Month: November 2008

AS members of the O’Brien’s Bridge community prepare to unveil their new riverside heritage garden they have also revealed that the develop- ment of the loop walks in their vil- lages have attracted visitors from all over.At a time when most small vil- lages are bemoaning a lack of visi- tors, community effort has produced an attraction which sees the pubs and restaurants in the twin villages doing brisk business every weekend.

And so impressive are the three loop walks that Failte Ireland and Shannon Development are publicis-

ing them internationally for walking holidays and short breaks.

“One weekend recently 100 people sat down in a restaurant in the vil- lage and they were all members of a walking club, here to enjoy the loop walks”, said Mick Murtagh, Chair- man of the Community Council.

With the rapid decline in angling, the former mainstay of east Clare tourism, Mick said the O’Brien’s Bridge community picked itself up ‘to replace one source of tourism in- come with another. It was community effort and funding from Clare Coun- ty Council which has researched and put the work into developing these

walks and that has really paid off in terms of visitors and revenue for the area.” The walks are designed so that people can walk for one, two or three hours as they choose and key to the attraction which sees visitors com- ing from all over Ireland and from abroad is the tranquil nature of the loops, Mick believes.

“The whole length of the walk is by water and there is no traffic noise, only the birdsong and wildlife and the flow of the water. It’s really back to nature’, said Mick.

According to Failte Ireland, walk- ing is now one of the most popular outdoor pursuits.

The latest development in the walk is the Riverside garden with a herit- age section and a fascinating display of old farm machinery, mostly donat- ed by a local man, Sean Ryan.

“We’ve restored the old naviga- tional wall and the mill wall so it’s a semi-walled garden and we have a heritage plants section. This is a real community initiative which has been a huge success. It’s brought visitors from far and wide and replaced what was once the back bone of tourism here, the angling. An initiative which has come from the local community has turned a loss situation around and come up with a winner.”

THE FIRST sod has been turned on a building project that will become a place where the very young and older people can enjoy each other’s company.

After being allocated a government grant of £616,000, and finding a site beside Raheen hospital, the Brig- it’s Garden Community Childcare Project in Tuamgraney turned the first sod for work to begin on their purpose-built facility on Friday.

The community childcare facility took on the name when “in February 2000 we decided to open a space to meet the needs of very young chil-

dren in need of care out of the home’, a spokesperson for the facility said.

In temporary premises over the past eight years more than 100 children, between the ages of six months and five years have been catered for at the facility, which aims to do much more than babysit.

“We have the children outdoors every day for two hours or more. They come dressed for the weather. It’s important for them to get fresh air and exercise – they sleep better at night and they eat better and it’s important for their development”, the spokeswoman said.

Over the years, carers and commit- tee members realised that many chil-

dren don’t have as much contact with grandparents and older people as in previous generations.

“Coming to this site, with Raheen Hospital right beside us, we fulfil our vision of bringing older people into the lives of the young. We have plans for a vegetable garden as well as an orchard on the land. With the help of local organisations like Seedsavers and CELT, we will plant a heritage orchard and woodland. We envision our neighbours from Raheen coming to sit and work in this garden”, the spokeswoman said.

The building itself 1s based on a tra- ditional east Clare farmhouse, which will be pleasing to both young and

old. “The idea is to create a, a place of nourishment, peace and joy. Real activities of baking, cooking, clean- ing, mending and decorating will be a central focus. Gardening work and outdoor time will also be a major fo- CTS

To create a building which will be a healthy space to be in, we are building with clay blocks, a natural, healthy, breathable material with no toxicity. These blocks have a low impact on the environment while offering high thermal and sound in- sulation. We hope to have the build- ing up by spring of 2009, opening to new children in September °09”, she added.

BEING water safety aware in west Clare is a matter of survival.

With most villages situated close to the sea, estuary or lakes, childhood summers are spent splashing about in the local swimming area.

Staying safe while enjoying the lo- cal amenities 1s a concern for par- OES

Schools in the west Clare area have taken it upon themselves to ensure the local children are prepared deal with many of the hazards associated with water.

As a result PAWS (Primary Aquat- ics Water Safety) programme has be- come part of the school programme in many west Clare schools.

The programme is exclusive to pri- mary school children and is broken up into two parts – land based paws and water based PAWS.

Three schools in west Clare have already completed the programme, Doonbeg National School, Cree Na- tional School and Shragh National School.

The programme taught the children about respecting water and the dan- gers surrounding it.

The teachers took their classes through the first three parts of the award without going near water by discussing and studying the theory of water safety, safe swimming, safety on the farm, and safety on open wa- ae

The pupils also simulated rescues on land, by throwing a rescue rope into a designated area.

