Month: December 2007

IT was once a ballroom of romance but in recent years there was little that could be called romantic about Quin Community Hall.

Built in 1940 the hall in it’s hey- day was THE place to be for bright young things who wanted to dance the night away to the sounds of the Swarbriggs or the Indians.

The now draughty hall with it’s plumbing creaking and paint peel- ing 1s about to be restored to glory thanks to hard work fundraising and a €40,000 grant from the Depart-

ment of the Gaeltacht and Rural De- velopment.

€70,000 was raised locally through a very successful members draw.

A refurbishment and planned exten- sion for the hall will be carried out in two phases, according to booking of- ficer at the Quin Community Centre, Sarah Lennon.

“In the first phase, which is what this grant is for, we’ll be making the front of the building totally wheel- chair accessible with a new kitchen and an accessible toilet.”

The work is timely as the Enable Ireland sports group have just begun

using the building for sports prac- tice.

It’s hoped that this part of the refur- bishment can begin shortly and fu- ture plans are to apply for planning permission for a multi-purpose facil- ity in the back of the building.

“Local people were fantastic – they really rowed in to support us in the project,” said Sarah.

And whatever it costs to bring the building up to scratch, it will be money well spent, given the number of groups who use it.

Currently a new youth club has Opened it’s doors on Sundays be-

tween 7pm and 9pm, with youngsters aged 12 to 17 joining. Hip-hop and Irish dance classes are held in the centre, while badminton and other sports are played there.

The centre is also a meeting and functions home to local community groups such as the ICA, the parent and toddler group and the Teakwood Club.

‘“We’re booked well ahead and we expect to stay busy. The population of Quin is growing and there are more clubs starting up all the time. The hall will see plenty of use,” said Sarah.

THE spirit of volunteerism has been recognised by Shannon Town Coun- cil with the presentation of a series of awards to some of the areas most active volunteer groups.

One of the organisations singled out for recognition was the Shannon Community Games, with the music society, the chess club and the Bea- vers and Scouts also being recog- nised.

“We have been involved in the Community Games for years now and all the people who received awards have been involved for a long time, decades some of them,” said Mary Fitzgerald of the Shannon

Community Games.

“The Community Games are a ereat social outlet for the young peo- ple. Anything that keeps them inter- ested and occupied is of great ben- efit. It’s always a case of keeping the children involved.

“If they don’t find success as an individual they can always become part of a team. If sports doesn’t al- ways suit then there is a whole host of other activities that they can get involved with. It’s all about partici- pation.”

Over the year’s Shannon has pro- duced a host of All-Ireland Champi- on and have always been competitive, especially in chess and swimming. The great work of the group could

not however, be maintained without the help of countless volunteers.

“We have a great tradition here in chess and have produced a lot of All Ireland Champions. We have also had a lot of success with swimming down the years. I think that out first All-Ireland Champion swimmer was Douglas Hyde back in the *80’s,” continued Mary.

“So many people help in so many different areas of it. It’s great to see it, especially these days when peo- ple are so busy. It’s wonderful to see people who are willing to give their time and their talent for the next gen- eration.

“The whole ethos is all about par- ticipation rather than winning. You

never ever want to send a young fella home thinking they have failed somehow. There are so many chil- dren these days that don’t take part in things like this for whatever reason. “One thing that you can say about the children who take part, you never see them in any kind of trouble. It’s all about keeping them interested and occupied. That’s what it’s all about.”

THE grave of two infant sisters who died two years ago has been severely damaged by vandals.

The incident occurred two weeks ago in Quilty graveyard at the grave- side of Neola and Nova O’ Loughlin.

Thieves removed a stone from the grave and also destroyed pictures, a wreath and presents left by parents Patrick and Sharon O’ Loughlin.

Patrick’s sister discovered the dam- age on a visit to the grave two weeks

ago. The family repaired some of the damage caused to the grave only to return a day later to find the grave had again been disturbed.

Patrick O’Loughlin, who lives in Quilty, explained the family were shocked with the extent of the dam- age.

“My sister told me about it and fair play to her she went back with my brother and his girlfriend to tidy it up a bit. They actually found a bit of stone that they hadn’t taken. They shaped it into a heart at the front. But

they came back the next night and de- stroyed it again. They even destroyed the wreath that was laying there.” Patrick explained how presents left by he and his wife to mark their daughter’s birthday were also stolen. “They did a colossal amount of damage. I used to go back there six nights a week to visit the grave. My wife and myself used to leave presents back there for the girls’ birthday. ‘They broke the angels that were on it, and the pictures. They stole water bottles. I was sickened by it.”

