Month: November 2007

IT APPEARS that the decision to grant commercial independence to Shannon Airport is being rushed through without any proper evalua- tion of the airport’s ability to stand on its own, according to a Clare TD.

Pat Breen (FG) told the Dail that the airport may need €250 million to sustain its future needs.

“Shannon Airport faces an uncer- tain future with 320,000 passengers wiped off the Heathrow route, no guarantees on transatlantic passen- gers, Significant capital cost projec- tions, a dependency on military traf-

fic and an over-reliance on low-cost operations,’ he said.

In recent days, the Shannon Air- port Authority (SAA) lodged the air- port’s business plan with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in order to achieve independence and the Minis- ter for Transport, Noel Dempsey also received a copy.

However, Deputy Breen expressed concern that the independence of the airport was being rushed through in order “to deflect attention from the Government’s inaction on Shannon”.

Deputy Breen pointed out that “the extension of car parks, resurfacing the main runway and taxi-ways and

replacing air bridges cost money. When one lands at Shannon one no- tices many temporary buildings in a dilapidated state, all of which require refurbishment.”

On the effect of the “Open Skies” aviation deal on transatlantic routes, Deputy Breen said: “The reality is that direct seats sold from the US into Shannon are falling year by year, down from 577,000 in 2006 to 442,000 for 2007, with projections of 355,000 direct seat sales for 2008.

“The previous Minister told us in Shannon that we should embrace the opportunity, that aircraft were sitting in 22 new US airports ready to take

off and that we would share in that Le LURSIB ELSE

“They have not landed in Shan- non, the story there is very differ- ent. American Airlines has ceased its Shannon operation. US Airways did not operate for the winter and the Aer Lingus chief executive, Dermot Mannion, has only given a guarantee of direct trans-Atlantic flights from Shannon up to October 2008.

‘Therefore it is important that be- fore any decision on the break up is finalised, the airport’s ability to fund its future capital investments should be addressed,” Deputy Breen con- cluded.

THE IFA is once again pilling the pressure on Agriculture Mi£nister, Mary Coughlan, seeking an all out ban on Brazilian beef imports. Following the publication last week of FVO report on the standard of beef production in Brazil and a fresh outbreak of foot and mouth disease confirmed in Cyprus, IFA President says that Coughlan and EU Health and Consumer Protection Commis- sioner, Markos Kyprianou, must act to safeguard the Irish beef sector “The EU Commission has lowered Europe’s defensive barriers against Foot and Mouth disease to unac- ceptably low levels and continues to

expose the European livestock sector and Member States to unnecessary risks,” he said.

“Continuing to expose the Europe- an livestock sector and EU citizens to an unacceptable risk on foot and mouth disease is reckless and imme- diate action must be taken by Com- missioner Kyprianou to tighten up his flawed policy on FMD.”

The FMD virus in Cyprus has been confirmed as Serotype O, which is the common strain found in Brazil and other parts of South America.

Walshe also called for an all out ban on Brazilian beef following the publication of the FVO which found a number of shortcomings and defi- ciencies in the Brazilian beef sector.

The IFA President said Minister Coughlan now has evidence that Brazil still fails to meet EU require- ments.

‘The Minister must insist that EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou delivers on his commitment to 1m- pose a ban on Brazilian beef in view of the fact serious deficiencies previ- ously identified by the FVO have not been corrected,’ he said.

“The FVO report had again high- lighted a litany of serious problems with the standards in Brazil. It con- cluded that as aspects of the iden- tification system were incorrectly implemented, this called into ques- tion the reliability of the 40-day and

90-day residency policy, which the Commission relies on to implement regionalisation. The FVO_ found more animals registered in the SIS- BOV database than were actually present on some farms. “

The report also found shortcomings in the vaccination procedures stating that ‘no routine controls were being carried out by the competent author- ity on holdings to ensure proper vac- cination in some states’.

The vaccination programme as rec- ommended was not been followed and thus the level of herd immunity might not be sufficient to protect against FMD. The FVO observed that the FMD virus 1s still circulat- ing in parts of Mato Gross do Sul.

THE Clare Executive of ICMSA held its North Area meeting last week at Fall’s Hotel in Ennistymon and elected Richard Deveraux as Chairman while Pat O’Donoghue of Kilshanny was elected Secretary. The meeting was addressed by one of the Association’s research officer, James O’ Mahony, on a wide range of farming issues such as the outlook for milk and beef prices, cross-com- pliance, REPS 4, Nitrates deroga- tions and the very abrupt termination of the Farm Improvement Scheme.

The election of Mr Deveraux and Mr O’Donoghue, together with the election last month of Thomas Shan- non of Lissycasey as Chairman of West Clare and Padraig Haugh of Moyasta as Secretary means _ that the Clare now only requires the East Clare area to convene and appoint its officers to fill all its positions.

