Month: July 2008

THEY’RE a superstitious lot in Bal- lyvaughan and Fanore. They don’t pose for team photographs until they have a cup. It means there won’t be a photo of Ballyvaughan’s first senior team until they have Jack Daly.

It’s a dreamy notion for sure, but it doesn’t stop the Ballyvaughan boys dreaming. And, one more dream came to life in Ennistymon on Sat- urday night when they shocked 2006 champions Eire Og with a stunning second half comeback that sent shockwaves around Clare football

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The news was greeted with gasps of amazement at games in Kilmihil and Miltown Malbay — Clare football had been turned on its head by Bal- ly vaughan, a club that haven’t basked in the senior football limelight since Fanore’s Paddy O’Donohue played for the county in the 1917 All-Ireland or Sean Mac Néill O’Loghlen and a few others were on the Liscannor team that won the 1940 champion- abhor

The thrill of it all was summed up by manager Pat Costello afterwards. “It was brilliant to beat Eire Og, it’s

hard to describe really how it feels,” he said. ““We didn’t know what to ex- pect going into this game — we had a few injuries and only had 18 togged at the start of the game, while they had 33 or 34. That’s the difference, but we got on with it and got a few VOLO Kem HOMO mi CoscmOlt OMAN CCMOE:NA “Beating Eire Og is bigger and better than beating Cusack’s in last year’s intermediate final. It’s huge for us. People said we’d go straight back down to intermediate. There were even people in our own parish who said we were only a junior team, but we proved them wrong with this

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“Scoring 2-10 in senior football is a great achievement. A lot of senior matches are won in Clare with scores a lot lower than that. We knew we were capable of this — we knew we were fit enough to play for 60 min- utes and had made our mind up be- forehand that we were going to play for the football for the 60 minutes. Ost lmcm Wier: MW iomenlen

“We were slow enough to get go- ing in midfield, but once we got to erips there Eire Og couldn’t stop us going forward. We deserved it and it’s a huge boost for the club and our

first ever adult win in Ennistymon,” he added.

With that it was time to repair to Logue’s Lodge in Ballyvaughan, where the Talty Cup they won in last year’s ‘Battle of the Burren’ with Michael Cusack’s for the intermed1- ate title was filled one more time.

The Jack Daly race had started with a big bang. A very big one at that.

A NEW dawn for milk production in Ireland was heralded last Wednesday as Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, signed the new regulations governing milk quotas into law.

The introduction of the new Eu- ropean Communities Milk Quota Regulations effectively revokes the current national regulations govern- ing the super levy/milk quota regime and replaces them with new consoll- dated regulations.

Despite reservations 1n some quar- ters about the new regulations, Min- ister Smith emphasised that the new laws were the product of an extensive review of legislation on milk quotas, and that the principle of simplifica-

tion was at the heart of the laws.

“The clear focus of the review of the milk quota regulations has been on the need to bring legislation in this area up to date at a time of great change in the dairy sector,’ he an- nounced.

‘As market conditions change and the abolition of quotas draws nearer, it is now time to make the function- ing of the quota regime more flex- ible and, in particular, to remove any unnecessary obstacles to consolida- n(oyn a

The new regulations give effect to the changes previously announced in the areas of quota transfers and milk production partnerships.

These include, in the case of trans- fers, greater flexibility in the consoli-

dation of holdings and the transfer of quota within families, a broadening of the definition of qualified relatives to include relations of spouses, re- moval of the restriction on the sale of land and quota out of disadvantaged areas and the facilitation of quota leases to companies.

Regarding milk production part- nerships, the new regulations remove restrictive criteria such as distance between holdings, age limits and off-farm income thresholds, and fa- cilitate the participation of non-dairy farmers and farm managers in part- nership arrangements.

The new regulations aim to sim- plify, and in some cases remove, no- tification and application procedures for producers.

They also remove restrictions placed on producers as a result of their participation in restructuring schemes up to 2006.

Those wishing to sell quota with land may now include quota pur- 1 E:T exe MON N(6(o) ar: RoI DMOLOL RED U DETSanYel OCs) pOLom while those who had disposed of quota under previous restructuring schemes will not now be excluded from quota trading and temporary leasing schemes.

“IT want to take this opportunity to thank the farming organisations and ICOS for their constructive input to the review of milk quota legislation, and I look forward to their feedback on the implementation of the new regulations in the coming months,” concluded Minister Smith.

LAST week’s release of the Gal- lagher report into the sustainability of the biofuel industry was given an unexpectedly warm reception by the industry representatives last week. This is despite the fact that the report would suggest the strong possibility of a premature demise in the indus- nae

“Far from being bad news for the industry, the report confirms that bi- ofuels have their role to play but we must proceed with caution and make sure that biofuels are made from sus- tainable sources,’ said Richard Price, director of Biofuels Media.

