Month: December 2008

ALTHOUGH conditions in Kilkee courthouse were unsuitable for court sittings, the last ever court held in the town last week was tinged with sad- ness and nostalgia.

The courthouse in Kilkee is damp and dilapidated and has not been ideal for court sittings for some time. However the decision to move Kilkee court sittings to Kilrush came as part of a national initiative to centralise CLOUT MMT RB ENTS

The Kilkee move is one of sev- eral changes in court venues in the county, to take effect from the start of 2009. No longer will court sittings take place in Miltown Malbay, Lis- doonvarna, Corofin, Tulla, Scariff and Kildyart. The courts in Ennis, Kilrush, Killaloe and Ennistymon (which currently sits in Kilrush, until a suitable venue is found in the north Clare town), instead, will become bigger with longer lists prevailing.

Solicitor Gearodid Williams said in Kilkee court last Tuesday morning that it was a sad day to see the final court taking place in the town hall there.

Judge Joseph Mangan said it was no longer appropriate to hold courts in poor conditions and noted that a new courthouse would not be built in Kul- kee. He thanked the people of Kilkee for their co-operation over several years of court sittings in the town.

The question arises – what will hap- pen to the old town hall which has hosted the Kilkee court sittings over the years? According to Clare County Council, the building – a listed build- ing – remains in the control of the lo- CHIE: TUM eleven

However, it is unlikely that it will be refurbished. “It would take sub- stantial resources to do it up. No substantial programme of works has been done there for years. However, we are open to ideas,’ said a council spokesman.

‘Whatever future work will be done will require substantial refurbish- ments and there is no money for it,” he added.

“The first thing we must do is to establish its future use. Secondly we must look at what refurbishments have to be undertaken and then to es- tablish a source of funding for that. All of those matters have to be taken into consideration,’ he added.

The local town council traditionally met at the venue a number of years ago but has since moved to the lo- cal library for its monthly meetings, meaning that the building will be left idle in the immediate future.

Although the court sittings have only been held at those locations across the county monthly, or in some cases just three or four times a year, the local communities did enjoy the hustle and bustle associated with them over the years.

SHANNON town has much on offer to suit wide-ranging interests — an at- tractive shopping outlet, a good mix of ambitious, thriving businesses and an ideal location close to many tour- ist attractions.

Much has been achieved in the town over the years, in terms of plan- ning and development, while several other key projects are currently being planned.

The local town council ensures that the upkeep of the town is a priority, while dozens of community and vol- untary groups aim to enhance the lives of the residents in the town.

From the schools’ activities, to the sports clubs, to the talent groups, to the senior citizens group, every age group 1s catered for in Shannon. The establishment of international group Le Chéile na Sionna is a reflection of the changing nature of the town, where many foreign nationals have come to live in recent years.

While there is an abundance of hobbies available for the people of Shannon, plans are ongoing in rela- tion to new, welcome initiatives.

Plans are afoot to establish a walk- ing trail in the region. The trail will take the shape of a loop, taking in Shannon and Bunratty. While the proposal is still in its infancy, it has created a huge amount of interest and

there is a sense of optimism that it will get off the ground.

The development of a pitch and putt course is also a strong possibility and four sites have been identified in the town. A recent public meeting to dis- cuss this yielded positive feedback and the people of Shannon firmly believe that such a facility would be a huge boost to the town.

The SkyCourt shopping centre of- fers a wide range of choice to shop- pers in the mid-west. Since it opened in 2004, SkyCourt has attracted several top names in retail and has

earned a fine reputation as a reputa- ble shopping outlet.

Its recent launch of the gift card scheme will undoubtedly augur well for SkyCourt, which boasts a rich blend of fashion, food and conven- ience outlets in its malls.

Newer shops including Lifestyle Sports, Apache Pizza and Subway have joined outlets such as Dunnes Stores, O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar and Xtra Vision, which have been in ex- istence for a number of years.

Given that Shannon Airport is lo- cated in the area, every effort has

been made to ensure many tourist options are available to those who travel into the country. Shannon Development plays a major role in promoting tourist activities in the immediate area, where the local ho- tels and restaurants in Shannon and surrounding areas are top class. Given that many businesses are lo- cated in the town, the role of Shan- non Chamber of Commerce is criti- cal. It is recognised as one of the fastest growing chambers in the country. More than 170 companies are members, which represents 8,500

employees.

