Month: August 2009

A COMBINATION of factors is playing a role in extra pressure being exerted on Clare Haven.

The organisation provides support to female victims of physical and emotional abuse at its facility in En- nis and also at its outreach centres across the county.

As the organisation’s figures show that the numbers of women requir- ing help has increased significantly, Services Manager Denise Dunne says that an increased level of aware- ness has played a role.

Ms Dunne said that the statistics have increased, right across the board.

‘There is a combination of things. We have been doing a lot of aware- ness raising. We have been call- ing to doctors’ surgeries and health centres with our leaflets and posters. We have increased awareness of our service. The downturn in the econo- my has also played a role. We have a lot of women coming to us who are not well off,’ said Ms Dunne.

“I don’t think domestic violence has increased. I’m hoping people’s awareness has increased and people are less tolerant of it,’ she said.

Women visit the centre due to a number of reasons, such as emo- tional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse or social abuse.

“It covers not just physical abuse. It would be mostly physical abuse for those who come into the refuge. Peo- ple only come to the refuge as a last resort,’ said Ms Dunne.

Clare Haven engages in a number of initiatives, one of which 1s a pilot pro- gramme in schools and youthreach centres. The sessions are educational and the feedback from teachers and students alike has been positive.

“The more we can educate people around violence in general, the bet- ter,’ said Ms Dunne.

Many women seeking help from Clare Haven turn up at the refuge with their children. “If it’s danger-

ous to be at home, they will take the children with them. Lately we see a lot of older women coming in. Finan- cially, they wouldn’t have the means to alternative accommodation. A lot of the time, women are coming to the refuge waiting for a barring or- der, protection order or safety order (taken out in court),” she said.

While the majority of women visit- ing Clare Haven have been abused by their partners, others are abused by

their grown-up children.

She said that alcohol and drugs may play a role in abuse, but is not the only factor. “Certainly if alcohol and drugs are involved, it might exacer- bate the violence. It doesn’t cause it. We have plenty of clients coming in where the partner doesn’t abuse alco- hol or drugs,’ she added.

CLARE farmers are facing financial ruin this winter as one of the wettest Summers on record has stunted grass growth and now looks likely to cause a severe feed shortage this winter.

Indeed, reports from around the county indicate that some animals are still being housed in sheds at night in particularly wet areas.

According to figures released last week by Met Eireann, Shannon Air- port experienced its wettest July for more than 50 years, with twice the average rainfall being recorded.

“The weather has made the situ- ation very difficult for farmers al- ready this year, with grass growth well behind all year long. The land is as wet now, in August, as it usually is in mid-winter,’ said Clare IFA chair- man, Michael Lynch.

“Grass growth has been disastrous this year. Besides a short spurt in June, it has been behind all year and is putting farmers under real pres- sure.”

According to Mr Lynch, farmers have begun to offload stock in the last number of weeks as the weather means that they won’t have enough fodder to feed them this winter.

“The heavy rainfall has affected all of Clare but there are some areas where cattle have had to be rehoused and put back inside – which is un- thinkable,” continued Mr Lynch.

“We have seen farmers selling stock much, much earlier than they

normally would because of the fear of a lack of grass. It is essential for Clare farmers that the weather im- proves. A lot of farmers are counting on a good August to allow them to make their second cut of silage. ‘The first cut 1s already very light in a lot of areas and if the second cut is not better, then there could be ser1- ous problems. This is costing farm- ers money all over the place and it’s going to get worse unless the weather

improves drastically.”

According to Met Eireann, the wet July was caused by a series of Atlan- tic depressions tracking over Ireland. Despite the rain, there was some con- solation for sun-seekers, with higher than average sunshine also being re- corded at Shannon Airport.

Despite the record rainfall, Clare was spared the worst of the weather. Newport in County Mayo recorded a record 42mm of rain in a one-hour

spell last month, with Dublin Air- port’s wettest ever day long rainfall on record.

The Valentia Observatory also re- corded its wettest July since records began in the area in 1866.

THERE was a 1966 Clare registered Mustang parked up outside Shana- han McNamara Park on Saturday – however, it wasn’t the only display of a different vintage in Doonbeg on the day.

Cooraclare and Kilrush also dipped into their past – unhappy history from Cooraclare’s point of view as they crashed to a defeat that had all the hallmarks and failings of their un- happy years from 2005 to ‘08; happy history for the Shams as they showed that tradition still counts for a lot on championship afternoons.

In many ways we should have seen it coming – Cooraclare are better as underdogs as they proved against Eire Og, Doonbeg and Kilmurry Ibrickane recently.