“There needs to be more thought and planning put into what is sus-

tainable and what is not. For in- stance, British prime minister Gor- don Brown suggested this week that the UK is wasting too much food. About 4.5 million tonnes of it goes into landfill each year and repre- sents a potentially valuable source of bioenergy for the future.

“There are also approximately 33 million tonnes of Biomass going to landfill of which 13 million tonnes is wood, representing a valuable source of energy. There are many sustain- able alternatives out there waiting to be developed.”

Biofuel experts discussed the pos- sibility that in the future valuable en- ergy for schools, hospitals and public buildings could be sourced directly from landfills.

“The idea is not far fetched. The technology is here, it’s a question of a framework to make it happen,’ continued Price.

“My company would like to hear from any companies, universities or individuals who would like to launch or show their new technologies at our upcoming Biofuel Expo.

“In addition to the Expo and show- casing of new technologies, there will also be two days of conferences covering subjects such as energy from wood pellets and wood chip as well as biogas from food, farm and animal wastes.”

Biofuels Media are the organisers of the Biofuels Expo and Conference to be held in Nottinghamshire on Oc- tober 15 and 16. The expo, which is

being billed as Europe’s biggest bio- fuel event this year, will be focusing on sustainable development of bioen- ergy and a Special area this year will be showcasing future bioenergy technology.

The conferences are aimed at in- forming delegates about all aspects of either starting a process or adopt- ing bioenergy solutions for their or- ganisations.

Applications should be made on www.biofuels-expo.co.uk. Potential investors, partners, distributors and adoptors of this technology will be visitors to the show.

Priority will be given to new non food feedstock sources and new technology surrounding bioenergy from waste.

THE HSE has confirmed that it is considering establishing a satellite kidney dialysis unit in Clare, accord- ing to junior minister Tony Killeen.

The Clare branch of the Irish Kid- ney Association has long since ar- gued for a life saving dialysis unit for the county.

The treasurer of the Clare branch, Peggy Eustace, said, “Ideally we would like to see a satellite unit in Ennis. At the moment our patients have to endure a long and difficult journey to Galway and Limerick

three times a week.”

According to Ms Eustace 85 people are currently receiving the life sav- ing haemodialysis treatment in an over stretched unit in the Mid West- ern Regional Hospital, Limerick.

This unit is catering for 20 people from Clare, 18 from Tipperary and 44 from Limerick city and county.

A further 16 patients must travel to the Wellstone clinic in Galway while work begins on a new satellite unit on the Dock Road in Limerick. Seven of these patients are from Clare.

Most recent research shows that in two years the need for dialysis in

the Midwest has increased by 41 per cent. This is significantly higher than other regions in the country making the case for a unit in Ennis all the

stronger. Four patients in the Midwest will require haemodialysis treatment

within the coming weeks, with many more in a pre-dialysis stage. Minister Killeen received confir- mation of the proposed development following a meeting this week with the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney. “A satellite dialysis centre is cur- rently being established in Limerick

to alleviate some of the pressure on the Dooradoyle facility. This will provide some relief for Clare patients in the short term. In the longer term, the HSE has said it would like to ex- plore the possibility of establishing a satellite unit at Ennis General Hos- pital.”

“The HSE stated that this option would be evaluated in light of the demand and throughput of patients. However, this is not likely to be de- veloped in the short-term. The HSE confirmed that there are currently 22 patients for Clare receiving haemo- dialysis treatment,” he said.

A SHOTGUN, slash hooks, wheel braces, a machete, a samurai sword and a haul of drugs have been seized by gardai investigating a violent feud between Travellers in Ennis, over the past fortnight.

Several incidents have broken out between two Traveller factions, in- cluding shots being fired at a house, a vicious row breaking out at the lei- Sure centre in the town and two cars

being burnt out.

As part of a major Garda opera- tion, several parts of the town were searched last Wednesday and Thurs- day. The firearm, implements, and cannabis resin were seized during the searches, which involved several gardai.

A house at Waterpark View in the town was shot at in the early hours of last Wednesday. While nobody was injured, members of a family were in the house at the time.

One car was burnt out last Thurs- day and the other on Sunday night.

“In the course of the searches, we recovered various implements on lands, in houses and in bays last Wednesday and Thursday. It was part of a coordinated operation,’ said Superintendent John Scanlan, Ennis.

The feud involves several people. Four men have been charged with possession of implements relating to one of the incidents. All four have been granted bail in court, on condi-

tion that they abide by strict condi- tions. Gardai say that the matters are still being investigated and CCTV footage has been viewed by those investigating the rows. A file will be sent to the DPP.