Through PAWS pupils not only learn how to swim they also learn to understand and appreciate the water.

The pupils then attended swimming classes with swimming teacher Jen- nifer Mungovan at Quilty Swimming

Pool for a duration of six weeks.

Before receiving their certificates the children had to complete an oral exam and a swimming exam.

Having completed the PAWS pro- gramme the pupils had the ability to swim, interact with others, and be responsible around water.

“The main aim of PAWS is to sig- nificantly reduce the number of our young people lost to drowning each year,’ said Ms Mungovan

PARENTS, students and community leaders in Kilrush are taking on the fight against illegal drugs by sup- porting and informing young people in the town.

The Local Education Commit- tee in Kilrush made up of students and parents from Kilrush Commu- nity School and St. Senan’s Primary school have joined with interested Students, teachers, Home School Community Liaisons and other local community agencies to put together a full week of programmes and ac- tivities on drug awareness as part of the campaign. The theme is “The Evil of Drugs”.

With the gardai and the local com- munity support group such as the Kilrush Family Resource Centre ad- mitting that there is a problem with drugs and under-age alcohol in the west Clare area, facts and figures

relating to the problem remain anec- olor eYF

The Regional Drug Task Force for the mid-west is currently gathering information in the town, but read- ily admit the information through surveys on such a topic is not neces- sarily as accurate as the information discussed within the teenage peer group.

The most up to date information available to those fighting drugs use in Kilrush is that collected nationally by the Health Research Board.

According to its research three per cent of 15 to 34 year olds reported us- ing cocaine last year. Ecstasy use has remained stable in the country with 2.4 per cent of young adults using the drug in the past year compared to 2.3 per cent the previous year.

Amphetamine use in Ireland is very low at less than half a per cent, but Ireland represents one per cent of problem opiate users.

The week long drug information week in Kilrush beginning on No- vember 24 will provide more infor- Tpar-HaCoyem-H Oe Mr-Ce Mrs (eor

The week will feature expert views, guest speakers, exhibitions and read- ings and will culminate on Friday 28 with an “Alcohol Free Night at the Pub”.

Competitions were held at Kilrush Community School and St. Senan’s Primary School in categories of creative art, essay, poetry and rap. Exhibitions, readings and activities are planned for the week at both schools.

On Monday there will be a Drug Awareness Information Night at Kil- rush Community School from 8pm with speakers Det. Garda Seamus McMahon and Anna O’Neil from Slainte. Representatives from the ‘No Name Club” will be available with information. During the week people are invited to visit the schools

to view art, hear readings and Rap and to view other exhibitions.

On Friday from 6pm to 8pm the ‘Alcohol Free Night at the Pub” held in the Galleon Pub in Cappa, Kilrush will celebrate a sober night out.

Awards will be presented to win- ners of the competitions, and a bro- chure with information on local serv- ices, phone numbers, where to go for more infomation will be available. This brochure has been put together by students and will be launched on the night. There will be a table quiz and a disco, and food will be provid- ed. Soft drinks, minerals and non- alcoholic drinks will be available to OLUNKe EE Kor

This community project is a com- bined effort and is being funded by the Mid-west Regional Drug Task Force with time, talent and addition- al resources provided by schools, in- dividuals, businesses and the Kilrush Family Resource Centre.

SHANNON Development are in talks with the “preferred bidder” for the €50 million development at the Marina in Kilrush, about the future of the development.

The semi-state company confirmed that it was in talks with L and M Keating about the development but no decision has been made yet.

It is believed that the contractor has submitted a revised plan for the marina to Shannon Development for consideration.

As the project was initially adver- tised under public procurement, if the changes to the plan are substan-

tial the project will have to be ten- dered for again under EU law.

At the opening of the Merchants Quay Business Quarter last month Louis Keating of the Kilmihil based L and M Keating Ltd, committed his company to developing a hotel in the town.

He also said, “As people may be aware we also have involvement with the marina in Kilrush. Our company together with another company are the preferred bidders to develop the marina.”

“Now we have quite ambitious plans, again they are on the back burner at some degree at the mo- ment but we are still actually talking

to Shannon Development and I am quiet confident that we will carry out our development dreams in the mari- na, and I think this would be a great boost for the town,” he said.

In February 2007 Shannon Devel- Opment announced the new devel- opment at the marina had potential to create 109 jobs and generate an estimated €6.6 million to the local economy annually.

The proposed major flagship project involves a high quality mixed use development of the Kilrush Marina and associated land bank. It includes the provision of 86 town houses, 50 marina holiday apartments, a retail/ commercial park, and a 125 bed-

room four star hotel development.

