Month: December 2009

THE Mayor of Clare has donated his €1,000 Christmas card allowance to two local voluntary groups that pro- vide services to children and adults with intellectual and physical dis- abilities.

Presenting ©500 cheques to the Clare Crusaders and the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club, May- or Tony Mulcahy said the county was fortunate to have a number of groups supporting children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. These organisations require funds to continue operating and that was why he diverted his allowance to their re- spective fundraising efforts.”

Commenting on the work of Clare Crusaders, Mayor Mulcahy said they performed an invaluable service ena- bling parents and families of chil- dren with special needs to achieve a better quality of life.

“This wonderful organisation pro- vides a variety of services to over 120 children with special needs in the ar- eas of cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome and a variety of other con- ditions. I wish to compliment the or-

ganisation, which is headed by Ann Norton, for fundraising in excess of € 230,000 from voluntary contribu- tions each year to sustain these vital services.” He also paid tribute to the work carried out by the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club and its volunteers, stating that volunteerism was an integral part of the Special Olympics ethos.

“The movement at local, national and international level would not ex- ist today – and could not have been created – without the time, energy, commitment and enthusiasm of its many volunteers,’ he said.

“Shannon Flyers Special Olym- pics Club is much more than just a sporting organisation. It is about the empowerment of individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and re- spected members of society through sports training and competition.”

The mayor said his contribution would help the club in its prepara- tions for the 2010 Irish Special Ol- ympics at the University of Limerick next June when five athletes from the Shannon club will participate in a range of events.

IRELAND now looks likely to be wiped off the map of “The World’ following the collapse of Ennis-based consortium Larionovo last year.

Dubbed “The World’, the develop- ment is believed to be the largest ever building project undertaken in the modern era. It consists of more than 300 man-made islands off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emir- ates and was designed to be a scale model of the Earth, filled with hotels and tourists attractions.

The Ireland island on the world was bought by Larionovo for €28 million in 2007. The island was meant to feature a marina, a hotel, apartments and villas along with an Irish-themed pub and a recreation of the Giant’s Causeway.

With the Ennis-based company in liquidation for more than a year, and a group of investors mounting a legal challenge to recoup their money, it is unlikely that any progress will be made on the mini-Ireland for some time if at all.

However, it now looks likely that as a result of the recent upturn in the global economy the rest of “The World’ is going to move on without Ireland.

Development company Nakheel says that it has finished the first phase of the project as planned, meaning all the islands themselves are com- plete. They also say that 70 per cent of the projects islands have been sold

and a number of island are to be de- veloped in 2010.

A spokesman for the development company claims that it is “looking forward to the commencement of construction by owners on several islands next year” – with Germany

believed to be one of the islands to be developed in 2010.

According to Nakheel, more than 33 islands have been handed over to developers as of December of 2009.

‘Some foreign media have a wrong perception of such a _ long-term

project,’ said a Nakheel spokesper- son, who estimated that the entire project could be finished as soon as 2015.

The World islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai’s shallow coastal waters and are one of

several artificial island developments in Dubai. The population of Dubai has exploded from just 20,000 peo- ple in 1954 to an estimated 1.7 mil- lion today.

OVER €320,000 was paid out to sur- vivors of clerical sexual abuse in the diocese of Killaloe last year, accord- ing to diocesan accounts for 2008 which were published last week.

Referring to “the ongoing fallout from the appalling tragedy of sexual abuse by a small number of clergy in the past”, Bishop Willie Walsh said that this continues to demand time and resources for healing and rec- onciliation and that €323,507 was paid in 2008 for this purpose. The payment was funded from part of the proceeds raised by the sale of land at the Bishop’s house in Ennis during 2001.

A further €19,152 was spent on child protection measures which

Bishop Walsh said “reflects the com- mitment of the diocese to ensure best practice by all people in our parish communities who work with chil- dren and young people”.

The 2008 accounts show a defecit of €22,403 with gross income of €1,116,923 and total expenditure of €1,139,326. This is in contrast to a surplus of €165,517 for the previous year when expenditure amounted to €878,227.

Stating that he was deeply con- scious of the fact that the accounts were being published at a time when many were facing financial burdens of their own, Bishop Walsh warned that because of the effect of the reces- sion on its income from investments, the diocese would have to depend more heavily on contributions from

parishioners to meet its obligations in the coming years.

The defecit was worsened by bank interest charges on a bridging loan negotiated in April 2008 pending the maturity of an investment the follow- ing September. The collapse in finan- cial markets before the maturity date for the investment left the diocese unable to repay the bank loan which accounted for an interest payment of €102,450 in 2008.

Bishop Walsh said that many par- ishes were helping with the repay- ment of the bank loan to reduce the interest payment for the coming years.

Exactly half of the diocesan in- come in 2008 came directly from the parishes through a 12.5 per cent con- tribution from their normal annual

income. Investments, mainly in the form of dividends from shares, ac- counted for 42 per cent of income but because of the collapse of the finan- cial markets this source of income will be significantly reduced over the next few years.

