Month: January 2008

THE innovative village of Miltown Malbay has produced yet another first this week – a new Family Re- course Centre.

The newly finished state-of-the-art building will provide a variety of Support services to parents from the area, including childcare facilities, a home work club, internet café and a meeting room.

The brainchild of a number of lo-

cal women, Spraoi Family Resource Centre, has the capacity to care for 80 children in total.

Project co-ordinator Francis Mc- Mahon said that for years working parents had to bring their children to Inagh and Toonagh for childcare.

‘There was no pre-school for our kids,” she said.

In September 1999, a group of five local women decided to open a pre- school.

They registered with the Pre-School

Association and rented a room from the community centre.

The determined group approached the health board for a grant after which they renovated the room and employed two play leaders, a special needs assistant and other staff.

The service was so popular locally the group had to rent a second room for the 36 children enrolled.

Realising the success to date the ambitious group carried out a feasi- bility study of the area to see what

1 ADE GM mis (Con LoKom ie LUUNKCOE

Leasing the land from the VEC the Spraoi committee set about building the new unit onto the West Clare Re- course Centre.

With the support of letters and emails from the local community the group received grant aid for the building in 2005.

The equipment for the new centre was sourced locally. The complete project cost €750,000 to build.

Even before the new centre, which opens this week, was advertised peo- ple were registering their children from as far away as Doonbeg and OT rer

The innovated centre will not just cater for working parents, but will provide a drop off service for parents who wish to go shopping or keep ap- pointments and require a baby-sit- ting service.

Children will also be dropped off to school and picked up in the evening.

The centre contains a baby sleep and awake room for nine babies, 20 “waddlers” for children aged nine months to two years and pre-school facilities for 40 children and after- school facilities for 20 more chil- Chon

Spraoi will employ 16 full time staff, eight part time staff, a man- ager, office and admin staff, a cook and a cleaner. Further information contact 065 7079893.

EAST clare land owners are calling for an extension of time to appeal their lands being included in Special Protection Areas (SPA’s) for the Hen Harrier.

Lands on Sliabh Aughty and envi- rons have been earmarked as breed- ing grounds for the birds by the Na- tional Parks and Wildlife Service.

But while many farmers are wel- coming the move as it will give them payments on land which is otherwise

nothing but mountain scrub, others say there 1s confusion about what the designation will mean, with no clarity on the matter coming from the Wildlife Service.

After two meetings held before Christmas in Tulla and Scariff with representatives of the Wildlife Serv- ice explaining the implications of the designations, local landowner and councillor, Pat Hayes, says that there are still many questions to be answered.

“Some landowners have been told

that it will not affect planning ap- plications which they might make on their lands but we don’t have that officially. We do know that every planning application which comes before the local authority relating to these areas now has to be forwarded to the Wildlife Service but planning is the remit of the local authority, not the Wildlife Service.

“There’s a lot of confusion. Peo- ple can opt out of the designation scheme but they will still be subject to certain restrictions — it’s just not

clear to many people whether they would be better in or out of the scheme,” said Cllr Hayes.

It’s with this in mind that the serv- ice 1s to be asked to extend the dead- line for landowners to appeal being included in the SPA’s beyond Febru- ary 8.

“We need at least a couple of months for people to find out what the drawbacks and restrictions are and what the advantages might be in their own cases. As of now, a lot of people just don’t know,” he said.

VISITORS to Tulla next week will be able to go away with a piece of the past as well as having a look at the future of art in east Clare.

In conjunction with a ‘Percent for Art’ project commissioned by the Clare Arts Office, resident artist, Kathleen Moroney will open her stu- dio at The Stables to the public on select Saturdays during January and February.

Kathleen was given the opportunity by the arts office to create a project that would reflect her local surround- ings at the studios.

The themes that have inspired Kath- leen’s work to date reflect on gradual change and the passage of time. This

current project, entitled ‘2nd Gen- eration’ 1s in direct response to the transition of the stables into artist’s studios.

The facility was lovingly restored under the eagle eye of award-win- ning local architect, Siobhan Mul- cachy and has been running for two years now.

The building was originally the stables for the local great house and now rising artists are awarded leas- es of studio space to help them get SIDE Kslee

“In recent time a number of public buildings in Tulla have been success- fully renovated and continue to func- tion in a new capacity. These build- ings serve as a visual timeline that unites the past with the present,” said

Kathleen.

