Month: October 2008

FARMING groups and opposition politicians joined in criticising the negative effects that the budget will have on agriculture with particular concern being voiced over cutbacks to the early retirement, waste man- agement, suckler cow and disadvan- taged area schemes.

Stating that it was time for the backbenchers in Fianna Fail to stand up and be counted, Clare Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen asked if they would continue with the old Fianna Fail double-speak, saying one thing in the constituency and the opposite when they come to the Dail?

Referring to the Farm Waste Management Scheme, he said many farmers fear that they will not be paid because the allocation for the scheme has already been spent this year. He urged the Government to make a case to the European Com- mission on extreme hardship. Oth- erwise, the farmers of Clare and elsewhere will pay a huge price for its inaction in not protecting the ag- ricultural industry.

His party colleague, Deputy Joe Carey accused the Government of sidelining Ireland’s farming commu- nity and forgetting their needs.

The early retirement scheme, de- signed to give farmers who had

worked hard all their lives a small reimbursement at retirement, was been abandoned. The installation aid for young people beginning their farming careers was also scrapped at a time when there was a need to retain as many young farmers on the land as possible.

A 10% increase in rainfall was recorded at Shannon in the first 10 months of the year and it would have been entirely appropriate for the Government to extend the deadline for the Farm Waste Management Scheme by six months. Fine Gael through a private members motion sought this extension but it was de- feated as Fianna Fail and the govern- ment voted against it.

ICSA rural development chair- man Gabriel Gilmartin warned that budget cutbacks would be a central issue in next year’s local and Euro- pean elections.

He said the cuts in Disadvantaged Area payments and the halving of the Suckler Cow Welfare scheme were grave news for farmers. The average farmer in the west of Ireland farming 45 hectares of average land, with 40 cows was now facing a loss of €2,655 p/a on top of the one per- cent income levy. This compared with a banker earning €100,000, who would be only €1,000 worse off as aresult of the budget.

MEMBERS of Clare County Coun- cil are set for a clash with Environ- ment Minister, John Gormley after they ignored department directions and loosened restrictions on one-off housing in the greater Ennis area.

At a special meeting on the adop- tion of the draft Ennis Development Plan, Senior Executive Planner, John Bradley said a submission from the department made it clear that the de- velopment plan was not compatible with National Policy and the Nation- al Spatial Strategy.

He was responding to a call from Cllr Bernard Hanrahan (FF) to make allowances for people within the Ennis urban boundary who were not allowed build on land they own in the countryside.

“This has been discussed ad nau- seum for the past two years with councillors and it is unfortunate that it is coming up today. We can do no more and are likely to be told by the department to remove what is in the plan,” he said.

Mr Bradley added that the council had loosened restrictions on one-off housing rather than tightening them.

Last year, when members of Mon- aghan County Council chose to ig- nore a department directive on what should be in the County Develop- ment Plan, Minister Gormley used special powers to make the changes.

Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said that there were terrible clouds coming from the Department of the Environment circular. In its submission, the de- partment said that the controls on the establishment of housing in country- side areas should be reviewed.

“Councils should either remove this policy or tighten the definitions to ensure that settlement in the coun- tryside areas occurs in a sustainable and appropriate manner. The whole of the Ennis environs is an area which is under urban pressure and in such areas the aim should be to strictly limit opportunities for resi- dential development to those people who are local and/or have a genuine link to the rural area,’ the depart- ment submission stated.

GARDAI believe that a Limerick gang was responsible for the rob- bery of the Ennis branch of super- market chain Lidl – it was the second time the store has been raided in 17 TneCOye ste

A sizable quantity of cash was taken in the raid at the Gort Road premises, which happened shortly after closing time, 9pm, last Tuesday evening.

Gardai believe that a gang of three or four masked men, wielding sledge hammers, broke into the premises,

forcing a door open with the imple- ments they were carrying.

While staff who were on the premises at the time were shaken by the ordeal, none of them was injured in the incident.

Gardai believe that the raiders were travelling in a UK registered silver Vauxhall Vectra car that had been stolen in Mitchelstown on Monday, and later found burnt out in Newport, County Tipperary on Wednesday.

‘There is a propensity to rob high value stores. This is actively under investigation and we are following a

number of lines of enquiry,” said En- nis Superintendent John Scanlan.

“This is a serious crime. We are very concerned that an attack of this nature would take place and we are appealing to retailers to be extra vigilant at closing time, in respect of suspicious activity,” he added.