Kilrush, meanwhile, haven’t been beaten by Cooraclare at champion- ship level since 1986 – they always expect to beat Cooraclare and so it proved here as a storming finish to the first half gave them a six-point half-time cushion that they defended doggedly in the second half to get home by the minimum margin.

It had looked promising for Co- oraclare early on as they raced into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after seven minutes thanks to points from Cathal Lillis (2) and Michael Kelly, but they failed to score for the rest of the half as the Shams eventually made hay thanks

to Jim Young’s dominance in the full-forward line.

Peadar McMahon had opened the scoring with a free in the second minute but they had to wait until the 12th for their second when Eoghan O’Kelly landed a fine effort from 50 yards out on the right wing.

However, the real spark came in the 25th minute when Chris Dixon’s long delivery was brilliantly fielded with one hand by Jim Young 12 yards from goal – from there he turned and blasted to the net to put the Shams

1-2 to O-3 ahead.

The game was then turned on its head when four more points fol- lowed in the next five minutes from Brendan Crowley, Peadar McMahon (2) and Jim Young to give the Shams were 1-6 to 0-3 lead at the break.

Kilrush were dominating all over the field, while Young and Donal O’Sullivan at midfield the standout performers. Cooraclare, meanwhile, were reeling and slipped seven adrift three minutes into the second half when Peadar McMahon fired over

his third pointed free.

This was a far cry from the per- formance that swept them to the Cu- sack Cup title two weeks ago – the in- tensity and energy just wasn’t there.

They did manage to claw their way back into contention with pointed frees from Mark Tubridy (3) and Ca- thal Lillis to pull it back to a 1-7 to Q-7 game by the 40th minute. How- ever, a Peadar McMahon free in the 46th proved to be the crucial score and the difference between the sides as Cooraclare piled on the pressure

in the closing ten minutes.

Further points from Lillis (2) and Tubridy brought the margin down to the minimum entering injury time, but the Shams were not to be denied the victory that now puts them in pole position in Group 3 with three points from two games.

The 1966 Mustang was probably a Kilrush car too.

REMEMBER Ballyvaughan? The side that made a dramatic introduc- tion to senior football last year with a shock win over county finalists Eire Og last year. Well, they were largely overlooked in terms of quali- fication for the knock-out stages in a group consisting of county champi- ons Kilmurry Ibrickane and two of last year’s quarter-finalists but on Sunday, they demonstrated that they were not there make up the numbers with a character-filled display against Ennistymon.

Full of hunger and self-belief, Bal- lyvaughan eventually romped to a double scores victory with the help of some astute substitutions. To win by seven points was an impressive feat in itself but Ballyvaughan did so by kicking 12 points from play while also holding Ennistymon to only two points from play over the hour.

Much like their triumph of the Townies last season, Ballyvaughan refused to adhere to the script. This was meant to be Ennistymon’s crowning achievement. A_ battling victory over Wolfe Tones in round one at the same venue set themselves up for another tilt at the business end of the championship but aside from a battling second quarter, they were

very disappointing. Backed by a bur- geoning underage system, the Under 21A finalists had a decent blend of youth and experience but for the ma- jority, they were stuck to the ground.

Ballyvaughan, meanwhile, had nothing to lose. After falling to Kil- murry Ibrickane in their opening tie, another defeat here would have put them out of the running but they

would have targetted this derby from the draw and threw everything into this game in a bid to overturn last year’s result.

From the outset, Ballyvaughan took the game to their neighbours, pulling four points clear by the 12th minute with points from Kevin Carrucan (2), Stevie Hynes and a John Martyn free and also had three wides in the

same period.

Ennistymon even had an extra player around the middle of the field with Lawrence Healy roving from his full-forward berth but it took them 17 minutes to open their ac- count through Sean McConigley. That score did give them confidence though and while Ballyvaughan mis- fired, Ennistymon thought they had weathered the storm by pulling level by the break with further scores from Brian Conway and Joe Dowling (2).

The second period began in seesaw fashion with Carrucan and Conway Swapping points by the 38th minute but once Carrucan grabbed his fourth point of the game at the turn of the final quarter, Ballyvaughan upped the ante once more. Aided by several changes to their forward line, Ballyvaughan kicked five further un- answered points by the 54th minute, three from substitutes Jason McDon- agh, Tomas Francis and the lively Jack Queally.

Ennistymon had no answer to Bal- lyvaughan’s charge and their heads dropped all too easily after Mc- Conigley’s flick towards goal was acrobatically saved by goalkeeper Damien McNamara.

