Month: June 2008

CLARE academics across a range of ages proved this week that they have brains to burn, scooping not one but several awards.

North Clare students Darren O’Gorman and Laura Sims jointly won the main individual prize at the Northern Ireland Young Scientist

of the Year Competition. The pair, who are both Leaving Certificate students in Mary Immaculate Sec- ondary School in Lisdoonvarna, won the coveted Individual Award for 17 to 19 years with separate research projects.

Indeed there was more success for Darren who was also awarded the Queen’s University Award for Bio-

logical Sciences. The Kilfenora man was also one of just five projects nominated for the BA Crest, which entitles him to take part in the UK Young Scientists and Engineering Fair which takes place in London in March 2009.

His project was entitled “An Inves- tigation on the Effects of Temporary Limestone Lakes or Turloughs on

Leaf Morphology of Ranunculus Reopens”. Earlier this year he repre- sented the school at the Irish Young Scientist of the Year using the same project

Sinead McNamara, Amie Barrett, Catriona Callinan and David Crowe, all from Mary Immaculate, also took part in the competition.

Meanwhile Marie Clancy from Clare, a student of DIT Cathal Brugha Street, today won a National Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) award for her project which examined the prevalence of listeria monocytogenes in the dairy farm en- vironment in west Clare.

Marie’s assignment explored the oc- currence of listeria monocytogenes in the dairy farm environment on three different farms located in County Clare during the summer of 2007.

Environmental samples were tested to see if listeria monocytogenes was positive at different locations on the farms. Following on from the study, recommendations were made to the farmers who took part.

The achievements don’t stop there however as two Clare primary schools were honoured in the Awards of Science Excellence. St Tolas Na- tional School in Shannon and Par- teen National School were presented with the awards last week.

PARENTS of 47 children who will shortly be without childcare found little comfort in the words of the minister for finance this week.

In response to parliamentary ques- tions from Clare TD Pat Breen (FG), Minister Brian Lenihan merely con- firmed what distraught parents and staff were told in a note last week – the civil service creche in Ennis was to close with just two weeks’ notice.

The minister responsible for the running of the creche offered no so-

lution to the parents’ urgent childcare needs or to the plight of the 16 mem- ber staff. Deputy Breen was later ruled out of order when he attempted to raise the issue again.

‘The minister for finance must re- view his decision and permit the tem- porary operator to remain in place until October, when a permanent operator can then be appointed,” said Deputy Breen before he was told he could not continue.

The Board of the Civil Service Childcare Initiative, who operates the creche on behalf of the minister

pulled the plug on the creche last Fri- day week. The department “hope’”’ to have a new operator in place to open the creche by October.

The current temporary operator of the créche, Linda Hayes, has said she was happy to continue running it un- til then. Ms Hayes began in the créche on a temporary basis six months ago when the department failed to attract WM AUUMBNDNoMOooE-llee

“The board is in ongoing discus- sions with a potential operator with a view to taking over operation of the creche for a five year period with

effect from October 1, 2008,” said Minister Lenihan.

“As the current temporary ar- rangement comes to an end on June 30 2008, parents of children in the creche were individually advised that the Ennis créche would close from June 30 2008, and of the dis- cussions to appoint a permanent op- erator from October. Two of the sup- port team have also been in place at the créche to offer advice,’ he said.

Parents have said that the only sup- port they received was a photocopied list of créches in the area.

THE Christian Brothers have played a central role in the history of north Clare since they arrived in En- nistymon almost 200 years ago. In 1824 local parish priest Rev Pe- ter O’Loughlin wrote to Christian Brother Edmund Rice, asking him to send two brothers to provide for the education of the many Catholic boys in the area who, due to the Penal Laws, had no opportunity of receiv- ing any schooling.

Later that year two brothers arrived in Ennistymon and took up tem- porary residence in a small house owned by a Mr Arthur near the Prot- estant Church, while a new dwelling was being built at the south end of the old Ennistymon Chapel.

In 1825 a lease was drawn up mak- ing over the premises “for the pur- pose of a school to Edmund Rice and Philip Hally of Mount Sion, Water- Ko)Ke ae

In the same year the famous Wel- lington of Waterloo made a donation of £100 to aid in establishing the said school on the understanding that the premises would always be used for that purpose. Another donation of

£100 was made by the Parish Priest.