Despite this, Bishop Walsh said the diocese remains committed to its social, charitable and missionary obligations which have depended heavily on the investment income in the past. That investment income has been largely the source used to support families and others in need – both at home and overseas – and is applied through agencies such as CLARECARE, North Tipperary Community Services and others as well as supporting on-going mission- ary activity.

A YOUNG Lissycasey man who died yesterday has been remembered as a kind person who loved gaelic football.

Brian Casey died in hospital in Limerick following injuries he sus- tained in an incident in Ennis on St Stephen’s night.

The 26-year-old was educated at primary school in Lissycasey and is a former student of St Flannan’s Col- lege, Ennis. Mr Casey, who taught

mechanical drawing, was involved in a relationship with a local girl for several years.

He is survived by his parents Mar- tin and Eileen Casey, brother Niall and two sisters Aileen and Martina, who flew home from Chicago on Sunday night to be by her brother’s bedside in hospital.

Mr Casey’s father is also a well- known figure locally, having worked in the building trade for many years.

Martin Casey was the foreman of the first group of volunteers who

travelled to Missionvale in South Africa with the Building of Hope project two years ago to build a feed- ing centre for Lisseycasey nun, Sr Ethel Normoyle.

Building of Hope organiser, Ol- ive Halpin said she was “absolutely shocked”.

“This is a terrible tragedy for the Caseys and for the whole communi- ty. Martin is a gentleman and he was so generous and kind on the project. My heartfelt sympathy goes to him and to his family,” she said.

Mr Casey was an active member of Lissycasey GAA club. He was a member of the panel when Lissy- casey won the senior football club championship in 2007 and devoted a lot of his time to helping out with the club’s underage football teams.

A relative last night paid tribute to him, describing him as one of the “nicest guys you could ever hope to meet.”

‘He was a great person, always jok- ing and kidding around. He was re- ally one of the nicest guys.”

He was also a keen and committed sportsman.

“He was huge into football. He played with Lissycasey he would have been on the panel when they won the championship. He was mad into football. He also helped out with the training of younger teams at the club. He was big into it,” said the relative.

Locals offered prayers for Brian at a special Mass in Lissycasey on Sun- day night. He will be laid to rest on Thursday.

can reveal that a key member of Cratloe’s his- toric senior championship winning management team could be line for the team trainer’s role.

Fiach O’Loughlin, who is credited with turning Cratloe’s season around after linking up with the squad mid- term, is hotly tipped for the team

trainer’s post — the job seen as cru- cial to the re-building process to be undertaken by Ger O’Loughlin, starting with the National League DOB h Baal las

Fiach O’Loughlin’s prowess as a trainer led Cratloe to their famous county final winning day on Novem- ber 1, ironically the same day that Clare senior players met and voted no confidence in 2009 senior man- ager Mike McNamara.

He came to the training role in Cratloe via professional rugby, hav- ing been a key member and captain of Shannon’s All-Ireland League winning team in 2009. Now, his me- teoric rise in hurling could be capped with landing the plumb county senior or bae cM Oe-BUOUDOTSam [Oly

However, Ger O’Loughlin, who was ratified as new senior man- ager for “at least two years” at last

Thursday’s annual Convention in the Auburn Lodge Hotel is remaining tight-lipped on the make-up of his backroom team.

“T’m only in the job since Thursday evening so the situation is that over the next 5 or 6 days, I will hopefully have that put to bed,” he told

Credit Unions to help bail out flood victims

AS THE year draws to a close, the Burren Chernobyl Project can look back at 12 months of help and progress with some of the most needy people on the planet.

Work has continued at the chil- dren’s orphanages, where groups of volunteers have travelled throughout the year – bringing food, nappies and other invaluable resources.

Great work has also been achieved at some of the adult asylums, where teams of builders and painters have made the place a much more com- fortable one to live in.

“Tt been another really busy year,

with volunteers going out to Goro- dishche and Cherven and more vol- unteers going to Tarasiki for the building work and painting. We are particularly thankful this year given the changed economic circumstanc- es that so many people did volunteer for Burren Chernobyl – particularly the builders, who have had a very bad year. But we still have had build- ers going out to finish some of the building works in the Internats or asylums,” said Cormac McCarthy of the project.

‘Belarus never would have had the best economy anyway, but the eco- nomic downturn does effect every- one, SO we are very conscience that

we need to maintain the fundraising and the donations that people are so generous in giving. It’s always the more needy people who suffer most in a downturn.”

The project has currently a number of Christmas fundraising projects on the go and are also hoping to recruit an experienced pediatri- cian to travel to Belarus in the New Year. Any interested doctor should contact Brian O’Sullivan at medical @burrenchernobyl.ie.

“At the moment we are selling the Burren Chernobyl Christmas cards in all the towns and villages around Clare but if anyone can’t find them they can get them from the main

office. People can also go onto our website and get bank details there or they can donate through our site on my.charity.1e where people can do- nate using their Laser or credit card,” continued Cormac.

