Month: September 2008

A COMMUNITY grants scheme, which has existed in Shannon for several years, may have to be aban- doned if a breach of ethics is found to have taken place.

Under the scheme, several commu- nity groups are granted funding eve- ry year towards the running of their organisations and 16 groups have ap- plied for funding this year.

However, earlier this year an issue arose after the Shannon town man- ager Ger Dollard recommended that €50,000 be provided towards a ma- jor development of the town’s leisure centre. This was to be from money set aside for community initiatives.

While he said he was satisfied that the recommendation was lawful and proper, it was met with criticism by another group in the town and the

matter was then referred to the coun- cil’s ethics officer.

While Shannon Town Council be- lieves there was no breach of ethics, no decision will be taken on the dis- tribution of this year’s community grants, until after a ruling is made on the issue. The matter has been re- ferred by the council to the Depart- ment of the Environment. Their law- yers are currently looking at it and are expected to revert to the council within weeks.

If the ruling is that there was no breach of ethics, the grants are likely to be distributed during the autumn. However, if it rules that there was a breach, the community grants scheme may have to be abandoned entirely.

At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, town manager Ger Dollard said that in the wake of

the issue arising earlier this year, ad- vice was sought.

As aresult of this, it was ascertained that under ethics legislation relating to the Code of Conduct for council- lors, ‘interests’ were described as family, close friends or business as- sociates of those applying for fund- ing, aS well as those arising to a position of responsibility in a club, society or other organisation. “It is wide ranging,’ said Mr Dollard.

He said that of the 16 applicants for funding this year, some of the members of the town council were involved in the groups.

id LY OlbN OMmore) pO OR-DOTXomB BME eLOLUUNTOID lors weren’t involved in community initiatives,’ said Mr Dollard.

Councillors will decide who will re- ceive the funding, under the project, but Mr Dollard recommended that the decision be deferred temporarily

until further advice is obtained.

“It may well be the community grants scheme cannot be operated as was, in the future,” said the manger.

The 16 groups that applied for funding this year were Clare Haven, Shannon Musical Society, Gleann an Oir Residents Association, Shannon Graveyard Maintenance Committee, Wolfe Tones Camogie Club, Shan- non region Talking Paper, Shannon Senior Citizens Club, Rineanna Ra- dio Ltd, Shannon Town United AFC, Shannon Meteors Trampoline Club, Shannon Olympic AFC, Clare Fed- eration of People with Special Needs, Cronan Park Environmental Group, Duchas na Sionna and two schemes under the remit of the Shannon Fam- ily Resource Centre.

The successful projects must be erant-aided and show a clear com- munity focus.

THE people of Shannon are being urged not to light bonfires this Hal- loween, after a number of unsavoury incidents occurred last year.

The advance call has come from Labour councillor Greg Duff, who said that a lot of negativity 1s associ- ated with bonfires.

Last year, members of Shannon Fire Brigade were at the receiving end of abuse as they attended to bon- fires at Halloween. They had timber

and eggs thrown at them at a bonfire at Rineanna, while they had bottles thrown at them at a bonfire in New- market-on-Fergus.

Councillor Duff is suggesting, in- stead, that residents’ groups centre their Halloween celebrations around JETOOD UN AOE NACE

This comes in the wake of hassle associated with fires in recent years and he doesn’t want this to happen Noe NUON UISEN( orb

“Last year, young children of eight or nine were transporting items

across the road to the fires and they looked like dumps as people used bonfires to get rid of all types of items, some of which were hazard- ous,’ said Cllr Duff.

He said that various residents groups in Shannon have organ- ised family fun days this year. “We should look at having some events that would take the focus away from having bonfires, around the time,” he SLU TegeZeR Kore

At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, he urged his fel-

low councillors to get behind his proposal.

“T think there’s an onus on us as politicians in the town to maybe not solve all the problems associated with Halloween, but to put together a community event,” said the Labour councillor.

‘‘T remember it as a happy event, but now it is an event for some people to Ker: Kom NOE RY O(oIO MAM NoMCT BLOB

Fianna Fail councillor Sean Hillery agreed and said he would support his colleague’s motion.

IT STARTED with the disappear- ance of four duck shooters who went missing on the River Fergus in 1981 and has never since looked back.

That fateful day was devastating in many ways, but in one way marked the birth of an invaluable asset — Bunratty Search and Rescue.

That search in 1981 was the first of its kind in the Bunratty area and was followed by several other searches in the years that followed. Then, eight years later, in 1989, a committee was formed and the group was formally Set up.

Two boats and a wide array of equipment were purchased, while a

small boathouse was built.

Over time, the club has grown con- siderably and currently there are 27 members.

