Month: February 2010

WHAT better way to spend Valen- tine’s Day than amidst the breath- taking scenery of north Clare. More than 500 people are expected to turn out for the annual sponsored 10k walk organised by the Clare Branch of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, which takes place in Fanore on Feb- ruary 14.

The annual walk, which usually happens on the first Sunday of the new year, was postponed this year because of the poor weather condi- tions but organisers are confident that a large crowd will still come along and show its support.

Now in its eighth year, the walk has become a charity institution in the north Clare area.

Sponsorship cards are still available locally or from the Alzheimer Socie- ty office in Ennis, but people are also encouraged to come along on the day and donate what they can.

“We have had great support from people in Clare, Galway and Lim- erick and all over getting behind the walk for the last eight years and it’s been a pleasure to do it.

“It’s a very nice walk. It goes from the main road to the green road and then it goes to the grass green road up in Fanore. There is a lovely view out over the sea and over all the Burren,”

said co-organiser, Gerry Howard.

““Tt’s a nice relaxed walk. We have a great celebration on the day with traditional music, dancing and sing- ing in O’Donoghue’s Pub after the walk. We have a great evening after ro

AS in previous years, all proceeds from the walk will go to improve and extend both daycare, homecare and respite services for the Clare branch of the Alzheimer Society.

‘There are very few families who haven’t had some sort of brush with it – either Dementia or Alzheimer’s. When you are organising something like this, you are very much pushing an open door with people. Anyone

who has had experience of it is al- ways great when it comes to pitching in,’ continued Gerry.

“Every bob we make goes into the services in County Clare – there isn’t anything at all spent on administra- tion or anything like that.”

This year’s walk will take place from 12.30pm on Sunday, Feb- ruary 14, starting and _ finishing O’Donoghue’s Pub in Fanore.

Sponsorship cards are still availa- ble from the Alzheimer Society local office at Unit 17 Clonroad Business Park, Ennis on 065 6868621.

Cards are also available locally from Gerard Howard and Brendan Cusack.

THE seaside town of Kilkee, received another blow this week with news that its tourist office is to close.

Despite falling tourism figures the popular holiday town had continued to fight to attract visitors to the area, with such projects as the redevelop- ment of the Sweeney Memorial L1i- brary now underway.

The West Clare Economic Task Force has also been working to en- courage tourists west next summer.

However Shannon Development confirmed that the tourist office, which opens during the summer months, will remain closed perma- eA

An information point is to be in- stalled in its place.

The decision to close what has been described as a “valuable resource for the seaside resort and the surround- ing region’, has been made due to NESE DEED RokI Ne BE SLICE

Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said he has written to those responsible in regional tourism to urge them to re- consider this decision.

“T do not believe that now is the time for us to be removing or scal- ing back on our tourist product. This is not a good long-term decision for Kilkee or the region in general, and I would ask Shannon Development to reconsider the closure of this of- fice. The tourist office in Kilkee is a

vital source of information on what to do and see in the area as well as a way for local business, such as ho- tels, guesthouses and restaurants, to promote their products. It’s removal and closure will have an adverse fi- nancial effect on the local region. It is not a good day for west Clare tour- ism,” he said.

‘The wider picture here is one of Government’s inability to properly fund and develop Ireland’s tourist product. A 12 per cent drop in tour- ist visitors to Ireland last year is very worrying. This coupled with the on- going uncertainty over both Ryanair and Aer Lingus and their business through Shannon Airport are placing huge pressure on the tourist industry

in County Clare. This region was promised a marketing fund post open skies to help sustain and develop our tourist sector. Yet that fund has never materialised. With tourist office now closing on this Government’s watch, it gives some indication of the pres- sures the mid-west region is facing.

“Notwithstanding the difficulties the sector faces, I do not believe that closing the Kilkee Tourist Of- fice will have a net gain for the tax- payer in the long run. Symbolically, the closure of this office will undo much good work that has been done in promoting Kilkee in recent years. I would urge Shannon Development to reconsider this announcement,” he said.

Eimhins team crowing with pride at nomination

COUNCILLORS for east Clare have called for measures to be put in place to ensure that another freeze won’t leave people stranded in their homes in this part of the county.