Neola and Nova O’Loughlin were both born premature on December 12, 2005 and died the day after their birth.

Patrick said the family was prepar- ing to mark the two-year anniversary of the girl’s death.

‘“That’s what makes it extra hard. They will be gone two years next week and for someone to come along and do that to a child’s grave 1s just awful. It wasn’t the fact that they stole the stone, they could take all of it for I care, it was the fact that they

came back and destroyed the wreath and pictures. That’s what really sick- ened me.”

The grave was the only one dam- aged in the graveyard. Patrick said, “You would clearly know that it was a child’s grave.

“There were two angels on the headstone. In taking the stones they did awful damage.”

The stone that was taken in the rob- bery was a very distinctive marble type stone, salmon and orange in colour.

THE people of Ennistymon and north Clare are being asked to support local businesses by spending their money in the locality this Christmas.

Three shops — Crosbies, Noinin and Aficionado — all located in En- nistymon Square, have come together to launch a campaign for local shop- ping this festive season.

“The whole point is to try to get people to shop locally. We feel that if people do shop locally, then the businesses in the community do give back to the local community. For example, we always sponsor the schools all over north Clare. It’s nice, we support the local community and the local community supports us,” said Suzanne Crosbie, of Crosbies.

“Even in a strictly economics way, all three shops spend locally as well, so that keeps the money local.

“We are three small independent shops and feel we provide a good service for the community. Because

we are small, we have to be creative when we advertise and how we man- age our resources. SO we sat down earlier in the year and decided that we might have something to gain by banding together.”

Aficionado is a mothers, babies and gift boutique which provides mater- nity wear, children’s clothes up to the age six years and a collection of nursery accessories. Proprietors Patricia and Jonathon are eco-con- scious, with particular emphasis on environmentally friendly and organ- ic products.

Noinin fashion boutique stocks funky wear to formal wear. Owner Deirdre works hard at seeking out the best of labels ranging from Sand- wich, Full Circle, Just B and Sfizzio, to name but a few.

Crosbies are already busy with Christmas stock, such is the demand for their unusual collection of Christ- mas decorations. They are introduc- ing more home accessories to their merchandise mix this year, including

a new line of cotton rugs. “There is so much competition out there now, with big stores and the internet and we cannot compete with them in terms of scale. But we provide a good service and a good after-sales service that you might not get in a big store,” added Suzanne.

“We are all looking to provide a good quality product that is a bit different from what you might get in the larger shops.”

This Thursday, December 6, a raffle for a gift voucher worth €500, re- deemable in either Crosbies, Noinin or Aficionado, will take place.

SINGER Sean Keane will take to an interesting stage next Wednes- day when he performs at the Cliffs of Moher. The concert, which is in support of the local RNLI, will take place at the new Atlantic Edge Cen- tre at the cliffs from 8pm on Wednes- day, December 12.

Keane comes from one of Ireland’s most famous musical families, which also includes his sister Dolores, and has been performing since childhood. He was voted performer of the year

by readers of Irish Music magazine in 1998 and 1999 and was described as “the greatest Irish musical find of the 90s” by the London Independent.

He will be joined by local fiddler Tara Breen, concertina player and TG4 Gradam winner Edel Fox, singer Jennifer Ryan and harpist Meabh de SUNN oe

“We are delighted and excited to be hosting Sean Keane at the Atlantic Edge. I hope this will be the first of many concerts we will stage in the theatre here,’ said Katerine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher New

Visitor Experience. “The RNLI is a cause very close to our hearts and the concert fits in very well with our Christmas Music for Charity at the Cliffs programme that runs up to December 23.

“The lifeboat concert kicks off our Christmas programme which will see local Clare national and sec- ondary schools and other commu- nity groups performing at the cliffs on days throughout December for a range of local charities.

“Performances will take place both indoors and outdoors at the Cliff

Edge Centre and we hope this will be great experience for all concerned.”

The Sean Keane concert begins at 8pm but people are asked to be in the centre at 7pm, where there will be a drinks reception. All the artists and the cliffs centre are giving their time and place free of charge.

Tickets are available from Record Rack in Ennis or directly from the reception at the Cliffs of Moher, phone 065 7086141.

For more details of the perform- ance programme, visit www.cliffsof- moher.ie/events.