The Chapel was converted into classrooms with a small organ loft that was removed from the north transept. In cold weather turf fires blazed in each of the three fireplaces and there was an abundance of fuel supplied by the parents of the boys.

In the five years after the arrival of the brothers between three and four hundred boys were enrolled in the school. It is recorded that “the fame of the establishment soon spread far and wide-distinguished visitors coming to see the work of the new brotherhood and, in many instances, oLoyele ul oLUceb rca Com meteam aun Telan

In May 1827 the brothers moved from their temporary residence at Arthur’s Arch into their new Mon- astery beside the school. The site on which the monastery and school stood became known as Mount St Joseph.

During the construction of the Monastery the boys, after school- hours and during playtime, helped to lay out the grounds and to build an enclosing wall.

Much of this information was first published on Wwww.homepage.eir- com.net/~cbsennistymon/

THE Christian Brothers have an- nounced that they will hand over trusteeship of their four remaining Clare schools to a specially formed lay trust from September.

Edmund Rice Schools Trust was established last week and will be charged with continuing on the edu- cational ethos of the Christian Broth- ers into the future.

The trust will have some role to play in the administration of the Ennisty- mon CBS Secondary School, the En- nistymon CBS Primary School (now amalgamated with the Ennistymon Convent), Rice College in Ennis and Ennis CBS.

Nationally the trust will take over from the Christian Brothers in 96 schools representing some 35,000 Students and more than 2,700 teach- ers nationwide.

The trust is being registered in the names of its members and directors, comprising a group of respected in- dividuals including former President of the European Parliament Pat Cox, The Honourable Mr Justice Peter Kelly (Chairperson) and Dr Daniel O’ Hare, Founding President of Dub- Tre O a Oko RIAs

While the Christian Brothers have appointed this list of members and directors, the appointment of all fu- ture members and directors will rest with the new trust company.

‘The announcement marks the be-

ginning of an exciting new chapter for both the Christian Brothers and for education in Ireland of which our schools form an integral part,’ said Brother Kevin Mullan.

“We wish to express our apprecia- tion and thanks to the members and directors who, on a voluntary basis, are taking on the important role of trustees into the future. Their gener- osity and spirit of service to Catholic education is most encouraging at this time of transition in the mission of the Congregation of Christian Broth- ers in Ireland.”

The Department of Education and Science and the Teachers’ Unions have been made aware of the estab- lishment of the trust, which has giv- en a commitment to working with all stakeholders.

“The establishment of the trust company will ensure a continuity of a tradition generated over two cen- turies by the Christian Brothers. As trustees we are extremely conscious not only of the tangible value of the network of schools but equally of the invaluable educational ethos estab- lished by Blessed Edmund Rice that has been entrusted to us,” said Pat Diggins, Chairperson of Directors of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.

“We will be working in conjunc- tion with the Christian Brother Trustees and with all of the relevant stakeholders within our educational environment to ensure a smooth transition.”

CONTINUING the evidence on sus- pected poison found in Essam Eid’s cell in Limerick, a scientist said she found a “strong positive reaction” for ricin, the trial heard yesterday.

Last Friday, the court heard that the lens case was taken to the UK for analysis, in April 2007. One of the scientists who analysed the samples gave evidence to the trial.

Emma Stobberfield, a microbiol- ogist with a veterinary laboratory in Surrey, told the court that she carried out a test on samples in April 2007, for the purpose of detecting the pres- SN eemovan uO bee

‘“Ricin is a toxin that is poisonous if inhaled, injested or injected,’ she Sr NIGE

She said that one of the samples Showed a weak reaction, while an- other sample had “a very strong posi-

tive reaction”.

Asked by Prosecutor Tom O’Connell what the strong positive reaction was for, she replied, “For ju (on bn

Michael Collins, BL for Mr Eid, asked her why she had included the phrase ‘strong positive reaction’ in court when she had not included it in her statement made in March.

She replied, “It was more positive than the weak reaction.”