“If people want to put on their own fundraising event we can create a page for them on my.charity.ie. We are also looking for a doctor with pediatric experience to head out in the New Year in January with the head of our medical team.”

For more information on any of the projects being run by the Burren Chernobyl Project contact the main office on 7071130 or check out www. burrenchernobyl.ie.

FOUNDED in the wake of the first ever Lisdoonvarna Festival, the Celt- ic T-Shirt Shop has become an insti- tution in north Clare.

Later this month, the Lahinch shop will celebrate three full decades of making some of the most unique clothes ever produced in the county.

To mark this anniversary, the shop has been hosting a competition to find the best picture of someone wearing A Ora Cem Koroma OPM MESA SCoMUe)e (Cn

“It was just after the first Lisdoon- varna Festival that we started. My husband Mike did all of the posters for the Lisdoonvarna Festivals and

after the first festival we got the idea of making tee-shirts. It was just an experiment to see would they work, because in those days people didn’t buy tee-shirts the way they do now,’ said Lisa O’Connor of the Celtic T- shirt Shop.

‘We did more the next year and they worked well again and then Mike got the idea of putting a Celtic design on the tee-shirts. There was noth- ing like that happening at the time, I think there was one other company making tee-shirts with Leprechauns and silly slogans, which was just for tourists really. So we made up a few tee-shirts and took them around to the shops at the end of the season an

they liked them.”

As the tee-shirts became more pop- ular, Lisa and Mike obtained their current shop, right on the promenade in Lahinch and soon people from all over the world would be wearing their iconic Celtic designs.

“It’s exciting to think that people from all over the globe have been into the shop. Printing cannot be re- produced automatically and I think that is what has kept us apart from the other artificial printers around. It’s great that customers can come in and see the printing being done in the shop. There has been a lot of big changes in the business over the years.

“At the start it was all wholesale to the shops and then we got the shop ourselves. In the last year, business has really changed in Lahinch. There are fewer people around and it is tougher for everyone, So we will have to see what comes in the future.”

There is still time to enter the 30th anniversary photo competition, more details are available from www.celt- ict-shirtshop.com.

AN INNOVATIVE project by Kail- rush Community School was proving the ideal Christmas present for west Clare people at home and abroad, at the Christmas market in Kilrush on Thursday last.

The Kilrush secondary school de- veloped a 2010 calendar ‘Present- ing the Past’ featuring the people and places of Kilrush as part of a new Kilrush Local History Group, founded by teacher Laura Hogan in November 2009.

Principal Rock Kirwin – said, “Schools are the heart of every com- munity, so it seems only natural that we should take on the responsibility of researching and recording the his- tory of Kilrush town. We have great plans for our local history group.”

Ms Hogan said, “We’ve been con- sidering establishing a group like this for quite a while. As a history teacher, I’ve always been conscious of the rich historical heritage of the town itself and I’ve tried to use it in class wherever possible. I’ve worked with several classes completing projects on local history, and this is the obvious next step: involving the students themselves in researching and recording the history of their home place.”

The group’s first endeavour, the calendar, features many fascinating photos, which give a glimpse into the past. Many have not been widely seen before, like photos taken from the steeple of St Senan’s Church in one

Others show how iconic local buildings have changed, an 1888 photo of Patterson’s Stores is paired with a photograph of its demolition,

and an interior view of the Church of Ireland over 100 years ago is com- plemented with recent photos of its present use as Teach Cheoul.

The calendar is priced at €10, and has proved an ideal Christmas present.

“We’ve included lots of group pho- tos in the calendar. For example, Mags Rush gave us a fantastic photo

of a mouth-organ band formed in the CBS in 1949, and Pat Galvin kind- ly donated a picture of the Kilrush Scouts in 1954. I think people will be surprised by the amount of names and faces that they will recognise,’ said Ms Hogan.

The calendar is available at many different outlets in Kilrush and cop- ies can also be ordered through Kilr

ushLocalHistoryGroup @ yahoo.com or by visiting Kilrush Local History Group on Facebook.

A BUDDING east Clare writer has been short listed in the Concern

Cecil Woodham Smith Creative Writing Competition 2009.

Ana Flynn from Mountshannon was short listed for the senior cat-

egory of the prestigious international AMEN EOD

The talented young writer is a past pupil of Raheen Wood Steiner

School, Tuamgraney and the Alfa Project, Active Learning for Adoles- cents in Scarriff.

She is currently studying Televi- sion and Digital Film in Ballyfermot College of Further Education, hav- ing deferred, for a year, her place on the honours media degree course in Queen Margaret’s College, Edin- burgh.

Entrants to the Concern creative writing competition were asked to write a letter to President Obama on one of three critical issues; world hunger, climate change in the devel- oping world or child labour.

Ana wrote a letter highlighting child labour from the point of view of a 15-year-old girl from Kenya.

The competition received more than 800 entries from places far and near including Japan, Niger, Liberia, India, USA, UK and of course Ire- land.

Ana’s letter, along with other prize winning and short listed letters, has been published in a book