Month: September 2005

A COROFIN woman who has been making front- page news in China has just returned, after spend- ing a year-and-a-half in the Asian country. Deir- dre Gillespie moved to the city of Cangzhou in January of 2004 and took up a position as an Eng- lish teacher in the Pioneer Secondary School.

The unusual thing about Deirdre’s trip is that, in a city of more than three million people, she was the only Westerner, and for many of the lo- cals the first white person they had ever seen.

“It was really strange. Everywhere I went, people were staring at me and pointing. It was a little lonely at first,’ said the Corofin woman. ‘“Cangzhou is a industrial town in a rural area so they had very little Western influence. They just didn’t know what to make of me.”

Soon after her arrival, Deirdre was surprised to learn that she was about to be front-page news in the local newspaper.

After hearing about a local woman whose bicy- cle was stolen, her school decided to capitalise on its newest celebrity.

“The school heard about a lady who made shoes for beggars. Her bike was stolen, which is a big deal in China because bikes are the main means of transport out there,” she said. “The school gave her a bike and told her that I had bought it for her. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to get credit in the paper for something I didn’t do.”

Following this early media exposure, Deirdre became a regular feature in the local rag. Many stories were written about her, including a second front-page exclusive when she visited the local tourist spot, an iron lion.

‘They were afraid of me at first and they didn’t want to speak English to me, in case I would laugh at them,” she continued. “I didn’t really pay much heed. I didn’t have much Chinese at the time. In the end, I got a bit sick of it.”

For the first three months of her stay at the Pioneer School, Deirdre was teaching more than 1,000 students each week. After the success of the programme, the school began to recruit more Western English teachers.

As strange as the experience might have been, at the end of the day Deirdre is happy that she went to China.,

“Tm really glad I went. I think that it opened up my mind a lot to new things,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about China before I went and the bit I knew turned out to be rubbish. I’d go back in a heartbeat.”

ENNIS CHESS CLUB travel to Italy on September 16 to take on Europe’s finest in the European Team Championships.

They become the first team from Munster to take part in the prestigious tournament.

Ennis and Phibbsboro will rep- resent Ireland at the event which takes place St. Vincent.

Ennis qualified after they fin- ished second to Phibbsboro in the final round of the All-Ireland championships.

It has been a successful year all round for the club. They beat close rivals Limerick in May, to capture the Munster Championships for the second year in the row. Europe will represent a sterner test for the team. Several of the worlds top players will compete at St Vincent

including current world champion Vladimir Kramnik.

“It’s going to be tough. If we can win a few games we’ll be delight- ed” said John Cassidy, captain of Ennis Chess Club, this week.

The team will be without the services of the talented Gawain Jones, who will be competing at the ul8 European Championships in Bosnia. The Ennis chess club meets every Tuesday in Brandons

Bar. John hopes that their partici- pation the tournament will help to raise the profile of the sport around Clare.

“Hopefully by competing in Italy we will be able to attract a few new members and put Ennis on the map.”

As part of their efforts to raise funds for the trip, Ennis chess club will host a table quiz in Brandons Bar on Wednesday night.

FIRE BRIGADE personnel in Ennis have refused to operate a new €600,000 piece of essential fire-fighting vehicle, in an ongoing row with Clare County Council over its con- tinued refusal to pay bench-marking entitle- ments.

Fire-fighters at the county’s busiest sta- tion have refused to participate in a training course, which they are required to attend be- fore they can operate the new vehicle.

As aresult, the new Bronto Hydraulic Plat- form sits idle in a shed at the council’s ma- chinery yard at the rear of Ennis fire station, and is likely to do so for a while.

It has also emerged that Ennis Fire Serv- ice’s existing hydraulic platform is not capa- ble of extending to the top floors or roofs of some of the town’s tallest buildings. The new custom-built HP or cherry picker, which ar- rived in Ennis last week, has more than twice the reach of the existing appliance and for the first time will enable Ennis Fire Brigade reach the uppermost levels of several build- ings on the Mill Road in particular.

