Month: May 2008

IT WAS a busy week for young farm- ers organisation Macra who help their AGM in Carlow and elected a number of new national officers. The new Macra na Feirme national executive was elected at the National AGM in the Dolmen Hotel in Carlow last Saturday evening. Michael Gow- ing from Laois has been re-elected National Chairman, with Anita Meagher from Waterford being re- elected National Secretary and Dara Kavanagh from Wicklow taking up the role of National Treasurer.

The newly elected National Coun- cil for the 2008/2010 term was inau-

gurated at the AGM. Chairpersons and members of Macra’s three sub- committees – Agricultural Affairs; Rural Affairs and Member Services and Competitions – will be elected at the next national council meeting.

Speaking at the event, national president Catherine Buckley thanked the many sponsors and congratulated the organising committee in Carlow Macra for successfully coordinating the day’s proceedings.

Also during the meeting the young farmers organisation formally adopt- ed new Child Protection Guidelines and Procedures. The Macra presi- dent stated that she believes these guidelines and procedures are vital

as many of its clubs around Ireland host and organise a variety of events and initiatives in local communi- ties at which children are present. Furthermore, Macra membership is open to 17 year olds, and in the eyes of the law, such persons are deemed to be ‘children’.

In her keynote address at the Macra na Feirme AGM, Ms Buckley said that the organisation continues to be progressive and responsive to the needs of all its members. “We want to send out a clear message that Macra na Feirme 1s a caring and safe organisation for young people,” she Crate

‘We consider ourselves as the voice

of young farmers and a strong advo- cate for the benefit of rural youth. These guideline and _ procedures demonstrate to young people and society at large that Macra takes its responsibilities seriously, and wishes to safeguard its members.

‘“Macra prides itself on its ability to provide a broad range of activities for its members including agriculture, sport, travel, performing arts, public speaking and community involve- ment. Macra is a social outlet for all its members and now with these new child protection guidelines and procedures it provides an even safer, more secure, fun environment for all its members.”

CLARE milk producers are about the feel the pinch with the news this week that the Kerry Group is to slash the price they pay to farmers by 22.7 cents per gallon.

The news comes just days after Ire- land’s biggest milk producer, Glan- bia cut their milk price by 3.96 cents per litre.

Chairperson of ICMSA’s Dairy Committee, John O’Leary, described the Kerry Group decision as a terrible blow to Clare farmers and all Kerry suppliers. According to O’Leary, this cut will represents a loss of €11,365

for a full year’s milk production on a 50,000 gallon farm.

“The reality is that Kerry suppli- ers face substantially increased costs and many have made – or are making – massive investments in relation to Nitrates. It is a terrible blow to them to see their Co-op cutting the price by 22.7 cents per gallon in one go,” he said.

‘This kind of drastic cut is in sharp contrast to last year when the Co-op only increased the price by small amounts while the markets were booming. They have been much quicker to cut the price than they were to raise it last year and they

have cut the price just before peak milk production.

“It should be pointed out that Ker- ry’s profits last year were €298 mil- lion and the group indicated this week that earnings will grow again in 2008, an announcement that comes at the same time as they have slashed farmers’ earnings.

“The growth in Kerry’s earnings would appear to be at the expense of milk suppliers. Present figures indi- cate that a 50,000-gallon Kerry sup- plier will be over €13,500 worse off than a Wexford supplier based on a full year’s milk production.

Meanwhile, the IFA’s’ Richard

Kennedy criticised Glanbia for cut- ting their April milk price by 3.96c/ ie

‘“Glanbia is the biggest milk proces- sor in the country with probably the best product mix of all milk proces- sors,” he said.

“It should therefore have been in a particularly good position to hold the April milk price. It is a huge letdown to Glanbia suppliers and the suppli- ers to all other co-ops that this year again Glanbia choose to led milk prices down. We would urge Glan- bia and other co-ops to hold a strong milk price in 2008 to secure farmer confidence and milk supply.”

CLARECASTLE National School recently advertised a call for submis- sions from artists for the creation of a new public art project for the school.

The art project is to be funded un- der the Department of Education’s percent for Art Scheme and was advertised nationally and interna- tionally through press and specialist visual artists’ publications. Enquir- ies about the project was widespread with many artists from outside Ire- land expressing keen interest. A site visit for those interested in submit-

ting a proposal was arranged by the school’s Public Art Subcommittee, chaired by Tim Ryan and on May 12 the published deadline, fourteen sub- missions were received from artists from all over Ireland and Canada.

In order to engage as many mem- bers of the broad school community in the selection process, the school committee invited members of the public to view and to give feedback on the submissions which were on display,in the school hall, during First Holy Communion day on Sat- urday last. The result was a very energetic and unusual open day at

Clarecastle National School. Adults and children enthusiastically viewed and discussed each individual pro- posal and registered their preference by selecting the work they felt might be most suited to the context of the school and its surrounding area in Clarecastle. Initial feedback from the public remarked on the high standard of the proposed work and also on the degree of individuality and vision therein.