Bunratty Search and Rescue not only provides an invaluable service to the local community, but it is of immense assistance to the families of so many people who go missing in the waters.

Its members row in and help fami- lies facing unimaginable trauma when someone goes missing in the Limerick and Clare areas.

The average search lasts for 45 days, during which up to eight personnel are in the boats twice every single day. The shortest search undertaken by Bunratty was 15 days, while the

longest was 83, all done voluntarily by the members. Since 1989, the club has carried out searches for almost 60 bodies, the vast majority of which have been found.

Reflecting on the activities during the summer, club treasurer Bob Pot- ter said, “This year has been relative- ly quiet. I remember in 1997 there were seven bodies in a period of six months. That was the busiest we ever ee laa

Given the frequency of bodies in the water, locals felt it was essential that the service was set up in 1989. “We would hear of somebody go- ing missing and boatmen would get together and walk the banks and we would borrow boats, but we couldn’t

keep borrowing boats. We had to get funding to buy the boats. We start- ed fundraising and it took off from there,” he explained.

The bodies are recovered amidst harrowing circumstances, but occa- sionally the searches result in joy as people are rescued from the water.

The volunteers work on a rota basis and they range in age from mid-twen- ties to 70. Every single search is car- ried out with immense enthusiasm.

‘Each time a boat goes out, it takes between two and_ two-and-a-half hours. That’s a lot of time, given that it takes an average of 45 days to finda body. In winter time, they (the volun- teers) come in here and they are blue with the cold,’ added Mr Potter.

IT costs some €20,000 to run Bun- ratty Search and Rescue annually and the service is heavily dependent on fundraising. The money raised for the group by gardai on Saturday will be put to good use.

Bunratty is one of seven water- based emergency services across the county to benefit from the 20th an- nual Garda Charity Cycle. Dozens of gardai will cycle the 130 kilometres trek starting in Ennis and finish- ing up in Twomilegate in Killaloe, throughout the day on Saturday.

The club recently spent more than €30,000 refurbishing the boathouse in Bunratty and it intends to put the money collected by the gardai to- wards the upkeep of the building. When the boathouse was built in 1998, the club had very little money at its disposal. Over the years, damp- ness came through, so the outside walls had to be realigned.

The only funding the club receives is 2,000 from Clare County Coun- cil every year. Aside from that, the club carries out its own fundraising.

“We have a lot of collection boxes in pubs in Limerick and Bunratty,

while families of people who have been recovered from the water ar- range functions and send us money. We also receive donations,’ said club treasurer Bob Potter.

While the regular income is low, the expenditure is high as much needs to be purchased to keep the club in existence. Money is spent on petrol, insurance, heating, lighting, phone bills, wetsuits, body bags, welling- tons, cradles, while the two boat’s engines have to be serviced on a reg- ular basis. Training programmes are essential and also cost money to run.

As treasurer since 1989, Mr Potter

knows at first hand the significance of ensuring there is enough money to keep the club running. “The club is always in the red because we plan ahead and watch the pennies,’ he Cr nCee

“Locally, the support is excellent,” he added.

EXTRA parking in the town of Kil- laloe is vital if the town is to continue to grow and prosper, a local council- lor has said.

Cllr Tony O’Brien asked at a meet- ing of the Killaloe area committee of the council about progress on plans to provide extra spaces for cars while people shop, socialise or visit the amenities in the riverside town.

“We’re not gong to go anywhere

without parking. The centre is con- gested and we’re doing our best to get business into the town but without parking, people are not going to find Killaloe an attractive place to come and do their business or to visit.”

Cllr O’ Brien said traders and resi- dents want to see more facilities to park.

Senior Executive Engineer, Sean Lenihan, said that a potential site has been identified in the town and plans for parking facilities have been drawn

up. He said that funding would have to be provided from the development levy fund and that he is following this up with the relevant person.

‘This is one of a number of things that the development plan clearly outlines the need for. It’s certainly a priority of mine and I have made recommendations that a site be ac- quired”, said Mr Lenihan.

He told the meeting of elected rep- resentatives that he would “raise the matter again and I would hope to

have more information in the com- ing days.”

Cllr O’Brien thanked the execu- tive engineer for his attention in the matter and added that it would be of great importance to the people of Killaloe that they make progress on this issue.

“It’s very important, from every point of view whether it’s busi- ness, residents in the town or people coming to enjoy the amenities, he stressed

THE LIMBS are limbered, the de- termination and focus has been pulled together and if all that fails, participants in next week’s inaugural Scariff 10k will take heart in the fact that a very good cause will benefit.

What could be nicer in the lovely autumnal light than a – admittedly lively – stroll or run in the beautiful surrounds of Lough Derg.

