Month: April 2008

PEOPLE from north Clare and south Galway are being offered the oppor- tunity to get some free, and possibly life saving, advice on the dangers of cancer. On Monday, April 14, the Community Information Service mobile unit will be in Ballyvaughan with a trained nurse on board from llam and 3pm.

Access to the mobile unit is free to all and has been organised by the Marie Keating Foundation and the Ballyvaughan Medical Centre.

“We will have a trained nurse here all day who will be answering ques- tions and talking to anyone who

wants to come along and have a few words. The nurse will have some prosthetics to show how important early detection really is,” said Ailish Lawlor of the Ballyvaughan Medical Centre.

“This is aimed at men and women of every age. Anyone from the gen- eral community who would like to learn more about how best to guard against cancer should come along.

“In fact, this month the Marie Keating Foundation is focusing on prostate cancer so we are hoping for a large turnout of men.

“This type of facility 1s especially important for people in a rural area where it may be a little bit more dif-

ficult for people to get this type of medical screening.”

The trained nurse will speak to locals in the strictest of confidence and will also be able to provide take- home information leaflets and infor- mation on each of the key cancers to be aware of.

The nurse will also provide advice on healthy lifestyle options and work with prosthetic teaching aids to high- light the importance of early detec- nO

The Marie Keating Foundation which was established in 1998 fol- lowing the death from Cancer of Marie, mother of Ronan Keating. The foundation aims to raise aware-

ness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and early detection in reduc- ing the risk of cancer.

The foundation was established in1- tially to try and bring an end to breast cancer but has since widened it’s fo- cus to a number of different types of cancer in both men and women.

They focus predominantly on can- cers that can be prevented through lifestyle changes and early detection and their stated ultimate goal is for a future free from cancer. The founda- tion offers this drop-in service free of charge to the public.

For more information contact Bal- lyvaughan Medical Centre on 065 ira iUeRy

PARISHIONERS in Kilbane have taken to the highways and byways, raising cash to rennovate their much- loved nineteenth century parish church.

St Mary’s Church, Kilbane was built in 1845 by Fr John Burke and has seen generations of parishioners, baptized, married and sent on their final journies.

Above the main altar hangs a life- size crucifixion scene by the famous Italian painter, Cleato Luzi.

But while it has a special place in the hearts of the parishioners, the stone-built church — which is a pre-

served building – has seen better days and now needs a complete renova- nt)

But the work will cost money so parishioners have been organising all sorts of fundraisers.

“People of the parish and even outside the parish have been very Supportive,’ said Kilbane Pastoral Council Chairwoman, Mary Burke.

Mary was one of the organisers of a 10k fundraising run and walk on Easter Monday, which roused enor- mous enthusiasm and support lo- cally.

“Everyone got involved. Sgt Gerry Mulqueen walked the route in uni- form and looked after guiding the

traffic, our parish priest, Fr John Bane, cut the ribbon to start the 10k. Water for the runners and walkers was sponsored by Pat Walsh and Pat Meagher and Gunnings provided re- freshments in the form of Mars bars and water. Micke Ryan and Billy McInerney came along with a horse and trap and picked up the stragglers. We had wonerful co-operation and camaraderie,’ said Mary.

Seamus Bridgeman was the first runner over the finishing line and first walkers were Patricia and Fan- chea Moloney along with Sinead and Emer Mullane.

78 people signed up to do the 10k but almost 100 actually took part,

raising much-needed funds. The youngest walkers to finish the route were Anna-Lee Marsh (7) and Catri- onal Millane (8).

And despite their Trojan efforts, it’s unlikely that the parishioners will be sitting still for long. The fundraising committee have organised a dance on Friday, April 11, at the Lakeside Hotel in Killaloe with music by PJ WZ iitwet ene

TEN years ago, a coach teaching youngsters the fine art of wielding a hurley would be shouting encourage- ment to Paddy, Michael or Colm. The game is Still the same but in Scariff, some of the names have changed and youre as likely to hear cries of “come on Dieter’, as “come on Pat”’.

The young students of the Raheen Wood Steiner School are coming to grips with the sliotar for the first time and help is needed in keeping them safe and sound on the field. Steiner school parent, John Donaldson, is one of the people organising training for the students and he is appealing for anyone with gear and particularly helmets to donate to contact him or

the school.

“When we started the training ses- sions we weren’t sure what the inter- est would be but the response was fantastic,’ said John. “We had 20 kids to start with and that’s risen to 50 now. But their safety is very 1m- portant and we have very little in the way of gear. We can only put as many children on the field as we have helmets for.”

The school doesn’t have resources to buy helmets and strip but John believes there are probably helmets gathering dust in homes all over Clare. “It’s a lot to ask parents to buy helmets for all their children at the Start, with some of them bound to drop out along the way,” said John.

