Month: June 2008

. The advertisment read, “Mandelson’s WTO cuts and the Lisbon Treaty are linked, mes- sage to the Government, use the veto or lose the farmers.”

This is the strongest statement to date on the intentions of the IFA

and should significant progress not be made today the organisation are likely to urge farmers to vote no.

Meanwhile former Fine Gael Taoi- seach John Bruton has urged Clare farmers to vote yes in an open letter to the county’s farmers.

“T’m writing this to The Clare Peo- ple newspaper about Clare agricul- ture and the Lisbon Treaty,” read the atoe

“The EU has been good for Clare agriculture. Before Ireland joined the EU, we depended on the British market. I was Fine Gael spokesman on agriculture at that time and I well remember how prices paid to Irish farmers were artificially depressed

by a cheap food policy and a defi- ciency payments scheme that privi- leged British farmers. The European Union did away with all that.

“Tt introduced a level playing field. It pumped billions into rural Ireland, opened up markets we never had be- fore, and helped us invest heavily in skills training. “Although the two are not connected, some are now trying to persuade farmers to use the Lisbon OB IA Oo. ed coer TID elo AMBNIEKeA snes about a possible deal on agriculture in the WTO. It 1s important to be prudent about this and calculate all the consequences.”

In the letter Mr. Bruton, the EU Ambassador to the United States,

said that Ireland, and its farmers, had many ways of influencing EU trade policy.

“We are strongly represented in the Council of Ministers, through the Eu- ropean Commission, the European Parliament, and through the new role the Dail would gain under the Lisbon Treaty. These are the ways to influ- ence trade policy,” he continued.

“In contrast, voting ‘No’ in a refer- endum could be a very blunt instru- ment. Many Clare farm families get incomes from jobs outside agricul- ture, often in businesses that came to Ireland because the country is at the heart of EU policy-making and has access to the EU market.”

SINCE group stages were introduced to the championship, it’s become a dog-eared cliché to say that win- ning the opening game provides an element of breathing space for the remainder of the competition. It’s a common reality for sure and it’s one that Ogonnelloe have been using for motivation in the lead up to this sea- son’s championship kick off.

The opening game of the season hasn’t gone their way over the past few seasons and according to man- ager Gerry Cosgrove, it has left them with too much ground to make up in the drive for a play-off place.

Last year, they played Scariff in their group opener, put up a good battle but ultimately lost by four points. They followed this up with another defeat, this time to Tulla and by then, the Senior B championship was looming.

In that competition, there were glimpses of what Ogonnelloe can of- fer. They reached the final and were beaten by Eire Og and while it gave

Ogonnelloe a brief glimpse at the big stage, the secondary competition was never the place they wanted to be.

‘The definite target this year is the first game, which 1s against Clonlara,’ says Cosgrove. “We’ve been striving to get off to a good start these past few years and haven’t been able to do it, but hopefully that can change with our first game this season.”

He says it’s not going to be an easy task, though, considering Clonlara will come to the game aiming to lay down a marker for themselves.

“IT saw Clonlara a few times last year and they’ve got one of the finest up and coming sides in Clare hurling at the moment. They’re well capable of putting it up to the bigger teams and they’ve got some great young players, particularly close to goal. We’ve been playing senior now for 13 years so it’s going to be a case of

the young guns up against the expe- rienced side when we meet.”

Cosgrove has had to plan without the services of Pascal Sheedy and Noel Gavin who have both retired but this year’s Under 21 amalgamation with Scariff for the B championship allowed some younger players expo- sure. As a result, Michael O’Brien, Eoin Collins and Paul Healy can all expect some role to play in the sum- mer’s championship.

“Tt’s still going to be a daunting task for us this season,’ adds Cosgrove. “If you look at it, we have Scariff again and they’re a team we’ve never beaten in senior championship hurl- ing. That shows the kind of test that we face.

“But we’re aiming to get second spot in the group and advance. It’s fair enough to suggest that Crusheen will be the team to beat and the rest

of us might be playing for second place. If any team can beat Crusheen then you’d have to fancy their chanc- es of then progressing.”