Instead, Ballyvaughan piled on the misery with McDonagh adding two more points to his tally as they eased

up to victory and open up the group once more. Another win over Wolfe Tones and Ballyvaughan’s meteoric rise through the ranks could reach new heights. They won’t be written off again, that’s for sure.

WASN’T the most polished perform- ance but as expected Kilkee saw off the challenge of St Joseph’s with plenty to spare on Saturday.

Despite looking comfortable for long stretches, Kilkee found them- selves mired in a struggle midway through the second half when David O’Brien’s goal cut the Blues lead to just two points.

St Joseph’s had struggled to create and convert scoring opportunities all afternoon but were suddenly thrown a lifeline with O’Brien’s goal. They didn’t avail of it. Instead Kilkee re- sponded perfectly by reeling off four straight points.

Lissycasey’s destruction of Miul- town later in the day served to halt Kilkee’s progress to the knockout stages. But a positive result next time out against Miltown should see the Blues through.

They may not have been firing on all cylinders but the fact was that Kilkee didn’t need to. Barefield brought plenty of athleticism and aggression but a poor performance was marked by a recurring failure to properly execute basic skills. Too many handpasses, kick passes and decent chances went astray.

Ger Fanning was effective raid- ing forward from defence and David

O’Brien was the pick of the forwards but apart from that there was little to cheer about St Joseph’s display.

Once they had ironed out the kinks in their passing, the Blues greater class shone through. David Russell and Michael O’Shea were quietly effective while Kevin Larkin and particularly Noel O’Shea turned in assured performances.

The Blues were comfortably into their stride with points from Michael O’Shea, Chris Williamson and Noel O’Shea putting them 0-3 to 0-0 ahead by the 8th minute.

Colm Mullen converted a free for St Joseph’s first score three minutes later before Paul Dullaghan blast- ed a point from a tight angle. PG O’Donnell’s failure to convert from dead in front of the posts was com- pounded in the 24th minute when David Russell took Barry Harte’s pass and buried a goal.

Mullen hit a free but Kilkee ended the half 1-5 to O-3 ahead with points from Michael O’Shea and Barry Je Nate

Points from Mullen and David O’Brien were cancelled out by terrif- ic scores from Williamson and Noel O’Shea. Kilkee’s lead was shaved from five points to two in the 42nd minute when David O’Brien collect- ed a low pass from his brother Chris- topher to poke to the net.

But the goal served only as a prelude to Kilkee’s best spell of the game. Fitzgerald, Larkin (2) and Noel O’Shea were followed by a goal from Fitzgerald in the 58th minute. St Joseph’s hit three late points on the trot but by that stage, the game was well and truly up.

THEY came from Holland, the UK, ths USA and even Japan to hear the music in the air in Feakle over the last week. The Feakle Music Festi- val enjoyed sell-out events and big crowds supporting the workshops and enjoying the sessions.

A musical adaptation, by Sean Tyrrell, of the famous poem “The Midnight Court’ composed by Brian Merriman, performed fittingly on the shores of Lough Graney, went down a treat and later that evening there was a second concert with re- nowned musicians Tony Mac Mahon and Steve Cooney.

The musical style of east Clare was what brought musicians and music

lovers from all over, and many were returning for the umpteenth time to enjoy the festival programme and the beauty of the area.

This year the festival celebrated the role of dance and particularly the influence of dance teacher Kathleen Moloney from Glendree.

And one of Ireland’s foremost com- posers, Shaun Davey was on stage for the Friday night recital in the parish church.

“It was a good week and people turned out in good numbers. The festival is as much a_ draw as it’s ever been and every year there’s something more to enjoy,” said lo- cal publican and festival committee member, Gary Pepper.

AFTER a long road, the Feakle- based Clare Accessible Transport (CAT) service has revved up and moved to their new base.

The new state-of-the art building is on the site of the old creamery and the CAT are delighted with the move.

“We were very glad to have the premises in the main street in Feakle to get started but we’ve outgrown it.” said CAT’s Laura Ward. “The new premises is fully accessible for peo- ple with a disability; we have a com- munity meeting room and training centre and we can now develop our IT and communications systems, as broadband has arrived in Feakle, just when we made the move.”

And now that broadband is avail- able to the service, they are develop- ing their website to give out infor- mation about CAT and make route planning easier for clients.

‘Just log on to catconnects.ie and search you town or village to see what routes are going your way.”

The service – which has charitable status and is funded by the Rural Transport Programme, the HSE and the Community Service Programme – now has 3,500 who also support it with the fares they pay.