For her project, Kathleen is using the old cobblestones from the site, ‘as a metaphor to reflect change”’.

She is currently making plaster moulds of a number of the stones and in the coming weeks will re-create them in porcelain clay and fire them in the kiln to create a bone-like ce- ramic cobblestone, that will resemble the original — “the ‘2nd Generation of the stone”, she explained.

Kathleen is particularly interested in the cobblestones as they were part of the original structure, dating from 1817, containing tangible traces of the past.

While this project is ongoing, Kath- leen will welcome visitors to view the process and participate. Her stu-

dio will be open to the public from 11.00am to 4.00pm on seven con- secutive Saturdays: January 12, 19, 26 and February 2, 9, 16, 26.

The project will culminate with an exhibition of the porcelain cobble- stones in the Studio Gallery on the last weekend in March.

“Visitors to The Stables on this weekend and throughout the event, will be invited to take away one of the porcelain cobblestones, a symbol of the past and present,” Kathleen told

THE WEALTH of new cultural influ- ences which have poured into Ireland since the expansion of the European Union has not bypassed east Clare.

More than a hundred Polish people are now living and working in and around the Scariff area.

To give the new east Clare residents a place to meet and socialise, a new Polish association is being mooted while there is already a Polish coffee morning at Brian and Joe’s Cafe in the village. The coffee morning takes place every Sunday morning from around 10am.

Coffee and tea are served, along with home-made Polish cakes.

Those who help out at the coffee shop event stress that it is not just for Polish people and lots of local people drop in for a hot drink and chat too.

Part of the attraction for Polish workers are the numerous work op- portunities in the locality. Finsa is a major employer, as is AJ Precision in Tuamgraney, as well as Gala super- market and various building sites.

Ola and Tolek Szostak came to Ireland from Poland 18 years ago. They are now well established in east Clare, and their children have grown up here.

Ola is the driving force behind the initiative and is in the process of set- ting up a formal association to cater to the needs of the Polish commu- nity.

‘We want to do some research first to determine the needs and aspira- tions of this group, as at present we know very little about them,” she says. “One of the first issues to ad- dress is language. Many Eastern Europeans arrive with little knowl- edge of English, so we would like to provide English lessons to help them integrate professionally and person- rN A

The coffee shop has been going for

more than six weeks and has gener- ated new ideas for providing activi- ties and entertainment that will both bring Polish people together and pro- vide opportunities to socialise with local people. Possibilities include showing Polish films and setting up sports and other activities.

A “continental” disco has also been going for some time in Ryan’s on Saturday nights, with DJ David, a member of the Polish community.

Plans for the future include putting together a float for St Patrick’s Day and also to become involved in the prepaprations and celebrations in the Scariff Harbour Festival.

EAST Clare virtuoso violinist, Eliz- abeth Cooney, hit the right note when she called in a political promise of

help to scale musical heights.

The 29-year old — one of the bright- est stars in the classical music world — set her heart on a 300-year old vio- rhe

The only problem was the price tag, which read €427,000.

But Elizabeth picked the instru- ment by Venice musical craftsmaster Matteo Goffriller in a London show-

rooms over 14 other violins, some with pice tags of a million Euro.

‘I just loved it the moment I played it. But I had to rack my brians to see what I could do,” Elizabeth told

THE 50th anniversary of the Carmo- dy’s Hotel crash will be marked next week with a special mass in the Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The tragedy occurred on January 15, 1958 when eight people died af- ter the second floor of the hotel col- lapsed during the course of a heavily attended public auction.

The auction, organised by Limerick auctioneers Louis de Courcy, drew large crowds to the hotel because of Carmody’s close association with po- litical giants like Eamon de Valera.

The accident occurred during the second half of the auction when the doors of the hotel had been closed.

The floor of the Sarsfield Room, Where the auction was being held, collapsed under the sheer weight of

numbers in attendance. Sheer luck prevented further loss of life when a fire that had been blazing in the cor- ner of the room remained unmoved.

Gardai, ambulance crews, fire- men and clergy were on the scene in minutes. Relatives of those trapped inside waited anxiously at the scene and at Ennis General Hospital.