“I think there must be spare hel-

mets in homes where children have given up or grown up and we would love if people could donate them to us. Or if there is a commercial spon- sor who would like to help or anyone who has some strip lying around, we would love to hear from them. We want to bring the game to the chil- dren and not leave any child out but it’s a catch 22. We can’t let them on the field without helmets,” he added.

The school doesn’t have its own playing pitch, but, said John, “Scariff GAA have been very good to us, let- ting us use their pitch for training.” Anyone who can help with kit or sponsorship should contact John on 086 3761807.

After many years of waiting and campaigning, the Raheen Wood

Steiner Primary School in Tuam- eraney has been granted provisional recognition by the Department of Education and Science from next September with Lifeways Ireland Ltd based in as patron.

Commenting on the announce- ment, Pearse O’Sheil, spokesperson for Life-ways, said, “The parents who have worked hard to provide this education for their children over the past number of years are delight- ed that the State now recognises and supports the choice they have made. We would like to take this opportu- nity to thank all those who worked so hard to help establish and sustain the schools and who supported us in our efforts to gain recognition from the department.”

SHANNON workers leaving the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) have won their battle to secure travel concessions into the future.

The dispute between the SAA and SIPTU threatened to disrupt the ac- ceptance of the €36 million survival plan for Shannon last year.

However, the issue was parked after both sides agreed to refer the matter to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) and the restructuring plan proceeded.

Last year, SIPTU members voted in

favour of the survival plan, but found out only after discussing their sever- ance package that they would forfeit their travel concessions, which al- lowed them a small number of free flights each year and reduced fares on Aer Lingus.

The matter could not be resolved at the LRC and was referred to the Labour Court.

According to the Labour Court rec- ommendation, SIPTU argued, “The long standing custom and practice of travel concessions for voluntary retirements was formalised into an agreement in 2000 through discus-

sion and agreement with the trade unions at the time.

“There was also voluntary retire- ments in 2002 and 2003 where mem- bers retained their travel concessions. On another occasion a number of in- dividuals left the company but were advised directly by management before they accepted that in these particular circumstances the travel concession would not apply.

The union also argued, “The man- agement negotiating team never once mentioned the issue of travel con- cessions. It was never referred to in the LRC proposals document which

was the subject of explanatory meet- ings prior to balloting. The issue over travel concessions only became known to staff after one to one in- terviews for the Voluntary Severance Scheme.”

In response, the SAA argued, “This was a once – off voluntary severance package which was negotiated in de- Oe

The onus was on the Union to seek to include such matters as travel con- cessions.

“Severance arrangements involve the end of the employment relation- ship including benefits in most cas-

oe

The Labour Court recommendation published last year but only brought to light now, states, “the court is of the view that as there was no com- mon ground on the issue during the period of the negotiations; in the circumstances outlined, the Staff Travel Concessions should continue to apply.

“Furthermore, the court recom- mends that in the event of discussions on future severance terms taking place, the issue of Staff Travel Con- cessions should clearly be addressed in the course of those negotiations.

NUMBERS at Gaelscoil Mhichil Chiosog on the Gort Road are set to double over the next number of years as the school is set to embark on ma- jor expansion plan thanks to funding from the Department of Education.

The school which will celebrate 25 years in existence next year is set to receive €240,000 from the Depart- ment, enabling it to construct new classes and move from a one-stream to a two-stream school.

“The grant will help us build two new classrooms and start the process of moving from a one-stream to two-

stream school,” says principal, Donal O hAiniféin. “At the moment we have one class for junior infants, one class for senior infants and up along. Over the next eight years because of the demand, we will have two classes for each year. We will start by tak- ing an extra junior infants class next year, so after a period of eight years we ll move from having 200 students in the school to having around 400. “You need to ensure when you go from one-stream to two-stream you have enough pupils. We need to be taking in 54 or 55 junior infants next year. That is a challenge for us. We turned away about 25 students last

year. That’s a failure on behalf of Gaelscoil na hInse. Now we hope to change that,” he added.

And, as part of encouraging more people to consider a gaelscoil as an education option for their children, Mr O hAiniféin has highlighted the need for an awareness programme for parents.

“We need to get it across to people what a Gaelscoil is — it’s an all-Irish primary school that’s open to every- body. People don’t realise that going to Gaelscoil is a choice they have.

‘People have a lot of baggage con- cerning Irish, which has been be- stowed upon them by our education

system. Some of them have very bad memories of the Irish language and they blame the Irish language. Ninety five per cent of the parents don’t speak Irish. The vast majority of parents want something different for their children.

‘In the mind the Gaelscoil 1s in Cois na hAbhna, where it started in 1993 and stayed until 1998. There seems to be a deficit of communication re- garding what is a gaelscoil. The main deficit 1s regarding the new Irish. The Poles, the Lithuanians, people form Africa, they don’t realise that the Gaelscoil is an option for them,” he ANOeloxen

COIS na Abhna, Ennis, will be the venue next week for the launch of ‘Flame on the banks’, the second solo album from acclaimed musician Maeve Donnelly.

