Month: May 2007

IT all began last year with an idea. An idea which has slowly blossomed over the past few months into a beau- tiful relationship between young and old.

Ennistymon Hospital’s Ragainre Room has played host to an inter- generational project, co-ordinated by local artist Sara Foust, between the elderly women visiting the day cen- tre and nine transition year students from Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon.

The project, entitled Women’s Work, aimed to unearth the women’s youth through the art of conversa- tion. Most students focused on a par- ticular aspect of life back then, such as butter-making and herbal cures, while others created photo journals of the project and drew portraits of the women.

The students worked with several

different groups of women from Liscannor, Carran, New Quay, Moy, Lahinch, Quilty, Corofin, Inagh and Lisdoonvarna.

The women, all of whom were over 65, enjoyed their time spent with the students.

“Oh yes, I think it is a good experi- ence, especially as you get older. It puts your mind right thinking back. We had a great time,’ said Nancy O’Connor and Margaret Connors from New Quay.

“You remember things you thought you had forgotten all about. We told the girls stories that we wouldn’t have told anybody else.”

The project was very beneficial for the women as it allowed them to re-examine certain aspects of their youth which became tantamount to Reminiscence Therapy. This process has proved very successful in helping to stimulate memory and as a guard

against feelings of isolation and de- pression.

The students themselves also devel- oped a great rapport with the elderly wey eatsa ee

“Looking back on the project, I’m really glad I did it and I know that all the girls are because it’s changed our view on the elderly,’ said Maura Garrihy, a transition-year student from Scoil Mhuire.

“I think we all have more respect for them now and this project really bridged the gap between the genera- alee

The project received funding from the Arts Office of Clare County Council and LEADER and was filmed by local filmmaker, Fergus Taige. DVDs will be on sale by Sep- tember to raise money for another project.

‘There was a real sense of joy evi- dent throughout the project,’ said

Mary Lucas, Diversional Therapist at the Ennistymon Hospital.

‘The intergenerational projects are always a success because there is a special bond between the young and the old which is important in our so- ciety. Hopefully there will be more. Perhaps next time it will be focused on the men.”

A week-long exhibition of the stu- dents’ work will take place in the En- nistymon Courthouse Gallery from Thursday, May 17.

OLD friends gathered last week for Ennis Town Council’s senior citizens night as uncertainty hung over the future provision of services for the town’s elderly community.

According to Independent Council- lor Frankie Neylon more needs to be done to cater for the senior citizens of Ennis.

Many of those that attended on Wednesday avail of meal services provided on weekdays at the CYMS hall.

However, according to Cllr Neylon the continuation of this service has been placed in jeopardy due to the potential sale of the building.

He said people were disappointed with the current situation.

“People are very disappointed that the Parish Council are considering selling the CYMS Hall in Chapel Lane. They are also looking at sell- ing the scout hall.”

Ennis Town Council has already conducted a registry search to de- termine ownership of the two build- Tbh eae

Cllr Neylon said, “There is no reg- istered owner of the CY MS hall. The scout hall was registered by the Par- ish council six or seven years ago. The people of Ennis collected money for the scout hall and they should be notified before anything happens. It belongs to the people of Ennis.”

He also repeated calls for the de- velopment of a day-care centre in the ROD e0k

‘There is a major need for a facility

in Ennis. The parish council have to tell us what their plans are for both halls. We need to know if a new cen- tre is going to be built on one of the current sites. I have invited them to come to the council to discuss the matter”’.

Wednesday night marked the tenth anniversary of the annual event host- ed by the council.

Bishop Willie Walsh and Mayor of Ennis Joe Reidy were among those who attended. Voluntary organisa- tions that provide services for the town’s elderly community were well represented on the night. They in- cluded members of the Cloughleigh and Turnpike Resident’s Association and the senior citizens club.

First hosted in 1997 the event was organised to salute the contributions

made by such groups and by the eld- erly to enhancing community life in J Syav Avie

Cllr Neylon explained, “It was done to give something back to senior citi- zens who make such a great contri- bution to Ennis. In particular around the time of the Tidy Towns judging, they are the ones making sure the ar- eas and estates are kept tidy and look well. It was a great night and as they were going out the door they were al- ready talking about next year. Eddie Power and the staff did a great job.”

FINE Gael TD Pat Breen has called on the Government to fix a date to which they will commit to for the rollout of CCTV for Ennis following four years of broken promises.

Deputy Breen said CCTV had orig- inally been promised in 2003, then in 2004 and again in 2006.

Ennis has been included in the latest roll out of the scheme announced by the Department of Justice in April.

Deputy Breen said a firm timetable for the installation of CCTV in Ennis must be set out.

“What I would like to know 1s the answer to a simple question, when does the minister expect that closed circuit television system will be op- erational for Ennis?