The Chairman of Clare ICMSA, Martin McMahon, has said that Clare will send a large delegation to the national Annual General Meeting to be held at Limerick Racecourse on November 29.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to turn

out the usual Clare team,’ said the O’Callaghan’s Mills Farmer.

“We’re very excited about the line- up that’s been arranged for this year. Hugh Friel, the outgoing CEO of Kerry group, Tara Buckley, CEO of RGDATA and the Consumer Asso- ciation of Ireland will give presenta- tions on the question of Irish food and who get what?

‘That promises to be a very bracing debate. The afternoon will see John Moloney, CEO of Glanbia, Vincent Gilhawley of Town of Monaghan, Joe Flynn of Irish Dairy Board and Sieta van Keimpema of the Euro-

pean Milk Board give presentation on the theme of Increased Quotas – More work, Less income?

“This is a star-studded line-up of experts in the field of Irish food gen- erally and Irish dairying, in particu- lar. Any member who attends will have a much better idea of his or her business for the next 12 months after hearing these people then they would otherwise.

“The day will end with a full din- ner and a speech from Minister Coughlan. A great and productive day will be had by any member who attends.”

THIS year’s Junior Cert class at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Span- ish Point will go down as one of the best achievers in maths and science in the long history of the school.

Alongside a host of classmates with impressive scores on both subjects, Katie Curtin from Miltown Malbay secured a brace of As to help her be- come one of only a handful of stu- dents to gain a perfect 12As.

She was made to wait for her suc- cess however, having been awarded 11 As and a B in September before her grades were improved after a re- fe SEM oo)

“Any student who gets Il As is a

great result, but to get 12 is amaz- ing. There are very few schools who would even offer 12 subjects,” said school principal Mary Crawford.

“We offer a lot of different subjects to give each student the chance to experience a wide range of topics to choose from.”

Katie’s sister Clare was also the top-achieving Leaving Cert student at the school this year.

“T like trying out different things such as experiments and that. I like physics but I’m doing biology as well and that is also good. I like business as well so I might end up doing some- thing in that area,” said Katie.

The group is taught by maths and science teacher Marie Lynch.

“They’re a great gang and all of them are very good at maths. A lot of them had 90 per cent or more in their maths mocks, so it didn’t surprise me so much that they got on so well. They’re great workers, they wouldn’t have done so well if they didn’t work so hard,’ she said.

“T like Ms Lynch, she is a bril- liant teacher,’ said Geraldine Rynne from Miltown Malbay. “I like doing the experiments. Like today we are doing experiments to measure how fast something is accelerating. It’s very interesting to figure out how different things work.”

Sarah Donnelly, who received 10 As, also enjoys the class. “I really like doing the experiments and see-

ing how things work. We got to burn things in chemistry today, so that was good fun. I would really like to do something in the science area when I go to college. I’m not really sure what yet though,” she said.

“T like going at it and finding out how things work for myself. You learn more if you figure it out for yourself instead of reading it in a book. I’d like to learn more about different things and how they work,” said Sean McMahon from Kilmurry

“We all like the experiments I think. I like to try and solve prob- lem so it’s good fun. Fifth year is a lot tougher than it was in Junior Cert but I still like it,” said Siobhan Talty from Miltown.

BALLYNACALLY woman Catriona Murphy recently qualified as an ac- countant at the Association of Char- tered Certified Accountants (ACCA) eraduation ceremony.

Catriona Murphy, of Rosscliff Road, Ballynacally, was congratu- lated on the occasion by Deane Mor- rice, president ACCA Ireland and Mr Richard Aitken-Davies, ACCA global deputy president at the ACCA Ireland 2007 graduation ceremony at the Helix Theatre, Dublin.

Mr Aitken-Davies said that human

capital, rather than capital assets, is now the main source of competitive advantage for businesses.

Continued Mr Aitken-Davies, °“To- day it’s human capital, the knowledge and skills that talented individuals can bring to organisations, that provides the source of competitive advantage.

“Accountants form a _ substantial part of that human capital and this means that talent management pro- erammes for finance professionals have become critical for business SECO onion

There were two Clare graduates on the day, with Edel East from Lagta-

goona, Corofin also qualifying. Speaking at the event, ACCA Ire- land president Deane Morrice said that globalisation, intensified com- petition, technological advancements and increased regulation have created a complex environment in which to do business. “Organisations are now ex- pected to report on far more than the financials and issues such as executive remuneration, pension funds, corpo- rate and social responsibility and of course, ethical policies all impose new responsibilities on accountants.” ACCA is the largest and fastest- erowing global professional account-

ancy body with 296,000 students and 115,000 members in 170 countries. 7,880 members and 9,220 students live in Ireland.