“HAMNA chakula nyumbani” — “There is no food at home”. When we answered the knock on the door last Sunday, Anna’s stark, simple message, her frail body and sad eyes told all. We know this family of seven. What she said was literally true. They would not eat that day if we didn’t help.

It’s almost Christmas but when you’re poor, Christmas means noth- ing. Here in Pemba, the vast majority of people are poor and it 1s a struggle for them just to survive. There is no big Christmas spending spree.

Yesterday in the fish market we saw an old man who had only 200Tsh (12c), buying the entrails of a fish for his dinner. It was all he could afford. Later at the shop a young woman on

her way to the hospital with her sick baby was buying a single dispos- able nappy.

What about Santa? Last week Laila, a tu- tor in the college asked me, “Who its this Father Christmas? I read about him in a book.” Christ- mas is a time for chil- dren’s toys and presents but we have never seen a doll and pram in Wete.

Baby brothers and sisters are their ‘dolls’. If kids have a ball it 1s usually made from plastic bags tied up in string and toy cars are manufactured from plastic containers with ‘wheels’ cut from old flipflops.

As I write, I am being serenaded by 10-year-old Makame (pictured),

sitting on the veranda playing his ‘guitar’ made out of a_ bent stick, a piece of fishing line and a margarine tin. We have yet to see a child with a mobile phone or an MP3 play- er. A ‘present’ for them would be a biro, a few marbles or a hair bau- ble which could double as a bracelet.

Leisure time here is different too. The ‘office night out’ is a group of men sitting on the footpath outside the mosque at dusk, drinking spiced tea from a communal kettle and play- ing draughts with bottle tops on an improvised board.

Meanwhile, groups of chatting women move along the street buying

cheap fried cassava or sweet buns from their neighbours’ food stalls.

In the west we have lost the simplic- ity of Christmas and the Christmas story. But for us this year, Christmas will be a low-key affair.

Despite missing family and friends it will be refreshing to celebrate the Holy Season without the trimmings, walking among children who have not yet heard of Father Christmas.

THE end of an era in policing in north Clare will be marked this week when Lahinch Sergeant Michael Gallery retires from the force. The Ennisty- mon native has taken early retire-

ment to concentrate on farming.

Mr Gallery has been the sergeant in Lahinch for the past four-and-a-half years and has played a pivotal role in controlling night-time lawlessness in the seaside resort.

He moved to Lahinch in 2003,

having served in Kilrush, Limerick, Pearse Street in Dublin and Donegal, over the past three decades.

His job over the past few years has been focused on curbing public dis- order on the streets of Lahinch, in- vestigating tragedies at the Cliffs of

Moher and solving rural crime.

During his career he spent a year working in Bosnia and intends to re- visit there in the coming months.

A bone of contention in Lahinch 1s the lack of Garda resources available in the town. “It 1s under-resourced. There should be at least four person- nel here (up to last year there were just two, with a third deployed there in 2006). I know the authorities have to look at 24-hour stations and make sure they are covered, but Lahinch 1s by far the busiest sub-station in north Clare,’ he said.

He has seen several rows on the streets as hundreds of youngsters pour out from the nightclubs in the early hours. The issue hit crisis point three years ago when a full-blown riot broke out. As a result, gardai objected to exemptions for the local nightclubs and he believes this has helped matters.

“Things were out of control. We looked for resources and didn’t get them. We objected to the exemptions. Judge Mangan became aware there was a problem and cut back closing times and imposed heavy fines for public order offences. The situation has changed. In 2005 there were 95 arrests for public order and 30 as- saults were reported. Five of those were assaults on gardai. We now have four gardai working every Sat- urday night and while there are up to 100 public order arrests every year, the number of assaults has reduced. There were just four assaults this year, so it is effective,” he added.

As he prepares to sit back and enjoy life in retirement, he says one thing is crucial in police work — being seen on the beat. “I worked in Pearse Street for 10 years and rarely did I ever sit in the car,” he said.

THE top official in the Department of Transport has moved to quell re- ports that the Shannon Airport Au- thority and Shannon Development are to be merged.

In response to a question from Fine Gael TD Pat Breen at the Dail’s Transport Committee, the Secretary General at the Department of Trans- port, Julie O’Neill, said: “I have heard suggestions along those lines.

It has not been raised as an explicit proposal at this stage.

Ms O Neill was speaking at the Dail ‘Transport Committee last Thursday where senior officials from the department explained why Min- ister Noel Dempsey was not told of Aer Lingus plans to withdraw from the Shannon-Heathrow service.