Among those injured was Ennis woman Nancy Murphy. Last week Nancy’s daughter Christina Whelan (née Murphy) recalled, how, as a 13-year-old she heard the disturbing news from a neighbour

“My mother had gone down to the auction. She was looking for sheets, blankets, the practical stuff, and maybe something with a connection to De Valera. She was a big Dev fan. She sent my sister back home to help me with taking the spuds out of the

pot. My father was at the farm on the Inch Road and my three brothers were at school. The young lad from next door came home from school when I was out in the garden and he said ‘did you hear what happened in Carmody’s hotel. It fell down and they are all dead.’ I got an awful fright. I didn’t know what to do, there was no adults in the house.”

Christina’s mother was taken to En- nis General Hospital where she was treated for a deep gash to the leg. She never gave her name to officials, as she didn’t want word of the accident to reach her two daughters living in New York.

When Christina’s father, Bernie enquired about the condition of his wife, he, like many others, was told to first visit the morgue.

“My father went of on a bike to En-

nis Hospital. They lifted nearly every sheet in the morgue. He hadn’t found her by 11 o’clock.

“It was awful day, a terrible day, the worst ever 1n the town,” said Chris- abeee

Among the dead were Ernest de Regge, well known in Ennis as a lo- cal music teacher and choirmaster. His daughter Gislane Kozuh has been invited to attend next Tuesday’s Mass.

The dead were Ernest de Regge (54), Bindon Street, Ennis; ‘Thomas Donnellan (13), Bindon Street, En- nis; James Fitzgibbon (65), Marian Avenue, Ennis; Mrs Bridie Byrne (38), Kilrush; Mrs Josephine Carmo- dy (50), Barefield; Mrs Norah Cond- sidine (60), Corofin; Mrs Michael Coffey (41), Killoo, Clarecastle; Mrs Ellen McNamara (73), Crusheen.

HELP is out there is the central message in a new song co-written by Ennis man Gerry Malone.

‘Clouds and Whispers’ was writ- ten by Gerry and Mattie Slattery and released as a charity single shortly before Christmas to benefit the Clare Living Links charity.

The two men are also members of the One and All group, established last year with the aim of promoting fellowship and helping those in soci- ety who find themselves in difficult situations.

All proceeds raised from the sale of Clouds and Whispers will also go

towards Clare Living Links. For five years the Living Links organisation has offered a suicide outreach sup- port service to families and individu- als in Clare who have been bereaved by suicide.

There are currently 10 fully trained volunteers staffing the service in the county.

In addition to healing programmes, volunteers respond to approaches made by a bereaved family or in- dividuals and can arrange to meet them inside or outside their homes or wherever the bereaved person feels most comfortable. All meetings are conducted in strict confidence. Gerry said he was moved to write the song

to address the tragic frequency of suicide in Ireland.

“There is an awful lot of despair and loneliness in society and suicide, sadly, seems to have become all too common in Ireland. It is an emotional song and acknowledges the fact that there are people in need of emotional support.”

Whispers and Clouds was produced by local man Mattie Purcell at his studio in Ennis. “I had the idea for a few years but I was never involved in a project like this before. I thought it would be good to give something back and I thought a CD would be a good idea,” added Gerry.

One and All is a community sup-

port group established by Mattie Slattery in Drogheda in 2006.

“It’s only in the initial stages at the moment in Ennis. There are other branches in Drogheda and Athlone. It mainly involves visiting people who are sick, the elderly and getting in touch with people in difficulty or who can’t help themselves,” said Gerry.

Clouds and Whispers is available in stores in Ennis. For further in- formation on One and All, contact oneanall@oceanfree.net.

THE poor public transport system serving Newmarket-on-Fergus is a huge barrier for community groups in the area as it hinders people from accessing education and work.

Local community group Obair said the village has “lost some of an al- ready sparse bus service due to the bypass and this causes great difficul- ty for members of the target group in accessing education and work op- portunities in larger towns and cities such as Shannon and Limerick”.

The comment came last week as Obair received Government funding to maintain employment for three workers in the local community.

Obair was one of 11 groups across

the county to receive funding under the national Community Services Programme (CSP).

The three positions will support elderly services, people with dis- abilities, childcare services and local community facilities.

The funding has been a huge boost to Obair, which was set up in 1993, to address high levels of unemploy- ment at the time. Since 1996, Obair has been one of 34 groups around the county which administers the Local Development Social Inclusion Pro- eramme (LDSIP). The project for which the funding was announced will be located in the Newmarket- on-Fergus Family Centre.

According to Jackie Bonfield of Obair, “As always there are certain

barriers that continue to effect the implementation of programmes such as these, namely public transport and local childcare services. There is a continued need for more affordable childcare, both for the benefit of the parent and also the child.”