“The latest promise on this critical deterrent to crime is that over €7.5m has been provided in the Garda Vote for 2007 for CCTV projects for 17 areas including Ennis, but no com- pletion date is being provided. Can the minister or the country’s Oire- achtas members even make an elec- tion promise on this?”

Minister McDowell gave an assur- ance in 2003 that “planning for the

installation of a CCTV system for Ennis is scheduled to commence later this year [2003]”, and in 2004 “that planning for the installation of the CCTV systems in Phase 3, in- cluding Ennis, is scheduled to com- mence later this year [2004]”.

The closing date for tenders issued by An Garda Siochana for CCTV systems passed on April 24. En- nis is one of nine towns along with Drogheda, Tallaght, Mullingar, Wa- terford, Portlaoise, Kilkenny, Sligo, Castlebar, included in the scheme.

Deputy Breen added that last year he was assured by the minister that a

CCTV system would be running “in priority locations, including Ennis, by the end of 2006”.

“It seems to be beyond the remit of this minister and this Government to give a clear commitment to a firm timetable for any substantial project.

“CCTV is a crucial plank in fight against anti-social behavior, vandal- ism and street violence. It is totally unacceptable that we can have this approach to the most basic projects.

“The whole affair again exposes the Government’s failure to project manage even when it is for a rela- tively modest project.”

REMEDIAL works, costing €4.5 million, will be carried out on 100 lo- cal authority houses in Shannon.

Forty-eight houses in the Inis Ealga area and 53 former Shannon Develop- ment houses will be upgraded, under a Clare County Council scheme, the details of which have just been an- nounced. The work on the dwellings is likely to start later this year.

The cost of the works to the Inis Ealga homes will come to €2.4 mil- lion, while work on the former Shan- non Development homes will cost €2.1 million. The project will be

funded by the Department of the En- vironment, Heritage and Local Gov- ernment.

The scheme is being carried out un- der the Government’s policy of ‘de- livering homes, sustaining communi- ties’, and will be delivered as part of the overall regeneration and develop- ment of Shannon town.

The remedial works to the Inis Ealga houses will involve both inter- nal and external improvements. The houses, which were built in 1984, will be rewired. Smoke alarms will be in- Stalled in the kitchens and bedrooms, while the kitchen units will also be replaced.

Clare County Council’s housing staff Nora Keane and Tony McNama- ra outlined details of the scheme, at a meeting of Shannon ‘Town Council FNM isle .@

Mr McNamara said that the propos- als are a result of surveys which were carried out over a number of years.

“We hope to be going to tender as soon as possible. There are some is- sues in relation to fencing at the back of Inis Ealga,” he said.

He said that 15 kitchens will be re- placed, which are of poor or average fey sTebialeyer

Independent councillor Patricia Mc- Carthy said he would welcome the

investment in the houses and asked When the work is likely to com- nates (een

Ms Keane said the best case scenar- 10 will be a start date of October.

Cllr McCarthy said that down- Stairs toilets should be installed in the former Shannon Development homes.

Independent councillor Gerry Flynn said he had hoped Rossbracken houses would also be improved and pointed out that the schemes are “fabulous”’.

A number of councillors expressed concern that houses in ‘Tradaree Court were not included under the current programme.

PROPOSALS to develop a cricket eround in Shannon have been given the backing of councillors in the ie)”a0

Last week, a representative of the Munster Cricket Union Executive committee wrote to the town clerk Tomas MacCormaic, regarding the provision of a facility.

In the letter, Chris Thomas said there are more than 200 people of numerous differing communities within Ennis and Shannon, who have a keen interest in playing the game.

He said that the town council has offered the use of a facility at the back of the comprehensive school,

for playing cricket.

“I believe the area is formally iden- tified as RB and zoned for commer- cial/residential use. Unfortunately, in its current status, the area 1s not suit- able for playing the game and those wishing to use the facility do not in- dividually have the resources to pro- pose and undertake the development of same to an appropriate level,’ he Sr HLGe

“We would like to propose the de- velopment of the area into a safe and maintained facility that will serve the purposes of interested groups and the recreational demands of the greater community,’ added Mr Tho- Te TeIse

He said he believed the proposed

development would have a positive impact on the surrounding environ- ment and its current uses and would serve the needs of those who are keen to play cricket, following the success of the Irish cricket team in the recent world cup.

Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG) said the group “obviously want to put down a more permanent structure in the area. We have to try to accom- modate all sport”.

He said it would be “pointless” to kit out an area which is zoned com- mercial/retail and said that there is a big open green space in the Cuil Cais area, which may be suitable for ule com

Independent

councillor Patricia

McCarthy said the area between Tra- daree Court and Cill Cais would be a suitable area.