According to sources, the feud start- ed 12 months ago when a row broke out at a wedding in the Midlands. A second incident is understood to have occurred at a wedding in Limerick a short time ago and has escalated in Ennis in recent weeks.

THE demise of US airline American Transair (ATA) has had minimal im- pact on the number of US military personnel going through Shannon Airport, new figures confirm.

According to the figures released yesterday by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA), 124,441 members of the US military went through the airport in the first six months of this year on 893 flights.

This represents an increase of 36 per cent on the 90,897 that went through Shannon on the correspond- ing period in 2007.

During the first quarter of 2008, over 66,000 US personnel went through Shannon. It was speculated upon that the bankruptcy of one of the troop carriers, ATA, at the end of March would have a negative effect on the numbers.

Second quarter figures show that 57,/74 troops passed through com- pared to 66,667 between January to March.

Well over a million US military personnel have gone through Shan- non since the invasion of Iraq.

The SAA does not release the prof- its made from the US military traffic. But it is estimated that the SAA will have made a profit of €7 million last year through this business.

Speaking last year the chairman of

the SAA, Pat Shanahan said: “Shan- non has a tradition of handling mili- tary traffic. We do it very well and we have the infrastructure to do so. Geographically, the airport 1s ideally located between the two great con- WDA OLAS

“It is a business we do very well. Obviously the ultimate decision is a government decision, while there is a business opportunity we will cer- tainly capitalise on it and Shannon captitalizes on it better any airport that I know in the world in terms of friendliness and in terms of the serv- ice level we give the various carriers that operate that business.

Last December, the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, confirmed that over €7 million had been spent on preventing Shannon Airport from incursions from anti-war activists over the previous two years.

This follows the estimated profit of €16.4 million made from the muili- tary traffic in 2006 and 2005.

Minister Lenihan confirmed that €4.69 million was spent on policing arrangements at Shannon last year. To the end of November this year, the costs are put at €3.1 million.

UNEMPLOYMENT is on the up, new houses remain unsold but a “very select” few are to beat the blues by being part of the county’s first pri- vate members club with a 24 hour concierge and chauffeur service.

Ennis Town Council has granted planning permission to developer Jack McCarthy for a club on the top floor of the former Central Buildings overlooking the Abbey Street car ee

The council has granted planning for the proposal after ruling that it “will have no detrimental impact on the character and function of the area as the proposed club is to be a very select club with a very high level of (onan eres

It is located in a commercial area in the centre of town and is therefore an appropriate use”’.

However, the council has provided a sting in the tail by granting plan- ning permission for the proposal for only one year.

“This permission shall be for a temporary period for one year from the date of the final grant of permis- sion after which time the use shall revert to office unless an application for its retention is lodged with and approved by the planning authority or An Bord Pleanala.”

The council state the reason for this “is in the interest of orderly develop- neon ae

But the hurdles that Mr McCarthy has overcome to secure planning permission won’t appear like any-

thing that has to be done to receive membership for the club.

According to planning documents lodged with the town council by ar- chitect, Michael Leahy: “my client intends to operate an ultra-exclusive members only club with heavily vet- ted membership”.

On the sale of alcohol at the venue, Mr Leahy said: “No, my client aims to promote an alternative to the peril- ous drinking ‘culture’. In-house pur- suits are geared away from alcoholic Loyetiebesyolaleyne

“My client aims to provide a pri- vate environment for the purpose of business and social networking. It will provide as a business outpost for the corporate traveller while provid- ing an unthreatening environment in which to socialise.

The club will facilitate 24 hour teleconferencing, wi-fi and _ cleri- cal services; a 24-hours chauffeur and concierge service; chess back- gammon and games area; humidor; heated smoking,’ according to the submission.

THE Labour Court has dismissed a claim by SIPTU for holiday pay at Ryan Brothers (Quarry) Ltd, ruling that it would produce an absurd re- Ste

The dispute between the company and union arose over the interpreta- tion and application of a holiday pay and bonus agreement.

According to the court, the dispute centred on the agreement relating to holiday pay struck in 2005 which stated that “when an employee is

taking annual leave, the average overtime earnings of the previous 13 weeks are calculated and a pay- ment of 50 per cent of this is added to the holiday pay for each day’s leave roe

The Labour Court stated: “The problem is that the union’s interpre- tation would give an employee five times as much as the company’s in- terpretation.

“The parties contacted the employ- ee relations facilitator and arbitrator who was involved in the agreement in October, 2005, for his interpreta-

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In his reply the arbitrator stated: “It would transgress the bounds of com- mon sense to have both parties agree to an agreement whereby the over- time element added to the holiday pay would be 2.5 times greater than the actual average weekly overtime for the proceeding 13 weeks.”

