Month: May 2011

GARDAÍ in Ennis are following a definite line of enquiry after a scam involving the office of the Bishop of Killaloe and businesses in the town.

€ 3,000 worth of electrical goods were fraudulently ordered for the Bishop by an individual, during a number of transactions. A member of staff at the Diocesan office’s name was used by the individual who ordered the goods. A request was made that the goods would be collected at another business in the town and that the invoice be sent to the Diocesan office in Ennis.

A version of the Diocesan office stationery and the Bishop’s signature were used to confirm the order.

However, the Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly and his staff didn’t have any knowledge of the order and did not receive any of the goods.

The Diocesan office was alerted to the incident when it received a phone call from the business indicating that the remainder of the order was ready for collection. This was after part of it had been collected by an unknown individual from another business premises.

Gardaí say that a number of transactions were carried out in recent weeks, but that similar issues have not arisen previously and say this is an “isolated incident”.

“We are following a line of enquiry on it,” said Ennis Superintendent Peter Duff.

“There were a few incidents but it is not endemic of a crime wave,” he said.

He advised business people in Ennis to be mindful of this incident. “If people get orders in a person’s name, they should check did they make an order. We would encourage all suppliers of goods to deliver to the address on the order,” said Supt Duff.

Killaloe Diocesan Communications Officer Fr Brendan Quinlivan said, “When we became aware of it, we contacted the guards straightaway.”

“We felt it was important to alert people, in case they got caught up in the scam,” he said.

“The idea was they would be left somewhere to be collected after office hours. This is the first time our offices have been used in this way. The Bishop would be very unhappy that his name and the Diocesan office would be used to perpetrate a fraud on small businesses especially in the current climate when they are trying to survive. Ennis is a small town. Trust erodes when you have to put businesses on alert,” he added.

TEACHING AT three of Clare’s second level schools has been praised by the Department of Education and Skills. The department has made positive remarks after carrying out inspections at St Flannan’s College, Ennis; Ennistymon Vocational School and St John Bosco Community College, Cahercon, Kildysart.

Subject inspections were carried out at all three schools. Geography was the chosen subject at St Flannan’s; Construction Studies was inspected in Ennistymon, while Guidance was inspected at Cahercon.

According to the report, teaching and learning in Geography was “very good” at St Flannan’s. It stated that the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning had a very positive impact on students’ learning.

The uptake of Geography in senior cycle was strong, while the achievement by students in examinations was described as “very good”. The inspectors encouraged the school to build on its “very good practice” by introducing assessment-for-learning strategies into lessons. It also suggested that the Transition Year plan for Geography be further developed.

The teaching of Guidance at St John Bosco Community College was also praised by the inspectors. They concluded that students are well supported and that Guidance is perceived appropriately in the school.

According to the report, the facilities for the subject are good, while the Guidance department has engaged with the community and with parents. The inspectors have made a number of recommendations including that a whole-school guidance planning team be established.

The teaching of Construction Studies at Ennistymon Vocational School was also praised by the inspectors. They noted that support for the subject is “very good with regard to the supply of resources such as tools, equipment and materials”. It also noted that provision for students to study Construction in the school is very good.

“The quality of teaching and learning observed in the course of the inspection was at all times very high. The voice of the students formed a central part of the lessons,” stated the report.

In total, 44 school inspection reports were published by the Department last week. Subject inspection reports evaluate the teaching and learning of specific subjects in second-level schools.

THERE’S was no chance for President Barack Obama to echo the famous words of “seeing old Shannon’s face again” – used by President John F Kennedy on the runway of Clare’s international airport as he left Ireland in 1963 after his historic State visit.

The airport link was still present in Moneygall on Monday on the double. President Obama spoke of drinking Guinness in Shannon when he made a whistle-stop visit to his ancestral home during his brief one-day stay in Ireland, while a former Scariff Garda told of his brush with the Kennedy clan at the airport 44 years ago.

Garda Mick O’Dwyer was on duty in Shannon in 1967 when President Kennedy’s wife, Jackie, daughter Caroline and son John Jnr left Ireland through the airport after holidaying in Waterford.

“There was a massive crowd and we were trying to hold them back,” he re- called of the Kennedys’ visit.

“She (Jackie) had a hold of the two children by the hands and the young fella, John Jnr, had a small plastic bucket with seashells and a book. He passed by me and this little book entitled Spr ings of India n Wisdom

THE founder of a local charity shop has started a new project aimed at giving disadvantaged children a chance to play music. Mary Moroney of the Somalia Shop is looking for donations of musical instruments.

Founded by Mary in 1992, the shop, which trades in second-hand goods, supports local and international aid organisations, including Clare Haven House, the Clare branch of Alzheimer’s Ireland, and others. Mary explained that while money has been raised for charities operating in Africa and Eastern Europe, the shop has also been strongly supportive of local causes and groups.

She said, “With the recession hitting hard down here, we are committed to helping our local causes. In fact, we’re trying to bring some joy to under-priviliged children by collecting and donating musical instruments. We hope to continue with this project for some time.”

Mary added that the shop are always looking for donations. She said that there are also plans to hold an auction at the shop in the coming weeks.