The ACCA has established more than 50 global accountancy partner- ships which deliver qualifications and a range of services which promote global standards, benefit the account- ancy profession and enhance the value of accountants in the workplace.

The association works closely with more than 4/0 registered tuition pro- viders and nearly 8,500 employers of accountants and finance profession- NESS

MILTOWN Malbay bookworms had good news this week when it was announced that the public library is to go full-time.

As of today, the Dr Patrick J. Hillery Public Library will become full- time with extended opening hours. The move to extend opening hours forms part of Clare County Library’s five-year development plan, which includes the provision of a full-time service that caters for the needs of the town and surrounding areas.

“Up until now, residents of the Mil- town Malbay area have been served

part-time,” said Clare County Li- brarian Noel Crowley.

“One long-standing target of the li- brary service has been to have a full- time branch library in every town with a population of over 1,000. This objective has largely been achieved in recent years. I have no doubt that the expansion of services in Miltown Malbay will be welcomed by the branch members and will also serve to attract new members,” he added.

Meanwhile, Helen Flynn has tak- en over the running of the Miltown Malbay branch library. Helen, who was recently promoted to the post of senior library assistant, previously

worked at Ennistymon library and at Kilrush library.

The origins of the library service in Miltown Malbay date back to 1995 When Clare County Library agreed to renovate the old woodwork room in the disused vocational school.

The work was undertaken in co-op- eration with the local community and FAS and resulted in the provision of a modern, multi-purpose library. The library was funded by Clare County Council, in co-operation with Clare VEC and the Miltown Malbay Area Joint Social Employment Scheme.

The Dr Patrick J. Hillery Public Library opened its doors on April 6,

1995, and now has a book stock ca- pacity of 12,000 books. A children’s section has been provided with more than 4,000 books for every read- ing age and interest. Clare County Library’s Irish traditional music col- lection is also housed in the library.

The new opening hours are: Mon- day: closed; Tuesday: Ipm to 5.30pm and 6pm to 8pm; Wednesday: 10am to lpm and 2pm to 5.30pm; Thurs- day: lpm to 5.30pm and 6pm to 8pm; Friday: 10am to Ipm and 2pm to 5.30pm; Saturday: 10am to 2pm.

For further information contact 065-7084822 or visit www.clareli- brary.ie

A LEADING Dublin interior de- sign and architecture firm has been appointed to guide the redevelop- ment of the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point into the future.

Millimetre Design, already having directed the design of other leading hotels across Ireland, has been com- missioned to lead the design of the Clare coast hotel.

John Burke, director of the Armada Hotel, said, “After looking over the portfolio of many of Ireland’s lead-

ing design companies, it became apparent the Millimetre Design team and in particular their company director, Ronan Holohan, displayed the ability and vision to lead this project in the right direction”

“In particular, the new concept of the ‘tranquility suites’, which he grasped and brought to new levels, is exciting. The tranquility suites will be unique and original in providing spa facilities within the comforts of one’s bedroom. While enjoying the great location, the tranquil setting will be created by a combination of

mood lighting, 1Pod surround sound, bespoke furniture and a floor-to-ceil- ing window. The real diamond of this concept is the ability to enjoy a spa bath while looking across the bay.”

The development, due for comple- tion in spring 2008, will comprise a full re-design of the existing hotel, along with the addition of 25 new rooms, including superior rooms and tranquility suites.

Ronan Houlihan, chief designer with Millimetre, said, “I was drawn to the project by the location, the tranquility suites and the exciting

concepts I was able to produce for the bars, restaurant and function room. I think Clare has something to be ex- cited about, and this property, when completed, will be able to compete with the best in the country.”

Work on the project will commence in November and the new-look hotel will be rolled out from February to April. The hotel will remain open ex-

cept for a short period in January.

IF the urge to draw and paint is some- thing you’ve had since you first man- aged to stay inside the black lines ina colouring book, then a course that is starting on the lively shores of Lough Graney shortly could be for you.

Art At The Park at Killanena starts Saturday, November 24, running un- til Sunday, November 25.

The two-day course teaches draw- ing, using a variety of subjects and media, from pencil to chalks, char- coal to water-soluble crayons.

“People learn to draw what they really see. This is tuition that will change your attitude to drawing, help

you really progress and improve your painting ability for ever’, said artist and teacher, Julie Douglas.

‘We have a very mixed bag of peo- ple who come to Killanena House for courses. Some are older people who used to draw and maybe haven’t been back to it since school. Others are people who have done painting courses and enjoyed them but real- ised they can only go so far before they need to learn how to draw prop- Se WA

“We also have established artists who want to get back to basics, so it’s CL DN Comr: ecb Dem Jalomcr BLCE

All artist-quality materials are sup- plied – “and we’re big on cake,” said

Julie – as well as coffee and home- made lunch.

