The Clare People Archive

HE moved from Pakistan to Shan- non ten years ago, to study, and has grown to love the town so much that he has remained here.

Jimmy Arbab arrived in Shannon in 19977, to study at the Shannon Col- lege of Hotel Management. Now, a decade later, he has just decided to open his own business, Apache piz- za, in the SkyCourt shopping centre.

“T met my wife Karen O’Callaghan, from Shannon and am settled here

now,’ he explained.

“I love Shannon. It is quiet, away from the city, with lots of young peo- ple and no traffic. That is what has kept me in Shannon for so long,” he ene

Since finishing in college, Jimmy has worked in management in Breaf- fy House Hotel in Castlebar, along with the West County and Clare Inn Hotels, all of which are part of the Lynch Hotel group.

However, he always had a desire to open his own business.

“I always wanted to open my own food business. There is a lot of hard work in the hotel business, so I said I might as well do it for myself,” he Cr HOn

Over the past decade, Jimmy has made several friends in Shannon and he believes this will stand him in good stead with the new business. Two years ago he and his wife moved to Cree, but he still has strong con- nections with Shannon and believes his business will be a huge success.

“Nearly everybody knows us at this

stage,’ he said.

“IT did a lot of research and thought that there was a demand for pizza. There is no other pizzeria as such in Shannon,” he said.

Jimmy’s wife Karen operated a la- dies’ fitness company in Shannon for five years. She closed this when they moved to Cree, where she has set up her own fitness centre.

DOZENS of young people in Shan- non have signed up to one of the newest clubs in the town – the kick- boxing team!

The club has enjoyed a huge suc- cess since it first set up two-and-a- half years ago and is now Seeking a permanent home, which it can call its own!

The club’s members currently trains at Tullyvarraga hall. However those who set it up would dearly love to have a more permanent base.

Since the club was set up, more and

more young people have taken it up and the increased demand should be reflected in the facilities available.

Howie Vincent has been a member of the Shannon Wado – Kai karate club for the past 25 years. Two-and- a-half years ago, he decided to set up the kickboxing club.

He is pleased that Tullyvarraga hall has been made available, but would like the club to have its own home.

“Tullyvarraga hall is very good but at the end of the day, it would be nice to have our own place,” he said.

“We are hopeful that we can get a place,” he said.

“Financially, you get no grants. Whatever money we get from the classes goes back into the club. We usually have a flag day in Shannon once a year. That tides us over. Peo- ple are brilliant and help us out,” he Sr nLG

Up to 40 people – aged between 11 and 60 – who attend the club regular- ly, many of who are young women.

“It has become popular in Shannon. People are looking for self-defence,” |ntemncy-B (0

“The interest has certainly in- creased among young women. A lot of girls come up for the fitness,” said

Howie, who, himself trains five days a week and has fought at internation- al level.

“I get a great buzz out of training them,” he said.

Howie, who was born in the UK and who lives in Shannon, said mar- tial arts has many benefits.

“In martial arts, you get out what you put in. It is a discipline,” he said.

MORE than 2,000 people will move to Shannon over the next few years and they should be made aware of proposed developments in their area.

That’s according to a local coun- cillor, who has suggested that pro- posed developments off the southern primary route will be outlined at a meeting, organised by Clare County Council.

Cllr Tony Mulachy (FG) believes that a variety of groups, including schools, religious groups, the par- ish council and community groups and all relevant bodies, should get involved in this.

“It would allow them plan for the future expansion of their facilities if necessary and, if required, land to be set aside to facilitate this where appropriate, prior to the start of de- velopments in this area,” said Cllr Mulachy.

“We are going to bring another 1,500 to 2,000 people into the town over the next few years. The likes of St Caimin’s, St Aidan’s and St Co- naire’s (schools) are all practically auueR

“If we load another 2,500 people into the area it is reasonable to as- sume some of them will be children.

“Everybody can have an open- minded discussion. We, as a council, should lead the way in this,” said Cllr

WIE ea ys

His colleague on Clare County Council, Gerry Flynn (Ind) agreed with the proposal and said it is vital that there is foresight, regarding fu- MUD como) E-veveun ete

“Tt is well documented that there is a masterplan. It is very wise that we plan properly for the future of Shan- non,’ he said.

In his response, Director of Serv- ices with the council, Ger Dollard said he agreed with “the sentiments of the motion”.