“We sometimes forget we had a cricket club here many moons ago,” she said.

Cllr Greg Duff (Labour) said that councillors should be supportive of the proposal. “We should take posi- tive action to show we are welcoming of every community and support,” he said.

Shannon town manager Ger Dol- lard said it was “good to see such a positive proposal which is well thought out. Perhaps there are other locations which could be looked at. The all-weather pitch is not used at the moment,” he said.

SHANNON company, Peach Re- cruitment, will give local people a run for their money to benefit four charities with their third annual 10k run in the town on Sunday after- noon.

As this is the last time that the company will organise the Peach 10k Shannon run it is hoped that this year’s event will raise over €35,000, to reach an accumulated target of € 100,000.

Derek Barrett, Managing Director of Peach Recruitment, said that the event has been enormously success- ave

“The first time around we raised

€38,000 and over the past two years this event has raised in excess of €65,000 for charity, which is a phe- nomenal achievement for a locally organised event. For many partici- pants, this is the perfect opportunity to contribute to charity work on both a local and national scale. Our ab- solute priority for the run will be to raise as much awareness and money for each nominated charity as possi- ble. People are extremely generous,” he said.

This year’s nominated charities are local branches of Multiple Sclerosis and Children with Special Needs as well as Milford Hospice in Limerick and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Dublin.

The company ensures that money raised locally stays locally.

‘We have supported lots of differ- ent charities but they are all chosen because people have been involved with them in some shape or form. For example, there is funding available for multiple sclerosis but not enough and we’ve specifically asked that the money will be spent on physiothera- py in the Shannon area,’ he added.

Runners can also nominate their own charities and they are asked to register with the company so that an official record can be kept of dona- tions.

Mr Barrett hopes that another eroup or company will keep carry- ing the 10k torch.

“We decided to finish up because we felt that we had dipped into the same well for three years running. We all help with stewarding and or- ganisation and people dig deep. Now someone else has a chance to get in- volved and contribute to charity.”

The Peach 10k Shannon Run will start at 1.30pm from Wolfe Tones GAA Club (where changing facili- ties will be open) and will continue around Shannon town before return- ing to the club for refreshments.

People can print off registration forms from www.peach.ie or call into the office in Peach House for forms and sponsorship cards. For further information telephone O61 362000.

THE Midwest could be staring down the barrel of a €42 million bill for polluting unless we clean up our act.

A leading renewable energy asso- ciation has claimed that the Midwest is living beyond its means, in terms of its impact on the environment.

Renewable Energy Skills (RES) has based the claim on figures from the European Environment Agency showing that Ireland currently has a carbon footprint of 5.0 global hec-

tares per person, more than double the global average.

The ecological footprint or carbon footprint is an environmental ac- counting tool that measures the land area required to support an individ- ual, business, community or nation, providing for its needs and absorb- ing its wastes.

It is quantified by calculating the land area required to produce the re- sources needed and dispose safely of wastes produced.

Cllr Johnny Flynn, Chairperson of RES and Ennis town councillor said

that “energy emissions in Clare are above the Kyoto target by 300,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.

“This figure could rise to over 490,000 tonnes by 2010 leaving the county to face a bill of over €17 mil- lion in carbon levy.”

Meanwhile, Limerick county and city energy emissions are above the Kyoto target by 409,000 tonnes of CO2. By 2010, Limerick could be 713,000 tonnes over and face a bill of over €25 million in carbon levy.”

Meanwhile, the Limerick Clare Energy Agency, said that a number

of target actions aimed at reducing carbon emissions were included in the recently launched Government White Paper.

“Some of the targets for renewable energy production will be well with- in the abilities of coastal counties such as Limerick and Clare,’ said Pat Stephens, Manger of LCEA.

Mr Stephens, who has worked in building services design and energy management for more than 15 years and in the construction industry for more than 25 years, added, “to achieve our national targets, some

local targets will have to be more ambitious.

‘This includes the provision of bio- mass firing at Moneypoint generat- ing station by 2010 and ten per cent biofuels penetration by 2020.”

Other targets outlined by the Lim- erick Clare Energy Agency include the use of Pure Plant Oil (PPO) in local authority and public bodies ve- hicle fleets, a review of the National Building Regulations in 2008 and the introduction of smart metres for all electricity consumers over next five years.

AS STAFF at Parteen National School were getting to grips with fit- ting to their recently delivered new pre-fab classroom, there was more good news deliver for the school.

Education Minister, Mary Hanafin, has approved another prefabricat- ed classroom for the school which should be ready by the time the next influx of pupils arrives in Septem- ber.

