Month: October 2009

A WEST Clare school has been learning all about life down under while playing host to a contingent from Australia.

A group of 13 students, two teach- ers and three parents enjoyed the hospitality of St Joseph’s School in Spanish Point and the homes of Clare families for the duration of dates Bm YB ES) |

The school visitors from the Clare Valley High School, near Adelaide, were part of a larger contingent of visitors from the area, which is

twinned with Clare.

The youngsters spent two and a half weeks in Clare, sharing class- es with their new Clare friends on some days and going on trips for Oli toace

“It was a great experience for eve- ryone involved,” said school princi- pal, Mary Crawford.

“They all stayed with families in the area and they got to see a lot of the county. They went on trips to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Then the host families took them to hurling and football matches and days out as well.”

The visiting students took classes with the St Joseph’s pupils, but it was anything but hard grind.

They had set dancing lessons from an All-Ireland set dancing cham- pion, traditional Irish music lessons and even learned a few words as CF oerxer

And the adults were not left out of the culture or the craic. They enjoyed pub trad sessions in the evening.

The visitors were treated to a Civ- ic Reception in the county council offices as part of the larger group, which included the mayor of Clare Valley.

“They also went to Dublin and Cork, so they packed quite a bit in,” OME Na Ye

This is the second visit which students from the high school have made to Ireland. The last visit was two years ago and it was so suc- cessful that the school arranged last week’s visit.

Now the west Clare school is con- templating making a return trip to Australia.

“It has been on the cards. We haven’t done it as yet but we are cer- tainly considering it now,” said the principal.

VISITORS to Limerick’s Milk Market in recent weeks have been astounded to hear perfect sean nos singing by a Chinese American lady who calls east Clare home.

Singing is Penelapai Ni Tiung’s passion and she has been behind the very successful Singers’ Club which meets every other month in Lucas’ Pub in Whitegate. It has proved so

popular that she and the singers who Support the club are considering starting a singers night in Scariff.

“I’m happy to travel long distances to sing and I go busking in the mar- ket on Saturday. I thought, why not have a club closer to home?” said Penelapai.

She started the club in Lucas’ and it has become a night that is very well supported. “Someone always brings a guitar and there are all styles of

singing, depending on who’s there. It’s a lovely night and even the bar staff join in. It’s also family friendly as children can come along. It’s free, and the bar is very supportive, lay- ing on some food. Everyone enjoys the night.”

One of the regular singers at the club is Robbie McMahon, who is in his 80s and has won 17 All-Ireland singing competitions. “He comes all the way from Spancill Hill and he

just embodies the spirit of the mu- sic.” she said.

In previous years, there was a small amount of funding from the Arts Council for the club but this year it has yet to materialise.

But that’s not stopping the club from considering holding a night in Scariff and going monthly with their nights between Scariff and White- gate. “We will be meeting this week to consider it,’ said Penelapat.

GARDAI in Shannon are being asked to investigate the origin of fireworks which are in circulation in the town, after a firework was put through the letterbox of the local family resource centre.

The call from Labour Council- lor Tony McMahon came during a debate by local elected representa- tives on how Halloween should be celebrated in the town.

The idea of holding a party, to in- clude a fireworks display, bonfires and games for children, was raised by Fine Gael Councillor Mary BIKINITADOR

However, Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn said while he would support the idea, he could not back the suggestion to organise a bon- nae

“IT cannot support bonfires. It’s against the legislation,’ he said.

Labour Councillor Tony McMa- hon asked could special permission be obtained to have a bonfire.

“While they are nice to look at, fireworks are dangerous. Some ani- mals are badly frightened by fire- works,” he said.

He expressed concern about the easy availability of fireworks.

“They are supposed to be ille- gal and yet there are a lot of them

around town. They are going off al- ready. It is only a matter of time be- fore a child loses an eye or a limb or something. They should be treated a lot more seriously than they are,” |ntemncreBLOe

He called on gardai to investigate Where the fireworks have come from.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said that a firework was inserted into the letterbox at the family resource centre in the town KAN

“All of us are vulnerable if fire- works get into the wrong hands. There is no control. I’d ask that peo- ple be vigilant. We hear every year

that people are getting seriously in- jured,” she said.