The dispute was referred to the La- bour Relations Commission and a conciliation conference took place.

‘As the parties did not reach agree- ment the dispute was referred to the Labour Court on 30 November, 2007

and a Labour Court hearing recently took place.

According to the union, the agree- ment of 2005 was quite clear in its wording: There is no mention of di- viding the weekly average overtime by 5 and then applying 50 per cent of this figure per day’s leave.

Both sides accepted the wording in the agreement. The company stated that it was at a loss as to how the Un- ion came to its interpretation.

The company stated: “No reason- able employer could be expected to pay an employee 2.5 times the aver-

age overtime earnings for each day’s annual leave taken. The facilitator agreed with the company’s interpre- tation.”

In its formal recommendation, the Labour Court stated that it “is of the view that the interpretation placed on the agreement by the union would produce an absurd result which could not have been intended.

Furthermore, the wording of the agreement does not support the in- terpretation. Accordingly, the court supports the company’s construction of the clause at issue.”

THE long promised €39 million for the development at Ennis Gen- eral Hospital is to be included in the HSE’s capital funding programme for this year, despite assurances ear- lier in the year that the money had been redirected to projects in the east coast.

That is according to Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley who said that he and minister of state Tony Killeen (FF) got reassurances from the Minister

for Health that Ennis General Hos- pital would be on this year’s capital jeyuescan:beaneaten

In March the Clare TD had been critical of the HSE claiming that they were favouring projects in the east coast ahead of the promised funding for Ennis.

Speaking in the Dail at the time he said that the HSE had tried to stop the development at every opportuni- ty by putting forward “the notion of value for money audits, cost-benefit analyses etc and has tried at every

opportunity to block the project”.

At the end of March, the HSE’s hospital networks manager, John Hennessy, said that while he hopped the project would go to tender shortly it would not do so in 2008.

The HSE official said that although there was money available for ena- bling works the serious capital in- vestment – the €39 million promised – would not be available this year.

“As far aS we are concerned we are proceeding without planning and preparations, and we expect the

funding to be there in 2009.”

Deputy Dooley said that he was delighted that the Clare politicians were successful in convincing the minister of the needs of Ennis Gen- eral Hospital.

“It 1s particularly satisfying for us who fought for it to be included. Up until recently it was agreed to exclude it from the programme. It is satisfy- ing to retain the €40 million alloca- tion when we are going through a changing time in the economy and are being asked to curb spending,”

he said.

‘This is a vote of confidence in the staff at the hospital particularly in dealing with the recent outbreak of C-diff,’ he added.

“I now look forward to finalising the construction details and I would be hoping this project will finally commence next year.”

Member of the HSE’s west forum Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said he was de- lighted with the pending announce- ment. “We have worked hard for this,’ he said.

A LAHINCH businessman has been told to shut down an art gallery and studio on the resort’s main street which does not have planning per- mission.

Clare County Council has stated in a warning letter issued to William Stackepoole, of 1 Lois Ma, Lahinch, that an unauthorised development is taking place: the change of use from an existing cottage to a commercial art studio and gallery.

The council considers the develop- ment to be unauthorised “as it does not have the benefit of planning per- mission and does not constitute ex- empted development”.

Mr Stackepoole is required to “cease all commercial operations and activities at this location imme- diately; revert the structure back to a dwelling house and remove all ad- vertising signage associated with the

art studio and gallery”.

In the event that the development is continued, the council may issue an enforcement notice. A council spokesman said that officials were currently reviewing the file.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council granted planning permis- sion to Mr Stackepoole to construct a new hotel on the main street.

However, the decision has been ap- pealed to An Bord Pleanala by the adjacent Kenny Woollen Mills prop- erty which, it is claimed, will be de- valued by €1.5 million.

The council gave the go-ahead to construct the 16 room hotel in spite of opposition from Pat Kenny of Main Street, Lahinch and Donal Kenny of Kenny Woollen Mills.

“This proposed development is over-build of the worst kind,’ Pat Kenny claimed.

“This is a village. This site is a cottage with a small yard and some

outhouses. The proposal to build 16 apartments, restaurant, bar and re- ception areas on this small site is lu- dicrous and has already been refused by An Bord Pleanala.”

Co) a'(o en eo eenlCoD mole meNnIAKore mI NTe development taking into account the urban setting and concluded that it would not seriously injure the ameni- ties of the area and be in accordance with the proper planning and devel- opment of the area.

The council planner’s report stated, “It 1s considered that the proposed three storey building is of an appro- priate scale for the main street of La- hinch having regard to the respective heights of the adjacent buildings to the north, Shamrock Inn and south, Kenny’s Woollen Mills.”

A decision is expected on the ap- peal later this year.