Scariff Community Council – who are hosting the 10k in conjunction with Derg Credit Union and Clare Athletics Association – say they are

‘delighted”’ with the response so far to entries for the challenge on Sep- tember 14. The beneficiaries of the day will be the Raheen Hospice, an institution which has helped many very ill patients and their families from east Clare cope with dignity during difficult times.

“We want everyone to enjoy the day and for the entire community to get involved . This will be a commu- nity event and we welcome all run- ners and walkers, young and old to come out on the day. We don’t expect people to break any records. You can jog, run walk – whatever you like but

come out on the day and enjoy some magnificent views of Lough Derg along the route. All proceeds from the event will go to our local and very worthy cause, the Raheen Hos- pice,’ said Martin Hartigan, one of the organising team.

The route will start at the Scar- iff GAA grounds, up towards Cap- pabane, Sheeaun, Moynoe, Mount Shannon Road and back into Scariff with the finishing line located near the GAA grounds.

Registration forms for the event are available in O’ Meara’s pharmacy or Rodgers Centra shop in Scariff,

online at www.scariff.com ,email scarifflOk@hotmail.com or by post to Scariff Community Council, Market House, Scariff. Registration is €10 per person. Late registration will be accepted on the 14th Septem- ber up to 1:30 PM at a cost of €15 per person.

Details and forms can be had from other members of the organising committee also. They are Eugene Moroney, Eileen Crotty, Paula Har- tigan, Sheila Mulvihill and Marie Crowe. The event starts at 2 pm sharp so all entrants should be assembled by 1:45 PM at the GAA grounds.

DRIVERS who treat roads in an east Clare estate “like Mondello race track”, have to be stopped, a local councillor has said.

Cars are tearing along a straight stretch of road in Westbury, endan- gering life and property, Cllr Cathal Crowe told a meeting of the Killa- loe committee of the Clare County SBE MWe.

“There one straight road that’s raced on like it’s Mondello Park at evenings and weekends’, he said.

Cllr Crowe was calling on the coun- cil’s road engineers and the develop- ers to put their heads together and

come up with traffic calming meas- ures for the estate, where there are a number of treacherous stretches, the councillor said.

“On two occasions, cars ploughed through hedges into the boundary of a house. There are a lot of green spaces where children play. This 1s “a ticking timebomb’”, the councillor said. Cllr Crowe was supported in his call by Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald who said there had been a third incident last week in which a car ploughed beers 0 8

“The traffic corps have come out but there’s little they can do. There are some very dangerous areas in this estate and the problem needs to

be addressed before there is a trag- edy.”

Councillors were told that the de- velopers have planned to put pinch points in to slow traffic in the estate but the local authority’s hands are tied until such time as the estate is finished and taken into Clare County Council’s charge, senior executive engineer, Sean Lenihan said.

He warned that the council “is not going to take it in charge if it’s not up to a standard we can live with”.

Mr Lenihan said that it had been hoped earlier this year that it would be taken in charge by Christmas but difficulties with the decommission- ing of the sewerage plant meant that

this now won’t happen’.

Councillors had earlier raised the issue of the traffic lights on the main road causing massive delays to com- muters trying to get out of Westbury, particularly in the morning rush telune

Cll Pascal Fitzgerald said that the timing of the lights meant “very long delays for people trying to get to work. I think the sequencing should be examined again. I have had nu- merous complaints”.

Cllr Cathal Crowe said that the population of Westbury “rivals that of a small town yet it has only one exit. We need a united voice on this. Another access road is needed.”

THE cream of traditional music per- formers are packing their instruments and polishing up the dance shoes for

next weekend, when Tulla will come alive with the second great musical event it has hosted this year.

After a fabulously successful host- ing of the county fleadh, Tulla is set

to stage concerts ceilis and work- shops with some of the most talented performers and teachers available. The organisers say they couldn’t have done it without the support and

generosity of their two main spon- sors, Kiltannon Partnership and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, along with the other sponsors who have weighed in.

The official opening will be per- formed by Timmy Dooley TD during the youth concert at the courthouse which starts at 8pm on Friday Sep- tember 12.

Catherine McEvoy the well known flute player is MC on the night which will feature a wonderful line up of young talent including her own musi- cal family Na Mothuchan. Seosamh O’Neachtain will be stepping out in the Sean Nos style from his native Connemara in the Galway Gaeltacht Other highly acclaimed performers include Edel Fox , Eimear Arkins, the Burren singers, Kate McNamara and James Conheady.

Ceili dancers will be spoiled for choice over the week-end with a ceili each night.

The line up of the “Master Mu- sicians” at this year’s Tulla Trad Workshops/Master Classes will be definitely hard to beat.