The chairman of the Killaloe Area Committee of the county council said the council response “was far too slow – it came two weeks too late”. The Fianna Fail councillor compli- mented the community efforts “but we felt powerless – we had no grit for people to spread. Thankfully there were no emergencies in some of the

areas that were completely cut off – short of the coastguard flying in and lifting people out of it, no-one could get to them.”

The members were making sug- gestions for the revised gritting plan which is now being drawn up. Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab) said more of the roads being used to get people into work need to be gritted. “Why can’t we have a situation where the erit is left at a designated point and then the community can help by spreading it?”

Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) said that he felt road crew’s day off on January

5 “could have been put back. A few metres of grit would have sorted out villages like Parteen.”

Cllr Pat Burke (FG) said that the stretch from Cregg Cross to the county boundary needed gritting. “People were coming off gritted stretches on to this one stretch. It was dangerous.”

Cllr Joe Cooney said that he wants “all the regional roads gritted, then people can go on back roads to get on to them and get out”.

Cllr Michael Begley (Ind) that the Clonlara to Sixmilebridge must be included in any plan. “A lot of peo-

ple use that road to go to Shannon and it’s up and down the whole way. It was done in part but there were deadly icy patches and there were a number of unfortunate incidents.”

Senior Engineer, Sean Lenihan said that the majority of the council staff came back early from holidays and did not have the extra day off. “I can’t accept that the reaction was too slow – the staff were out all over Christmas.” He added that an emer- gency line was manned at all times. “No one locked the door behind them and went home to put their feet up. There was always staff on.”

VOLUNTEERING, it’s said, brings it’s own rewards. But an east Clare organisation which is looking for volunteers is happy to give some- thing back to the people who are willing to help out.

Irish Seedsavers, based in Capparoe, Scariff are looking for volunteers and in return will provide free places on their very popular courses.

“We’re looking for people who would volunteer for two hours each week. It doesn’t matter if they have no experience in gardening, what age they are and they don’t have to be super fit or super strong – there are all kinds of jobs to be done and something that will suit everyone,” said Seedsavers spokeswoman, Ger- aldine Tobin.

For every 20 hours the volunteers put in, they will be entitled to a free place on one of the many courses which the registered charity runs.

Seedsavers aim is to preserve native species of trees, grains, vegetables and fruit and to promote sustainable erowing methods.

They also run courses in a range of subjects from cheese making to or- ganic growing and natural brewing.

“Quite apart from the free courses, the volunteers will pick up a lot of knowledge about growing by being here. There will be different levels of knowledge among people in the two groups as well, so people will learn a lot,’ said Geraldine.

One of the projects planned – if enough people show an interest in volunteering – 1s making the gardens at Seedsavers more visitor friendly,

planting native seed and generally beautifying the place.

So that volunteers will know what to expect, there will be an infor- mation and volunteer training day on February 5 from 2pm to 5pm at Seedsavers.

Prospective volunteers will be able to meet staff and see what is involved

in the work as well as getting a tour of the gardens and learning more about the Seedsavers mission.

Volunteer days will be on Tuesday between 2pm and 4pm and Thursday from llam to lpm.

Volunteers can choose either – or both – days and as well as two hours of enjoyable work in a good cause

and can look forward to a place on the very interesting courses. For fur- ther information, contact Seedsavers on 061 921856.

A GROUP which caters for newcom- ers in Shannon is hoping to expand its horizons this year.

The Le Chéile International Club is holding its first get together of 2010 tonight and is hoping to encourage more people to join. The group was set up a few years ago and its aim is to encourage non-nationals moving to Shannon to mingle with each oth- er in a welcoming environment.

According to co-ordinator, Trish

Fallon-Barry, the committee is hop- ing to build on last year’s successes and focus on themes and activities for the year ahead. Although some people have left Shannon and re- turned to their native shores, never- theless there are still people from a wide variety of countries living in the town.

“The main aim of Le Chéile in 2010 will be to expand and be used by and for even more individuals and families from various different na- tionalities and diverse backgrounds

represented currently in Shannon,’ she said.

“An integrated multicultural social club whose catchphrase is ‘Unity in Diversity’ provides, I feel, a welcome and much needed social outlet in the town,’ she added.