The local school has seen numbers swell in recent years, as Parteen and Arnacrusha underwent a_ building boom and young families bought homes to move into the area. As part of the long-term plan to expand facil- ities, a prefab classroom was brought on site two weeks ago and was last week being fitted out for teachers and pupils to use. Local councillor, Cathal Crowe, brought a deputation from the school’s Board of Manage- ment to a meeting with Minister Wil-

lie O’Dea two weeks ago.

“Following that meeting both Min- ister O’Dea and I made the case to Minister Hanafin that Parteen Na- tional School was in urgent need of additional classroom accommoda- tion,’ Cllr Crowe said.

“IT am very aware that the school has an high enrolment. due to the extensive development that has tak- en place. This community is one of the major growth areas in south east Clare and it is vital that the school

is in the best possible position to ca- ter for all the children in the catch- ment area. If the locality continues to grow Parteen may well be in line for a new school building, but the most important thing for now is that an immediate classroom is provided to deal with the short term deficit,” he added.

Cllr Crowe said he would continue to communicate with the board of management to see what the schools needs will be into the future.

SUMMER arrived with a bang last week and it was the perfect weath- er for getting out an about in the woods.

And the people who turned up for the workshops run by CELT – the Centre for Environmental Living and Training – were down in the woods to learn almost forgotten skills which can still be put to good use.

The east Clare-based national en- vironmental charity had a big line-up of traditional skills training courses on offer for their Weekend in the Woods event.

Qualified and professional tutors were on hand with courses in every- thing from basket weaving to natural oluunCenbanen

Eager students got to try their hands at wood carving, blacksmith- ing, greenwood-furniture making, gate-hurdle making, silversmithing, dry-stone and lime-mortar_ wall- ing, tipi making, sugan chair mak- ing, thatching, leather shoe making, bushcraft, felt-making, coppersmith- ing and learning herb lore.

Youngsters under 14 got stuck in too and had a go at various wood- vA

“These skills have been around for

centuries, yet have taken on a new relevance in today’s world with the threat of increasing oil prices and the effects of climate change,’ a spokes- man for CELT said.

“Also, for many people, this is a great opportunity to connect with nature as well as learning a new skill and meeting people from all walks of life and all corners of Ireland, and usually a good few overseas visi- Key ace

Almost on hundred participants turned out and more than a few lo- cal people took advantage of the good weather to come and admire the work.

The workshops were held in Bealkelly Wood in Tuamgraney, Bealkelly is a sustainably managed native Oak woodland by the shore of Lough Derg. The event was being partly subsidised by funding from the Heritage Council. CELT runs regular educational and environmen- tal events. Further information 1s available from the website at www. celtnet.org, email info@celtnet.org or telephone 061-640765.

KILLALOE residents are to be- come part of a bigger family after a visit from representatives of a city in Wisconsin which wants to make the Clare town a sister town.

Representatives of The Shamrock Club in New London, Wisconsin ar- rived in the lakeside town last week to put forward plans for the two towns to twin.

The group have been liaising with Clare County Council for several months to see whether there would be a welcome for the proposal here. They made contact with Clare Coun- ty secretary, Marie O’ Neill and Kil- laloe councillor, Tony O’Brien, who is a member of the twinning com-

mittee on the council.

“I was delighted to hear that New London was interested in twinning with Killaloe and to be involved with the plan. I believe it will be a very good fit. It will be good in every respect for both communities, culturally, educationally and for visitors,’ Councillor O’Brien said.

Twenty six per cent of the resi- dents of New London claim Irish descent, and the city changes its name to ‘New Dublin’ once a year for the week coming up to St Patrick’s day, to celebrate the big- gest Irish festival in that part of the United States.

Local groups gathered in Crotty’s Bar in the town to welcome the visi- tors and to hear more about the pro-

posed twinning.

Visiting delegates, Larry and Carrie Katerzynske and David Sar- na were introduced by Councillor O’Brien and they told the gathering that the Irish festival attracts 3,500 people to watch the parade. While visitors eat their way through 1,600 Ibs of corned beef, bars and restau- rants earn up to one tenth of their income for the entire year from the autor

The group decided to look at twin- ning with a Clare town. Carrie said “because myself and Larry have come here many times on holiday. Killaloe and New London have a lot in common with boating, fishing and the agricultural aspects”.

With the plan in place, the Wis-

consin community and Killaloe would enjoy exchange visits from schools, industry and dignitaries as well as signs being displayed to an- nounce the twinning.

The group arrived in Killaloe to be given a helicopter tour and the following day, met with the mayor of Clare.

Thanking all those who had turned out to meet them, David Sarna told the welcome gathering that “Irish people are undoubtedly the most friendly people we have ever met. People here are willing to take time out to smell the flowers, to talk and to be interested in others. I believe that although our two communities are separated by many miles, we will find we have a lot in common”.