For now, though, it’s that opener with Clonlara that’s going to occupy Ogonnelloe minds. They played in the Clare Cup in May and just man- aged to nick a win by a point. Both sides were missing some players but Cosgrove still expects little to sepa- rate them when they meet for the eroloe

Not long to go now until Ogonnel- loe know if they can find that mo- mentum to propel them to greater things this year.

TRACE a finger over 2007 and you’ll find that the season for Scariff could and should have held more promise. By the end of June, they had two wins under their belt — against Ogonnelloe and Smith O’Briens – and were mov- ing in the right direction.

Two months passed before the next round of the championship and by then, Crusheen, who had three points from a possible four, were standing in wait. A win would have given Scariff the edge to progress from the group. As it was, they ended up five points off of Crusheen in a low scor- ing game. It set up what was effec- tively a straight-knock out with even- tual county champions, Tulla. Scariff were blown away by 13 points and

the early promise of June had faded by the middle of September.

Strangely, three of those four teams now occupy Scariff’s group this year — Tulla being the exception – and the opportunity to apply the lessons learned towards the end of the group stages of ’07 presents itself.

It won’t be easy, though. Mark McKenna – one of the club’s finest hurlers before his recent retirement — was one of two selectors last year. Now, he has taken the reins from Ger Rodgers but McKenna points to the Clare Cup campaign to date — Scar- iff have lost five from five — and says securing a couple of early wins won’t be as easy this time round.

“Don’t get me wrong,” says McK- enna, “every team will be fighting to come out of the group and Scariff

will be no different. Since the draw, everybody’s been saying that every game for Scariff will be local derby and that’s true. It’s up to us to cope with that.”

In a sense, it’s how best they can cope with the pressure that comes with playing their neighbouring teams that will dictate whether or not they can go one step better this year.

Over the course of the Clare Cup, they’s used 25 players in those five games but not once — mainly because of injuries — have they been able to pick a team from their strongest ornate b

Last week, the treatment table was in full use. The likes of Pat Moro- ney, Johnny Colleran, Shane Corry and Michael Rodgers are all carry- ing worrying knocks so the fact that

Scariff have a bye in the first round could be of benefit.

‘We have the bare pool of players and in that situation, when you pick up injuries it tends to have more of an effect. So the break at the start of the championship is welcome. It will also give us the chance to assess how other teams are going in the group, SO We won’t complain about not hav- ing a game the first day out.

“On top of the injuries, Brendan McNamara and Martin Hartigan have both retired and a couple of lads have also gone to Australia. In a way, this will be as weak a Scariff team as we’ve fielded in a championship for a long time but that’s no reflec- tion on the lads that are driving the club forward.

“Being realistic, it’s going to be a tough group but we’ll fight for our survival. It looks like Crusheen are going to be the team to beat and looking ahead, you’ll have the rest of the teams in the group doing their best to advance with them.”

LAST Tuesday at training, Jim Gully gathered his players and faced them in the direction of reality. He said Clonlara can now rightly call them- selves a senior team and he pointed out that they have the players to cope at the highest level.

He named a couple of other clubs who had made decent progress down through the years only to eventually fall by the wayside. His point was that Clonlara should take advantage of the pool of players at their dispos- al and do their best to get out of the eaveleiey

It’s not that Gully is overly-con- fident. He rightly says that the next two or three years should be about consolodating their seinor status, but he’s optimistic enough to aim for the play-offs.

Last season’s heroics in the Inter- mediate championship and in the provincial championship are partly down to Gully’s positive approach. Players thrived under his influence and the success of last year spread much wider than winning the Inter-

mediate championship.

“It lifted the whole place, gave hurling a great foundation in Clon- lara,” says Gully. “You saw kids in school making up songs about the team. It was the kind of thing you dream about.”

This year hasn’t started too badly either. The Under 21s captured the A title in Cusack Park defeating a seasoned Nermarket-on-Fergus side and nine of those players had a role to play in the senior squad of 2007.

“People are going around saying that we’re in with a chance of win- ning the championship year and that’s the sort of thing we have to guard against. People around here think these guys are unbeatable but playing in the senior championship 1s going to be a big step-up.