Meanwhile, gardai are also con- cerned by a rise in the number of home burglaries in Ennis over the past fortnight. Several houses throughout the town have been tar- geted and valuables taken.

This comes in the wake of a report

from Eircom Phonewatch, which states that burglaries across Clare have almost doubled in the year up to June 2008, when compared with the previous 12-month period. In Clare, January was the month during which more burglars struck than in any oth- Hmmm 0eCO) OL O MME TB CO) er- NUR AME Ole K0)o\oi mma s-ks the most popular time of the year for home burglaries. Burglars targeted less in May, June and July than dur- ing the rest of the year.

The report also reveals that goods with an average value of almost €4.000 were taken from each home.

COLM Honan was lost for words after watching his beloved Clonlara end their 89 year wait for a senior ti- tle on Sunday.

The former club and county star said Clonlara’s fierce work ethic and sheer belief saw them over the finish line.

“Tm stuck for words. It was a fan- tastic game’, said Honan. “It looked at different stages that they were go-

ing to take it away, or took over. They came at us real quicktake But the lads settled and just worked and worked and worked. They have a fantastic work ethic. They went in in twos and threes all the time. The scores were hard earned today. We just edged ahead at crucial stages”.

Clonlara have enriched Clare hurl- ing over the past few months with their remarkable ascent to the top.

Honan, who’s son Darach played a key role on Sunday, said Clonlara’s

ability, particularly in the second half, to deliver fast ball to the for- wards, proved crucial.

“Tt was very hard to hurl. Condi- tions were dire. You couldn’t turn. The ball wasn’t bouncing or rolling for both teams. But in fairness to both teams it was a superb game of hurling. Considering the conditions, the condition of the pitch was dire”.

One of the key moves of the game saw Darach Honan move out to the half forward line and John Conlon

move to corner forward. The switch saw Clonlara win a greater share of possession and the east Clare side, after a poor start, settled into the game. “We got the goal and kept the flow of the ball going back in. Play- ing with the wind as well it was hard to get a nice ball into them. The sec- ond half, our centre field gave them some nice ball”.

Honan was still shaking his head as Paul Collins finished his speech. Unbelievable.

THE wait will go on. The hurt etched into faces of the Newmarket players as they left Cusack Park on Sunday suggested the pain of this defeat will not be easily erased either. There will have been moments, when for Newmarket supporters, too long liv- ing on the ever fading memory of a rich past, that they will have believed that this was the day when the Blues would announce their comeback.

The odds were stacked in their fa- vour. They had the players. They had the panel. They had been there be- fore.

When Martin Murphy crashed to the net, it looked like a rich new chapter of Newmarket hurling was about to unfold before our eyes. But Clonlara stayed cool and stayed in the game. The second half started and Newmarket had the wind. They reeled off three early points. Mo- mentum was building and it looked firmly behind Newmarket. But the power of the wind died a little and

the game entered one of those tense phases when games are won and lost. Newmarket dropped off. Cyclone Clonlara gathered strength. Darach Honan and John Conlon pounded the Blues. Tommy Lynch was eve- rywhere. In midfield, things had gone ominously quiet for Newmar- ket whereas Clonlara were zipping passes hard and fast inside to their dangermen.

Newmarket had no platform to build from. They stopped creating good chances. When they ran at Clonlara, they were ushered down blind allies or knocked off their feet.

Newmarket fans feared the worst. Those nagging doubts about their team’s resolve on the big days re- surfaced. Their fears came to pass. Darach Honan nailed a point in the final seconds. The Blues were cooked. Beaten by a team who want- ed it more.

It was quiet, dead quiet, outside the Newmarket dressing room after- wards. Manager Diarmuid O’Leary was one of the last to leave. He was

gracious in defeat and echoed his Clonlara counterpart, Jim Gully, and the point he made about hunger. “No complaints, the hungrier team won, simple as that, more power to them”, said O’Leary.

“We had the lead but we didn’t drive on. Fair play to them and more power to them. Best of luck to them in the Munster Championship”

O’Leary was forewarned about what to expect from Clonlara. They have impressed him all year.

“IT seen them against Scariff and they were very very impressive. They came through a tough campaign last year. They have a lot of hurling done. They are a good bunch of lads. They have the medals to prove it”.

So the wait goes on for a 23rd sen- ior title goes on for another year at least and the questions about New- market’s nerve continue. Will the Blues be back’?