Shannon Chamber of Commerce works for the economic development of Shannon town and the adjoining area. The chamber makes every ef- fort to ensure that Shannon becomes a dynamic centre with cultural, sport- ing and educational facilities suitable for a town of its size. As Shannon is largely dependent on industry, it also works towards attracting new busi- nesses to the town, with a view to creating employment.

The chamber actively engages in ways to assist its members and en- courage development. It has set up its own online poll, a service that allows its members to express views on is- sues that impact on their businesses. The chamber uses this information to better understand any concerns its members may have and address these TESS CoaSe

It has four sub-committees that en- sure a cross-section of the commu- nity benefits from its work — retail; school and youth career support; liv- ing, working and investing in Shan- non and enterprise and industry.

All of these groups work together to promote Shannon and to ensure that the town will continue to thrive in every way.

THE fallout from last weeks CAP Health Check continued to dominate affairs this week with a war of words erupting between Agriculture Minis- ter, Brendan Smith, and the farming organisations.

Following negative comments from the organisation on the results of the EU talks, Minister Smith accused the organisations of misunderstand- ing the results of the Health Check and of spreading “misleading” infor- mation about its results.

Last Thursday, the president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ As- sociation (ICSA), Malcolm Thomp-

son, challenged Smith’s assertion that Irish farmers are being misled and that they will not lose out from the increase in modulation announced as part of the Health Check.

‘The minister 1s ignoring the fact that money deducted from the Single Farm Payment may not be accessed by farmers so readily.

“Some farmers will certainly lose out, and those who gain will be faced with additional onerous conditions in order to draw down the funding un- der rural development schemes such as REPS,” he said.

Speaking in May EU Commis- sioner Fischer Boel emphasised that one of the main benefits of modula-

tion was that the member states were expected to match the modulated funds euro for euro with exchequer funding.

However, the final outcome of the negotiations was that the 50 per cent matching funding from mem- ber states was reduced to just 25 per cent.

“Worryingly, the minister has made no reference to this in his statements. ICSA is calling on the minister to confirm that this matching excheq- uer funding will be put in place,” said Thompson.

“ICSA welcomes the minister’s success 1n gaining access to unused funds which he has reassured farm-

ers will be worth €23 million per annum from 2010 onwards.

“However, farmers will remain sceptical until the details of how this money will be allocated are out- lined.”

Moving to reassure farmers Min- ister Smith said that Irish farmers would “not lose one cent” from the increase 1n modulation.

“The gain to farmers would come from the access to unused funds in our single farm payment ceilings.

“It was a tough battle in the nego- tiations to get access to these funds and I am very pleased that this was agreed in the final meeting this week,” he said.

SANTA may be a while off coming down the chimney but for the young- sters at the Raheen Woods Steiner School, Christmas started at the weekend.

The children at the school were joined by staff, parents, friends and neighbours for their annual Advent Fair.

It was a fair with flair as young- sters got to grips with arts and crafts, making Christmas decorations and gifts that will be treasured for many

a year by older relatives.

Adults visiting the fair had a chance to buy some very special and unique Christmas gifts from the stalls dis- playing the work of local artisans.

Art works, jewellery, apparel and accessories were all on display and quite a few will find their way under Christmas trees in east Clare

Because Christmas shopping and decorating is a hungry business, the organisers laid on delicious soups, teas and coffees.

‘The emphasis in the fair is allow- ing children to participate and there

were lots of activities and games for them as well as a play”, a spokesman for the school said.

After years of campaigning, the two Clare Steiner schools were given official recognition by the Depart- ment of Education this year so they will now receive funding reducing the need for parents and the school to pay for the entire running of the school, including teachers’ salaries.

But that didn’t mean that the an- nual fund-raising Advent Fair was any less necessary than in previous years.

‘Every school could do with extra funds for equipment and activities and we also have a special bursary to help families who need assistance with the costs of schooling so some of the money raised will go towards that”, the spokesman said.

OF THE many fears and traumas facing patients who have been diag- nosed with cancer, the side effects of chemotherapy loom large.

While the therapy is a life-saving one, many patients and particularly women patients, dread the hair loss that often goes hand in hand with the treatment.

It was why plucky Kilkishen woman, Anne Henry, decided that she would turn something that was personally quite negative into some-

thing which would be positive for many people who are battling the disease.

“IT was diagnosed with cancer on April 4 last and I was told I would be having chemotherapy”, said the mother of three.

“I knew that one side effect of the treatment is that my hair would probably fall out so I decided to do a sponsored head-shave before that happened.”

Anne had her head shaved after the first session of chemo but while she still had her locks.

“I did feel bad about losing it – I had quite long hair but hopefully it will grow back. I’m told it will grow back, but it takes a while after the chemo is finished.”