“Senior teams can stop open hurl- ing easier than intermediate teams and that’s the kind of hurling we like to play. Then there’s the speed of the game. Players, I reckon, will have two seconds less to make up their minds this year. Our lads will have to think fast and act fast. Basically, you’re go- ing to have to make decisions imme-

diately and go with them.”

Gully is also pleased that unlike the last time Clonlara were a senior club, there isn’t a two-tiered system.

“We were relegated three years ago having played in what was a Senior B championship. There were eight top teams that year and 12 on the second level. So we didn’t really have an op- portunity to have a go at the big boys. The way things are this year, it’s far better.”

Clonlara’s youth factor, Gully reck- ons, means that the team may be bet- ter positioned to adapt to taking on some of the more seasoned sides.

‘Before the final last year, the young lads were going around as though it was just another hurling game where- as we [the management] were having sleepless nights. What I’d love to see is our more senior players leading the younger lads and that way, we can all adapt straight away.”

For Clonlara’s opener against Ogonnelloe, they’ll have to do with- out Darach Honan and John Conlon who are both sitting the Leaving Cert. The O’Donovan brothers are also America bound after the first

round and they won’t return until the end of August.

With typical positivity, Gully man- ages to see the bright side.

“We’re not going to use any excuse. Of course we’d love to have the lads but you show me a team that won’t have to deal with something simular. The lads we have, once they’re cer- tain that they’re not going to let this chance slip by, then I’ll be happy. We’re not the same as the likes of Clarecastle or Sixmilebridge. We don’t have a conveyor belt producing players year after year.

“We’ don’t have a large pool of players and we’re in this competition to battle and to give a good account of ourselves. Nothing less.”

Last Christmas, in the middle of the All-Ireland championship, the club took a short break from hurling. Gully recalled the panel for train- ing on January 2. Close to 30 play- ers showed up. They may have fallen short in Munster earlier in the year, but a new challenge is about to be- gin.

With Gully steering the ship, they’ll strive to break through any icebergs that come in their way this summer.

PROMOTING from’ within has served Clarecastle well. Two county titles in the last four years, testifies to that.

After landing the championship in 2005 during his two years as man- ager, Ger Ward stepped aside in 2007 for Fergie Tuohy. Then in 2008 the baton returned to Tommy Howard who was a county final winning manager in 2003.

Managers come and managers go, but the transition is always a smooth one. In Clarecastle, you shouldn’t confuse change with upheaval.

Every year there are plenty of strong candidates. But when one is selected to lead, the club coalesces around a common goal — winning the cham- ey Coyetsieul oy

There isn’t time for factions or rivalry. Unity, manager Tommy Howard agrees, has been a source of strength for the club.

“We don’t have major showdowns or votes at the beginning of the year”, says Howard, “At the beginning of the year, I indicated an interest in being involved, and the club seemed to be happy to accept me. When it comes to my time to give it up, someone else will pick up the baton

and go. That’s just the way it seems to happen. It’s healthy for the club as well, in fairness.”

Being able to select from such a deep pool gives a Clarecastle formi- dable edge off the pitch. New man- agers, having played for the club, are already attuned to the fierce expecta- tion to win.

Howard, manager when the mag- pies won their 10th county title in 2003, understands this can be a dou- ble-edged sword.

“I think Clarecastle would be known as being parochial to say the least. There is great pride and great passion in the place. Playing for your club and being involved as a mentor is seen as a great honour. It brings pressure. The expectation is always high from the supporters and that’s part of the enjoyment of it as well. It’s an honour to be involved and to be able to give it time and to have a

go at it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t and you have to live with the consequences.”

2007 was a year when that didn’t go to plan. After beating Wolfe Tones in the quarter final, Clarecastle were outmaneuvered and, dare you say it, outfought by Tulla in the semi final.

‘To get to the semi final was a great achievement in one respect. Tulla went on and they won the champion- ship, so they proved to be credible champions. They beat everyone they had to beat along the way and they did it with a bit of style.”

Howard 1s concerned that Clarecas- tle have “leaked goals at critical stag- es” in the Clare Cup. More pressing though, are the injuries to key players like Derek Quinn. The club’s leading marksmen will miss the group stages due to a serious ankle injury.