Meanwhile, an investigator with American Express, Paul Shingles, told the trial that charges to PJ Howard’s credit card, in September 2006, were disputed.

Five payments, totaling almost €2,000, were made from the ac- count. These were for two US Air- ways flights, one for accommodation with Alpha International and another for an international phone call to California.

Mr Shingles said that a dispute oc- curs when the account holder does LO] Mrs Res Kerem ALO Ors MC e-IKes08(o 81m

He said thaton September 22, 2006, a caller phoned the American Express call centre, with a query re- lating to the limit on Mr Howard’s card.

However, when the caller was asked what the cardholder’s mother’s maiden name was, there was a pause and the caller hung up.

CLARE manager Mike McNamara was a hard man to tie down for a few words after the final whistle sounded Oye mO Len Tee hi

Semple Stadium officials said inter- views would be conducted in a media room, a stroll away from the dressing room areas, under the Kinane Stand. But when McNamara, Mark Flaherty and Jonathan Clancy piled into the room, journalists in tow, they found it full with match stewards, drinking tea.

McNamara, even in_ euphoria, wouldn’t hear of the room being cleared, so it was back to where we started, up by the Clare dressing rooms, the Clare manager shaking hands with jubilant Clare fans along STOWE NE

Thankfully, the route taken by Mc- Namara’s team so far this summer has been more straightforward.

Limerick were the latest side to feel the sting of the Clare attack, but even after wins over two of last year’s All- Ireland semi finalists, McNamara’s feet remain firmly planted on the ground.

“Tt’s a long time since we contested a Munster final, it’s actually nine years since we contested the final and it’s too long, really. We have to

put our best foot forward. We have to be contesting matches with the best and we’ve said that since the start of the year. We’ve nothing won yet. Limerick contested a Munster final and an All-Ireland final last year and they haven’t a medal. It will be a test of character and strength now.”

Goals win matches we’re told and Clare got plenty of them on Sunday. They also, vitally, McNamara point- ed out, got the breaks.

“We did get the breaks. We got the four goals. We got them at vi- tal times. That’s the only difference really. Limerick are still there, so it’s all to play for. We have to win Munster championship matches. We are a proud, crazy, I suppose, hurl- ing county. We have to win Munster championship matches.”

The game against Waterford proved a massive advantage to Clare “par- ticularly in the last 10 minutes,” said McNamara.

The Scariff man bemoaned the late dismissal of Brendan Bugler and said his team’s pride shone through again on Sunday, as he barely suppressed a chuckle at the thought of Tipperary in the Munster final.

“T think everybody looks forward to meeting Tipp. I don’t know what they do to the opposition’, laughed McNamara. “It’s the Munster final

again. It’s a huge day. It’s a great day for the lads. This team are self- motivating. They’ve led themselves from the start [despite] all the hul- labaloo about Mike and his selection team. This team are self-motivat- ing. A wonderful bunch of leaders. They knew they could go through their whole career without winning a Munster Championship match if they didn’t get out of the doldrums. We’ve a second step taken. It’s only a second step. It’s a wonderful time in Clare now to ignite the passion again. Maybe it went over our head a little bit in 1995-2000.”

McNamara revealed that Tony Griffin had been a serious doubt in the build up to the game and said that despite Griffin being given the all clear maybe it was the “wrong di- agnosis’.

As for his own role in Clare’s resur- gence, McNamara brushed it off say- ing, “I’ve been lucky in management. I’ve kind of arrived with good teams and good players. Nothing changes. The team wins games”.

So then. Clare are lucky, Clare are hungry and suddenly the summer ex- plodes with possibility.

THE trial heard that the lethal toxin ricin was found in Essam Eid’s cell in Limerick prison.

Detective Garda Jarlath Fahy told the court on Friday that he received intelligence which led him to suspect that the toxin was hidden somewhere in Mr Eid’s cell, where he had been held since his arrest following the burglary of the Howard family busi- ness in September 2006.