“As it stands, if there was a major blaze in one of those apartment buildings, we would have no way of evacuating people from the top floor, unless they could get down a level or two first. If anyone was trapped on the top floor, we would have a serious problem get- ting to them,’ according to fire-fighters.

“We will not set foot inside the new appli- ance until we have received our benchmark- ing. Every other employee in the Town Coun- cil and County Council has received theirs, so why should we be any different.

“We are the only station in the county with an agreement with management and they still won’t pay up. We are the only fire service in the country, which has not yet received bench marking payments, every other county has,” said one frustrated fire-fighter.

A council spokesperson said that the concil had “not been formally notified of fire-fight- ers refusal to operate any equipment .. . Fur- thermore, all employees are required under successive national agreements, to comply with modernisation and technology and we anticipate their full cooperation in this mat-

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HOUSEHOLDERS in Newmarket- on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge have accused Eircom of failing to deliver on its promise to provide broadband in the area.

In correspondence with Clare County Council earlier this year, E1r- com confirmed that both areas would be digitally enabled between April and June. It would mean that broad- band should be available in these areas within a three-and-a-half kilo- metre radius of the local exchange, at

a cost of €39.99 every month, along with an installation fee of €199 plus VAT.

However, local Councillor Pat Mc- Mahon says this promise has not been delivered upon.

‘I have made enquiries and while Eircom said they would send out a technician, this does not appear to have been the case. A lot of houses are still waiting for broadband. Sec- ond and third level students need broadband a lot and have been wait- ing for too long,” said Cllr McMa- tee

He pointed out that some people living in the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge areas are consid- ering changing to other service pro- viders, given their concern over the broadband issue.

“Broadband is all over the world at this stage. It is a basic necessity, yet hundreds of houses in our area are without it,” said Cllr McMahon.

However, a spokesman for Eircom disputes this and says local concerns are being catered for, with issues ad- dressed within ten working days. He

said an exchange did come on line in these areas at the end of July and the lines have been upgraded.

“Technicians do not necessarily have to go to a customer’s house to enable broadband. It is important to note that a number of factors have to be taken into account. For example, if a telephone line is a carrier line, it may prevent a customer from getting broadband,” said spokesman Paul Bradley.

“It is not guaranteed to put an ex- change in place which would cater for everybody. Broadband is availa-

ble within a three-and-a-half kilome- tre radius of an exchange.” he added.

He has advice for customers who have concerns. “Each person should get on to us individually with their OKs (up sltvesl alone

Eircom says a national programme for the roll-out of broadband serv- ices has been ongoing for a number of years, with responsibility lying within the remit of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

IFA National Livestock Committee Chairman John Bryan said factories are having to pay €2.52/kg for beef.

“Tighter supplies and an increase in demand means €2.52/kg has been paid by all the main factory outlets this week.”

Mr. Bryan said most factories are quot- ing €2.46/kg for R grades and €2.35/kg for O grades. However, they are having to pay €2.52/kg to get supplies.

The IFA livestock leader said heavy continental steers along with beef heif- ers are extremely scarce with prices of

up to €2.30/kg paid to secure supplies.

‘Following the recent visit to Egypt by the Department of Agriculture and Bord Bia, the stage 1s now set for an immed1- ate resumption of the beef trade. Posi- tive changes to the age limit, testing and veterinary inspections, opens the way for a resumption of trade. It is essen- tial the factories proceed immediately as Ramadan commences early this year on October 4th” he said.

According to the IFA livestock leader the EU market for beef has also im- proved as the end of the holiday season approaches. “Beef prices in the UK have stabilised and prices in all the ma-

jor markets across Europe are up, with most well above the €3.00/kg mark for prime cattle,’ he added.

In France, R3 grade steers are mak- ing €3.41/kg incl. VAT, R3 bulls are making €3.11/kg and R3 heifers are at €3.60/kg.

In Italy, R3 bulls are making €3.43/kg and heifers are at €3.85/kg. Young bulls in Germany are making €3.06/kg. In Spain, R3 bulls are making €3.06/kg and heifers are making €3.16/kg.

Mr. Bryan said the market for cow beef has also improved with prices of €2.10/kg to €2.24/kg being paid.