Labour’s Greg Duff said that a small minority of people engage in anti-social behaviour around Hal- OW (eroe

“We have to work with the legisla- tion, but I’d hate to see it losing the momentum that we started in previ- ous years in working with groups in the community,” he said.

The mayor of the town, Councillor Sean McLoughlin said a fireworks display could be arranged success- fully, if handled by professional people.

“We definitely should have some- thing for Halloween,’ he said.

A DELEGATION from Ennis Town Council will travel to Langenfeld in December to mark the start of a new partnership between Ennis and the German town.

Town manager Ger Dollard told last Monday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council that representatives from the office of the mayor of Langenfeld had written the council with a view to establishing a partnership between the towns.

“They are very enthusiastic about this. There have been articles in the local media, a lot about the visit by Ali. It’s presented a very positive image of Ennis. They have invited councillors to visit the town in the first week of December and I think,

given the positive image portrayed of Ennis, the council should accept,” said Mr Dollard.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) told the meeting that the council should avail of the opportunity to “build links to Europe”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) asked how much the trip was likely to cost. Mr Dollard responded by saying that the letter received from the mayor’s of- fice stated that the total cost of flights from the German airport of Weiss to Shannon, was likely to be around €60.

Langenfeld is located between the cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf in the German state of Nordhein-West- fallen. It has a population of 59,000 residents.

The link was first proposed in May

when Franz Kolzer, Town Twinning co-coordinator, wrote to Ennis Town Council, on behalf of Mayor of Lan- genfeld, Magnus Staehler.

“This year Ireland is represented in the “Wilkommen Irland/Failte Eire cultural programme, and the people of Langenfeld are getting to know Ireland better through a broad range of cultural, academic and entertain- ment initiatives,’ wrote Mr Kolzer.

He continues, “Langenfeld has been searching to initiate a partnership with an English speaking town for a number of years, but has been so far unsuccessful in this regard. What could be a better result for our Ire- land year than to find a partner town in Ireland? For this reason Ennis has come to our attention.

According to Mr Kolzer, “The

town of Langenfeld would envisage a multifaceted exchange, including at schools level, between sports teams and on a private basis, and we would be delighted if the town of Ennis SJ aT-Nacre Mr mCyBO OBOE: Duma (oA. VA

Ennis is already twinned with the American city of Phoenix and the French town of Saint Paul de Fe- nouillet.

Ennis has been twinned with Phoe- nix, Arizona since 1988. A special Ennis/Phoenix Twinning Board has been in existence since this time with the aim of strengthening the links between the two communities. A successful Student Exchange Pro- gramme is organised annually, which allows students from both communi- ties the opportunity to learn about the others region and country.

IRISH celebrities, mainly RTE Radio and TV personalities, have always had the use of courtesy cars. Now car companies are moving with the times and giving cars to young peo- ple and encouraging them to Twitter leLOltL Melos bmn ere ESE

Recently Toyota were looking for people who had blogs or who would twitter after driving their new iQ model. Actresses Tara Leniston and Amy Huberman are Ambassadors for Fiat’s cute 500 and now Ford has got in on the act by giving their new Ka to four young females or so called ‘Ka Friends’ to test.

TV3’s Anna Daly, fashion photog- rapher Lili Forberg, model Nadia Forde plus Giovanni Trapatonni’s interpreter Manuela Spinelli have all got the use of Ford’s baby car for a few months. And you can check out how they are getting on via Facebook at: FordKa Friends, Ireland.

Manuela said that she drove the original Ka and reckons that the new model is as practical and economical

as the first one.

The original Ka has been around since 1996 and it badly needed an upgrade. Ford say they couldn’t af- ford a complete re-design, so the car is based on the same platform as the Fiat Panda and the Fiat 500 and all three cars are built in the same fac- tory in Poland.

The rear end of the Ka is much eas- ier on the eye. It’s now dominated by two huge red light clusters.

