at some stage in their Thee

This statistic really hit home to the local crowd in attendence and was key to the first speaker presentation on dealing with bullying in Clare. Pauline McAllister, a community children’s worker with Clarecare, runs an anti-bullying programme in Clare. In her presentation, she ana- lysed what exactly bullying is, why it happens, how it affects the victims and how it can be lessened or allievi- roe

The main speaker on the night was John Lonergan, Governor of Mount- joy Prison, whose vast experience in this field was invaluable to the largely young audience. In his ad- dress, he dealt with adult bullying as well as child bullying, an area which is often overooked. He also stressed that the biggest difficulty in trying to deal with bullying is the lack of hard evidence and that rushing in to ac- cuse someone without hard evidence can often lead to even more prob- lems. Silence was another factor he dwelt on, explaining that silence and the victim’s inability to deal with the problem on their own often leads to more serious consequences such as breakdown or even suicide.

PAT COSTELLO stood in midfield — panting, out of breath but exhila- rated at the same time as his back was Slapped every few seconds. Men, women and children — all decked in black and red or black and orange slapped his back so hard that he was nearly out on his feet.

A standing count later and he fi- nally summoned up the words to explain his greatest day in Bally- vaughan’s football history that dates back to 1890. “F***ing brilliant,” he said. “Forgive my language but that’s the only way to describe it. It was rine brilliant by them.”

Fitting really. Primal stuff on a day when a football game went to the heart of what the little corner of Clare that is Ballyvaughan and Fanore is about. “It was guts,” said Costello after drawing breath again. “It was determination and it was be- cause of Michael Greene,’ he added.

Michael Greene was the man who died with his boots on, playing a jun- ior game for Ballyvaughan in Doon- beg five years ago. He was young, in

his early forties, and with many more years to give to football in his belov- ed Ballyvaughan and district.

But, that day he was called away, his work done. Immediately the ba- ton passed to those he had nurtured. Those kids just out of Ballyvaughan and Fanore National Schools, those coming up through the ranks of the club. Other officers and mentors in the club. Teachers in the schools too.

‘“Ballyvaughan always wanted to be Senior,’ roared Pat Costello above the din. “It was a vision Michel Greene had for Ballyvaughan. We’ve car- ried on that for Michael Greene and achieved what he set out for us.

‘Michael Greene started with many of those young lads at 12 years of age. We’ve been in 21 county finals — we’ve won 16 of those and drawn two. We’ve won another today day, but this is our greastest day. I can’t believe it.”

It was true though, as the slaps con- tinued to rain down on Pat Costel- lo’s back as he moved from midfield across towards Cusack Park’s Ard Comhairle for the presentation of the Talty Cup.

“The winning of this was two years hard work,” said Costello on his jour- ney. “I said it on the radio that we had a five year plan and | wasn’t bluffing. That’s the truth of it. We had five- year plan but after two years of hard training at intermediate we made it.

‘Today what did it for us was that we kept it. They missed a few chanc- es at the start of the game but we never panicked at all today. We had a younger team with an average age of 22 years and they’ve been training with two years for this.

“We’re going to celebrate this one. It will be the party of all parties.”

The party had already started — it will go on for the rest of the year and beyond thanks to the bragging rights that go with beating their neigh- bours in the biggest game in Bally- vaughan’s history.

Some of the Cusack’s players will join in as they drown their own sor- rows.

WHEREVER Anthony Daly’s ca- reer path has taken him over the years, success has invariably fol- lowed. Whether it was with his na- tive club Clarecastle or with Clare, Daly always led from the front and this weekend, he hopes to add anoth- er title when he takes charge of Kil- moyley in the Kerry County Senior Hurling Championship final against Lixnaw.

Kilmoyley, along with fierce ri- vals Ballyduff, are the aristocrats of Kerry hurling but despite winning four-in-a-row from 2001 to 2004, they have since fallen on hard times due largely to their ageing side. John Meyler was the man in charge dur- ing that successful era at the begin- ning of the decade, but after getting the Wexford senior job last year, the club went in search of Daly who had himself left the Clare position.

The way it turned out was ironic really as Daly’s Clare inadvertently played a part in the vacant position in Wexford after beating them in two successive All-Ireland quarter-finals, thus opening the door for Meyler.

