Month: September 2007

A MUSIC project, open to young people in the Shannon area, has been launched, for the fourth year in suc- ISSO) F

The project, which is run by Clare Youth Service, has been a huge suc- cess over the past three years. Run by local youth workers and a committee of young people, it provides various workshops for those interested in music.

As the project returns this week, its organisers have announced plans for free guitar workshops.

The committee has put together an information brochure about the

workings of the project and the fa- cilities available to young people in the Shannon area.

The project is open to all young people aged between 13 and 21 years, who are interested in learning musi- cal instruments and participating in music workshops. The committee also hopes to begin music apprecia- tion workshops and a listening club in the near future.

The workshops takes place on Fri- days from 6pm to 7pm, in The Re- spond Community Building, Rine- anna View. The workshop is being run by a local guitar teacher Paul O’ Donoghue.

The workshops will begin with

acoustic guitar for the first four to five weeks and then electric guitar will be introduced.

“The only catch that Paul insists on is that people be on time. Partici- pants are invited to be ready to learn at 6pm sharp. Also, if you don’t have a guitar its still ok to show up as ar- rangements have been made to pro- vide additional guitars for use at the workshop only,” said Shannon youth worker, Cathal Dillon.

The committee is in the process of recruiting other performers from the area to do workshops in drums and vocals also. This should be made available at a later stage.

Meanwhile, the Shannon Youth

Club has re-opened, following the summer break.

The club runs at The Respond Com- munity Building, Rineanna View, every Tuesday night, from 7pm to whet

The club is open to all secondary school students aged between 13 and 16 in Shannon but places are restrict- ed to 40, due to limited hall space.

The club is currently recruiting volunteers for the posts of assistant leader and activity leaders within the club. Clare Youth Service provides training and full support is given to all leaders by the leader in charge. The posts are open to those over the age of 18.

FIFTEEN groups in Shannon have applied for community grants un- der the town council’s annual grants scheme.

The initiative is geared towards projects which are designed to im- prove the quality of life for the peo- ple of Shannon. The projects which qualify for funding must show a clear community focus.

The groups which made the sub- missions have made various requests for funding, ranging from €400 to €2,000. ;

The Gleann an Oir Residents As- sociation is seeking a grant between €1,500 and €2,000. That is the single biggest request. Wolfe Tones

camogie side is seeking €1,500, while the local handball club has requested €1,200. Applications for €1,000 have been made by Clare Ha- ven in Shannon, the Shannon Family Resource Centre, SEED, Shannon Olympic AFC and the Musical So- OAs

Newtown FC is seeking €7/50, While applications for €500 each have been made by three youth projects. Duchas na Sionna has ap- plied for €400 funding.

The local graveyard maintenance committee and Jet FM, Shannon Community Radio, have both applied for unspecified amounts in funding.

Last year, some 15 groups in the town received funding, under this scheme. The size of the grants ranged

from €300 to €500 and the total funding amounted to €5,200.

A number of the projects which re- ceived money last year have applied for funding again this year. Some of the applicants, including Wolfe Tones camogie club and the Fam- ily Resource Centre, did not receive eae OL SM ERS (orb

The grants will be presented at a special function to be held in Shan- non later this year.

Meanwhile, people who encourage others to get involved in sports and other activities, will also be hon- oured, under the annual Liosta na Laochra scheme.

Previously, awards were given to local people who excelled at national and international levels.

Tomas MacCormaic has suggested that people who work behind the scenes should be honoured this year.

This idea was supported by mem- bers of Shannon Town Council.

Cllr Geraldine Lambert (FF) said, “It’s easy to overlook honouring the people behind the scenes. As a town council, it would be a very good move to honour these people.”

Mr MacCormaic said that people honoured in this category must be living in Shannon, or involved with a club which is located “within the functional area of the town.”

Nominations must be made prior to the first week of October. The ‘Laochra’ will be honoured the same night as the presentation of the com- munity grants.

THE people of Shannon are being asked to support the local gymnastics club, in its search for a new home.

The club was formed five years ago and currently has more than 100 children on its books.

Since its formation, the club has en- joyed no shortage of success, both on local and national levels.

One of its members, Becky O’Donnnell recently travelled to Po- land with the Irish squad 1n the Euro- pean Cup, where she came 10th. She has also taken part in the national Community Games finals in Mosney over the past few years, where she

has won one gold, two bronze and two silver medals.

Becky, along with Grainne Hen- nessy, Dara Moan and Molly Night- ingale, have represented the club on the national squad.

Young boys and girls travel from all over the county, to take part in gymnastics at the club. The Shannon club is the only club in the region to specialise in tumbling, which attracts the interest of several young people.