“We look forward to involving new members in running the club with whatever talents and contributions they have to offer, whether it be sim- ply by turning up on the night, by taking a lead in organising events, outings or sporting activities, by

sharing cultures and customs, mus!- cal talent or even IT skills. No matter what level of activity or involvement, all participation is gratefully appre- ciated, needed and very welcome.” The meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month at the Shannon Family Resource Centre, starting at 8.30pm. Ms Fallon-Barry paid trib- ute to the staff at the resource centre who make the venue available every month. Anyone interested in joining the group should turn up tonight or call 061 707600 during office hours.

A CHILDCARE facility in Sixmile- bridge is to benefit financially from a mammoth marathon challenge being undertaken by a local resident.

Tom Enright has set himself the task of running nine marathons this year in Ireland and the proceeds will go to Bridge Kidz. Bridge Kidz is a subsidiary of Sixmilebridge and Dis- trict Community Complex and pro- vides a childcare service for children in the area.

Tom (36) has seen the excellent service provided by Bridge Kidz as his youngest son Dylan (2) attends on a regular basis. He was so im- pressed with the facility that he de- cided to raise money for the group and hopes to accumulate €10,000 over the year.

He has set his sights on running marathons in Connemara (April), Limerick, Belfast Burren and Newry (May), Cork (June), Longford (Au- gust), Dingle (September), Dublin (October) and Sixmilebridge (De- cember).

It will be a tough challenge, not least running three marathons in May. Two of those will be run in as many days as the Limerick run on May 2 will be followed by the Bel- fast marathon just 24 hours later. The challenge will get off to a tricky start in Connemara as he has signed up to do the ultra marathon, which is 39 miles, on a tough course.

As part of the challenge, Tom is hoping to encourage 10 people to take part in the Cork marathon and he will provide training for those in- terested in this.

Tom, who 1s a native of Charleville, has ran 17 marathons over the past four years and last year took part in a Clare Crusaders cycle from Malin

Head to Mizen Head.

He explained his decision to run nine marathons this year.

“It started off as a new year’s reso- lution, but it has got a bit more seri- ous than that,’ he said.

He is hoping to encourage people to join him in running part of or all the Cork marathon in June either in- dividually or as part of a relay team. “We are hoping to get 10 people to

sing up and full support will be given to them. All that is required is a will- ingness to do it and a wish to raise some funds for Bridge Kidz,’ said ‘Tom.

It will be a tough challenge, but he is looking forward to it. “I enjoy it because I get a buzz out of it. | am doing something that I enjoy,” he PHO

His ultimate aim would be to raise

€10,000 over the year and is hopeful that he will get the support of the lo- cal community in Sixmilebridge and across the county. “It’s hard to call how much we will raise. It depends on how many people sign up for the marathon in Cork,’ he said.

FORTY-FIVE people last night reaped the rewards of their studies as they received FETAC awards at St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon.

The group took PLC (Post Leaving Certificate) courses in_ childcare, business studies and sports and rec- reation.

The childcare course included a focus on special needs; the business studies course also included secre- tarial and IT skills, while the sports and recreation course featured a wide-ranging programme.

“Tt will allow people to work in a gym, leisure centre or sports com- plex or in primary schools coaching young people. There is a swimming module and water safely and also IT. We feel they need it for running a leisure centre,’ said Bernie Ruane, who is the co-ordinator of the PLC programme at the school.

She explained the idea behind choosing those particular courses. ‘I do a bit of market research to see what people in the locality want and See what our students want,’ she said.

“Some students use these courses to progress to third-level courses. Some of the institutes of technology have reserved places for FETAC ap- plicants,” said Ms Ruane.

Those who take the courses range in age from 18 to 60 and they engage in their studies between September and May (daytime). “If you haven’t done the Leaving Certificate and are aged over 23, you can come into the course,’ she said.

There is a significant level of in- terest in the courses, which also give participants the opportunity to engage in work experience. “There seems to be huge demand for the childcare one since the Health Serv- ice Executive (HSE) got more in- volved in créches and pre-schools.

There is always the need in Shannon for the business course. They have very good data entry skills and very good typing skills,’ said Ms Ruane.