A CLARE family, whose brave little daughter died last week, are determined to make other families aware of the great work done by the Jack and Jill Foundation.

Olivia Quinn, or Lily as she was known to her family and many friends, was a bubbly, gentle little girl. She knew what she liked and Sao USrD UNAM BH Coxe MOSER (en

When she was four months old, doctors told her parents, Claire and Flan, that their first-born girl had progressive neurological problems and was blind. She would also suf- fer from intractable seizures, which meant they could not be treated with medication. The prognosis was not good.

What the doctors didn’t know was that the four-month-old baby had already developed a steely determ1- nation and had a gentle, but strong, soul to deal with all the tribulations life threw at her.

When her little sister Roisin was born, she loved to hear her cry and play, and when her little brother

Daniel made his appearance, she was equally delighted. Olivia was well-aware that she was the apple of her father’s eye and laughed at her mother’s loud kisses.

Although she suffered from se- vere disabilities, Olivia went out with her family regularly, once even taking a trip to Lourdes with her father and granny.

Despite her determination and happy demeanour, the little girl from Ballyea just outside Ennis, had a lot of battles to fight through- out her five and a half years on this earth. Likewise, her parents worked hard to care for her at home.

The Quinns maintain that her life and theirs would have been so much more difficult without the support of the Jack and Jill Foundation.

The charity provided counselling to the family and paid for a nurse or carer to come to the house to help care for Olivia. Although the organisation only provides serv- ices for children with disabilities up to the age of four, 1t came to the Quinn’s aid again towards the end of their beloved daughter’s life, just

over a week ago.

The organisation offered to pro- vide a nurse for Olivia for eight nights, a Godsend to the couple who had grown used to getting up numerous times every night, for over five years.

“When the Jack and Jill Founda- tion rang to say they would provide an expert nurse for eight nights, I burst out crying,” Claire told

CLARE County Council has refused planning permission on a further attempt to rejuve- nate Liscannor Bay Hotel.

Now, the promoters of the enterprise has appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala, in order to make the hotel more attractive.

They are seeking to develop additional 20 suites aimed at accommodating families.

The Council refused plan- ning permission, stating that the proposed design, by rea- son of its scale, mass, bulk and overbearing impact, would be injurious to the vis-

ual amenities of the area and therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustain- able development.

The developers state: “The proposed development con- stitutes the provision of an extension to existing hotel fa- cilities in Liscannor. The fam- ily accommodation units pro- posed, will provide a boost to the tourism sector at this loca- tion and will help the village and region compete for what is becoming an increasingly discerning market.

“The tourist numbers have been falling in recent years and, in order to allow the area to compete effectively, addi-

tional facilities and diversifi- cation must be encouraged.

“The further development and consolidation of the ex- isting hotel will also be a ben- efit to the local community in terms of trickle down eco- nomic gains and the fact that the hotel facility will be avail- able as a local centre”.

The appeal states that the proposed development does not remit refusal for the rea- sons stated, but complies with the principles of proper plan- ning and sustainable develop- ment.

A decision is due on the ap- plication in December.

A BAND contracted to pro- vide musical entertainment in a Kilkishen pub, were so loud that the customers took to drinking outside to get away from the noise.

The publican told a judge that he would never hire the particular group, or any- thing of their ilk again.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard of the exodus after being given a sound engi- neer’s report on noise levels at Gleeson’s pub.

In an earlier hearing, Theresa Holahan (78) of Main Street, Kilkishen told the district court that she was afraid to go to bed and couldn’t cope with the noise coming from the pub, which adjoined her home.

She had lived next door to Gleeson’s public house for the past 50 years and never had a problem with the OEUODICNMEUDNLAU Kee TlONE

In objecting to its intoxi- cating liquor licence, she

said she had suffered noise and disruption to her daily Tate

‘The level of noise is un- acceptable to me. I cannot use my garden. I cannot go to bed,” she said.

She told Judge Mangan that loudspeakers were po- sitioned over the back door of the pub, a very short dis- tance from her garden.

She said that at one stage, the level of noise was so bad at 4pm, she had to ring the gardai.