However, despite its success, the club has no home and does not ben- efit from much funding.

The club avails of facilities at the local leisure centre, but would dearly love to have a base to call its own.

Becky’s mother Ita – who 1s a mem- ber of the club’s fundraising commit- tee – said local fundraising is essen- tial for the club’s existence.

“We don’t get any funding. We did get a sports grant six months ago, but we don’t get any national funding. A lot of other sports get funding but the gymnastics don’t. The parents have to organise the fundraising,’ said tee

She is hopeful that the people of the town will continue to support the club in its quest for a home that they can call their own.

“We are looking for a suitable premises but it is expensive. It 1s bril- liant for the children to have such an

activity. The people of Shannon have been great,” she said.

The club was formed by Elaine Ryan, whose work and dedication is crucial.

‘Elaine gives great dedication to the club. Six months ago when we had no equipment, Elaine used to take the children to Cavan, where there is a very good tumbling club. She did it in her own time,” said Ita.

SPARKS will fly as members of an Ennis dance school prepare to head to America to take on the world’s best.

Ten members of Sparks dance school will travel to Los Angeles next year to compete in World Dance Excellence – an international festival for young dancers.

The ten students, who range in age from 7 to 25, have been selected for the Irish team that will compete at the event, which takes place in the Californian city in March 2008.

The competition is sure to be in- tense with dancers from 50 states in America and 15 countries around

the world taking part. Team Ireland comprises students from Dublin and Belfast.

The hard work starts now for the students who will be taking their dancing skills to the streets of Ennis in search of sponsorship.

A number of fundraising events are already in the pipeline to help the students on their way to LA.

Sparks eymnrrertoyen Lourdes O’Donoghue said she is delighted that the students from the school have been selected on Team Ireland for the second year in a row.

Sparks has been in existence for 12 years in Ennis and is firmly es- tablished as one of the premier dance schools in Ireland.

In that time Sparks students have regularly competed in national and international finals, amassing a glit- tering array of prizes along the way.

The school has ten All-Ireland first place wins, three second place world titles and numerous other individual and pairs titles to its name.

Sparks hip-hop dance school is the only modern dance school in Clare doing exams for all ages in hip hop and freestyle.

Lourdes O’ Donoghue is a qualified dance instructor and judge, and has a team of student champions at hip hop, freestyle and funky tap.

Away from competitive action, the school has become a fixture on the Christmas panto scene, regularly

collaborating with the Ennis based Pantaloons group.

The Sparks team and instructors that will travel to Los Angeles to compete at World Dance Excellence are: Aidan Walsh (7), Barefield Na- tional School; Ava Mahony (18) Colaiste Mhuire; Saoirse Mulcahy (7) Ennis National School; Maeve Curry (20) Knapogue Castle; Ha- zel Grassie (15) Gort Community College; Wilson Chung (18) Peter Marks; Hazel O’ Doherty (21) Limer- ick Institute of Technology; Oskarina O’Sullivan (10) Clarecastle National School; Lauren O’Shea (12) Knocka- nean National School; Laura Jane Allis (25) Sparks Instructor; Lourdes O’ Donoghue (Sparks Principal).

THERE is anger and frustration among the rank and file of the sol- diers of destiny in Clare and along the west coast, with some long serv- ing members of the Fianna Fail party proposing to resign if “things do not change”.

A motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach was unanimously passed by the Ennis No | Cumman last week, by members who just months before canvassed for the party lead- er.

Now with the Aer Lingus crisis pointing to an uncertain future for the economy of the future and the death knell sounding in the distance for A and E services at Ennis Gen- eral Hospital, the grass roots of the main Government party are begin- ning to revolt.

Former Ennis Town Councillor Michael Guilfoyle, who proposed the motion of no confidence, said, “If things don’t sort themselves out I’ll be gone.”

The Ennis man, who has been a member of the party for 35 years,

said, “I defended Bertie at the doors before the election and when we needed Bertie he wasn’t to be found.

‘There was no one reason (for the motion), just years of frustration for people like myself who feel we are no longer being listened to.”

Ennis Town Councillor Tom Glynn (FF) said most people felt there was now a Sell out of the west but he did not feel resigning from the party was the way forward for him despite his erowing frustration.

“I think you are better off fighting from within than without. They can

ignore me even more from without,’ he said.

Meanwhile “angry and frustrated” Fianna Fail councillors from Burton Port in Donegal to Caherciveen in Kerry gathered in Oranmore to dis- cuss how they would ensure that the Aer Lingus crisis remained on the Government’s agenda.