“There’s no fear of Newmarket, no fear of Newmarket. Ah, with the help of God, they’ll stick at it”, said O’Leary.

THE Canon Hamilton cup was on its way to the Clonlara dressing room as a few ashen-faced Newmarket players made their exit from Cusack Park.

A heavy silence hung around the Blues dressing room. Another final lost, another chance to end the wait for a senior title gone up in smoke. Kieran Devitt stopped for a few words. The goalkeeper and captain had no excuses and little complaint

with the final result.

“We couldn’t have any complaints”, said Devitt, “The better team won on the day. It was just one of those days. We had all the breaks against St Joseph’s. We got no breaks today. I’d have no complaints. I don’t think the boys have either. The better team won on the day”.

Understandably upset and frus- trated, Devitt wasn’t said that while the conditions were far from ideal, they were the same for both teams although he had a few harsh words

for the Clare County Board.

“The conditions were the same for both teams, as I said, the better team VCO) U mOsm Ns eM OER YA

“The conditions were bad alright. It’s a bit of a joke. The County Board is a bit of a joke being honest, playing matches at this time of the year any- way. We’ve all year to play matches in fairness. Like I said we’ve no com- OeNbOL ASE

“The better team won and I hope they enjoy. I hope we’ll be back next year’.

WHEN Martin Murphy fired in an early goal for Newmarket, Paul Col- lins had a bad feeling it was going to a long day. Just over an hour later he stood on the turf of Cusack Park, the captain of the county champions. The day could go on for as long as it liked. Sree l elem sere imconoilee

“Its great. Who’d have thought it? Jesus its unreal” said Collins, “Who would have thought it this time last year. Its beyond our wildest eee beeline

It was a tough day but in the end

Clonlara’s spirit and sense of to- getherness shone through a chilly October afternoon. The bond estab- lished between the Conlara players was tested over 60 minutes of hard hurling. But the bond never broke. Collins and Clonlara never stopped believing.

“T was kind of worried alright”, said Collins of Newmarket’s fast start, “I thought they were going to be pump- ing balls into us like that all night.

“But they didn’t. I knew we’d settle into it again. We kind of got caught, they were switching over and back and we settled into it again after erie

“The wind kind of picked up. The ball just kept coming our way. They got two or three quick points there. I thought they were going to keep steamrolling but lucky enough, thank God, we got areply and we held them back a bit”.

Collins praised the never say die at- titude of his teammates.

“T think it’s my 12th year playing with the senior team. This team they are never beaten.

“They just keep coming and coming and coming. The confidence within the team is unreal and they are just able to carry it through. They’re bril- bevel Mae

CLONLARA and Jim Gully have shared some great days down the past 12 months, but nothing like Sunday.

The roar at the full time whis- tle. The goodwill pouring from the stands. The fireworks. The sound- track to a remarkable day and a re- markable team. Jim Gully stood on Cusack Park wearing a look of al- most stunned disbelief as his team sang and the world got used to Clon- lara as county champions.

He always knew his team were good and honest and capable of great things. He never doubted their poten- EE

But still, even back in January, in the aftermath of their defeat in the semi-final of the All Ireland inter- mediate championship when Gully said he would swap a day in Croke Park for a County Final in Cusack Park, he surely couldn’t have fore- seen an achievement of such stun- ning magnitude. A first county title in 89 years. A day of history and celebration. Clonlara’s greatest day.

And Jim Gully in the middle of it. Hugged, pulled and congratulated.

The man who gets Clonlara fired up. The man who has become the most engaging character in Clare GAA. And now the man who has delivered a senior county champion- ship to Clonlara.

“Ah sure look, what can I say. Tis only a dream like”, said the Clonlara manager afterwards,

“A team coming from Intermedi- ate that hadn’t won in such a long time, it’s fantastic. They are a fantas- tic group of players. It took a lot of determination and heart, it’s all out there. To go out and play in those conditions, it was going to men to go out there. I knew damn well we had 15 or 16 of them going out there”

He’s asked to sum up the game. “You wouldn’t be able to print it”, says Gully before zeroing on the one characteristic that has defined so much Clonlara’s odyssey to the promised land, “Sure look, it was going to come down to the hungrier team. They came out at the start of the second half with a gale behind

them and banged over three or four points and we fell behind. I said, one more score and we’ll get going again and once we took the lead I knew by Jesus it was going to take some team to stop us. I’ve seen these guys in op- eration. Once we get the scent of vic- tory, its hard to bring us back”’.