“A detailed masterplan was pre- pared for the land serviced by the Shannon Southern Primary Road. A consultation process was under- taken at the time of preparation of

the plan.

“The masterplan provides an over- all framework for the area and is not considered prescriptive and may be subject to variation in light of de- mands at a particular time.

“The development of the entire landbank is likely to take some con- siderable time and, depending on market demand, could take from ten to twenty years,” said Mr Dollard, in a written response to Cllr Mulcahy’s query.

He said he can arrange for a copy of the masterplan to be sent to any interested parties, while a copy of it can be placed on display at the Shan- non civic offices and the Sean Le- mass library.

OPPONENTS of the Aer Lingus plan to move their four Shannon/Heath- row slots to Belfast are being urged to join a Dail protest being organised in advance of the Government debate on the issue tomorrow.

The Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA) is urging Clare people to go to Dublin and join the protests outside

and in the public gallery of the Dail, wearing county colours if possible.

The debate is due to start around Spm and a spokesman for the ACA said that it is “vital that we have a big, big presence, at least 300-400 people in Dublin that afternoon, so please pass on the word, and use your own ‘sectoral networks’ to get as many people up there as possible”.

He added that the plan is to fill the

public gallery in the Dail to capacity, and to have a strong, visible presence outside Leinster House. “Already the Hotels Federation are running a poster campaign and are planning other elements for the day. We need other sectors to follow suit, so please feel free to get creative around this. It is important that everyone makes the effort to be in Dublin, for what is a critical moment in the campaign.”

After a meeting last week with Em- ployment, Trade and Enterprise Min- ister, Michael Martin in Shannon, the Alliance accused the Government of “failing to show it has the political will to prevent the loss of thousands of jobs across western regions due to the fall-out from Aer Lingus’ deci- sion to abandon the profitable Shan- non-Heathrow service”.

Following what the ACA described as a “frank and engaging” meeting the ACA stated that while it has no doubt about Minister Martin’s bona fide’s on the issue, it seriously ques- tions the political will of the majority of Government on this critical issue.

Said ACA spokesperson Ken Sul- livan, “the soundings from Govern- ment are still very clear; they say they are not for turning in relation to Aer Lingus but that is purely a mat- ter of political will, which they don’t seem to have right now.”

Speaking after a separate meeting of the ACA in the Glenlo Abbey Ho- tel, Galway, Alliance member and Galway Chamber representative Dr Chris Coughlan confirmed that a meeting was held in Shannon late last week with the Inter-Departmen- tal Group “but it merely confirmed suspicion that the group has a pre- determined agenda to substantiate Government claims that it cannot in- tervene in the Aer Lingus decision.”

RYANAIR has confirmed that it is taking legal advice on what can be done in the face of a second refusal by Aer Lingus to hold and EGM to discuss the withdrawal of the Shan- non/Heathrow flights from next Jan- VEDA

The airline has pledged to increase it routes out of Shannon, based on the strong forward bookings it is experi- encing there.

“Ryanair regrets that Aer Lingus is refusing to allow shareholders

an opportunity to discuss the clo- sure of a profitable route at a time When Aer Lingus’s interim profits have collapsed by 58 per cent to just €6m and its share price has fallen to €2.40, well below Ryanair’s of- fer of €2.80 last year,’ said Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary “Since the directors of Aer Lingus are will- ing to repeatedly breach their statu- tory obligations towards their largest shareholder, there clearly isn’t any influence that Ryanair can bring to bear on this profitable route closure. Accordingly, we’re considering what

legal remedies are available to us.”

Speaking after the company AGM, at which O’Leary pledged to double its traffic and its profits to 84 mil- lion passengers and €900 million by 2012, O’Leary laid out plans to expand the Shannon operation. He said that Ryanair’s services will al- most double on Shannon — London from four to seven flights daily with Services from Shannon to Gatwick, Luton and Stanstead, where Shan- non passengers can connect to more destinations than they presently can from Heathrow.

The airline will double its Shan- non-Paris services to a twice daily flight next summer, and Ryanair is now in negotiations with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to see if a viable cost base can be agreed to allow a low fare Shannon-Amsterdam route to be launched. This winter, Ryanair will operate more than 40 daily flights to and from Shannon, connecting Shan- non to 30 European destinations. If Aer Lingus is determined to abandon Shannon and the west of Ireland then Ryanair will add more flights and more low fares.

THE mayors, chairs and managers of west of Ireland Local Authorities and Regional Assemblies have been invited to attend a briefing today on the removal of the Shannon to Hea- throw link today (Tuesday).