I drove a blue model which defi- nitely attracted a bit of attention. Normally I am complaining about the amount of black that dominates the interiors of cars. The interior of the Ka is so bright, you would need sun glass when you sit in.

The seats are cream and the door panels are beige. The interior décor is brightened futher by a splash of blue on the front and back seats. The back seat is small and while it can accommodate two adults, ideally it’s best suited to children.

The only black featured in the inte- rior is on the console that houses the radio controls, air conditioning con-

trols and gear stick. Half of this con- sole is white which provides a lovely contrast. The volume controls for the radio are a bit small, but you do get slave controls on the steering wheel.

Not surprisingly the boot is small, but you do get a full size spare wheel, which in the case of the Ka is not very big.

By giving the car to four young women, rather than two men and two women, Ford is clearly saying that this car 1s aimed at females. Nothing wrong with that.

I found the Ka a nice city run- around and easy to park in tight cor- ners. The only complaint I had was that it was a two-door and I had to use the ignition key to open the boot. Surely it wouldn’t have been too much of a luxury to include a boot release button in the cabin. I would worry that the key might break with constant use.

Prices start at €11,535 for the 1.2 petrol, rising to €15,125 for the 1.3 diesel. Road tax is only €104. So happy motoring or should that be happy tweeting/blogging.

AT the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Ford of Europe is re- vealing the first of a fleet of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) prototypes based on the Ford Focus, and spe- cially developed to participate in the UK Government’s ‘Ultra-Low Car- bon Vehicles’ demonstration initia- tive next year.

The research programme aims to test the technology’s suitability for potential future application in Ford’s European passenger car range.

A consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and Strathclyde University will use the fleet of fifteen prototype Ford Focus BEV vehicles and a charging infrastructure in and around the London Borough of Hil- lingdon from early 2010. The vehi- cles will be used by both the Scottish and Southern as well as a number of evaluation drivers located in Hilling- lore

This new BEV demonstration fleet is being developed partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which promotes innovative industry- led projects that reduce CO2 while benefitting the country’s transport Ao 00F

“Electrification is a key element in the effective use of Ford’s global re- sources and talents,” John Fleming, Chairman & CEO Ford of Europe said. “The development of this fleet of Focus BEV prototypes is an im- portant step in our goal of delivering more efficient and sustainable mobil- ity solutions that are affordable and practical for our customers. We are looking forward to working with the various project partners on develop- ing a realistic solution and viable market for electric vehicles both in the UK and Europe.”

The Focus BEV prototype is based on the current European Ford Focus

and will use a new all-electric pow- ertrain, provided by the strategic supplier Magna. This technology is based on that being developed for Ford’s new-generation C-sized glo- bal vehicle architecture and which will be launched in North America in 2011.

To evaluate whether this technol- ogy is suitable for European road and driving conditions, a fleet of fifteen European Focus BEV prototypes is being built. These cars will deliver local zero emission mobility with-

out constraining the user needs and providing room for five passengers, a practical boot and other Ford Focus AAO WL OLE Kone

Under the skin of the Ford Focus prototypes is a state-of-the-art lithi- um-ion battery pack with the capac- ity of 23kWh and a chassis-mounted 100-kilowatt permanent-magnet electric traction motor. The BEV will have a range of up tol20 km (75 miles) and a top speed of up to 136 km/h (85 mph). Charging the batter- ies will take between 6-8 hours using

a common 230 volt grid.

The prototype incorporates key components from Ford’s proven North American hybrid technology, including the electric climate control system. The high-voltage air-condi- tioning compressor is a key feature of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recently introduced in the North American market.

The successful co-operation that is allowing this UK programme to proceed also shows the potential for similar prototype vehicle fleets to be

considered for trials in other Euro- pean countries.

The Focus BEV prototype being revealed at Frankfurt joins the Ford Tourneo Connect BEV Concept which had its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

Like the Focus BEV prototype, the Tourneo Connect BEV Concept dem- onstrates how Ford Motor Compa- ny’s aggressive electric vehicle plan announced at the start of this year is extending its potential to Europe.