The courses are not residential except for Julie’s five-day portfolio preparation course for students who are hoping to get into art college. “It’s a bit like prison,’ said Julie.

Julie guides students through wa- tercolour painting, drawing, life drawing, portraiture and botanical painting in the quiet, unspoilt corner off the tourist trail.

The course runs from |lam to 4pm. For more information, contact Ju- lie on 061 925975 for bookings and information or visit the website at www.artatthepark.net

SCARIFF is the location this week for film, art, drama, poetry, music and thought-provoking photography on the theme of human rights.

One World Week (OWW) is an international initiative to provide space for people from diverse back- grounds to learn about global justice, to spread that learning and to use it to challenge inequality, discrimina- tion and degradation, locally and globally.

Last year during this week, Fish- bowl Youth worked with the theme of HIV/AIDS and this year, the club has organised a host of events on the theme of power and justice which

will appeal to all ages to mark the Neto)

With the help of five European vol- unteers, Fishbowl are organising the ‘Cornered’ Human Rights and Arts Festival in Scariff.

Over the past six weeks they have given workshops at Youth Reach, The Alfa Project, Mercy College Wood- ford, EMC Youth Club, and Scariff Community College, the results will be displayed during the festival.

From November 19 to 25, young local artists will have their work ex- hibited at Fishbowl Youth club and the Market House. Photos by Sophie Breuker, taken in South Africa and Turkey will be exhibited in main street shop windows while Brian and

Joe’s Coffee Shop will host Katie Moore’s photos of Nigeria.

At Youth Reach, visitors can come face to face with a thought-provok- ing collection of photos of Israel and Palestine and Philip Daly’s inspiring pictures of “Burma Action Ireland” will be exhibited at the new Scariff Public Library.

Anyone interested can try their tal- ent at the drumming workshops, get information about the work of Am- nesty International, hear local musi- cians play, or explore human rights through the living statues of Fish- bowl Youth.

During the weekend there will be presentations on Fair Trade, and there will be two workshops or the

‘Breaking through the Wall’ work- shop in Youth.

There will be a number of short movies, relating to the issue of Hu- man Rights, Ruaille-Buaille dance night and The Acoustic Music evening in a cafe style setting.

Not forgetting the younger ones, on Sunday the ALFA Project’s students will present a puppet-show of “Vasil- issa the beautiful”.

Everyone interested is welcome to the grand opening with music, poet- ry and refreshments at the new pub- lic library on the Thursday at 6pm when Deputy Timmy Dooley will officially open the event with Elean- or Feeley, Youth Theatre Officer, in attendance.

“OH what a beautiful morning.” No, we’re not talking about a clear winter’s day in Clare but one of the well known songs from ‘Oklahoma’ which is this year’s presentation from the East Clare Musical Society.

Now in their third year of musical production after their ‘Joseph And His Amazing Dreamcoat’ in 2005 and the hilarious musical extrava- ganza ‘God Bless Archie Dean’ in 2006, ‘Oklahoma’ will be performed by the East Clare Musical Society from December 13 to 16.

Set in the early 20th century, ‘Okla- homa!’ tells the story of a boisterous and hard Aunt Eller (Niamh Murphy) who is seated outside her house when the debonair Curley played by Paul Connery call’s by singing, “Oh what a beautiful morning.”

Curley is in top form as he 1s ask- ing Aunt Eller’s niece Laurie (Imelda Flannery) to the box social. Love-ri- val Will Parker is played by Michael Tuohy and Judge Carnes by Peader McMahon. Ado Annie is played by Louise O’Connor and Persian ped- dler Ali Hakin by John Moloney. Moody farmhand Jud is played by

Tim Landers.

The show is produced and choreo- graphed by Tim Landers and assisted by Aifric Devane and the music di- rector is Johnny O’Brien.

People came from all over east Clare last year to take part in the mu- sical society’s production and it was their proud boast that almost every village and area was represented in some way.

“This year, we have many new members of the society. It is tremen- dous that we have representatives from Norway, Denmark, Spain, Ger- many, Scotland and from many more

parishes stretching form Killaloe to Gurteeny in County Galway.

“We wish all our newcomers many enjoyable nights of rehearsing, cama- raderie, laughs and moments of seri- ousness and success to all involved in the production,” a spokesman for the society said.

Tickets for the show will go on sale from November 24 in Centra, Scariff and at the door subject to availabil- ity. The venue is Scariff Community College, doors opening at 7.15pm and show starting at 8pm sharp.

Due to unprecedented popularity it is advisable to book early.