The briefing has been called by Mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy, on the eve of the Dail debate on the issue. The meeting will be attended by the mayor of Clare, cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, mayor of Roscommon, mayor of Galway City,

cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, mayor of Limerick City, mayor of Kerry, mayor of North Tipperary County Council, cathao- irleach of Tipperary South County Council and cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council.

Also in attendance will be senior representatives of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly; Mid West Regional Authority; and the Border, Midlands and Western Re- gional Assembly.

The meeting is being held at the

Oakwood Arms Hotel, Shannon.

Today, Mayor McCarthy urged members of the public to express their opposition to the axing of the Shannon to Heathrow service by at- tending the first full Government de- bate on the issue this Wednesday.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy urged peo- ple to join business, tourism and community leaders from the west of Ireland inside and outside the Houses of the Oireachtas when the Dail re- turns from its summer break.

The mayor said she would also be seeking the support of colleagues

from the wider region to make sim1- lar calls at the meeting of Local Au- thority and Regional Assembly rep- resentatives today.

“It is now time for the Government to deliver on the clear guarantees given regarding the Heathrow slots at Dublin, Cork and Shannon,” stated Mayor McCarthy.

She continued, “Minister for Trans- port Noel Dempsey, who professes to be acutely aware of the challenges faced by the region as a result of the Aer Lingus move, must now bring the solution to the Dail Chamber.”

THREE and a half years planning will come to fruition with the start of the Leon XIII Festival in Quilty on Friday next.

As this is the centenary of the Leon XIII “Final Voyage” and the dra- matic rescue of its crew, music and heritage will feature strongly in the schedule of weekend long events.

Starting with the opening cer- emony at 6pm in Quilty village on Friday evening, a new commemora- tive plaque and lectern featuring the Leon XIII story will be unveiled by relatives of the Quilty fishermen of 1907, Mayor of Kilmurry Ibrickane Connie Power and the Science and Technology attaché at the embassy of France in Ireland, Christophe

LeRouge.

Later on that night, a traditional concert featuring many of the coun- ty’s top musicians, singers and set- dancers will keep the village alive to the sound of music! This con- cert will feature the launch of “The Leon” double CD, especially pro- duced at Malbay recording studios for the festival, by Joe Searson and Jack Healy.

Saturday morning, kicks off at 11 pm with the launch of the newly de- veloped “Leon Walking Trail”. Led by Cora O’Grady, this walk will take in an 8km route around Quilty and covers much of the history associ- ated with the area over the last 100 years. Mary Clancy will host an Irish Dancing Workshop in Quilty Tavern for children starting at 11.30pm. The

action then moves to the Kilmurry Ibrikane GAA field where the Leon Open Sports commences at 1.30pm. The full programme of events in- cludes a tea-towel-pegging contest and welly throwing competition for the less serious athletes! The Satur- day schedule continues with the U- 12 football blitz at 4.30pm and the Homecoming Social in Quilty Tav- ern later that night, with music pro- vided by PJ Murrihy and his band.

Sunday sees Quilty’s first Regatta in several decades take place in the afternoon, after visitors and locals have had the opportunity to take part in the commemorative Mass at noon and open-air set dancing in the vil- lage.

During the weekend, the first phase of development in Quilty’s new com-

munity centre aptly named “The Leon Centre” will be on show and will host the festival shop. All events over the weekend are free of charge unless advertised otherwise.

Festival Organisers, The Leon Committee, would like to sincerely thank everyone who has _ helped to make the first Leon XIII Festi- val a reality. For further details of the events taking place during the weekend please contact Agnes 087- 1355738 or Caroline 087-2194541.

THE long awaited traffic-calming scheme for Wilson’s Road to Stew- ard Street is a “high priority work” and is to be completed as soon as possible according to Kilrush Town Council.

Executive Engineer Derek ‘Troy said the poles for signage indicating ramps have already been installed.

All single ramp signage are due to be installed later in the week.

Following the completion of ramps, the extruded kerbing required to Whoa eL Kos MmmLUUSCCLN CO) OTM ANU MmE As (o10 mm oLommn DOG stalled, dependent on contractor ac- cessibility.

Completion of all remaining up- grades of speed limit singage, pede- setrian crossings and road markings will follow in due course.