Anne’s head shave raised an amaz- ing €5,380, money which is going to unit 2 C in the Midwest Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle.

The unit has been accepting pa- tients for some time now but it will have its official opening later this week.

“It’s a fabulous new facility for people who are seriously ill. It has

plasma screen TV’s, very comforta- ble rooms and it’s much more homely than an ordinary hospital ward’, said Anne.

Now that Anne is happily finished her treatment and on the road to re- covery, she decided that on Saturday, she would have a gathering in Gal- lagher’s bar in Kilkishen for friends, family and neighbours who support- ed her.

“I wanted people to know how much was raised and where the money was going. Everyone was so good’, she told

RATES in Shannon town are to in- crease by two per cent next year, while the overall budget is along the lines as that for the past year.

The proposals are included in the budget for 2009, which was up for discussion at a meeting of Shannon Town Council last Tuesday.

However, the budget, which was due to be adopted by councillors, was deferred after Councillor Patri- cia McCarthy (Independent) walked out of the meeting.

This was after she said she was not comfortable, unless the ethics frame- work was defined and said she would not participate until this was done.

Her comments came in the wake

of a complaint by the Wolfe Tones camogie club, over funding for the development of a skateboard park at the leisure centre. Cllr McCarthy is a member of the board of the leisure centre. However, the Standards in Public Office Commission ruled that there was no basis on which to initi- ate an investigation under the Ethics Act as none of the alleged contraven- tions was “a specified act”.

A number of councillors expressed the view that some members of the town council were also members of various organisations or groups that would be applying for funding from the council.

It was then decided that the county solicitor John Shaw would address councillors at a meeting this (Tues-

day) evening, when any fears could be raised. The budget is expected to be adopted at this meeting.

Under the budget proposal, rates would increase by two percent and would require a town charge of SO Oe

Additional funds have been set aside to cover the cost of the local elections, which will take place next June. They cost almost €15,000 to run in 2004.

The community grants scheme will have €5,300 at its disposal, which is the same as the figure for last year. However, the contribution towards community initiatives, which is a fund to build up a community initia- tives fund, will have a reduced sum of money at its disposal next year;

down €1,000 to €8,000.

It is envisaged that improvements will be made to the Shannon Town Council website, www.shannon- towncouncil.ie next year.

Discussions have been held with Shannon Chamber of Commerce regarding overall development of the website and how it might best be utilised as a wider resource in the promotion of all aspects of activity bom) er-beneCeyee

Town manager Ger Dollard, in putting together the draft budget for the forthcoming year, said it was pre- pared in “a most difficult economic climate and against a background where funding available from Clare County Council is likely to be less than that available in 2008.”

THE work of a Clare art graduate has been on display at the ‘Best in Show’ exhibition in The Digital Hub in Dublin last week.

Ivan Twohig from Inagh is a gradu- ate of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and, earlier this year, he was chosen by The Digital Hub to participate in its annual “Best in Show’ exhibition.

‘Best in Show’ is an art exhibition with a difference. Rather than paint- ings and sculptures, it features dig- ital media work produced by gradu- ates of colleges throughout Ireland and the UK.

The exhibits use sounds and im- ages, gaming technologies, music, animation and advertising tools to depict topics ranging from the need for privacy to the golden age of silent cinema.

Ivan graduated with a BA in Fine Art in 2004 and, in 2008, completed his MA in Art in the Digital World at the NCAD. In addition to his in- volvement in “Best in Show’, he has exhibited both nationally and in- ternationally. In 2007, he received the first Tulca Residency award and was awarded artist in residence at the new IMOCA (Irish Museum of Contemporary Art) studio in Dublin beer

For the ‘Best in Show’ exhibition,

The Digital Hub chose a piece by Ivan called “The Fall’, which is made up of life-sized paper figures, sus- pended and falling from the ceiling of the gallery. As they fall, fluores- cent lights illuminate the figures. The piece is influenced by his interest in architecture and the way in which digital technologies are impacting on the conception and creation of built environments. It was previously on display at the Glor Arts Centre in Ennis.

According to Elaine Parsons of The Digital Hub, who curates the ‘Best in Show’ exhibition, the idea for the show came about because of the difficulties faced by art graduates in establishing themselves as serious AMIS Ice

“One of the biggest challenges faced by graduates like Ivan is taking that leap from being a student to be- ing taken seriously as an artist,’ she said. “The feedback we were getting was that it was difficult for gradu- ates to find opportunities to exhibit in a professional gallery environ- ment. Because of this, The Digital Hub established ‘Best in Show’ to give graduates the chance to exhibit at professional level and help them meet key figures in the art industry”.