“T need my privacy. I need to be able to sleep. I cannot do anything. I cannot go to bed,’ she said, adding that her eardrums were “burst- ing’ on occasions, due to the noise.

Judge Mangan heard from the publican’s solicitor that undertakings were given at the last court hearing.

These were deliberately breached on one occasion to facilitate the engineer’s report and _ accidentally breached on another “be-

cause the band was so loud the customers all went out the back.

The publican did _ not know they would be so loud and he’s willing to give an undertaking that he will not hire this band or any band that loud again.”

The publican would also be willing to encourage customers to use the front of the premises for smoking and to raise the eaves on the smoking shed at the back, to help drown out noise.

Judge Mangan said that he wanted time to study the

report and make recommen- dations, “one of which will be installing a switch, which kills the music if it goes over a certain level.”

The case was adjourned to Ennis District Court on October 7.

MINISTER Sile De Valera met with protest at the monument of her grandfather on Satur- day, as the Fianna Fail ODUM UE DIOOUMUD Mme lM ales Rere| in Ennis, to commemo- rate the party’s found- ing father, Eamonn De Valera.

After the ‘Taoiseach Bertie Ahern laid a wreath at the monu- ment outside the court- house, to mark the 30th anniversary of De Valera’s death, a group of parents and pupils from a Limerick school demanded a meeting with the junior minister responsible for school transport.

The parents are seeking a school bus to take their children to the Salesian Col- lege, Pallaskenry. They were told there was no room for them in city

schools.

The minister told re- porters that the protest had nothing to do with the school safety bus issue, a point echoed by the Taoiseach. Mr Ahern said between now and the end of his year, all second level school buses would have a seat and a belt for each student and by the end of next year every junior school bus would have the same.

The Taoiseach was invited to Ennis by Clare Ogra Fianna Fail to mark the 30th anni- versary of De Valera’s olor hdee

“Three decades on from the passing of this giant of modern Irish history, it is not only appropriate, but also important, that we re- flect on his great serv- ice to our nation and draw inspiration from it,” he said.

CONTENTIOUS _ holiday home plans by a Doolin busi- ness man have been thrown into doubt, after 50 Doolin residents appealed the deci- sion to An Bord Pleanala.

Last month, Clare County Council granted planning permission to Joseph Gar- rihy to develop 26 homes, including 19 holiday homes on O’Connor’s campsite in Doolin.

However, in their appeal, the residents and local busi- ness people stated, “It 1s ac- cepted that the tourism prod- uct of Doolin needs to be enhanced and developed to sustain tourism in this part of the country. We would argue however, that the cur- rent proposal, taken in con- junction with other similar proposals recently before the Council add nothing to the tourism product of Doolin.”

The appellants state, “There is no need for more

‘holiday homes’ in Doolin at present. There are already 65 holiday homes built, or in the process of being built, in the area of Doolin.

“What is proposed will ad- versely impact on the exist- ing B&B and other residen- tial accommodation, which would be at a commercial disadvantage when compet- ing with what is essentially tax-driven rather than mar- ket-driven accommodation.

“The scale of what is now proposed would be totally out of scale with what has been, to date, organic growth DONO Tom BUNT NoCommN ONG OM OT eB Kee acted slowly to the ebb and flow of commercial life.”

The appellants also argue that the development “‘is premature in the absence of a public sewerage treatment system and would be preju- dicial to public health”.

They state: “In hydro geo- logical terms, the Ground Water Protection Scheme for County Clare categorises the

area at this location as con- taining a regionally impor- eOlMreLO LUND ol

The vulnerability of the acquifer is stated to be in the extreme category.

“We do not consider it to be good planning in these circumstances to permit ef- fluent from a large scale de- velopment to be directed to ground.

“The development is not essential. It could be argued that if the village itself was being stagnated…this is not the case here. What is in- volved is, effectively, a holi- day home development be- ing driven by tax incentives which have dictated that the development be built by a Carne sens oMe

The appellants also claim that the development would not be in the interests of traf- fic safety and the layout is defective from an amenity OLOvee IMO) Ma ales

A decision is due on the application in December.