Month: October 2008

LEGENDS restaurant at Temple Gate Hotel has been awarded an AA Rosette award for the 11th successive year.

This is one of the most prestigious awards that can be bestowed on an Irish restaurant. Legends is the only Ennis restaurant to receive such an AM ENKOR

The aim of the Rosette scheme is to provide the general public reli- able information about fine cuisine. Rosettes are based on degrees of ex- older

Even to receive one Rosette denotes

outstanding quality therefore Leg- ends has excelled in being awarded two Rosettes.

The AA is Ireland’s longest estab- lished hotel grading organisation and inspects approximately 600 es- tablishments in the country. There are currently 85 Rosette award-win- ning restaurants in Ireland.

Legends restaurant specialises in fresh locally sourced produce served in contemporary surroundings where customers are guaranteed a warm and friendly welcome. The AA Ro- sette award covers all food served throughout Temple Gate Hotel there- fore including food served in Preach-

ers Pub at the hotel.

A spokesperson for the Temple Gate Hotel said, “AA Rosettes are awarded annually to hotels produc- ing fine cuisine. It is recognition for the owners, the Madden family and to the skill of Head Chef Paul Shortt. Along with the staff of Leg- ends restaurant, they have delivered a consistent standard of outstanding culinary excellence. Paul Madden is delighted to once again accept this award in recognition of their work.”

The recent visit by AA inspectors has shown confident, quality cook- ing based on classic dishes with sim- ple and well-rehearsed concepts pre-

pared by Paul Shortt and his team.

‘“ We are delighted to once again accept this award and we hope to continue to achieve a high level of food and service for our customers,’ said Mr Shortt.

Sunday lunch is served from 12.30pm until 3pm. Diners can also avail of an early bird menu served between 6pm and 7pm from Monday to Friday.

The early bird has proved popular as a pre-theatre dining option prior to an evening at Glor.

A new alacarte menu, served from 7pm each evening has recently been introduced.

FARMERS from west Clare will gather to have a second breakfast on Tuesday – for many of them more than 12 hours after the first of the day.

The idea behind The Big Breakfast is to show small land holders and farmers what can be produced from the local land. ;

The brainchild of Eiri Corca Bascinn the event will begin at 7pm in the Brothers of Charity offices in OTS

The purpose of The Big Break-

fast is to give local or prospective producers a chance to find out first hand how other producers have got into new areas of production. It also gives them an insight into the highs and lows of this kind of production, the things they like best about it, the challenges and how they have tack- feRdetoeee ;

According to Eiri there is a short- age of locally produced rashers, eggs, and mushrooms in Clare.

Mary Gillard, Enterprise Devel- opment Officer with Eiri said that most locally produced organic eggs are from Galway, while they source

mushrooms from Tipperary.

There are two producers of rashers and sausages in north Clare, but it is hoped after the information night there will be more.

It 1s hoped that eventually most of the food supplied to the farmers’ market in Kilrush and other markets around Clare will be produced lo- cally.

Producing food on small holdings is also an added income to small [EVEN ne

Ms Gillard said the event on Tues- day is aimed at local farmers who are interested in food production,

and small holders who are genuinely interested in moving into this line of 0 he

On the night those interested will meet the producers, have a tasting of their produce and also get infor- mation from Gerry Kennedy from Leader who will explain the new funding and how it might be able to help in the development of these home produce.

It is hoped that if these businesses are a success there will be a number of new people in west Clare quiet lit- erally bringing home the bacon.

Booking for this event is essential.

CONCERNS about anti-social be- haviour and the issue of community policing were among the main points of discussion at a meeting between gardai and elected representatives in Shannon.

The meeting was sought by town councillors, to discuss a number of issues of concern. Councillors anda number of council officials met with

Inspector Tom Kennedy and the ser- geant in charge at Shannon, Noel McMahon.

The meeting heard that four areas in the town have been assigned com- munity gardai. Under this initiative, it is hoped that community contact with gardai would be improved, leading to intelligence regarding criminal activity and anti-social be- haviour.

Councillors were told that there are

restrictions regarding the prosecu- tion of residents of private houses, where there are noise issues.

If residents cause a nuisance, gardai can call to a particular dwelling, but it is only after persistent warnings by gardai that summonses can be is- sued.