Topping the list is Liz Carroll the renowned fiddle player based in the U.S. who is doing a fiddle workshop in the morning and giving a “Mas- ter Class” in the afternoon. Other household names appearing at the concert at St Peter & Paul’s Church on Saturday night at 8pm _ include Matt Molloy of the Chieftains, John Carty, Arty McGlynn , Mary Ber- gin, Joe Burke, Ann Conroy- Burke, Kathleen Loughnane, Tommy Hay- es, Vincent Griffin. Liz Carroll will also be performing along with Geraldine Cotter on Sunday at 5pm at the Courthouse. This venue has limited seating so early booking 1s essential.

Tickets for all concerts are avail- able from Custy’s Ennis, Tulla Phar- macy, Tulla Post Office and the Mu- sic Room Tulla.

Many of the talented musicians will be playing at informal sessions in pubs around the village all weekend.

KILKEE Marine and Rescue Serv- ice are looking for new volunteers to keep the service afloat into the next oor eee

Almost 300 people are alive today thanks to the brave efforts of the vol- untary members, and many more can be saved if the service continues to flourish.

On Saturday last people enjoyed a search and rescue exercise in Kilkee that included the coast guard units from Kilkee, Doolin, and Bally- bunnion, life guards, civil defence, RNLI, and the Shannon based coast guard helicopter as well as the local marine and rescue service.

It is hoped that the demonstration will entice you people to sign up and become involved with the service.

“We currently have about 50 mem- bers, but we need another eight to 10 new young members to train up,” said founding member Manuel DiLuici.

Training will involve a commit- ment of one night a week, usually for one to two hours.

Being a member of this life sav- ing group is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year com- pepLneerounlm

In its 26th year the Kilkee Marine and Rescue Service is Irelands oldest voluntary sea rescue service.

The service was set up in 1982 un- der the auspices of the Kilkee Devel- opment Association.

The fist ever call out for the Kilkee Marine Sea and Rescue Service 25 years ago was to a trawler in diffi- tate

The crew responded to the call in

force eight winds and brought it and its crew safely back to Doonbeg har- bour.

In 1986 the Kilkee crew were forced to recover the bodies of two of their own members – JJ Hartington from Castletownbere who was working in Moneypoint and Ian Benson from Kilkee.

Both men were in their twenties and were out fishing when the trag- edy occurred.

The rescue service has recovered 28 bodies during the past 25 years and saved 280 more.

Despite the crew, some 160 mem- bers throughout the 25 years, giving their services for free it costs be- tween €30,000 and €40,000 to keep the service running.

Ennis businessman PJ Howard sponsored the first of the services

four-life boats.

The boast needs to be replaced eve- ry five to seven years with the engine usually the first piece of the equip- ment to give trouble.

The current boast was purchased in 2003, but the service must already start thinking about how it will fund the €150,000 necessary to buy the state of the art boat.

For now though the sea and rescue team need donations of people’s time and dedication as well as finances.

LAST year the people of Quilty cel- ebrated the centenary of a heroic act of their ancestors who saved the lives of the crew of the Leon XIII.

As the celebrations proved so suc- cessful, one year on the Leon Com- mittee are working hard to continue the celebrations in a second Leon XIII Festival in Quilty from Septem- ber 26 to the 28.

Over the weekend, the festival will feature new events for locals and vis- itors to enjoy with entertainment for all age groups planned in the village on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the highlights of the weekend includes the first “Ceili in the Kitchen’ being held in the Leon Centre on Friday night September 26 starting at 9pm.

During this open house evening, the development work carried out in the centre this year will be on view, as will the new Leon Heritage Cal- endar 2009.

The Leon Committee is running its first Heritage Tour of West Clare on Saturday, September 29. Leaving Quilty at 10am, the bus tour, guided by Cora O’Grady, will take in the key heritage sights around the Loop Head Peninsula; lunch in the Vande-

leur Walled Gardens; and, a histori- cal walking tour of Kilrush before returning to Quilty at 5pm in time for the live entertainment on stage in the village.

Places on the tour are limited and bookings may be made by contacting Cora O’Grady on 087 1354192.

Saturday also sees the first Duet Busking Competition for singers and musicians under 18 years of age take place on stage in the village start- ing at 5pm. A cash prize of €120 is on offer for the winners. Open to all styles of music from traditional to rap, competitors should contact Caroline on 087 2194541 for entry

details by September 24.

Also on Saturday, master storytell- er Eddie Lenihan will feature in the Leon Centre and the GAA will host a football blitz.

Sunday sees the first performance of Your Man Puppet Theatre at 2pm in the village, which will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Set dancing takes to the stage at 3pm followed by the arrival of currachs into Quilty bay around 4.15pm.

Ollie and Lawrence will be on hand to provide the Live Jive session on stage in the village from 4.30pm onwards. Overall, an action packed weekend for all the family to enjoy.