Kilmoyley are firm favourites to

win on Sunday after comprehen- sively beating Ballyheigue in the semi-final, but Lixnaw managed by another former Clare manager Ea- mon Cregan, will be no pushovers and Daly feels that the game could ome aALoNe

“It’s going to be close. A lot of people are making us favourites on the basis that we have won our two games well, but they won the cham- pionship two years ago so obviously they have a good team as well. Now they haven’t had them together with the football and that, but they won the football semi-final with Feale Rangers last weekend so they will be totally focused on the hurling for the Leto

‘This is one to look forward to any- way because they are die hards down there, they are fanatical about their hurling,” he said.

Daly originally got involved with the club through his love of grey- hounds and as aresult, he knew some of the Kilmoyley board who invited him down last year to give their mi- nors a training session before the m1i- nor final.

When Meyler left, they immediately thought of Daly who had just vacated

the Clare post and from there, the el- ements just seemed to fall in place. However at first glance, the Kiul- moyley job was a huge undertaking as the side had suffered a few very lean years and had a number of play- ers who appeared to be approaching

their end but Daly came in and re- vamped the side, beating bitter rivals Ballyduff in the quarter-final which gave them untold confidence.

As Daly recalled, “It was more a question of trying to reignite the players. There were some of them

that were very good players but had just lost enthusiasm, they’d been on the road so long. But I suppose a new voice was a help and once you got them going and once they started to bind, it came together. But they do have a few new bodies as well.

“There are a few young lads com- ing through and they won last year’s Under 21 and they are in the minor final as well on Sunday. They are a very good club and they really look after their young lads. But I guess there were a few lads there alright that were around the 32-33 age group and were possibly considering chuck- ing it and just decided to give it a lash for the year and so far so good.”

In addition, if Kilmoyley win on Sunday, they will equal Ballyduff’s record of 21 county senior titles, a milestone which they are eager to reach on Sunday and with Daly at the helm, they will conceivably never get a better chance.

ENNIS’ Valerie Hassett will fly the Clare flag on the Irish team that contests the Irish Seniors Home In- ternationals this week. Hassett won her place on the team after finishing joint-ninth behind Alison Murdoch in the Irish Seniors Strokeplay Champi- onship in Ennis early last month. Hassett was a member of the Ennis Senior Cup team that made history

in the centenary year of the club by winning the All-Ireland title for the first time thanks to a 3 1/2 to 1 1/2 win over Royal Portrush in the final at Miltown.

The Irish team in full that will compete in the Home Internationals at Royal Tara from this Tuesday to Thursday reads as follows:

Carmel Cahill (Hermitage) Valerie Hassett (Ennis) Marilyn Henderson (West Rhine)

Eileen MacMullan (Donegal) Mary McKenna (Donabate) Mary Madden (Ballinasloe) Sheena O’Brien Kenney (Grange) Reserve: Pamela Morgan (Lahinch) Team Captain: Rhona Fanagan (Milltown) Team Manager: Roma English CR Taite

Meanwhile, Gort were denied AlIl- Ireland glory at the weekend when they had to give second best to En-

niscorthy in the AA Insurance Jun- ior Foursomes final in Athlone GC. They were beaten by 2 1/2 to | 1/2. The scores were as follows:

Teresa Gill and Josephine Cummins halved with Ann Nolan and Joan Millar

Josie Collins and Celine Fahey

lost to Julie McCarthy and Pauline Byrne by 2 holes

Maureen Brennan and Margaret Whelan lost to Michele Browne and

Ursula Cousins 7&5

The former president of the IMO was referring to the HSE announce- ment about cancer care during the week.

“In one paragraph, they talk about the orderly planned transfer of pa- tient care which will take place over

the next nine to 12 months. And d1- rectly underneath it, they say that as a consequence the following hospi- tals are to cease these proceedures with immediate affect and a long list that includes Ennis.

“I fear for Ennis hospital and I am familiar with the ‘golden hour’ and the far reaches of west Clare,’ Dr Roan UAYARy-B (OR

““T don’t believe that when and if the centre of excellence is up and run- ning in Limerick that people will want to see the A and E close here in Ennis as I believe you are still going to have the geographical difficulties.