Darragh Moloney, another forward from whom much is expected is una-

vailable, but for different reasons. He is preparing for his Leaving Cert.

“Derek Quinn would be massive loss to any setup. In a county where good forwards are a rare commodity, he’s a massive loss to us, massive’’.

Clarecastle’s opponents in group 3 include old rivals Kilmaley and Eire Og. The game against the townies sees Howard pit his wits against his brother in-law and Eire Og manager, John Russell.

“Whatever way that falls. I’m sure they will be a bit of ribbing, wheth- er I was involved or not’, laughs Howard.

Not that there is much time for fun and games. The serious business be- gins now.

HOPE springs eternal for the resi- dents of Crusheen this week follow- ing the confirmation that Iarnrod Eireann will reexamine the possibil- ity of building a stop for the Western Rail Corridor in the village, months after ruling out the proposal.

It has emerged that, following a meeting with the Crusheen Devel- opment Association last month, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamaon O’Cuiv (FF), has urged the rail company to

reconsider its position on the Crush- een stop.

Responding to a Dail question from Clare TD Pat Breen (FG), Minis- ter O’Cuiv said that CLAR fund- ing could be made available for the project.

“I met a delegation regarding Crusheen station on Friday, May 16. I indicated that in discussions with Jarnr6d Eireann, further proposals had been requested from them in re- FVe Te) MaKOMnd Cem enim ise Um Goue lee under the CLAR programme,” said Minister O’Cuiv.

“T also indicated that, in this con- text, 1f proposals for Crusheen sta- tion were included, they would be considered in respect of CLAR fund- ing, subject to such funding being available.”

The announcement has been given a cautious welcome by Deputy Breen, saying that it could solve the problem in Crusheen if brought to fruition.

“The local Crusheen community have been very proactive in progress- ing this matter and Clare County Council are very supportive, having agreed to provide the car parking fa-

cilities,’ said Deputy Breen.

“IT welcome the positive signals emanating from Minister O’Cuiv and I hope that when the outstand- ing issues are resolved that budget- ary constraints will not delay this project.

“While there were outstanding is- sues to be resolved, he did indicate that once these issues had been ad- dressed and they re-submitted pro- posals for CLAR Funding in relation to the Western Rail Corridor, which included a stop at Crusheen, he would look favourably on this.”

CLARE County Council are to paint two listed buildings in Ennistymon bright white with luminous yel- low stripes in an effort to curb the amount of accidents taking place at the location.

Blake’s corner has become infa- mous in recent years as an accident blackspot, with local residents claim- ing that an accident takes place there at least once a week.

The local authority is in the proc- ess of purchasing both Blake’s and neighbouring Linnane’s, located just before the bridge in Ennistymon.

They plan to knock both build- ing and reconstruct them a number of metres back from the road when funding becomes available but, in the meantime, they propose to paint the building luminous colours to make them clearly visible to motorists.

Both buildings are more than 100 years old, have been granted ‘listed’ or protected status by the Office of Public Works and appear on thou- sands of postcards.

The buildings, located three feet below street level, are classic ex- amples of the town’s old-fashioned shop fronts. Indeed, Blake’s earned national notoriety as Ireland’s small- est pub until it closed for business a decade ago.

‘There is a huge problem with cars crashing into those buildings. There are huge volumes of tourists com- ing through there on a daily basis

and they don’t know what is await- ing them when they turn the corner. I am very concerned that there will be a serious accident and that is why I have suggested that reflective paint 1s placed on the walls of the building to alert people that there is a dangerous Situation ahead,’ said Cllr Martin SOE aea CaF

‘This is just a temporary shot-gun measure while the process of moving the building is undertaken. That has

to go through a planning, consulta- tion and funding process. I am real- istic enough to realise that that will take a few years to happen.

“In the meantime, we need to see some progress being made. It’s a bal- ancing act between preserving what is traditional with road safety. In that situation, I will always come down on the side of road safety.”

Council engineer, Donnie Buckley confirmed last week that the local

authority had purchased one of the buildings involved and is at an ad- vanced stage in purchasing the other. The local authority is also to host a meeting in the coming weeks to at- tempt to get the building in question delisted, allowing construction work to take place.

