Month: June 2009

SBYe ream WLI Aes UT RROR TE

THREE men arrested in connection with a grenade attack on a home in Ennis over two weeks ago have been released without charge.

Christopher and Julie Ann McDon- agh and their six children were asleep upstairs in their home on Childers’

Road in Cloughleigh shortly after 4am on Saturday, June 13, when a live hand grenade was thrown through a glass panel at the front of the house. The army explosive ordnance dis- posal team was brought in to deal with the device. A controlled explo- sion was carried out on the device at a nearby quarry. The grenade was

live, but was faulty and did not deto- ateltep

Gardai say the incident was part of an ongoing feud in the town, but those living in the house say they are not involved in any feud.

The arrests were made as part of a major garda investigation into this incident. ‘Two men – aged 26 and 30

– were arrested in Ennis last Wednes- day morning, while the third – aged 35 – was arrested on Friday morning. All three were questioned at length, before being released without charge. A file will now be prepared by inves- tigators for the DPP, who will then decide if charges are to be brought.

The men were detained under Sec- tion 30 of the Offences Against The State Act, which gave gardai 48 hours to question them. Gardai were granted an extension of 24 hours in each case, by a district judge at two separate hearings – one on Thursday evening and the other on Sunday morning.

Gardai are also investigating a number of other incidents in the town in recent weeks. Windows of a house on John Paul Avenue and a car parked outside the house were bro- ken last Thursday evening.

The investigation into the grenade attack has been intense. Gardai have carried out house to house enquiries, while several statements have been taken, while examinations have been carried out.

Superintendent John Scanlan, who is heading up the enquiry, said, “The investigation 1s ongoing at pace.”

He told

Grenade attack men released

TWO Killaloe students were the toast of Brussels last week when they addressed the European Committee of the Regions.

April Harty and Martin Kennedy from St Anne’s Community Col- lege, Killaloe, were in the European capital as part of a secondary schools competition 2009, organised by the UEN-EA group.

The students were the only Irish group to address the group of local authority members from all over the European Union.

Accompanied by their teacher Sa- rah Devane the teenagers told the Eu- ropean elected representatives about Clare, Killaloe and their school.

Outlining the many classes and eee Mave eu UID MrLOO ROIS CoKIBE IMO S(oR

WHEN it was announced that the Eigse Mrs Crotty Festival would not go ahead, it was thought that the fes- tival atmosphere during the August weekend would be lost to the west Clare capital for this year at best.

The festival has brought visitors from all over the world to Kilrush for the last 13 years and, just as impor- tantly, has brought a huge injection to the local economy.

While the festival that celebrated the talents of the concertina-player may not be going ahead, a new week- end of music and set dancing will take its place from August 14-16.

The weekend of craic and ceoil will provide not only entertainment for far-flung travellers who organise their summer holidays around this weekend, but will bring workshops and a festival feel to the town centre.

It was the local Inis Cathaigh Com- haltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Branch that decided to organise the music and set-dancing weekend to fill the Eigse gap.

Plans are already in place for an open-air céili in the Square, with bands such as Johnny Reidy, The Four Courts and the Five Counties.

Set dancing and sean nos workshops will be conducted by Mary Clancy and Aidrian Vaughan and there will

be traditional concerts with local and visiting artists in the Teach Cheoil on the Saturday night.

The new festival will not be con- fined to the town centre, however. On Sunday, the Vandeleur Walled Gardens will play host to Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Inis Cathaigh Cill Ruis. There will also be traditional music in the pubs throughout the weekend.

Last year was the 13th Eigse Mrs Crotty Festival in Kilrush.

This festival was a five-day cel- ebration of Elizabeth Crotty who, at her death in 1960, was recognised as Ireland’s most famous concertina eNioe

Born Elizabeth Markham in 1885 near Cooraclare, Mrs Crotty, was the youngest of the large Markham VOOUE As

She married Miko Crotty and to- gether they established Crotty’s Pub- lic House in the Square, Kilrush.