Thumbs up for business week

The big sale: More houses for sale in Clare than ever before

TROUBLEMAKERS from Limerick are not welcome in Shannon — that’s the overwhelming message delivered by town councillors.

The issue was raised at a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, where Councillor Gerry Flynn (In- dependent), called for the council to condemn the decision by the county council to participate in the regional aLOLeRSbaveanie eel Ko ate

He made reference to a debate a year ago. During that debate, Shan- non town councillors voted to have no hand, act or part in any decision to

move undesirable people to the town, after concern was expressed about an upsurge in anti-social behaviour in the area.

“We got a fair old roasting when we said we wanted no hand, act or part in the regeneration programme,’ said Cllr Flynn.

“In Shannon alone we have 495 on the housing list and not too far off 2,000 in the county. I don’t think we should be expected to deal with problems in the neighbouring coun- ty,’ he said.

““€’750,000 has been made available to buy dwellings in County Clare, for people from the regeneration areas.

I didn’t support it then (last year). I don’t support it now,” he said.

Labour councillor Tony McMahon said that those on the social hous- ing waiting list in Shannon should be given priority in the event of any houses becoming available.

‘We have had experience in Shan- non of tenants coming out from the Limerick area. The havoc they have wreaked in Shannon was absolutely frightening. We have all been fright- ened of what happened in the past. I’d rather if they bypassed Shannon and found accommodation in the area where they come from,” he said.

His party colleague Greg Duff said

he would not get involved in gener- alisation or scapegoating the people of Limerick.

Fine Gael councillor Tony Mulcahy said that in the past, Clare County Council sold 17 houses and the elect- ed members had nothing to do with i

“I’d prefer a scenario where we have some control. Twelve months ago we didn’t have any control,” he reiterated..

Shannon Town Manager Bernadette Kinsella said that the €750,000 was ring-fenced. “We can’t use it for any other purpose. We can only use it to rehouse families from the Limerick

regeneration area.

“Limerick City Council purchased 17 houses in Clare. We weren’t con- sulted in any way. There isn’t large scale interest at this stage from fami- lies from the regeneration areas mov- ing to Clare,” she said.

Three families, she said, had ex- pressed interest by the middle of the year, but one of those since changed its position.

Asked by the mayor of Shannon, Councillor Sean McLoughlin was there interest in Shannon, she said, “We are not looking at acquiring the three or four houses in the Shannon area.”

RESIDENTS say a fence along the river bank at Willow Park, Ennis needs to be replaced and improved to prevent “‘loss of life at the estate”.

In a letter to Ennis Town Coun- cillors, Michelle Hanrahan, Chair- person of the Willow Park residents committee, outlines a series of health and safety concerns.

Apart from the danger posed by the

river to children, residents also have concerns over a 400-volt ESB trans- former, traffic volumes and street lighting.

The letter states, “Our green area 1s adjacent to the river bank with very poor fencing. There is an urgent need to replace and improve this fencing in order to ensure that there is no loss of life at the estate. The residents feel that the fence requires to be at least six feet in height (similar to other

estates along the river banks) Our estate has a large number of house- holds with young children”

It continues, “Due to the filling of the green area, the ESB 3 Phase mains transformer (400 volt) is too low. This requires it to be raised or appropriately fenced off to ensure that our children are safe”.

Ms Hanrahan continues, “With the increase in housing along the Watery Road. The impact has been that the

junction of Sandfield/Watery Road, poses many dangers. Access to main roads leads to traffic congestion.

This is due mainly to the fact that a two lane traffic ease of access only occurs at the top of the road – we would ask that consideration be given to removing some of the grass verge in order to accommodate and lengthen the two lane access,’ the leter concluded.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) has wel-

comed Ennis Town Council’s plan to improve pedestrian access in the area.

‘IT wish to welcome plans to put in place pedestrian traffic lights follow- ing discussions over the last couple o) mp ssleynlaatce

“I raised the remainder of these issues at the October meeting and I acknowledge your commitment to review them,’ the Fine Gael council- lor stated.