For more details on the music project or any of the work done by the Somalia Shop, contact Mary at 065 6824882.

AN ENNIS man who has played an active role in youth services in Clare for over 10 years has been elected to the board of Youth Work Ireland.

Glen Guilfoyle became involved with Clare Youth Service (CYS) as a young child participating initially in the Summer Camps Programme before joining his local youth club as a teenager. He was an active member of the Cloughleigh Youth Club where he excelled in debating.

He participated in national and international youth exchanges and represented the youth service at a number of international conferences. As a teenager, Glen was active as a senior member ( junior leader) in the youth club and volunteered with the youth cafe ‘Elmo’s Attic’ and the Summer Camps Programme for several years.

At 18, Glen became an adult volunteer with the Cloughleigh Youth Club and the HUB Cafe, which is an alcohol- and drug-free project for over18s. He remained an active volunteer throughout his years at college where he studied economics, sociology and politics.

He worked as the Welfare Officer in NUI, Galway Students’ Union from 2002 to 2003 before serving as the Welfare Officer for the Union of Students in Ireland from 2003 to 2004. Here he was responsible for representing and lobbying on behalf of third-level students as well as coordinating campaigns across 50 colleges.

He joined the staff of Clare Youth Service in 2005 where he worked primarily in Club Development and as an outreach worker on a number of projects targeting ‘hard to reach’ and ‘at risk’ young people. He has worked on both rural and urbanbased projects as well as in the area of volunteer support and training.

He left CYS late in 2010 and is currently working in a community-based youth project in Limerick City.

The board of Clare Youth Service proposed Glen for the YWI board. Margaret Slattery, CEO said, “Glen is a strong candidate and will be a real asset for the board of Youth Work Ireland. His wide experience of the realities of volunteering and working in the sector combined with his education and prior work experience make him an ideal candidate.”

As a co-ordinating and development agency for youth services throughout the country, Youth Work Ireland has, since 1962, sought to give voice to the needs and aspirations of young people, to support and encourage trained volunteers and staff and ultimately, to improve the quality of life for young people in the context of community based youth services.

AN association with one of the stars of world rugby has helped transform a small Shannon company into a major player in the sports and nutrition market, a meeting has heard.

Founded in 2007, ABC Nutrition manufactures sports and health nutrition products for domestic and international markets.

The company sells a wide range of products, including muscle gain supplements, which are developed from dairy proteins.

Last year, the company was a winner at the national enterprise awards and in 2009 claimed the Bord Bia small business award. Ten people are employed at ABC, which recorded a 50 per cent increase in sales in 2010.

The company’s rise at a time of economic uncertainty was described by co-founder Willie Wixtead at a public meeting in Ennis on Thursday.

Organised by the Clare branch of Network Ireland, the event placed the spotlight on Clare companies who had set up and prospered in what branch president Alice Carroll called “the teeth of the recession”.

A native of Broadford, Mr Wixtead said the company is currently exporting to 12 countries. Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom are among ABC’s biggest markets while further business opportunities are emerging in Eastern Europe, he said.

Mr Wixtead, who earned his qualifications in food technology at the University of Limerick, said that exports account for around 85 per cent of the company’s total sales. He described sports and health nutrition as a “buoyant market” and said the company’s success was linked to Ireland’s reputation as one of the world’s premium producers of dairy products.

Rocky Elsom, captain of the Australian rugby team, is one of ABC’s most well-known customers while the company also manufactures products for GAA players and professional boxers. Mr Wixtead said, “We’ve been able to deal with people at a high level which has been good for the company”.

Recalling his own company’s difficulties during it’s first year of operation, Mr Wixtead, who played hurling for Broadford, urged budding entrepreneurs not to be disheartened by early setbacks. He said a strong online presence; the netting of a high profile customer and the assistance of state agencies are key factors in creating a successful business.

He added that ABC’s success in winning industry awards was “important not for the glory but for presenting the company to the world.”

STUDENTS from Ennis National School are taking part in a major new study aimed at addressing dyslexia.

Pupils from the school’s reading class are taking part in a research project for 10 to 12-year-olds at the Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College, Dublin. The DEFT study there believes that difficulties in the brain’s executive function system are at the core of dyslexia, and aims to address this through a computer-based brain-training programme.

So far students from the reading class, which caters for children of average or above average intelligence who have difficulties with dyslexia, have travelled to Trinity College to become part of the project.

At the initial visit, they completed pen-and-paper tasks, and computer tasks, while the electrical activity in their brains was measured using an EEG. They will then return to Trinity College and any changes in brain activity and task performance will be noted. The researchers are predicting an “unprecedented level of broadspectrum improvements” as a result of this novel brain function training.

Students have been tackling braintraining programmes, studying for half an hour a day, for eight weeks. The training is aimed at the section of the brain that is linked to difficulties to dyslexia.

Teacher Fiona de Buitleir explained that the college hopes that the research will lead to the development of software to help those struggling with dyslexia. She said students have enjoyed participating in the project. “It’s great for their morale and self-esteem. They get to go to Dublin to do this im- portant job!” she added.