“Due to the phased nature of the work and the attempts to keep traffic disruption to a minimum, it 1s diffi- cult to put an exact finishing date on the works,” Mr Troy told this months meeting of Kilrush town council- Keyuse

He was responding to a question from Councillor Collie Sweeney (Ind) who has requesting a progress report on the traffic calming meas- ures and the proposed eastern by- pass of Kilrush.

The need for traffic calming meas-

ures and a bypass has long been an issue for the local people

After more than a year campaign- ing and lobbying by the local HGV action group the go ahead was given for the bypass to the east of the town and traffic calming measures.

The area to be considered for the road capable of sustaining all heavy goods vehicles travelling to the Mon- eypoint Station and Roadstone is east of the west Clare capital stretching from Knockerra Cross to Dunogrog- ue Cross to west of the Killimer car ferry and on to Ballynote Cross.

As a shorter term solution Clare County Council drew up plans which include up to six pedestrian cross-

ings estimated to cost €6,000 each and eight islands costing between €2,000 and €3,000 each.

“T understand that only a handful of submissions were made to the traffic calming measures and that is a clear indication from the people that I rep- resent that they are long overdue,” Oe ieaacr nee

“Iam at pains to point out that these measures are temporary and our long-term goal is to have a by- pass of the eastern side of Kilrush town. My people have suffered for almost 30 years from HGVs rolling through our residential area since the construction of Moneypoint in 1979,” he added.

GANGS of youths, who are stealing cars, racing them around a site in Killaloe and crashing them.

Then they move on up the town to cause further mayhem and distur- bance, a local councillor told a meet- ing of elected representatives for the area.

Cllr Tony O’Brien said the stolen cars are being burned out or driven into Lough Derg.

The open space at The Moys in

Clarisford is an appealing attraction for those responsible for the anti-so- cial behaviour, the councillor said. “When they have caused havoc down there for a few hours, they go on into Killaloe town and the behav- iour continues. It’s attracting an un- desirable element to Killaloe and it’s having a huge impact on the town. We need some form of retractable barrier or bollards that would prevent them from getting in there,” he said. Clr O’Brien said that a local group is taking steps towards developing

the area to provide facilities for rec- reation and sporting groups, but un- til this happens “‘something has to be done to stop this behaviour”’.

The councillor said that while the gardai are called to deal with the gangs “the perpetrators are usu- ally gone by the time the gardai get there”.

Senior Executive Engineer, Sean Lenihan, said he could not suggest any immediate solution to the prob- lem, but promised to look at the situ- rABle)te

“A height restriction won’t solve the problem of cars being driven in and if we put a barrier or retractable bollards, someone will have to be responsible for opening and locking it,” he said.

The senior engineer also pointed out that a barrier would interfere with boat-owners moving their boats on and off the water.

‘“There’s no immediate solution but I will take another look at the prob- lem and see what we can come up with,” Mr Lenihan said.

LIMERICK’S city manager is to be asked to come to a meeting of elected representatives for the Killaloe area to fill them in on whether the city is buying homes in south east Clare.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Killaloe area committee of the county council, when council- lors voiced their concerns over re- ports that homes are being bought up in their area to rehouse people being moved in the Social Inclusion scheme for Moyross.

Limerick City Council has to find accommodation for tenants whose

homes are being demolished as part of the plan.

The city’s policy is to supplement the number of new homes it can build by buying up houses for sale in the city and it’s hinterland.

But councillors said that they feel they are being kept in the dark about the plans.

Cllr Cathal Crowe told the meeting that he believes the city manager 1s including south east Clare in his defi- nition of “hinterland”’.

“I’m told by residents that two houses have been bought there and that the city council has bought nine houses in Westbury. But if you try to

question any of this you’re accused of being anti-Limerick. People have a right to live in any part of this coun- try they wish but there is a wholesale movement of people under this plan and that requires dialogue. I’m not being disparaging of anyone coming into this area. There are many fine people in Moyross and we would welcome them in but there is a small minority who are causing problems and if the city thinks it can export those problems to Clare, then it has another think coming.”

Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald said that he has also been approached on the is- sue. “We’re told that one bad com-

plaint against a city tenant and they’re out. That’s codswallop – what’s a bad complaint? A stereo on too loud? We know nothing about how this is be- ing handled and we have a right to know what is going on in the area we represent.”

The councillor added that he was concerned that “Limerick city can buy houses in Clare, yet we have people on our housing waiting list for years and we can’t house them.

The members agreed to invite a deputation from the city council to come to their next meeting to discuss the issues.