It was from this House of Music that Elizabeth Crotty’s reputation quietly grew. Ciaran MacMathtna’s first excursion to rural Ireland in 1950’s with RTE’s mobile unit was to record her talent for the very first mbeelee

The festival celebrating her legacy has grown steadily since the first weekend of music in 1995.

GRAFFITI art and east African ac- robatics are just two aspects of an exciting programme of events an- nounced for the fourth annual Ennis Street Festival.

The two-day festival takes place at locations around Ennis from July 4-5. Music and dance feature promi- nently in a festival teeming with cultural influences. Local acts share the bill with performers from Spain, Brazil and Africa. O’Connell Square will be the setting for the festival gig rig, where musicians will perform from 1.30-5pm on Saturday.

Among the groups to look out for are Hakuna Matada. High-flying duo Michaela and Ali will be performing different styles of acrobatics, a com- bination of traditional East African acrobatics mixed with modern Euro- pean styles.

Kicking things off at the gig rig will be singer/songwriter Billy O’Brien. O’Brien’s music tells stories of his travels down through the years. He released his debut album to much ac- claim earlier this year.

Saturday’s also sees performances from groups representing the En- nis Band’s Project and Alele, a band who’s sound is a blend of traditional Irish, Spanish and oriental music.

Also on Saturday, Woodquay will rock to the sounds of blues, jazz and rock at a concert organised by the Crow’s Feather.

Art also plays an important role in this year’s festival. Graffitti Man- ners – a showcase of graffiti art – will go on display outsides the Arts and Craft Shop on Merchant’s Square.

The event is a joint initiative between Clare Youth Service, the drug educa- tion and prevention project and the Art and Craft Shop.

The aim is to show that instead of criminalizing young people who wish to express themselves in an ar- tistic fashion, it is possible to provide a space and listen to what they are SrA NTs

Depending on the weather, there are also plans for a live graffiti dem- onstration on the gig rig on Saturday morning.

Prizes will also be presented to the winners of the “Ennis of my Dreams’

art competition in the Clare Museum on July 4 at lpm. All entries for the competition are currently on display at the Clare Museum. The exhibition concludes on July 5. The competition invited students to submit paintings and drawings on the theme “Ennis of my Dreams’.

Elsewhere on the programme, an outdoor painting session will take place at Merchant’s square while members of the Working Actors Workshop of Theatre Makers will perform Aesop’s Fabulous Foibles and Fables at the Temple Gate hotel.

There will be an open air BBQ at

Brogan’s Bar at lpm on Sunday while Chef Pedro Garzon will prepare a g1- ant Spanish paella at Brandon’s Bar.

The Ennis Street Festival was estab- lished in 2006 to promote local and international artists and art forms.

The festival is run by a volunteer committee made up of Ana Bella Al- varez, (Chair Person and Treasurer), Sara Jay, Secretary, Ana Colomer, (Administrator) and Karin Wimmer, (Advisor).

A FRESH jobs blow was dealt to the mid-west region last week with the news that Arramount furniture has sought the appointment of an interim examiner.

In a statement the company said that it would continue to trade as normal.

The company said that the proc- ess of examinership will allow it to continue trading successfully and profitably in the future.

Arramount furniture employs 34 people at its stores nationwide in- cluding one at the Dock Road, Lim- 0a.e

Arramount Furniture was estab- lished in 1995 and operates seven Stores in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Newbridge, Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar. Arramount furniture is a subsidiary of Arramount Holdings Limited.

The company said its current dif- ficulties stem from the current eco- nomic downturn and reduced sum- mer demand.

Lane Bros Ltd, trading as Ar- ramount Furniture Tralee, which 1s a franchisee of Arramount Wood- craft (Holdings) Ltd, will not be af- fected by the examinership.

The company said it will negot- ate with potential investors and complete appropriate arrangements with creditors with the objective of putting in place long-term arrange- ments to secure its future.

The company explained that it had sought the protection of an interim examiner to allow it to put in place new re-financing arrangements with creditors and bankers.