Ultimately, the final selection of the chosen proposal rests with the school’s Public Art Subcommittee but committee members will care-

fully examine feedback from adults and children who registered their preference through the process of public engagement.

Another opportunity for those in- terested in viewing the proposals is to be had this Thursday, May 22nd, when the school, once again, opens its doors to the community of Clare- castle and invites the public to visit and to give feedback on the submit- ted proposals.

Further information from Mon1- ca Spencer, Project Manager, 087 9930553, spencermonica@eircom. om

YOUNG and old joined together for a one off production of Brian Friel’s celebrated play Philadelphia Here I Come, in St Flannan’s College last Thursday.

The production is a collaborative effort between local senior citizens and transition year students tak- ing part in the Living Scenes pro- eau baebeslen

Developed by the National Uni- versity of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) Living Scenes concerns intergenera- tional learning.

NUIG Living Scenes co-coordi- nator Mary Surlis, who developed

the concept, approached local ac- tive retirement organisations such as Probus and the Active Retirement Association to invite members to participate.

It brings together young and old to work in a school-based setting where they collaborate on various activity- based projects.

This is the third year that students from St Flannans have participated in the programme.

In all, six centres of learning in the west of Ireland have taken up the project. Feedback, from students and teachers alike, has been very posi- tive.

Living Scenes seeks to promote

and cultivate the enriching relation- ship that has been established in the course of the project’s six-year his- coats

The objectives are to discover common links between “perceived” diverse generations, to foster and promote mutual respect, and to em- power both groups through consul- tation to actively participate in the development of the curriculum.

The programme sets out to break down the perceived barriers that ex- ist between the generations.

Philadelphia, here I come, which in part examines the contrast between youth and old age, was the ideal project for the Living Scenes group.

Teacher Gary Shannon, one of those involved in the project, said the experience of staging the play has been greatly enjoyable for all.

He said, “It’s a great experience for both age groups and an interest- ing spectacle for the audience to see them acting side-by-side”.

Thursday night’s event also in- cluded an exhibition of papier mache sculptures of chairs made by the group during the first term of the project.

This year’s programme at St Flan- nans follows the success of last year when participants staged a Christmas concert and took part in workshops in creative writing and poetry.

ENNIS Rugby Club’s thriving under- age set-up has seen the club named junior club of the year at the second annual Munster rugby awards.

The award is handed out by the re- gional development officers of the Munster branch who scrutinise all aspects of club management.

It acknowledges the achievement by Ennis in registering 386 players between the ages of eight and 18 with both the club and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU).

Ennis received top marks for its coaching structures, the club’s code of ethics and all the hidden, often overlooked effort that goes into run-

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Ennis’s contribution to refereeing also came in for praise. The club currently has one referee – Frank Butler – officiating in the All Ireland rerkea ton

The award is the culmination of five years hard work and a radical overhaul of the club’s underage struc- eb Keny

Chairman of the rugby commit- tee, John Colleran explained that the erowth of the junior section owes much to the support received from xD KLE

He said, “Last year, I think we were the only club in Munster who fulfilled all our fixtures at every age group. It shows how the club has de-

veloped in the past five years. A mad effort has been put into it, particu- larly by the parents who have given huge support.”

John continued “Every year since we Started the cost of our bus hire has reduced because more and more par- ents are bringing kids to the games. All mini rugby players now buy their jerseys. It’s small things like that that make the difference.”

Much of the credit too, John ac- knowledged, goes to coaches like mini league officer Damien Clinton and Gerry Buggy (youth officer) and John Mahon, who were responsible for the painstaking duty of regis- tering, via computer, all 386 names with the IRFU. In all, Ennis has a

coaching staff of over 50, overseeing teams in every age group.

John said, “The coaches put in a lot of effort. It 1s a hard task for the club with such a large underage section. It requires a lot of concentration. The amount of work Gerry and John did, getting kids registered, was great.”

On the field, Ennis has enjoyed plenty of success with six members of the club’s promising under 16 team selected to train with Mun- ster. Former Ennis player Liam Og Murphy played a key role in helping Young Munster to the final of the AIL division two championship.

John said, “You look at what Liam Og did this year and it shows you what can be achieved.”

DYNAMIC, honourable and a pas- sionate supporter of the Irish lan- eAUeE Ton

They were just some of the tributes paid to the late Riobeard O’Ceallaigh by friends and former colleagues at last Tuesday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council.

Mr. O’Ceallaigh, who served as Ennis Town Manager from 1985- 1994, died in Dublin last week. He had been suffering from a rare heart disorder for a number of years.