Another essential element of the project will involve an estimated €4 million expansion of the Kil- rush Marina facility to include; a clubhouse development which will double the existing capacity, the au- tomation of lock gates, breakwater, a new boatyard, a dinghy park, and an additional 120 berths which will double the existing berthing capacity at the Marina.__

The proposed development was ex- pected to take an estimated five years to complete on a phased basis. The first phase was to involve significant investment in the Marina, boatyard and some housing development.

A BOOK depicting what is consid- ered the Mecca of Irish traditional musicians was launched in Spanish- point on Thursday.

‘Music and Light – Ceol agus So- las” is a collection of black and white photographs from the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay.

For photographer Tony Kearns the book is a celebration of the Summer School, as he dedicated 17 years to photographing the comings and go- ings at the world famous weeklong events.

Since it first began in 1973 the Wil- lie Clancy Summer School has been a very important event in the tradi- tional Irish music calendar,

Named after the world renowned and revered uilleann piper, the sum- mer school is held every July in his hometown.

Kearns said he was determined to dedicating himself to documenting the activities and the participant of the Willie Clancy week in a lively and sympathetic way.

An archivist by nature, Tony is also inspired by the visual possibilities and compositions that present them-

selves naturally when people gather to play music together.

Working in formal and spontaneous situations, he attempts to convey the moods, personalities ad complexities of the musicians and their music in the images.

The 130 black and white photo- graphs capture local musicians as well as the thousands that flock to the west Clare town every year to the many classes, lectures and recitals and to play in and listen to the many sessions that spring up in the local- ity.

Tony Kerns s not a local to Mill-

town Malbay although the Dubliner has spent every summer in the town during the festival since 1991.

He has documented all aspects of the summer school in his photo- graphs which he has exhibit over the years and used in calendars.

His latest book was published with the assistance of funding from the Deis Traditional Arts Initiative un- der the aegis of the Arts Council of Tee NaXer

CLARE building firms are having to let staff go as the industry grinds toa halt, it has been revealed.

Building workers are seeing the writing on the wall and heading for Dubai, Australia and even Iran in preference to staying here and join- ing the dole queues.

“There is no house building going on here at the moment and compa- nies have no option but to let people go,’ said Tony O’Shea, Chairman of the mid-western branch of the Con- struction Industry Federation.

One of the county’s most success- ful firms, Tom Hayes Ltd of Killa- loe, which has been in business since 1955 has been forced to let more than 35 staff go in the last few weeks.

The company worked on some of the largest building projects in the region, including the Jim Kemmy Business School in the University of Limerick campus.

‘There are no big projects at the moment and we have no alternative but to let people go,” a company spokesman said in a newspaper in- terview. “There is huge need for investment in the building industry here. Hopefully, the Limerick regen- eration project will help to stop the decline,” he added.

Many younger craftsmen have headed off abroad to destinations

as far flung as Australia, Dubai and Iran, the spokesman said and the company is doing its best to hold on to staff who have families and com- mitments here.

Another mid-west firm which had employed 200 people at the height of the boom has now been reduced to just two workers.

The Construction Industry Federa- tion nationally is expecting that job Kesocta WU oom NIM He CoMKsre le sMOeCLOROeLe if the downturn continues. Up to 4,000 jobs are expected to go in the mid-west alone, the CIF says.

The building trade has taken a hammering with the rise in interest rates, a clamp-down on lending and international economic slowdown.

Auctioneers are reporting a mas- sive slowdown in house sales and many builders have been caught out with homes which they constructed in anticipation of buyers who have not materialised.

Despite massive amounts being slashed off the price of both new and second-hand homes, buyers are still slow to come to the fore, with many unable to get mortgages large enough and many more sitting tight for the market to bottom out.

One prominent Clare mortgage broker said that his business has dwindled “to the point where you’d be lucky to get a couple of business queries a week now”.

WITH a very ill wind being one that blows no good, the rise in unemploy- ment has in turn created the need for more staff in the dole offices.

Four new staff are being allocated to the Ennis office of the Depart- ment of Social and Family Affairs to assist job seekers and those sign- ing on.

Ennis is one of 48 local offices countrywide which will get a total of 115 additional staff, a spokesman for the department confirmed.

The number of people signing on in Clare has climbed by 57 per cent in the last year.

According to CSO figures, the number of people signing on in Clare has gone up by more than 2,000.

Ennis saw a rise of 52 per cent, with jobless numbers going from 2,426 to 3,705 last month.

Ennistymon had a jump of 6/7 per cent in unemployment figures, from 600 to 1,005 in the last twelve months.