She added, “The diversity of facili- ties and services that will be avail- able from the family centre to the community will require management and support services. The CSP will facilitate this need through the pro- vision of management, administra- tion, group support work, caretaker/ maintenance and security/cleaning services. All services are crucial to the efficient management of the fam- ily centre and the services provided for the disadvantaged members of

the community.”

The project will provide supports to assist elderly groups in their work for “Meals on Wheels’. It will also help in the fight for equality for peo- ple with disabilities.

‘The group is conscious of the need to be inclusive of people with disa- bilities and is supporting the work of a disabled access review committee that was set up in 2006.

“This committee is reviewing a re- search project which was conducted a few years ago on disability acces- sibility and addressing issues still outstanding and any new issues that have arisen during this time,” said Ms Bonfield. The work of the after- school programme will also be sup- ported, under the initiative.

THE Shannon Lions Club say its Christmas food appeal has been a huge success, with help given to doz- ens of families on the breadline.

The club decided, for the first time, to give financial assistance to four community groups who work closely with those in need.

The four groups then used that money to help people in need. The eroups – Meals on Wheels, Shannon Senior citizens, St Vincent De Paul and Shannon Mental Health Associ- ation – were presented with cheques by the Lions Club, in the run-up to Christmas.

Previously the Lions Club had

Operated a voucher system in that families in need were presented with vouchers, from which they could buy food and other necessities.

The club collects money and gets support from the community and its aim 1s to ensure that it includes every sector when the funds are distrib- WIKexe

The money was raised from church- gate collections, a flag day anda golf classic, which were held during the year. The Lions Club will also or- ganise a Valentine’s Ball, which will take place in Bunratty on February 9 next. The proceeds of this night will go to Milford Hospice in Limerick, which provides care to many people from Shannon and surrounding ar-

eas.

According to the PRO of the Lions Club, Tony McMahon, the generos- ity of locals in Shannon was essen- tial, in order that the poor and needy were looked after.

“It costs in the region of €7,000 to €8,000 to cover our running costs,” said Mr McMahon.

He said the organisers of the Christ- mas food appeal were pleased with how it worked out this year, with sev- eral people helping out.

While the Christmas campaign 1s out of the way for another year, the Lions Club will continue to provide much needed assistance to the peo- ple of Shannon.

“We go all year around. While the

Christmas food appeal would be the main occasion for us, the club is there all year around to help people. The food element is just at Christ- mas. We address other needs that arise, throughout the year,’ said Mr McMahon.

The club, through its president Ger- ry Flynn, has expressed gratitude to all its sponsors and supporters whose generosity enabled the club to carry out its programme of work during the past 12 months.

The club is encouraging people to support its Valentine’s Ball in Feb- ruary. Those who want to purchase tickets should contact Tony McMa- hon on 086-2359277, or any Lions Club member.

A PROPOSAL for the adoption of legislation, which will block appli- cations for casinos in Shannon, will be voted on, at a meeting of the local town council tonight.

Under the Gaming and Lotteries Act (1956), applications can be made for casinos. This legislation is cur- rently effective in Shannon, which means that subject to conditions, ca- sinos can, effectively, be set up in the eda 0

However councillors in Shannon

are attempting to rescind this, mean- ing that such applications can no longer be made.

Last year, businessman John O’Donovan lodged plans with Clare County Council for a casino, which he claims will create 12 jobs in Shannon. His application was turned down and is currently under appeal.

Last October, Shannon town coun- cillors voted to start the process to rescind the legislation.

The motion, up for discussion at this month’s meeting of the town council tonight (Tuesday), 1s widely expected

to be passed when voted upon by the nine town councillors.

If it is adopted, it means casinos or gambling clubs cannot be established in Shannon.

Objectors had until December 13 last to lodge objections to the pro- posed change.

Eleven objections have been lodged to Shannon Town Council and these will be considered by councillors as they vote on the issue tonight.

Mr O’Donovan, who hails from Quin, believes that there is a need for a casino in Shannon.

He said he carried out “brief sur- veys” on the hotels in Shannon and found that the occupancy ranges from 500 to 1200 per week.

“A number of guests would spent two to three days there. Unless you enjoy a drink, there is nothing really to do. That is how Shannon came to the forefront of this,’ he said.

He said he was initially “down- hearted” by some of the negative comments associated with his apph- cation, and said he was looking at his proposals as “something positive for Shannon.”