TESTING times are ahead for 1,233 Clare students sitting the Leaving Certificate and 1,304 who are facing the Junior Certificate examinations from tomorrow.

And parents are being asked to keep their own cool when it comes to helping their children.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said that expert advice is for parents to “try to stay calm to help keep their children calm, par- ticularly for parents whose child is sitting a State examination for the first time. It can often be that the parents are almost as anxious as the

students.”

Other tips for helping youngsters cope with the stressful time include ensuring they eat healthy food and get enough sleep and some fresh air.

Health experts have also warned that swotting and stress can lead to an upsurge of complaints.

Long hours spent revising can lead to insomnia as students find it diffi- cult to switch off from exam prepa- ration. Muscular and joint pain can result from excessive time spent writing or typing on a computer.

For those suffering from condi- tions such as asthma, the trying time can make it worse and they should carry inhalers at all times. Pharma-

cists say that keeping windows and doors closed midmorning and early evening can help reduce reactions in students suffering from hayfever.

The first paper in the Leaving Cer- tificate will be English, while the Applied Leaving Certificate candi- dates will begin with English and Communications. Junior Certificate students will also be sitting their English exam.

Tests for the Leaving Certificate continue until June 20 when the last paper will be applied mathematics and Junior Certificate students will down pens on June 19 when Latin and classical studies are the last ex- ams to be taken.

FOR dual clubs, it is always hard to get the balance right. How do you de- ploy resources to seriously compete in hurling and football, without one team harming the prospects of the other?

Clubs like Doora Barefield and Wolfe Tones have an obvious prefer- ence for hurling. In Eire Og, the split is more evenly proportioned. And O’Callaghan’s Mills? Hurling would probably win a majority, but, when you’re junior football team starts winning county titles and contest- ing Munster finals, it tilts the balance oy sateayy eel

The club’s chairman Joe Cooney, though, hopes that under new man- ager Pat Donnellan, the club’s hurlers can steal back some of the limelight.

“Pat Donnellan, is totally commit- ted to the hurling. He’d be hoping that they give more commitment to the hurling this year than the foot- ball, which in fairness to the last cou- ple of years they did give great com- mitment to the football. We achieved great things in the football and we’d be hoping now over the next year or two to try and turn around and achieve those things in the hurling as well.”

Cooney juggled the dual roles last year of chairman and manager when,

after a very promising start, the Mills failed to qualify from their group.

A win over Wolfe Tones was fol- lowed by a disappointing loss to Eire Og. The signs were encouraging ear- ly on against Sixmulebridge, but, the Mills waned and ended up ten-point losers.

The two months gap between the first and second rounds, Cooney believes, checked any momentum, gained from beating Wolfe Tones.

“The thing was, and I said it after the Wolfe Tones game, the big break wasn’t going to help us. When you have to wait ten weeks for your next match, it wasn’t going to help us and it didn’t help us. It was very hard to keep it going for the ten weeks. We were just flat against Eire Og, we weren’t up for it”.

Keeping interest and enthusiasm alive during the idle summer weeks, is an age old problem for club man- agers. The problem is keenly felt by rural clubs, battling against declin- ing population numbers.

“It’s definitely getting harder and even talking to other clubs around east Clare, they are finding it hard to keep training going. The numbers are not there. It’s getting tougher, year after year.”

Cooney readily accepts, that in a group that includes Kilmaley and Clarecastle, the Mills are up against

ie

But there are reasons for optimism. Patrick Donnellan has emerged as a hurler of county standard. Conor Cooney, Joe’s son and the middle brother of the three Cooney boys on the Mills team, started corner back on the Waterford IT team, that won the Fitzgibbon cup.

If they need any extra reason to be- lieve, the Mills need only have a chat with the neighbours.

“Without a doubt Tulla were an ex- ample to all clubs in East Clare, with what they achieved last year, without a doubt. There is great credit due to them. No one gave them a chance halfway through the championship, of not alone winning the champi- onship, but even getting out of the group. When Killaloe beat them in Scariff, everyone wrote them off. They are an example to every club in east Clare. My belief is this year’s championship will be very keenly contested, on account of what Tulla did last year. Other clubs are saying to themselves, if Tulla can do it, why can’t we do it”.