Leading the tributes Mayor of En- nis Tommy Brennan (Ind.) recalled Mr. O’Ceallaigh as a man central to the development of Ennis as a mod- ern town.

He said, “He had a great way about him, a great way of getting things

done. Without him the Ennis 750 celebrations would never have hap- pened. He was one of the first in- volved in the re-development of Par- nell Street. He was the first man to introduce wheelie bins in Ennis. He was way before his time”’.

A strong supporter of the Irish lan- guage, Mr. O’Ceallaigh was chair- man of Glor na Gael Ennis when the organisation scooped a major na- tional award last March. He was also chairman of Conradh na Gaeilge and of Clar na Gailge.

Town engineer Tom Tiernan said, “It’s hard to believe a man of such energy has died. You always felt his enthusiasm.

“T was always getting phone calls from him about little bits of Irish that were missing from a sign here or there. They were always glass-half-

full comments with Bob.”

Fianna Fail councillor Peter Con- sidine, a long time colleague and friend of Mr O’Ceallaigh said, “He was the most honourable man you could ever hope to meet.

“Without taking anything away from the current executive, he was the best public official I ever met in my life.”

Fianna Fail councillor Joe Reidy said Mr O’Ceallaigh was “nothing but a gentleman. He will be a great loss to the town of Ennis and the oot b nA ae

Fine Gael councillor Mary Coote Ryan said, “Bob was a thorough gen- tleman and a very good friend. What has happened in the town is testa- ment to his great work.”

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn said Mr O’Ceallaigh was a “wonder-

ful person”. Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn said Mr O’Ceallaigh’s greatest skill was his ability to deal with others.

He said, “He had a dynamic na- ture and his energy was hugely ap- parent. He was very demanding. He expected the best of public servants because he expected the best of him- self…He was an extraordinarily de- cent person.”

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon said, “It’s apparent when you walk the streets and you hear about Bob Kelly, you hear what type of man he was.”

Town clerk Eddie Power said Mr O’Ceallaigh possessed a “terrifically positive attitude to life and work.”

Town mwanager Tom Coughlan said, “I never worked with Bob but I am sure I would have learned a lot.”

DECADES after falling into disre- pair Lisdoonvarna’s Pavilion Theatre re-opens its doors to the public this weekend. Revamped and expanded, the 300-plus seat theatre and new foyer space will make its comeback as part of this weekend’s Slow Food Fleadh.

“The Pavilion Theatre, or the Town Hall as it used to be called, has been here since the 1900s. Over the years, all the big-name theatre companies used to come. All the big names. I know that Eamonn de Valera had a huge rally here at one stage with thousands and thousands of people,’

said Marian O’Callaghan of Lis- doonvarna Failte.

“It was in use up to 1930 and 1940 when it fell into disrepair. A few at- tempts were made to revive it over the years but nothing major hap- pened with it.”

After receiving €1.27 million in funding from then arts minister, Sile de Valera in 2000, big plans were made for the building.

“Work started around September of last year and now it’s just about finished. One of the main purposes of the venue will be as a theatre, the focus will be on the arts first and foremost. We can sit more than 300 people fairly comfortable – we have

a huge stage which has everything that a travelling group could desire,” continued Ms. O’Callaghan.

“We have a special floor so we can have dance and some life music. The Lismorahaun Singers will be using it quite a lot for practice and for re- citals. We have a new entrance and foyer area which can quite easily be used for exhibitions or for smaller musical events and even parties.

“This is going to be an evolving process. We really want to get as much as we can going on here over the next years and develop its usage as much as possible. There is a really strong tradition of arts in the area. We would love to have all the local

groups involved but it will be a com- mercial enterprise and we will be hoping to bring touring groups here from around the country.”

This Sunday, May 25, The Pavilion Theatre will host an evening of sup- per theatre in association with the Meridian Theatre Company and the Slow Food Fleadh.

Tickets, which include drama, food and wine are available from Jordans in Lisdoonvarna at €27 or from 086 2328257.

MEMORIES of times and music past have been brought back to life in anew CD marking both the Clare Festival of Traditional Singing and the life of Tom Munnelly.

The festival, which took place each year from 1990 to 2002 in En- nistymon’s Teach Ceoil, drew vocal- ists from all over the world to north Clare. The festival was organised by folklorist and song collector, Tom Munnelly, who had the foresight to record the festival performances as they happened.

Munnelly was in the process of compiling a CD of the festivals when he passed away last year. His task was carried on by brother in law, Gerry O’Reilly culminating in the CD launch last Saturday.

“This thing really has been pro- duced to honour my husband, be- cause he was the one who ran that festival. He was involved right from the very beginning and they have dedicated the CD to his memory,’ said Annette Munnelly

‘He wanted to take the best from each years concert and make them into a CD. He was in the process of

finishing this off when he got ill and died last year. What you have on the CD is 17 singers from all over the country and abroad. It’s men and women, but they are traditional sing- ers. There 1s one man, Stan Scott, who sang traditional Bengali singing on the CD. There is a great collection of music in it.”