At the prison, he asked Mr Eid if he

had a pair of contact lenses. “He told me he had contact lenses but he had lost them about two months after his arrival at Limerick Prison,” he said. He said that Mr Eid told him he still had the lens case, which was stored in a box under his bed. Commandant Peter Daly of the army Explosives Ordinance Dis- posal division was in charge of the search of the cell. He said he had been a UN weapons inspector in Iraq in 1998 and was familiar with the toxin ricin. He said he had found

the contact lens case in a box under Mr Eid’s bed and handed it to his colleague for testing.

Retired Commandant PJ Butler said that he tested the contact lens case, using a RAMP machine (Rapid Analyte Measurement Platform).

He said the first test on the contact lens case was spoiled but the second produced a positive result. He said this test produced only a preliminary result and a further confirmation was eX cy-A

The court heard from several ana-

lytical chemists from LGC Limited in Teddington, Middlesex in the UK. The manager of the facility, Stephen Kippen, explained that ricin was the third most deadly toxin known to man and was fatal if ingested, inhaled or injected. He said it was a biological toxin derived from the beans of the castor oil plant.

He said there was a “sheen” on the inside of one of the cups on the case TbACGUCOrc1BUOTSMmMOt-TMmSO)oats1 OD NNTSMmsr-le menu lere! onto it. He had irrigated the lens case using a sterile saline solution to dis-

lodge any material.

He then made two separate samples from the solution used to wash out the cup and lid of either side of the case which, together with a control sample of the buffer solution, were sent to a sister laboratory for testing.

He said the remainder of the sam- ple left over for testing had been re- served and was being stored at LGC Ltd. He said that it was not known how stable ricin was and it was not known if the samples were still vi- able.

CLARE v Limerick always throws up a different script — so it was on Sun- day, on the field and off. Clare FM and Limerick 95 were the partisans, as only they could and should be, but tuning into the national broadcaster, it was hard to escape the notion that everything was stacked in favour of Ore

Honorary Clareman Len Gaynor was parked beside Micheal O Muirc- heartaigh for Radio Eireann while next door in the Teilifis Eireann eye in the sky Anthony Daly was Ger Canning’s lieutenant.

And, it didn’t end there. Cyril Far- rell, who always seems to trump the

Clare card, was with Michael Lyster a few doors down. There were Clare cards everywhere, maybe this is why Limerick’s Martin Kiely played a different card by trying to summon some divine intervention when the game started running away from his team.

Kiely brought novenas into the hurling game at half-time. It was a throw of the dice — not desperate but a call to the heavens at the same time. “You’ve been to the novena this morning — maybe Limerick need it,” Kiely said hopefully to Limerick se- lector Bernie Hartigan.

From one Limerick man to anoth- er — a bit like Marty to Ger in 95. Thing is though, Ger was much more

convincing with his famous “we’re going to do it” line. Bernie wasn’t so sure, only hoping and trying to convince himself of Limerick’s belly for battle. “The team that’s up for it and really fights for it will win. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

At the same time over in the Clare FM booth they were digging a trench and building their Maginot Line, bracing themselves for a Battle of the Bulge like attack from Limerick. A desperate offensive that represented their last chance to turn their Mun- ster championship year around.

“Limerick are not going to go down without a fight,” said commentator Syl O’Connor. “It’s going to be a ferocious battle, there’s going to be

a massive onslaught.” For a minute bousoukas and not hurleys sprang to mind.

Limerick didn’t have them though, something Len Gaynor hinted at dur- ing the break. Maybe he was wearing his Clare hat when he said: “It should be enough for Clare — they started very lethargic, but are now into their rhythm.”

Anthony Daly did his best to keep his Clare hat off, but off air was sure- ly chuckling with delight as Limerick gifted goal after goal. “The soft first goal has turned it around for Clare,” he exclaimed. Cyril Farrell jumped in with his Third Secret of Fatima: “goals win games”.

Farrell, who championed Clare all

day added: “they stood up and were counted today. They got the breaks and were good enough to take the breaks. I don’t believe Clare are get- ting the credit they deserve.”

Just as he was talking, Martin Kie- ly had collared Colin Lynch on the field, but wasn’t talking about nove- nas anymore.

The time for novenas had passed — it was Lynch’s time. “It was a long time coming, it’s all about how badly you want it,” he proclaimed.