“And certainly there is a lot to be said at being able to stablise a pa- tient, intervene at a level if necessary and maybe oviate ther necessity to travel,’ he added. “Nobody would be reasured by what is happening in the health service.”

Dr Reilly said that the minister’s vi- sion of a GP-led accident and emer- gency could work but man power would prove problematic.

“And I haven’t noticed the towns of west Clare or Ennis overbrimming with GPs who are stretched to the limit to do what they are doing at the minute as it is.

“Now, if she was to double those numbers, I would have no problem. I would say yes, these are very skilled clinicians who are making a very valuable contribution,” he said.

THERE was a mixed reaction to the third Milk Quota Trading Scheme announced by the Minister for Agri- culture, Mary Coughlan, last week.

Reacting to the new scheme, Macra na Feirme national president, Cath- erine Buckley, said she was disap- pointed with the imposition of a 3:2 ratio on the amount of quota a young farmer could receive from the prior- ity pool relative to category one sup- pliers.

Ms Buckley said this could reduce the levels of allocations to young farmers in some co-op pools.

“This could put a greater financial burden on progressive farmers who are trying to expand their business

by acquiring quota. On the exchange young farmers will find it difficult to compete for quota against larger and more established farmers who have ereater resources,’ she said.

“In certain co-op areas some young farmers did indeed receive high lev- els of quota compared to category one producers in the last two exchanges, however these allocations were the product of ring-fencing.”

The Chairman of ICMSA’s Dairy Committee, Dominic Cronin, wel- comed the changes to the exchanged describing them as ‘broadly positive’. Cronin said he was delighted to note that the minister appeared to have acted on some of the ICMSA’s rec- ommendations concerning the short- falls of the existing system.

“There were specific anomalies in the old system that we had identified and to which we suggested the rem- edies. Those suggestions appear to have been acted upon,” he said.

“We’re particularly happy that the category one suppliers will now have a better opportunity of receiving an allocation from the 30 per cent fixed pool with a specific allocation now allocated to them.

“We also believe that the changes announced will address the problems thrown up in the northern counties — problems which again we had high- lighted previously.”

The third scheme will again be run in respect of each co-op area, and will again be comprised of a priority pool and a market exchange. Howev-

er, the method of distribution of pri- ority pool quota will be refined and a mechanism aimed at increasing the amount of quota traded on market exchanges in particular co-op areas will be introduced.

“T have listened very carefully to the views of the farming organisa- tions and ICOS in the course of a Summer of consultation on the op- eration of the Milk Quota Trading Scheme,” said the minister.

‘The very clear message has been that the scheme has functioned ex- tremely effectively. However, some farmers have continued to experi- ence difficulties getting access to quota, and some co-op areas have experienced trading problems due to supply and demand factors.”

AS the dust began to settle on the an- nouncement of the third Milk Quota Trading Scheme last week, the Min- ister for Agriculture, Mary Cough- lan, went on the attack in Europe, calling for an increase of three per cent in milk quota’s in the EU Coun- TOY Pb toncwio dale ule

The demand was made at the meet- ing of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on Thursday and was ech- oed by a large number of other mem- ber states. Coughlan commented that she was very pleased with the level

of support for this idea as she had been in contact with a number of her counterparts in recent weeks to build such support.

The Commission undertook to analyse carefully the demands for in- creased quotas and to bring forward a report before the end of the year.

Minister Coughlan said that she was very pleased that the debate had now commenced on an appropriate and early EU response to the current buoyancy in the dairy market.

“We have been looking very care- fully at developments in the dairy market, including future trends,” she

said.

“Our conclusion is that the buoy- ancy now evident has given a whole new impetus to the wider dairy sec- tor following the implementation of the Luxembourg agreement and the virtual removal of market support mechanisms that have resulted from the reform.

“We have entered a new period of trade in which worldwide supply is no longer responding sufficiently to increased market demand. Dairy farmers and the dairy industry must have the opportunity to benefit from the new demand situation by increas-

Th orcae loin Uae

The minister said that the Commis- sion should not wait for the health check to respond to the clear signals that the market is now giving. If the EU hesitates now in its response, our competitors will take the market op- portunities that we are best placed to Tos ais Leon

“The milk quota system has served Ireland well over the years. At the same time, it must be responsive to developments in the market and an increase of three per cent from April next would represent an appropriate response.”