It took a while for Clonlara to get their bearings as Newmarket blitzed them early in the second and first half. But Gully wasn’t panicking.

“Tt didn’t look great but all our team needed was one score, that’s all’’, he said, “I knew we’d get going. We hit over the next score into the wind and I said, by Jesus, if Newmarket want it now they’re going have to fight harder than us.

‘There isn’t 15 fellas that will fight harder than us”’.

There isn’t. There hasn’t been ei- ther for the past 12 months. But now its official. The fighters are the champions. The world now knows what Gully long suspected. Clonlara are the best team in Clare. And the future stretches out gloriously ahead Om tetoeee

THE body of a Whitegate man, who had been missing for 32 days, was recovered following a major search operation, an inquest has heard.

23-year-old James Burke went missing after a night out with friends in Killaloe on December 9, 2007.

His body was eventually seen float- ing in the water near the canal bank in Killaloe, on January 11, 2008.

A jury recorded an open verdict at the inquest into Mr Burke’s death.

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said there was no evidence to indicate that Mr Burke had died as a result of an altercation nor was there any evidence to suggest that he had taken his own life.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cas- sidy said Mr Burke died as a result of drowning with alcohol intoxication a contributory factor. Tests carried out during the post mortem revealed high levels of alcohol in his blood.

Tests also revealed the deceased had taken cocaine, but not to exces- sive quantities. Dr Cassidy said that

among the items recovered from the deceased’s clothing was a “small packet of white powder”.

Dr Cassidy also told the court she found no evidence to indicate that Mr Burke had been involved in a

struggle or an assault.

Shane Malone, who had _ been drinking with Mr Burke on the day he disappeared, said, “I’d seen no one taking drugs on that day. I’m sure of that.”

Adrian Dooley, a friend of the de- ceased, said he had met Mr Burke in Mountshannon at 1.30pm before the two had gone to Killaloe.

Mr Dooley said they were with a large group of friends and they vis- ited a number of different pubs. He said that most of the group had gone home around 10.30pm but he wasn’t sure what time Mr Burke left. Mr Burke, he said, had wanted to visit another pub, The Anchor. “I tried to ring James, but there was no reply,” said Mr Dooley.

Shane Malone recalled that a bar- man in the Seannachai bar had asked Mr Burke to leave.

Barry Boland told the inquest, ‘James Burke was a lot quieter that night than [’d seen him on other nights in Whitegate and places.” Elaine Burke, the deceased’s cous- in, contacted Gardai on December 10 after Mr Burke failed to return home.

A DOOLIN woman died from hy- pothermia after her wellingtons got Stuck in mud in a field near her home, an inquest has heard.

Ann Doherty (51) was found dead outside her home at Ballyvara, Doo- lin, on December 12, 2006, after she had not been seen since the previous evening.

An inquest into her death heard from her brother John. He said he called to his family home – where Ann lived with another brother – on the evening of December 11.

At around 3.40pm he crossed to

the farmyard and saw Ann walk- ing towards the gate and going into the field. He said he presumed some clothes had fallen off the clothesline and she was going in to the field to retrieve them.

“When I saw her going into the field I presumed she was okay,” he said.

The following morning, his brother Tom telephoned him and asked him if he had seen Ann. He went straight to Ann’s house, where he met his brothers Tom and Martin.

In his deposition to the inquest, Tom Doherty said his brother Mar- tin had telephoned him on the morn- ing of December 12. He said there

was no-one at the house, which was unusual as Ann would normally be WeKer

He said he went to the house and they went into a field nearby and began to search around. There they found Ann’s body near a wall, some distance from the house.

Garda Andrew Monahan told the inquest he went to the Doherty’s home on the morning of December 12. There he met Tom Doherty, with who he was acquainted through his work with Doolin Coastguard.

He said he saw Ann Doherty’s body, part of which had been damaged by wildlife. Assistant State Pathologist

Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a post mortem examination on Ms Do- ates um YaecmoLere AA

She said there were multiple super- ficial injuries to the body, but they had not caused death.

“This is a difficult case,” she said. “It appeared her wellingtons had got stuck in mud. In my view, Ms Do- herty died from hypothermia, after getting stuck in muddy terrain,” she said.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea noted that the cause of death was hypothermia. “It seems most likely that Ann’s wel- lingtons got stuck in some mud and unfortunately she died,’ she said.