“The courses are very accessible for local people and also for people with families who want to get back into education,’ she said.

Such has been the demand for the courses that there are not always

enough spaces available. “We have had to refuse people. Last year there was a big long waiting list for the sport and leisure,’ she said.

The courses are government-fund- ed and the cost is just €100 for the year. Anyone interested in taking any of the courses for the coming year should phone St Patrick’s Com- prehensive School on 061 361428.

HARD work and dedication are pushing one group of science enthu- siasts towards a place on the podium at the annual Fl in School’s competi- tion.

Team Firedragons are one of two entrants from St Flannan’s College, Ennis, who will take part in the re- gional finals of the competition in Cork on March 2.

This is the fifth year for the com- petition to run in Ireland under the guidance of the Irish Computer So- ciety (ICS) in partnership with Dis- cover Science & Engineering.

The Fl in Schools challenge is an international competition, which now attracts more than 90,000 stu- dents from across the world.

The competition 1s open to sec- ondary schools to design and manu- facture model racing cars. Student teams will compete against each other in a national championship to determine the best-engineered and fastest car in Ireland.

Team members Tim Janssan, Nor- bert Rosik, Eric Mullaly, Christo- pher Ogbonna and Jack O’Dea are hoping the months of hard work and preparation they have devoted to the project will pay off in Cork.

Team Manager, Norbert Rosik de- scribed the work the students have done to get to this stage in the com- petition. “The team has been very consistent and very committed to the project even with the increasing amount of school work due to three of the team members preparing for the Junior Certificate. The qualitfy- ing stage consisted of submitting a five-page plan on how the Firedrag- ons intended to create their project of a 25cm balsa wood Formula One car by showing their research, proposed

budgets, designs etc. In this compe- tition our team will be using com- pressed air canisters to power their model car to achieve scale speeds in excess of 350kmph.”

Artistic Manager, Christopher Og- bonna said the team decided to de- sign a logo in order to set their de- sign apart from competitors. “The Firedragons came up with this logo because it defines us from other

teams as we have a fiery passion for what we do. Apart from this our logo is very unique as it 1s extremely in- tricate.”

Norbert believes the team deserves to get through to the national finals and win because of the amount of ef- fort put in and the results so far ob- tained. He also thanked the group’s science teacher, Michael Horgan, who has encouraged both teams

from St Flannan’s throughout the de- sign process.

The Fl in Schools National Finals will be take place in April. Visit www. linschools.ie for details.

THE Ennis woman behind a popular Facebook page has said she is over- Wwhelmed by the response it has at- tracted so far.

“You’re a true 30-something from Ennis if you remember…’ invites people to share their memories of growing up in Ennis.

The thread was posted on the social networking site Facebook by local woman Fiona O’Sullivan in early Jan- uary. So far it has attracted over 5,000 comments from the almost 1,000 people who have visited the site.

Fiona said she decided to set up the internet thread after seeing a similar one posted about the Cork town of Carrigaline. “I was using Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. My husband is from Cork and I saw that there was a Facebook page about growing up in Carrigaline. It had got about 30 hits when I saw it and I thought Ennis could probably do a bit better.”

Fiona said she has been amazed by the popularity of the site.

“T never thought it would be this popular. It’s amazing the amount of people that have been on there. It has

918 friends and over 500 people have posted comments on it. It’s not do- ing so bad. And people are putting up pictures and links to YouTube, which is great. It really adds to it,” she said

‘I’d never heard some of the stories. I’ve laughed an awful lot at some of them. I loved the ones about the old characters from town and the old games like skipping and things like that. I loved the stories about old shops like Bridie Quigley’s chip shop.”

The site has attracted comments from Ennis people now living in various parts of the world. “There

are people living in Dubai and Aus- tralia who have put stories. There are people using it who I wouldn’t have seen in years. It’s great to see people using it to chat and catch up on old mbes lone

One of the Ennis characters re- membered is the late Michael Tier- ney. Fiona has now started a new site calling for a statue to be erected in memory of Mr Tierney in the market area of Ennis.

“It started off as a bit of a laugh but so far about 350 people have logged onto it so it’s getting kind of serious,” she said.