Role models within and around them. Time again for the Mills to walk the line.

IF TULLA’S explosive run to the county title taught the rest of the championship anything last year, it is that any side are currently capable of winning the Canon Hamilton. It wasn’t strength in numbers or pre- vious underage success that steered the east Clare side to victory, as they only used 18 players during the seven games and had only a minor cham- pionship in 2000 to show for their underage endeavours. No, ‘Tulla’s transformation was in attitude not personnel — a self-belief carved out by aruthless determination and stub- born unwillingness not to be beaten.

That criteria alone will inspire oth- er similar unfancied teams to organ- ise and develop with similar intent. Tulla were a Senior B side only the year before but due to the restructur- ing of the senior championship last year, the senior B sides were elevated to the top tier. The new format was so designed, that in time the so- called weaker sides would improve and develop by playing stronger op- position on a regular basis. Obvious- ly Tulla hadn’t read the script as they marauded their way to glory, leaving several notable casualties lying in their wake.

Tulla’s triumph was a huge blow to the traditionally strong sides who

now fear a similar uprising from the rest of the perceived underdogs. There have been grumblings that it was a reflection on how bad hurling in Clare had gone that Tulla were al- lowed to dominate but those acidic remarks only mask their own failings and inability to handle Tulla’s uncom- promising style. Crusheen, Clarecas- tle, and Newmarket-on-Fergus will all feel they left it behind them last year. A combination of complacency and lack of physical strength cost each of those sides dearly and Tulla deserved full credit for assessing the vunerability of the opposition and exploiting the gap which opened up in front of them.

The same predicament manisfests itself this year. With no outstanding team in the top tier, the champion- ship is wide open once again. The heirarchy at the top still remains the same with Newmarket, Clarecastle, Crusheen and Wolfe Tones standing out from the pack as favourites but unlike the English Premiership’s big four, they are by no means guaran- teed their status in those positions. After last year, Tulla and Sixmileb- ridge have significantly climbed the pecking order and the amalgamation of Inagh and Kilnamona also has the potential to provide another future superpower. Cratloe, Corofin and Kilmaley are knocking at the door as

well but there are only eight places available after the group stages and in that regard, the make-up of the draw this year was very significant.

Examining the evidence, Group | is a veritable lottery. Aside from Bal- lyea who are not as far advanced as the others, Tulla, Wolfe Tones, New- market and Inagh/Kilnamona are all capable of beating each other. Un- doubtedly this “Group of Death’ will go right down to the last fixtures in September with Newmarket to pos- sibly shade the group and the experi- ence of the Shannon side to ensure they advance with them.

Sixmilebridge appear to be a step above the others in Group 2 but it should be a scramble for the second spot with Cratloe or maybe even SoKeyimole nates

Despite their recent downward spi- ral of results, Clarecastle’s side are championship hardened and _ they should top Group 3 with Kilmaley to advance with them while the final group has only one alteration from last year with intermediate cham- pions Clonlara replacing Tulla. As the most prominent side, Crusheen should again claim the top spot and the rest will all be confident of claim- ing the coveted second spot. If this group existed last year, Scariff would be favourites but not anymore as they have really struggled to muster even

a glimmer of form this season. Clon- lara have the potential but their small squad will be severely hampered by the Leaving Cert and players go- ing abroad. It means Ogonnelloe or Smith O’Briens look most likely to make the step up, but their inconsist- ency should mean that they will have to be satisfied with just a quarter-fi- nal appearance.

Depending on the draw of course, Newmarket, Sixmilebridge, Clare- castle and Crusheen should all progress to the semi-final with per- haps the Blues and the Magpies to re- new old acquantances in what would be an intriguing decider. Going on early season form alone, Newmarket appear to have the slight edge over their neighbours but they have been favourites for a number of seasons now and only have a county final apearance in 2006 to show for all their efforts and potential. As last year demonstrated, early season form has little significance when it comes to the championship. Maybe this year, the form book should be consigned to the shredder. Pulling a name out of a hat is probably a bet- ter method of yielding the winning candidate.