The album, a collection of Irish and international fiddle music, 1s a col- laboration between the Quin based musician and Canadian guitarist Tony McManus.

Paidi O’Leonaird, presenter of TG4’s popular trad music series Ar- dan, will launch the album and will be joined on the night by some of the best-known names in traditional muSIC.

In spring of 2006 Maeve and Tony

toured Quebec and Ontario, and in spring of 2007 they toured the East Coast of the US. The CD “Flame on the Banks” was recorded last August in Ireland.

Originally from the village of Kylemore Abbey near Loughrea in East Galway, an area steeped in tra- ditional music, Maeve has been play- ing the fiddle since the age of five.

In 1976 she was the youngest of 25 musicians invited from Ireland to perform at the Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife in Washington DC.

During this tour, Maeve and her friends, Maighread Ni Dhomhnail, Sean Corcoran and Eddie Clarke re- corded the album, “Sailing into Wal-

poles Marsh”.

Maeve is also featured on a compi- lation album of compositions of the late fiddler Ed Reavy.

As a founder member of the group Moving Cloud, she recorded and toured in North America playing at such prestigious venues as the Mil- waukee Irish Fest, the Lincoln Per- forming Arts Centre and the Wash- ington Irish Festival.

Her solo debut fiddle album simply titled “Maeve Donnelly” was wel- comed with rave reviews.

After a long period playing in a eroup, Maeve is excited to be work- ing on a solo project.

She said, “Trad music I suppose, 1s a very niche market. We’re expecting

it to be a good night.

“There will be plenty of musicians there. I am looking forward to a nice night of atmosphere and music. It’s an open night, no invitations; eve- ryone is welcome to come along. I toured a lot with Moving Cloud, so I’m kind of anxious to get this solo project going.”

The launch of Maeve’s self titled solo debut album, Maeve Donnelly drew huge crowds to the Old Ground. She is hoping for a similar response eheee bee

“It was great, I think there was about 1,000 people packed into the big room upstairs. We should have another good night in Cois na Abh- na’.

THE efforts of four Ennis teenagers were recognised this week as Eddie McCarthy, Martin Molloy, Brian Mc- Donagh and Seamus Higgins from the Cloughleigh area, were awarded An Gaisce awards.

Eddie and Seamus are studying for Leaving Cert Applied at the Clare Youth Service in Ennis and Martin is preparing for Junior Cert at En- nis Community College and is also involved in projects with the Clare bolts mero a’s (een

The awards represents further en- dorsement of the work being done at Clare Youth Service after Minister of State Pat Carey held discussions with staff and students there over the

weekend.

The awards, which were presented to the young people by Minister of State Tony Killeen and hurling leg- end Davy Fitzgerald, recognised the personal challenges undertaken by the young people involved in four ar- eas – community, skills, physical and adventure.

“The young people really had to challenge themselves to achieve these awards. It requires commitment each week to work on the four sections and while the president’s award leader can guide and encourage the partici- pant, the real work is up to the young people themselves,” said Patrick Mc Mullin of Clare Youth Services.

Two of the young people Brian Mc- Donagh and Eddie McCarthy were

presented with silver awards. This was their second award as they were previous recipients of the bronze Gaisce. Seamus Higgins and Martin Molloy received bronze awards.

The young people hiked across the Burren, helped run programmes for younger members of their group and assisted in residential weekends.

They also worked on a community farm in France assisting in the feed- ing and care of the animals as well as helping to build traditional French ovens.

There was also the small matter of skill – for this, all the recipients com- pleted various stages of the British Horse Society riding tests and stable management programme. For physi- cal activity, the young people in-

volved themselves in achieving vari- ous levels in kayaking and canoeing.

An Gaisce or the President’s Award is an inspiring adventure into per- sonal development for young people aged between 15 and 25 years. The awards aim to cultivate personal development and encourage young people to set and accomplish their own personal challenges.

In reality it achieves much more – instilling confidence, encouraging team effort, inspiring dreams and fostering friendships.

THE work done by Glor na hInse has been described as an exemplary model for others to follow.

Speaking on Saturday in Glor, when the Ennis Glor na nGael com- mittee was presented with first prize in the Irish Langauge Awards, Glor na nGael manager Nora Welby said, “This committee enjoys widespread Support in the community and em- ploys a highly effective means of planning. The committee’s approach to its work is an exemplary model that would be useful for other commit- tee’s involved with Glor na nGael”’.

Ms Welby praised the work done in providing Irish language classes for adults. She said, “Among the many achievements of the Irish language community in Ennis is the strong gaelscoileanna movement and over- coming challenging obstacles to pro- vide Irish classes for adults”.