Organised by Clare councillors Pat Daly, Peter Considine and Bernard Hanrahan, the 60 to 70 councillors in attendance set up the Fianna Fail Western Councillors’ Alliance.

“We believe that the Programme

for Government is not being rolled out in an even manner,’ Cllr Consti- dine told

MENTION the words pop or rock band manager and the image that springs to mind is that of a middle- aged, middle spreading man in a suit or a judge on a dodgy reality TV show with a penchant for creating boy bands.

Which makes it all the more sur- prising to learn that a 15-year-old female Mountshannon student has landed the gig that promoters twice her age would give their platinum ODES we

Hannah Ryan has been commis- sioned by Cork-based teenage gig company, Blast Base, to organise their events in Clare.

Blast Base organise and promote alcohol-free events with live bands and DJ’s in Cork, which have be- come hugely successful with young music fans.

Hannah came to their attention when she got involved in a Cork gig on behalf of the Clare band which she manages, Marble Chips.

‘They had only spoken to me on the phone and we discussed me organis- ing Clare gigs for them. When they invited me down for an interview, I think it was a bit of a shock, but when we had talked and I told them what I’d done in the past they agreed to go ahead,” said Hannah.

Hannah organised her first music event at just 13 years of age, when

she staged a Battle of the Bands, organising venues, sound, lighting sponsorship and prizes.

“It turned out to be the biggest bat- tle of the bands held in Clare up to then, with musicians coming from all over,’ said Hannah.

She has organised 17 gigs for her band Marble Chips since she took them on in August and not in any shabby old venues, but settings in- cluding Glor and the Half Moon Theatre in Cork.

And now a second band have ap- proached her to manage them, Schism and that’s while she is still studying with the Steiner-based Alpha Project and taking FETAC exams.

But the first hurdle she has to tackle

to put on the Blastbase gigs in Clare is to find venues.

“These are no-alcohol events, and a lot of places are not willing to close their bars for the night so we need other venues like halls or clubs if this is to happen.”

Anyone who might have a venue on offer for Hannah’s new project should call her on 085 1589498.

FOR decades, Irish people have been flocking to Yoga lessons as a way of destressing, improving mental and physical health or just relaxing.

But now a Clonlara teacher, who used a Yoga approach to having her own children, is helping women have a healthier, more holistic experience of pregnancy and childbirth.

And once baby is born, he or she can come to class with mum.

Paulette Egan is teaching the Birth Light method of enjoying pregnancy and childbirth in Killaloe and is also running mother and baby classes.

Mother of four Paulette knows what she’s talking about having learned the method and used it for the birth of her own children, avoiding any need for drugs or epidurals.

While medical procedures have undoubtedly made having babies safer, many women feel their experi- ence of pregnancy and childbirth has been taken out of their hands or that there’s no choice beyond putting up with pain or taking drugs in labour.

“What Yoga teaches are simple positions and breath techniques that put women in touch with their bodies and their babies throughout pregnan- cy and when it comes to giving birth, make it a much easier and more en- joyable experience.”

The method and exercises can be done from 16 weeks into pregnancy and help expectant women to have a better understanding and to experi- ence what is happening to their bod- les in a positive way.

For instance, Paulette says “later in pregnancy many women say they

have trouble getting a breath. Yoga teaches good posture which creates more space to breath’.

The techniques also help with high blood-pressure, backache, sciatica and many other discomforts associ- ated with being a lady in waiting.

Among the movements taught at classes are rocking movements to soothe the developing baby, leg strengthening exercises to help dur- ing labour and pelvic floor exercises that help during the final stages of labour.

“Most importantly, this helps women to focus on what is happen- ing during pregnancy and to connect with the growing baby.”

And afterwards, women who want to continue learning more about Yoga can include their newborns in post-natal classes, which also include

coffee mornings so that women can meet and socialise.

Paulette sends surveys to all the women who have attended her pre- natal classes and gets a very positive response.

“They all say they got benefit from it,” she said.

The pre-natal Yoga classes are start- ing in Killaloe on Thursday nights from 6.50pm to 8.20pm on Convent Hill and the mother and baby classes Start up again on Friday mornings between 10.30am and noon.

Anyone interested can contact Pau- lette on 086 3183646.

A MAJOR clean-up and renovation of an east Clare cemetery by will- ing locals has borne fruit. Kilavoher cemetery now has a new gate, re- paired walls and a name plaque.

In addition, secretary of the Meel- ick-Parteen Graveyard Commit- tee, Councillor Cathal Crowe, said, “Anti-social behaviour at the Kilavo- her cemetery has ceased.”