A LONG-STANDING promise to a school principal in Quin was ful- filled last week when Tomas O Sio- chain, former principal of Scoil na Mainistreach planted an alder tree in memory of his predecessor, Frank Gordon, who was principal of Scoil na Mainistreach in the 1960s.

Frank Gordon was a member of Muintir na Tire and a prominent member of the Fine Gael party. He passed on his love of nature to gener- ations of local schoolchildren and, in recognition of this, one of his pupils, Frances Conroy promised to plant a tree in his memory.

The Green school committee of Scoil na Mainistreach chose to plant this particular tree as 2008 has been designated the year of the alder. Al- ders are sturdy and fast-growing,

even in acidic and damaged sites. They are common to Ireland and can be used as a producer of simple oy (ols eaten

Tomas O Siochain spoke of the links between Frank Gordon and the present Green School Commit- tee in their love for the environment and the promotion of a greener and cleaner community.

Tomas also presented the school with a newspaper article from

that doctors are over-prescribing antibiotics as patients continue to look for a quick fix for common ill- nesses. “Patients may not be aware that antibiotics are not appropriate as a treatment for the common cold or

a flu virus. They are effective only against bacterial infections. We need to give antibiotics the respect they deserve and take them only when absolutely necessary; otherwise we are putting lives at risk, not only for patients today but also for future gen- erations. If you are prescribed antibi- otics by your doctor, it is important to take them exactly as prescribed,” he said.

Mr Hillery said that many GPs are very busy with large patient attend- ance and they do not necessarily have the time to carry out the in-depth ex-

aminations they would like.

“Doctors prescribe antibiotics as a means to an end,” he said.

“There is a school of thought out there that antibiotics are prescribed to stop a patient getting a secondary infection.”

This does not work he said.

Patients also put pressure on doc- tors to prescribe antibiotics he said.

“I think when patients go to the doctor they put pressure on to get something. People almost expect an antibiotic,’ he added.

The negative consequences of us-

ing antibiotics inappropriately ex- tends beyond the individual patient impacting on society as a whole re- sulting in the spread of “superbugs” such as MRSA. “Superbugs” are a consequence of more and more bac- teria becoming resistant to common- ly used antibiotics. Ireland has the second highest rate of VRE (a group of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics) in Europe.

“If in doubt patients should visit their local pharmacist who can ad- vise them on whether a visit to the doctor is necessary or if the patient

can manage their symptoms ef- fectively without antibiotics,’ Mr Hillery said.

A survey carried out by pharma- cists at the “Over 50s Show” found that 37 per cent of people would visit a doctor if they had a cold or flu and one in four admitted they have failed to take a full course of antibiotics in the past, therefore risking a recur- rence of the illness.

A third of those polled said they would visit their pharmacist if they were experiencing cold or flu symp- eyeate

THE owner of a timber firm lost his life in an industrial accident in east Clare, when a machine he was work- ing on overturned on him.

Noel Reilly (49) – a native of Cavan but who had lived in Feakle – died at Lough Graney Stakes at Leighurd, Caher, on the morning of August 6 last, an inquest into his death has heard.

Mr Reilly’s first cousin Sean Mc- Donnell told Ennis Coroner’s Court he received a phone call from An- thony Naughton, telling him that Mr Reilly was trapped under a machine. He went to the plant, where he saw Mr Reilly’s body trapped under a machine.

Another witness, Seamus Naugh- ton, said that Mr Reilly had been loading trailers with timber waste for about an hour that morning. At one stage, Mr Naughton glanced over his shoulder and saw the top of the arm of a machine moving in a way that wasn’t right. He then saw the ma-

chine capsizing.

“T went down and touched Noel. His face was purple and I knew he was dead,” he said.

Garda Pat McGrath told the in- quest that gardai attended the scene of the accident that morning. Gardai had been told that the owner of the plant had been thrown from a H1- tachi tracker machine and had died. Three employees were on the site at the time.

Pathologist Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy carried out a post mortem examina- tion on Mr Reilly’s body. She said that death was due to cardio respira- tory arrest, secondary to traumatic WN elove-len(emerMUneMDAY IEDM (oKe

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the ac- cident was “very tragic and sad” and said the only possible verdict was one of accidental death.

She said it must have been particu- larly traumatic for the workers who saw the accident happening, but were powerless to do anything about it. The jury returned a verdict of ac- cidental death.