The meeting also heard that there are serious issues in relation to a number of families who have re- cently moved to Shannon and have

caused concern among locals.

This situation is being monitored by gardai, who have been made aware of a number of incidents that have taken place in the town in re- cent weeks.

At the meeting, various council- lors complained that all calls made to Shannon Garda Station were not being logged. The garda representa- tives pledged to ensure that all calls were logged.

A NEW group, aimed at improving the lives of elderly or mature resi- dents in Sixmilebridge, has been set WOR The Golden Years club has just been formed and held its first meet- ing last week, at which up to a dozen senior citizens attended. It will meet fortnightly at the old courthouse in the village, where a variety of enter- tainment will be provided for those who attend.

While the primary target group of the initiative 1s senior citizens, the club is also open to anyone who would like to spend an afternoon with others. It 1s open to people from Sixmilebridge and surround- ing areas, such as Bunratty, Cratloe,

Newmarket-on-Fergus, Quin and Kilkishen.

The idea has been on the cards for several years, particularly as senior citizens from the area have had to travel to the daycare centre in Clare- or TS Aer

A €10 million development recent- ly commenced in the village, which, when completed, will incorporate a centre where groups such as senior citizens can meet. Until this is fin- ished, the group will meet at the old courthouse.

Organiser the of new club, Vicky Ward, said the new initiative will serve many purposes and the feed- back has been positive.

‘A lot of the more mature residents want to get out of the house. We were going to hold it once a month, but

they wanted it every two weeks. Peo- ple were really enthusiastic and that speaks for itself,’ said Ms Ward.

Variety will form a central part, with various guests entertaining the group every fortnight. Local mag1- cian The Great Padini will present a show next week, while Sixmileb- ridge native David Egan, of the Red Branch, will speak about the value of exercise at the next meeting on Oc- tober 28.

Local florist Lisa Kelliher will present a flower demonstration on November 11, while the special guests will be given a break on No- vember 25 and the group’s members will play bingo and card games.

“We are trying to do something different every time,’ said Ms Ward.

“It is needed. There are a lot of ma-

ture residents in Sixmilebridge and surrounding areas. There is no age bracket. It 1s not an over-60s club. There may be some people who have an illness and may only be in their 50s and they are welcome to come along. It is specifically geared to- wards those who are not able to get out and socialise; not necessarily for elderly people,’ she added.

“This is something we have been talking about setting up for as long as I can remember,’ added Ms Ward.

The initiative, organised by the Bridge Complex, is free of charge and further information is available from the old courthouse in Sixmileb- ridge. The committee 1s also seeking volunteers to help run the club and lend a hand with its activities on a weekly basis.

THE Shannon Homework Club, which provides assistance for pri- mary school children, has just been relaunched for the coming year.

The club, which was set up three years ago, is hosted by the Family Resource Centre at Rineanna View.

Twenty-six children, between the ages of five and 12, attend the pro- gramme four days every week, and engage in a variety of activities.

The project is funded by the Health Service Executive, under the Travel- ler Health Initiative, and the focus 1s on healthy eating, while there is also an emphasis on physical exercise.

The Cul Kids Club meets on Mon- day and Tuesday evenings, while the homework club meets every Wednes-

day and Thursday evening.

SW ileMeDAVIOr-lOh (cmp rMOnhrsle (cre mB DOMNU(olO mE. way as all children get the opportu- nity to do their homework and also take part in activities.

Barbara Molloy co-ordinates the Monday and Tuesday groups and facilitates visits by the children to places of interest in Shannon, such as the fire station or leisure centre. The children also get the opportunity to engage in activities such as arts and crafts, drama and music.

Debbie O’Halloran-Browne co-or- dinates the homework section of the programme. She said the programme was initially set up in response to lo- cal feedback.

‘Members of the community iden- tified a need for an after schools club that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.

It ran initially as a pilot scheme for one day a week. It then went to two days a week and the homework club was added as a result of feedback from children, last year,’ she said.

A number of children who are members of the Travelling commu- nity attend the club every week and this has greatly pleased the organ- isers. “It 1s about integration. They are keen to. be involved,’ said Ms O’Halloran-Browne.

“We were surprised by the feed- back. Children felt there was a lot going on at home and wanted to do their homework in a club like this,” she said.