She added that there was “no spe- cific proposal on my desk or in the department in regard to that issue.”

On the work being done by a top

level Government inter-departmen- tal group on Shannon, senior official, John Murphy said: “A number of de- velopments are being examined in other areas in terms of institutional reform and the investment that needs to be made, whether under Transport 21 or in other areas. Work will pro- ceed on that.

Mr Murphy said in answer to a question from Mr Breen on the €53m economic and tourism development plan for the Shannon region that it

would “be finalised shortly”.

As part of the committee’s plan to produce a report on the future of Shannon, chairman of the Shannon faVbu led maULNeLO UIA CS¥a Ua Ne erclme)er:Net- ce han is to also appear before the com- mittee in the near future.

Ms O’Neill acknowledged that in the context of other challenges facing Shannon airport, the SAA needed the loss of its Heathrow slots “like a hole in the head”.

Deputy Timmy Dooley said that

he was “still baffled as to why they failed to communicate this critical information to the minister”.

He said: “It has had an impact on the region which I represent and, in my mind, will have an extremely se- rious impact in the coming years.

‘While the members of the delega- tion might believe their actions blind sided the minister, those actions have devastated or have the potential to devastate an entire region,’ Deputy Dooley added.

DEPUTY Joe Carey (FG) has called into question the commitment of the minister of transport to the people of the mid-west, following the min- ister’s response to Dail questions by Deputy Carey last week.

On ‘Tuesday last, Deputy Carey raised the issue of the designation of the Shannon-Heathrow route as a public service obligation route (PSO).

Deputy Carey said that the minis- ter’s response confirmed that “the Government is continuing to treat the Shannon-Heathrow issue with a slight hand, laden with political am- bivalence.

The designation of Shannon-Heath- row as a PSO first needs to be raised with the British authorities, and then a case made to the EU and for the ap- plication to be published in the EU

Journal,” said Deputy Carey. “The response | got from the minister was to the effect that contact with the EU has been requested at an early stage. There was no sense of urgency in the minister’s response, just further fob- bing and prevarication.”

Deputy Carey is now calling for contact with the British authorities to be made, and a genuine and pressing case made to the EU within weeks.

The Fine Gael deputy said that “Both industrialists and tourist bod- ies in the mid-west are facing an un- certain new year as the Government continues to drag its heels on this.

He added: “If this route were to be designated as a PSO, it could facili- tate continued connectivity for the west of Ireland to the world’s largest hub at Heathrow.”

SHANNON Airport is ideally placed to exploit the vast opportunities aris- ing from the EU US ‘Open Skies’ Agreement which will come fully into effect at the end of March next year.

That is the view of the transport minister, Noel Dempsey, who de- clined to answer directly questions from Clare’s two Fine Gael TDs, Pat Breen and Joe Carey, on the Aer Lingus commitment to retain serv- ices on its transatlantic routes out of

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Minister Dempsey’s predecessor, Martin Cullen, stated that he had received assurances that Aer Lingus would maintain transatlantic passen- ger levels to 400,000.

However, rumours abound that Aer Lingus may reduce or even withdraw completely its transatlantic services for the winter 2008-09 period.

In a written Dail reply Munister Dempsey said: “It is understood that Se eV U OUD M ae fort to ensure that year-round trans- atlantic services are maintained. I

would be confident that the airport authority, with the continued support of business and tourism interests in the region, can respond to the chal- lenges and opportunities presented by Open Skies.

“I understand that several studies have projected that the Open Skies agreement will lead to considerable economic benefits for Ireland, for the business sector, for the tourism industry and for the air transport in- dustry itself.

“On 7 November, Aer Lingus an- nounced that it would for summer

2008 maintain daily direct flights between Shannon to New York and Shannon to Boston and a daily flight to Chicago via Dublin. This re- flects a continuation of the schedule now being operated over the winter 2007/2008 period.

“In comparison with the 2007 sum- mer schedule the difference in the 2008 schedule is that the Chicago service 1S Operated not on a direct basis but indirectly via Dublin.”

In relation to the appointment of a further two appointees to the Aer Lingus board, Minister Dempsey

said “the State’s appointees will seek to ensure that all future decisions of the company, that have significant implications for wider government, aviation or regional development policies, including issues impacting on the mid-west regions, are consid- ered at board level”

On the business plan for Shannon airport, Minister Dempsey said that “I await the DAA’s overall consid- ered views on airport separation to enable the plans to be examined by the Minister for Finance and myself,’ the minister said.