They are making 3,000 passenger trips a month all across Clare, and now cater for a broader range of people than ever.

30 per cent of our passengers are under 25 years of age and we cater for tourists as well,” said Laura. ““We get emails from Japan and Italy, lots of places, booking trips. We want to support tourism through sustainable transport.”

On the road for seven years, CAT provides flexible transport for any- one who wishes to join. The service is free to travel pass holders and 1s reduced for under 16’s.

There are also ‘fare zones’ depend- ing on how long a journey is and the fares vary accordingly.

Now employing 21 people, full- and part-time, the service has expanded

into the MIDAS – Mini Bus Driv- ers Awareness Scheme – training for community drivers.

“It’s a mobile service which teach- es best practice and safety for people who drive groups,’ said Laura.

Becoming a member of CAT is easy and not expensive.

“You can email Clare Accessible Transport at ourbus@catconnects.ie,

call on 061 924375 or low call 1890 687287 or just turn up at Dunnes Stores and get a membership form from the driver,” said Laura. All CAT buses are wheelchair accessible.

THERE was some good signs for the local construction industry last week with the news that Cleary Develop- ments has just signed one of the larg- est construction deals of the year.

The company, which was found- ed my Miltown Malbay man John Cleary Snr, is to build a new private hospital in Cork for Sheehan Medi- cal – the group who own the Black- rock Clinic in Dublin and the Gal- way Clinic.

Cleary already employ some 80

people in the development with a further 90 subcontractors due to be brought on board in the coming weeks. With such a big project, the positive effects will be felt as far away as Clare.

‘The company was founded by my father, John Snr, who came from farming stock outside of Miltown Malbay,” said John Cleary Jnr.

“The company has been grow- ing well over the years and we have completed developments totalling around 250 to date. This projects is a major contract for us and will see the

construction of a 1,400 square foot hospital in Cork.

“The company has it’s roots in Clare and we are always looking to provide opportunity for Clare-based businesses and builder whenever we can. We have a number of people from Clare working for our compa- ny but, as well as that, we try to use Clare contractors whenever we can.

“Ennis Lifts for example have been contracted to provide all the lifts for this hospital – a contract which is worth in the region of €400,000. Whelan’s were also heavily involved

in the early stages of construction, and provided all the pre-cast con- crete work in a contract worth more Were oe mpsesbelONe

“We still have a house up in Mil- town Malbay, and we are always up there at the weekend to go fishing or just enjoy the area.”

Besides creating almost 160 jobs during construction, the new hos- pital will also create 350 new posi- tions when the hospital is officially opened next April. This will consist of at least 75 doctors on site with some 100 ancillary staff.

THE coveted Mr Ireland title has made its way to Shannon.

Kamal Ibrahim (23) has achieved the honour, having fought off compe- tition from nine other finalists, at the Strand Hotel in Limerick last week.

He has now won the right to com- pete in the Mr World competition in Korea in September, while he has also secured a €25,000 contract with a top modelling agency in Dublin. A native of Thomondgate in Limerick, Kamal currently lives in Shannon with his Polish-born girlfriend, An- eta, who is an airhostess with Rya- ene

Kamal was born in Limerick, but his exotic looks are due to his mother hailing from Italy and his father from Nigeria.

Kamal works as a security supervi- sor in the Trinity Rooms in Limer- ick. He has also modelled with the Celia Holman Lee agency in Limer- ick for the past five years. Up until six months ago, he also worked as a recruitment consultant.

He thoroughly enjoys modelling and was thrilled to win the Mr Ire- land title. He will now avail of a

€25,000 contract with John Comp- ton modelling agency in Dublin.

He represented Clare in the Mr Ire- land competition, but did not rate his chances of winning the contest.

“I entered only four weeks before it started. I wasn’t in it to win. I was

in it for the experience. However, as I learned more about it, it changed and I was preparing myself for it,” he said.

“The competition was based on physique and looks, while character and personality were important,” he added.

Participants had to model three dif- ferent outfits and engage in a ques- tions and answers session with the judges. Everyone was judged on a points-based system and Kamal was the outright winner in the end.

As he savours the success, Kamal will now prepare for the Mr World

contest. He will spend four weeks in Korea for the competition. “I am go- ing to be training to get into shape. There will be a lot more gym and a lot more dieting. There will be a lot of work with my agent with regard to public speaking,” he said.

He is optimistic about his chances of success in Korea.

“IT am over the moon. I am really focused on what it is I want to do. I have every intention of going to Mr World and winning it and bringing it back,” he enthused.

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