Given that the club has gone from strength to strength over the past three years, its organisers are keen to attract volunteers.

“This programme has been a huge success with minimum input. We are depending on volunteers and fund- ing,’ she added.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact the Family Resource Centre in Shannon, where application forms are available.

“You need two references. Let us know why you would like to get involved and if you have child pro- tection training, that would be a bo- nus. Training will be offered,’ she added.

THE people of Shannon are being urged to take part in a walk around scenic parts of the town, to mark Mental Health Awareness week, on Thursday evening.

“Because there is so much going on in Clare already to mark Mental Health Awareness week, we decided to organise a walk,” said organiser

Regine Steward, who is a commu- nity development worker with the Shannon Family Resource Centre.

“We just want to promote positive well-being and being active in a sub- tle way. Mental health doesn’t have the same connotation for everybody. We are trying to make it simple, like a social event,” she added.

Ms Steward said the possibility of running a mental health programme

in Shannon is also under considera- none

She is also encouraging members of the community to avail of the drop-in facility at the Shannon Fam- ily Resource Centre.

“We are hoping to open the centre to the community. People can drop in for information, to attend classes or to avail of a range of services,’ she Cr nLGe

“It is just a way of communicating with people and is for those who feel isolated and who don’t know what is going on in the community. We want people to join in the community spir- it,’ she added.

The meeting point for Thursday’s walk will be the Shannon Family Resource Centre and the walk will get underway at 6.30pm and will last for one hour.

THE little students and their teach- ers at Tuamgraney National School will this month be celebrating hav- ing room to breathe with the official opening of their new school exten- sion.

Schoolwork last year was often a bit of a squash for the youngsters, who were attending classes squeezed into what had been the library and computer room. The teachers had to dismantle the library and stow away the books and computers because the school was so stuck for space.

That was before the new extension went up, giving Tuamgraney two new classrooms and a full-time re- source room.

“It was funded by the Department of Education and cost more than €200,000 but it has really made a huge difference to the school,’ said Board of Management treasurer and parent of pupils at the school, Regine Roskam.

The school has 80 pupils, three full time teachers and a resource teacher and the extra space in the two storey extension will also be used for after- school classes in speech and drama

and French.

But while the spatial challenges have been largely solved for the present, parents, teachers and pu- pils are looking forward to next year when they will have an teacher allo- cated to them.

“We have 80 children enrolled at present. If we had just five more, we would have got another teacher but with 80, we won’t get that new mem- ber of staff until next year. To solve the problem for now, the eleven chil- dren in third class are floating. In the morning they join the first and sec- ond classes, so there are 36 children

in the class and in the afternoon they switch to go in with the fourth and sixth classes which gives us 31 kids in one room. It’s not ideal but it’s the best we can do until next year when we get another teacher,” said Regine

The board also had to get busy on fund-raising ideas as the original 1895 school building needed re-plas- tering and repairs to roof and win- dows when the new extension was ene im

‘“We’re very happy to have the new space and now the teachers can re-es- tablish the library in the room which they had to use for classes,” she said.

IT WON’T be launched by cracking a bottle of champagne on the stern and the people who built it won’t need to spend their life savings to get afloat, but the currach which was un- der construction in Scariff last week is a model which has served coastal fishermen for thousands of years.

Nine enthusiastic amatuers have come together to learn how to make a sailboat that can take to the waters without having to spend a rock star’s ransom.

Instructor, James Madigan from

Lissycasey learned currach building at his grandfather’s knee and now he is passing on the skill to the mixed bunch, which includes people with physical and mental challenges and CE scheme participants.

Brother’s of Charity worker, Rich- ard Collins explained that the boat is ‘a currach on the style of the Don- egal Dunfanahy boats. It’s a project that gets people together, talking and working towards a common aim. At the end of it there will be a boat built for about ©250 that you can take in and out of the water easily and drive away with it on the roof-rack of the

car rather than having to spend thou- sands to have a bit of sailing time on the lake.”

The money for the project came from the Adult Community Educa- tion Grants scheme and when fin- ished, the vessel will be 16 feet long and covered with canvas and tar in the traditional way.

“We got the timber and picked wil- low for the ribs. We’re going to put a sail on it as well. Although currachs are traditionally sea-going boats, there were certainly some types used on lakes, usually covered with cow or horse hide,’ explained Richard,

whose passion is building boats in the ancient tradition and who has started a club in west Clare which 1s now entering and wining races inter- nationally.