The graveyard committee was set up after reports that the area was be-

ing used for drinking and anti-social behaviour. Committee members Fr Fred McDonald, Mike Crowe, Ca- thal Crowe, Ray Armstron, Seamus Spaight, Packie Cronin, George White, Martin Manning and Bernard McNa- mara took on the project and now the cemetery is ship-shape again.

“At the beginning of the summer it was brought to my attention that the cemetery was being used for drink- ing parties. It was also alleged that the cemetery has been the scene of debauchery and vandalism. I was

even informed by one local resident that rocks were pelted at an old head- Stone,’ Councillor Crowe said.

The work actually began more than two years ago when the committee took a conscious decision to clean up Kilavoher cemetery.

The historic cemetery was “in very poor condition and briars had grown up to above head height’ said Cllr SOW

Some graves in the cemetery date back to the late 18th century.

“Summer 2005 was the first time in

a long time that many of these graves has seen the light of day. At the time of our major clean-up, many passers- by remarked that they never knew that a cemetery was beneath all the briars and weeds. Since our clean-up operation in 2005, the cemetery has been maintained to a high standard by local volunteers,’ the councillor said.

He called on anyone who witnesses further anti-social behaviour to report it to either a member of the Grave- yards Committee or the Gardai.

VITAL financial services are once again available in Kilmaley follow- ing the opening of a new credit union sub station.

Credit union staff officially opened the new substation at O’Brien’s Country Store on Friday. The station will offer a wide range of financial services including pensions, savings and loan applications to people and businesses in the area.

The station is opening on a Six month trial period and will be manned by credit union staff every Friday.

Staff at O’Brien’s will be available

to offer assistance for transactions made during the week. Shop staff will not have access to any account information, which will remain strictly confidential.

The new service 1s a welcome boost to the community. In November 2006 An Post downgraded postal services in Kilmaley from a full post office to a post point.

It came as a major blow, particularly to older members of the community. The post office fulfilled numerous functions. It allowed people to pay ESB bills, collect pension payments, children’s allowance payments and parcels.

Lawrence O’Brien, manager of

O’Brien’s Country Stores explained the impact of the closure.

“It was a very busy post office and it was a Surprise when they closed it down. We have a lot of elderly people coming in and we handle a lot of pen- sions. When the service was down- graded, people couldn’t collect their pensions directly from us. It made it hard for elderly people. They had to rely on a neighbour or a friend who was going into Ennis. Even dog li- censes and gun licenses you couldn’t do them anymore”’.

Mr. O’Brien approached the credit union four months ago about the pos- sibility of meeting the need created by the downgrading of postal serv-

eense

Although the service is operating on a trial period, he is hopeful the substation will become permanent.

“It is important for rural communi- ties like Kilmaley to have access to such services. It can be difficult for some people to travel into Ennis dur- ing the week. The credit union really responded to the idea. It would be great to see this happening in other parts of Clare”.

THE closure of four well-known businesses in the seaside town of Kilkee has been described as a co- incident and is not a reflection on the prosperity of the town.

The proprietors of the four estab- lished businesses closed their doors for the last time last week for per- sonal reasons.

One of the businesses that are no longer in operation is Nolan’s Butch- er’s. The family butchers served the people of Kilkee for five genera- ao els

This was one of two family busi- nesses on O’Curry’s Street to close on that fateful weekend.

Collins’ Pharmacy also closed leav- ing the seaside town with only one pharmacy.

Meehan’s Bakery on the Strand Line ceased selling fresh breads and cakes and closed its doors.

Kilkee was also left with just one petrol station following the closure of Dough Motors on the Kilrush Road.

Known locally as Burke’s garage the closure means that the west Clare peninsula has now just two filling stations – one in Kilkee and the old

Bella Creamery between Cross and Carrigaholt.

Kilkee Chamber of Commerce spokesman John Willliams describe the four closures as sad but co-inci- dental.

“None of them closed due to a lack of prosperity in the town. In the four cases they closed for personal cir- cumstances, it was just a co-incident that they all came together,” he said.

“It is like any other town. Places are closing down and opening up.”

The Kilkee pharmacist was also upbeat about the summer seasons, despite the rain.

“It wasn’t the best of season, but it wasn’t he worst of seasons either. Kilkee has a traditional following, and the same people return every year,’ he said.

Mr Williams said it was also hard to judge if the late change in the weather for the better meant a more boisterous September than usual.

He said the Cois Fhairraige festival brought more than 4,500 people to the town and an added boost to the local economy.

This added to the local population significantly for the past week and it was therefore hard to judge what 1m-