It wasn’t the only proclamation. Kiely then roared above the din. “The Clare Shout is back, they’ve swarmed the field.”

It was like old times — a long time coming as Colin Lynch said.

A FRUSTRATING game if only be- cause with little between the sides, Clare’s challenge just faded away in the final quarter. Clare had matched Limerick point for point up to that juncture, picking off some impres- sive scores along the way so what were the reasons for this collapse? Well, the goal was obviously crucial, coming as it did in the 42nd minute

from the lively David Moloney when Clare were 0-10 to 0-9 ahead. It gave Limerick renewed confidence and from that point they never looked eae

But it wasn’t the only factor. Sig- nificantly, just as in the Waterford game, Clare had problems in their half-back line and midfield from the off and despite ten different players occupying the five positions includ- ing several substitutions, they never

really resolved the issue. Limerick’s experienced midfield pairing of An- drew Brennan and Alan O’Connor along with wing-forwards David Moloney and Don Hanley were at the heart of all Limerick attacks and Clare’s failure to disrupt the midfield partnership ensured that the sides went in level at the break at eight points apiece despite Clare having the aid of a strong breeze.

Conor Earley was introduced in-

stead of Enda Collins late in the first half but the Tubber man still wasn’t the answer and although he soon moved to midfield, he was replaced late in the game by Clooney-Quin’s Conor Harrisson. Damien Browne was the next to be brought on to fill the void and the Cratloe man did add some industry to the centre but all around him, Clare’s grip on the game was slipping.

Clare did have some impressive per-

formances up front with both Sean Chaplin and Padriag Hickey turn- ing in a hard-working hour but aside from Hickey’s haul of five points and Chaplin’s freetaking, Clare’s other starting forwards only produced one point from play. In contrast all Lim- erick’s forwards scored from open play and that better balance made all the difference in such a tight contest.

Possibly wary of main attraction Ciaran Carey, who’s every touch was greeted by a loud cheer from the Limerick faithful, Clare also failed to puck one ball into the full-forward berth in the first half, starving man- of-the-match from the Waterford game, Padraigh Chaplin but when Hickey moved there in the second half, a better supply yielded two points as Carey allowed Hickey to roam for possession.

TAA Ree Gelato umelon sem seommeloCemmperzue the problems lay however, as after the goal, Clare’s back-line conceed- ed five scoreable frees, four of which were converted and although Clare did try to rally, the needless indisci- pline led to the final nails in Clare’s oy enteF

Much improved from last year but Clare still need to flesh out their op- tions before they are able to seriously challenge for the provincial crown.

KEVIN Kennedy couldn’t hide his disappointment as he leaned against the wall outside the Clare dressing room. The manager quickly identi- fied the moment the game turned against Clare, David Moloney’s 47th minute goal for Limerick.

Clare had made a solid start to the second half and led by a point, playing against a strong breeze. But

Moloney’s goal totally altered the flow of the contest.

“We gave away a goal at a stage of the game where we were on top. That was a crucial point of the game. We missed frees. I’m not blaming any freetaker, there was a swirling wind out there. It was a bad day for freetakers. It didn’t go for our lads. That goal was the turning point,’ said Kennedy.

Still, the manager was more than

pleased by the commitment given by the panel throughout the season and felt Limerick’s greater experience gave them a slight edge on the day. “We had 20 or 25 fellas there this year and they gave it everything. We are very proud of them. They gave everything to the jersey and they gave everything while they were playing. Limerick had a second string out there. They are very experienced fellas. We just didn’t get the breaks

today and that what happens.” Kennedy was particularly im- pressed by the way his side got about their business in the second half and offered special mention for Damien Browne, who made his first champi- onship appearance this summer. ‘We upped our game in the second half. We brought on young Damien Browne from Cratloe and he made big difference in midfield. We haven’t seen Damien all year, he’s been doing

exams for the last couple of days.

“He made a big difference when he came into midfield. That’s why the wind didn’t seem to be a factor because we were on top for the first 10-15 minutes. We had five or six at- tacks but we didn’t get anything out of them. That was it. Limerick were slightly better than us, slightly more accomplished than us. We’re disap- pointed but we’re still proud of the lads,” he added.