When the boat is finished, a grand launch is planned and “possibly a bit of a pilgrimage to Holy Island”.

So far, the group hasn’t decided what will happen with the finished boat. “We’ll probably sell it back to the people who built it for a nominal fee and then they will all have use of it but I’ve a feeling there may be more of these boats built in Scariff,”’ said Richard.

ALL kinds of canine carry-on was celebrated in Cratloe last week when the four-legged took over the compe- tition from the usual two legged on Cratloe GAA for the seventh Annual Cratloe Fun Doggie Show.

A record 760 entries made sure that Judges JP Dillion, Limerick 95 FM and Robert Kelly, Irish Cocker Spaniel Club were kept on their toes awarding first to fourth place rosettes. The winner of each of the 20 classes was brought back into the judging ring to compete for the Show Dog 2008 and that proved to be Sean Kelly from Newmarket, who was

presented with the Robert Manning Memorial Trophy on behalf of his golden retriever Max. The trophy 1s sponsored annually by the Munster Dog Training and Behaviour School who also organised the dog show classes.

The pony rides and the face paint- ing were a great attraction with the youngsters while there was great competition for the prizes to be had at the long puck, sliothar through the hole, penalties and football through the tyre. The golf putting exasper- ated many and even the best of golf- ers had trouble putting the ball un- der the watchful eye of Donal Ryan. Spotty and Henry, the two miniature

ponies had all scratching their heads as they tried to guess the ponies com- bined weight. Brendan Madigan was the lucky winner of the ‘Guess How Many Sweets In The Jar and Win The Lot’ competition. The book stall was a hive of activity and the barbeque and tea rooms kept visitors fed and watered. The new car park laid in the grounds of the GAA ensured that there was plenty of car parking under the watchful eyes of the attendants marshalled by Dennis Conroy.

The pet photography studio was kept busy and while talented cam- eraman Brendan Coleman captured portraits of many a man and his best friend.

“Tt was a terrific afternoon of fun for all who attended and the committee are delighted with the funds raised in aid of the community sports hall,” a spokeswoman for the committe said. “The hall was open and everyone agreed that it is a wonderful asset to the community. The committee want to sincerely thank all who helped out on the day along with our wonderful sponsors to make the seventh An- nual Cratloe Doggie Show the best ever yet and already look forward to PAU Oe

IT’S been two years in the planning but this week, the contractors will fi- nally get to work on a playground for youngsters in O’Brien’s Bridge.

Fund-raising, grants and a lot of hard work went into the scheme which will allow parents and children enjoy fun in the fresh air without having to get in the car and drive into Ballina or CRISTO

The local community got stuck in to support fund-raisers including a race night, a quiz night and a chilly St Stephen’s Day swim in the river.

“We’ve raised more than €20,000

to date and we still have €10,000 to raise but it’s great to see work start- ing,’ said playground committee member, Caroline Whelan.

A €71,000 grant from Clare County Council’s playground grants scheme has brought the cash in the kitty to €102,000. There is another St Stephen’s Day swim, a duck race and a country and western night in the offing to raise more cash. The playground was needed for the area to service the twin villages of O’Brien’s Bridge and Montpelier and also Bridgetown.

“Last year we counted over 261 children in the above areas. In recent

years we have had a increase in traffic passing through the village and need- ed somewhere safe for our children to play,’ said Caroline.

“There was an episode last year when two young children wandered off. If there had been play facilities in the area things like this would not happen.”

Included in the playground equip- ment will be toddler and older chil- dren’s swings, a spring seesaw, a spe- cial needs roundabout, a bird’s nest swing, a three-tower toddler multi play unit and a five-tower senior play unit. The playground will be fenced in with bow top fencing. The ten-

der was awarded to Cavanagh Play- ground Equipment who are based in Roscrea.

“We still need to fundraise so if an- yone is willing to take the plunge on St Stephen’s Day, we would like them to contact any member of the play- ground committee,’ said Caroline. She added that the O’Brien’s Bridge Community Group and Playground Committee “would like to express thanks to all the support we have re- ceived from the local community and various business’s in the area and if anyone wishes to make a donation to the fund please contact any of the committee or community group.”