Cathal Goan, Director General of RTE, was present to make the pres- entations at the ceremony.

The local Glor na nGael commit- tee in Ennis received €50,000 and a trophy, in national recognition of its achievements in promoting the Irish language in County Clare dur- ing 2007.

Second place was awarded to Rath Cairn in the Meath Gaeltacht, whose committee received an award to the value of €12,500.

Ms Welby added, “Youth provision also impressed the Glor na nGael adjudicators with Féile na hInse, the publication of a CD and the organi- sation an Fhéile Scoildramaiochta in Ennis ensuring provision for young people. Glor na hInse has a highly effective publicity strategy.”

On top of first place in the compe- tition, Glor na hInse won the Public Services Award, €700, sponsored by Gaeleagras na Seirbhisi Poibli.

She continued, “The committee

works closely with the state sector to encourage the provision of services through the medium of Irish. The li- brary received particular praise from the adjudicators on account of the Irish language resources its offers. There is also excellent cooperation with the County Council’s Irish lan- guage officer.

In total, Gl6r na nGael announced prizes amounting to more than €150,000 at the event in Ennis on Saturday.

Glor Shionna received national rec- ognition on Saturday night. The Irish language group won Duais Chonradh na Gaeilge, worth €2,000.

THE staff and management of Hali- fax Insurance in Shannon have spent the last few months working that bit harder. It’s nothing to do with trying to increase profits or even combating the downturn in the economy, instead the group have been working their fingers to the bone to raise money for three very deserving charities.

And on the evidence of this work, they all deserve great big raises. Last Thursday the insurance company presented cheques totalling €34,000 to three charities.

The Irish Cancer Society were given €17,000 to continue their good work while Limerick’s Milford Care Centre received €8,500 and depres-

sion charity Aware receive €8,500.

The company’s charity committee introduced the challenge to Halifax Insurance Ireland Ltd and organised, promoted and encouraged colleagues to get involved in the events through- out the year. Each and every member of Halifax in Shannon was involved in some way or another in the fund- raising push.

The committee came up with a wide variety of events and activi- ties ranging from the sublime to the slightly ridiculous. Senior managers served tea and coffee to everyone at their desks, people washed cars, and the IT team sold their own desserts and produced a world class recipe book.

Other colleagues faced the bitter

cold of the Atlantic on St Stephen’s day while more than 20 others were sponsored to lose weight on the beach body challenge. They even held an Xtra-Factor night with their very own version of Louis, Simon and Sharon.

“This money will go along way to- wards helping us to create and deliver innovative programmes for the care of people with cancer, to fund can- cer research and to provide education and health promotion programmes independent of government policies,” said Kevin Delaney of Irish Cancer Society who collected a cheque for a AUC OF

“We are so proud of our employees for all that they have achieved,” said Caroline Holmes, Senior Manager

HR and Chair of the Charity Com- mittee.

“We have set all of our departments a challenge for 2008 so we can see how high we can raise the bar.”

Halifax Insurance Ireland Ltd was voted one of the top 50 companies to work for in 2007 and were awarded overall winner for Training and De- velopment by the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD) in February 2008.

DUCHAS na Sionna’s first newslet- ter highlighting aspects of the herit- age of Shannon town and its environs should have safely arrived in every house in Shannon by now. Those who did not could still pick up one of the remaining copies at the Sean Lemass Library at Shannon.

The formation of the Duchas na Sionna group was initially inspired by a wish to dispel the widely held belief that Shannon was built and developed on some marshy waste- land where nothing of any value or

significance existed prior to modern development. The group was formed by representatives of various other organisations based entirely in Shan- non like the Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society who produce the annual journal “The Other Clare’, Club na Sionna and the Shannon Wetlands Group and representatives of some local branches of national organisations such as Birdwatch Ire- land and Comhaltas Ceolt6oiri Eire- ann.

The current newsletter outlines many of the projects being under- taken by Duchas na Sionna which

will be of interest and significance to residents of Shannon. There are explanations on the historical ori- gins of the names of several local housing estates. There are facts and figures on the extent and signifi- cance of many of the historical and archaeological sites which still exist in the area. There is also an outline of the project to clean up and restore the The Shannon Wetland site which will, with time, revert to it natural state aS a wet meadow and provide a unique amenity and wildlife haven within the urban setting of Shan- non town. The _ restoration of this

wetland site has been supported and sponsored by The Heritage Council of Ireland, and the newsletter itself, which is produced on a fully bilin- gual basis, has been sponsored by Clare County Council.

The work of Duchas na Sionna and its members has been sadly over- shadowed in recent times by the sud- den and untimely passing of Oliver O’Malley who passed away unex- pectedly on Ash Wednesday. Oliver’s many generous and selfless contribu- tions to various aspects of commu- nity life in Shannon will stand as a lasting testament to his memory.