“The company is confident that the process of examinership will enable a solution to be found that will ensures it is set up to continue trading successfully and profitably in the future. The process of exmin- ership in Ireland provides a stand- still period of time whereby credi- tors cannot pursue claims against the company,” a statement from the company said.

It continued, “The company has sought this protection to allow it to put in place re-financing arrange- ments for creditors and bankers.”

Kieran Wallace of KPMG has been appointed as interim examiner. The home furnishings market has been badly hit by the contraction in con- sumer spending.

According to the Central Statistics Office, the volume of sales of furni- ture and lighting products slumped by 38 per cent in one year.

Reports state that a potential in- vestor has already been identified and that the company has the sup- port of its principal backers in re- spect of the interim examinership.

News of Arramount’s difficulties came in the same weeks that Toy- ota Ireland confirmed that the Tom Hogan car dealership is to close with the loss of 190 jobs.

Tom Hogan Motors was one of the biggest Toyota dealerships in the country. It opened in Ennis over 30 years ago.

TOM Hogan Motors, one of the larg- est Toyota dealers in the State, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the expected loss of almost 200 jobs. Staff were informed last Wednesday that the company had ceased trad- ing.

The company, which was estab- lished by the late Tom Hogan in Ennis over thirty years ago, had extended its operations to Galway, Shannon, Clonmel and Limerick.

The firm expanded its business over the past few years, expanding its En- nis base and opening a new premises in Ballybritt on the outskirts of Gal- way city in 2005 at a cost of €3 mil- lion.

While the company was synony- mous with the Toyota brand, it was also a main dealer for Lexus and took over the BMW franchise in Galway city from Barry Motors last year.

In addition to its car dealerships and garages, the company also main- tained petrol stations and retail out- lets in all its areas of operation.

According to the most recent ac- counts filed with the Companies Registration Office, the Tom Hogan Group reported a pre-tax loss of €393,163 in 2006, after a write down of €992,559 for exceptional costs. Turnover was €103 million and the cost of sales stood at €98 million.

The car industry has been hit hard in the economic downturn with the

latest figures from the Central Statis- tics Office showing new car registra- tions down more than 60 per cent in May compared with a year earlier.

Several dealerships have closed their doors in recent months, includ- ing one of the country’s oldest BMW dealerships, Pat Keogh Ltd, based in Limerick.

The liquidation is a severe setback to Toyota’s dealer network in the mid-west region and Toyota Ireland Deputy Managing Director Steve

Tormey said it was very sad to see a company of the calibre of Tom Hog- an’s going into liquidation.

Reassuring customers that their full warranty and service needs would be met by other authorised Toyota dealers, Mr Tormey said Toyota’s thoughts were with the management and staff with which it has had a re- lationship for over 30 years.

BMW Group Ireland said in a statement it was committed to main- taining a sales presence in Galway.

Customers with service or warranty issues could contact the aftersales facilities in other dealers and author- ised repairers in BMW’s network

The company said it understood that Tom Hogan BMW and Mini, which has been a stand alone com- pany since it joined the BMW Group Ireland network in October 2008, would cease trading with immediate effect.

New initiative to speed up e-learning

FOLLOWING years of waiting, Breastcheck is finally about to reach Clare. According to Health Minister, Mary Harney consent letters have al- ready been issued to women in the county and invitations will be issued from early July.

In response to questions from Clare Deputy Joe Carey (FG) she said, “The programme will ultimately of- fer screening to the approximately 8,000 women aged between 50 and 64 in the county.

“IT am happy that the minister has confirmed that in the past week let- ters have been sent to eligible women

in the first screening areas.

“IT would hope this is not a move- able date and that the process, now underway, can roll out across the county in a speedy and professional manner,” said Deputy Carey.

“There was concern in _ recent weeks that the HSE recruitment freeze would affect this programme. I was happy to raise this issue dur- ing an adjournment debate in April, when I got a commitment from the minister that the programme would not be affected by the HSE cuts. I would hope that in the future, similar programmes and vital aspects of our health service such as this, are also protected.”