In Kilrush there was a 46 per cent increase with 859 people now sign-

ing on there in comparison to 586 in October last year.

But the largest increase was in east Clare where there was an increase last month of 80 per cent in the num- bers of people signing on, bringing the jobless total in the area covered by that office to 859.

The total number of people now claiming either Jobseekers benefit or allowance in Clare has risen to OR PAee

As well as allocating extra staff to local offices, the department has also extended temporary staff contracts

and allocated additional overtime to try to beat the back-log of benefit and allowance applications which have to be processed as additional people come into the system.

One of the largest sector increases among those joining the dole queues is in the building trade, where the market for new homes has all but collapsed and major building projects are being shelved for lack of funding.

The CIF has warned that up to 4,000 jobs could go in the mid-west before the downturn bottoms out.

THE ‘Incredible Years’ programme rewards children who engage in pos- itive thinking and communication, through a variety of methods.

One novel approach that Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire has taken is to send home positive notes to parents, such as ‘happygrams’!

These are comical photographs and a piece of text praising students for their efforts. They offer great confi- dence to both students and parents alike.

“In the past, if you got a note going home, it was bad. Since September

we have been concentrating on send- ing home positive notes. I have had parents ringing me almost in tears they were so happy,” said Ann Mc- Mahon.

Students who try hard also receive ‘superstar’ awards, while classroom behaviour is also rewarded.

‘Each classroom teacher has a be- haviour plan. There is a target be- haviour and strategies around that behaviour,’ she said.

Students who make big efforts are rewarded with tokens and at the end of the week they can use the tokens to buy presents or goodies for them- To AVore

Every Friday, the school holds an assembly and a student of the week in each class is awarded with a cer- tificate.

The emphasis is on fairness as the teachers ensure the prizes are spread among all students.

“The whole school is told why a student achieves the award.

“With the programme, if you give feedback to a child, it is specific,” she added.

Children are also encouraged to communicate their feelings, through a feelings barometer and this also fo- cuses on positive thinking.

“They are taught how to talk them-

selves out of the negative place and engage in dialogue. The theory be- hind it is that over time it reduces negative thinking so much that it saves children from things like drug addiction, anti-social behaviour or ending up in jail,’ said Ms McMa- steer

“It is a win-win situation. Already I can see a decrease in negative be- haviour in the classroom and in the school yard. We kept a record of in- cidents in the yard book last year. I already know there is a sizable dif- ference in the number of reported in- cidents in the yard since September,” she said.

A INNOVATIVE programme which encourages children to think posi- tively has been introduced at Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire, Newmarket- on-Fergus.

The ‘Incredible Years’ programme focuses on communication and en- thusiasm and is geared towards mak- ing children happier and more pro- gressive.

School principal Ann McMahon decided to introduce the programme in September, having seen the ben- efits achieved in other schools.

“T have always had an interest in positive behaviour management strategies. It is easier to lead children than to drive them,” she said.

The idea for the initiative was first mooted in 2006, but it took careful consideration by management and

staff at the school before any deci- sion was made to implement it.

“Richard Egan from NEPS (the National Education Psychological Service) mentioned the programme. It had been piloted in Cloughleigh in Ennis and had a huge impact in eliminating negative behaviour. We discussed the possibility of bringing it in,’ she said.

Nine of the 20 staff at Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire attended an in- formation evening on the project and were very enthusiastic about it. Two of the teachers – Moira McMahon and Elaine Ryan – went to Wales for training and the project was started in September.

The project will be achieved through commitment from teachers, parents and students. “It is a multi- agency approach, between teachers, parents and children,” she said.

The programme was devised in the US and has been taken up all over the world. Although relatively new in Ireland, Ms McMahon believes it will become hugely popular across WeTemeOLUUNLB AYA

“I believe this is a programme that will be adopted in every school in the country. You have the costs (to set it up) but the pay-off is massive,” she said.

“I found that previously I had to make telephone calls around nega- tive behaviour, but since we adopted this programme, I have made a point of making telephone calls around positive behaviour. Parents have been very supportive. The days of parents standing at the door of the school and coming no further are gone,” she added.

“Communication 1s critical, not just the children’s ability to communicate

with each other, but their ability to communicate with the staff and staff to communicate with parents,” she said.

While the programme is specifi- cally designed for children aged between three and 10, it has been adopted across the school and all 185 students will be part of it.

“The real proof of the pudding will be to come back in eight years’ time, when the juniors will have eight years of the programme. I firmly believe we will have almost no nega- tive behaviour. It can only augur well for Newmarket as a community,’ she added.