The CD includes some of the best singers of traditional song in Ireland and beyond, such as Roisin Elsafty from Connemara, the late Con Gre- aney of Limerick and Nonie Lynch from Mullagh. Many of the sing- ers who appear on the CD attended

it’s official launch in Spanish Point on Saturday night. “It’s very nostal- gic. It’s a really marvellous CD. My brother and a man from Cork called Pat Ahern, who took on finishing the CD. They have done a great job of bringing the whole thing together,’ CLoyNLDOLOC ere MPa W NTO CeLA Ko

“The CD is available from vari- ous shops in Dublin but it will also be available from the Kilfarboy So- ciety and from local outlets around the county. We will also try and get them into the music shops in Ennis and in all the usual outlets of tradi- tional music.”

AWARDS fever swept Ennistymon last week with both the CBS and Scoil Mhuire paying tribute to the students who excelled in the last Nose m Ko uITe

Up in the CBS the main award of Student of the Year was won jointly by Joseph Kelly and Darragh Con- neely while in the convent Kilfenora writer, Cora Harrison, presented awards to Head Girl Samantha Houl- than and to Student of the Year, Sha- ron Kierce

Achievement in sports was also high on the agenda in both award

ceremonies with Clare hurler Tony Griffin and Kerry football manager Pat O’Shea speaking and presenting awards at the CBS and Scoil Mhuire respectively.

O’Shea presented the sports person of the year award to second year N1- amh O’Dea, while the girls from the Muster title winning football team all received their medals.

Meanwhile, in the CBS Tony Grif- fin presented Cillian Malone with the Senior Sports person of the year and to Ronan Linnane for Junior Sports person.

Other sports awards were presented Damien Conway for his achievements

in surfing, Ciaran Devitt on making the National Junior Basketball panel and Sean McConigley and Michael McDonagh on being chosen for the Clare Minor Hurling panel and Clare Minor Football panel respectively.

Scoil Mhuire also presented awards to Deirdre Egan for getting 11 A’s in her Junior Cert, Jacqueline Nagle for winning the Law society essay com- petition and a bronze medal in the Science Olympics, Aisling Davies, Stella McGlennan, Rhian Rice all got awards for their contribution to the musical.

In the CBS mention was given to Declan O’Loughlin, who won the

national title in the Senior Academic section of The Bank of Ireland Na- tional Student Awards 2008.

Scoil Mhuire’s Marguerite O’ Dwyer Award for musical achievement was awarded to Grainne Curtin and Eimear Howley while principal, Se- osaimhan Ui Dhomhnallain, praised both students and teachers for a very successful year for the school.

Opening at the CBS awards, Vice Principal Mary Lyons highlighting the importance of acknowledging achievement and effort in all aspects of school life. She also thanked the teachers for their strong commitment throughout the school year.

SEVEN months into existence and Scou Mhainchin National School in Ennistymon has found the perfect way to bring all of it’s 145 students together. The amalgamation of the convent primary and CBS schools into one school has been marked with the creation of a special student garden.

The garden – which includes a veg- etable, insect and bird section – has been worked on by all pupils and teachers at the school over the last Kayes selon laetce

“We were looking for a whole school project that would involve all the students from baby infants right

up to sixth class. So we started off talking about planting a tree but fair- ly soon the that idea spiralled into the garden,’ said school principal Helen Sheridan.

‘Now we have an insect garden, a vegetable garden and a bird garden. It’s a work in progress – the garden will grow with the children and with the school.”

The garden has been constructed with the principles of organic farm- ing and sustainability at heart. The school has reused old twigs to make fencing, used moss to make special habitats for insects, used seaweed and sand to make fertiliser and prop- agated much of the plants that they are SOWIng.

“Tt like another classroom, it’s like an extension to the school. Every class goes out, does their work and then they do a lot of follow-up work in class. It’s really practical science” continued Ms. Sheridan.

‘The insect garden has native grass- es and flowers that attract insects and we have also built some ‘insect ho- tels’ using mosses and sticks to cre- ate somewhere where insects collect and we can observe them.

‘The site was extremely steep, you couldn’t actually walk on it because it was so steep. So the kids learned how to make wattle fencing and they made terraces for the vegetables to erow. They have also used seaweed in that area as a natural fertiliser. It’s

been great and the kids have done all the work.

“The junior infants have made feeders for the bird garden by get- ting pine cones and rubbing them in peanut butter. The older classes are weaving a willow tunnel which will be bird hive and we are planting na- tive trees like ash and birch to attract the birds.”

When the garden becomes more established, the school plans to har- vest the vegetables produced for oc- casional treats for the students.