Month: August 2011

A PROPOSAL from the Food Safety Authority to ban the sale of all unpasteurised milk will not effect plans by North Clare farmers to sell milk directly to the consumers. New Quay farmers Brid and Roger Fahy had planned to develop a number of milk dispensers in shops around the North Clare area where people could bring their own reusable containers and buy milk directly from the farmers.

The Fahys, who also own the Linnalla home made ice-cream company, have put the project on hold for the moment because of the recession but do plan to return to the direct sales model in the coming years.

According to Brid Fahy, the proposal put forward by the Food Safety Authority, while unusual, will not hurt their own business.

“The Food Safety Authority seem to want to ban it [the sale of all uspasteurised milk] even though it is something that is on sale commonly in many other countries all over Europe. It does seem to be a strange one but honestly there is very little unpasteurised milk out there,” she said. “I think that it’s is a case of somebody making a job for themselves – there are so few people producing milk which is unpasteurised at the moment. I really don’t think this will make a huge difference for people.

“We haven’t started up the milk vending machines yet but we had planned to put pasteurised milk into that and not unpasteurised. The only difference between our milk and milk that you would buy in a shop is that our milk would not be homogenised – which is something that many people would see as having a lot of health benefits.

“We haven’t been able to go ahead with that plan yet – we have been concentrating on getting the ice-cream business on a firmer footing but milk vending machines are something that we would intend to do in the future.

“Most of the people who want unpasteurised milk really want it because they want unhomogenised milk. In homogenised milk the cream on top or fat cells have become mixed with the milk so that you can’t take the milk without the cream.

“There is a wave against homogenised milk because it is believed that the broken down fat cells can go straight into the blood stream and in that way cause more damage to the body.”

THE establishment of a Certificate of Irishness could bring five million tourists to the mid-west region over a ten-year period.

That’s according to Clare County Councillor James Breen, who is strongly in favour of the establish- ment of the scheme, as proposed by Quin resident Gerry O’Neill.

Cllr Breen has endorsed the campaign established by Mr O’Neill and raised the issue at a meeting of Clare County Council last year.

“There are over 80 million people of Irish decent living in the US. I think this can turn Shannon Airport into what it was like in the Brendan O’Regan era,” he said.

He said that if the scheme is put on a firm footing by the government, the mid-west should be given priority, given that it is the brainchild of a man living in County Clare.

“It should be in the mid-west. We should get chartered flights into Shannon again. We want something in the west to make Shannon viable.”

“The idea was hatched in the midwest. There should be a central point in Shannon and people can travel around Ireland from there,” he told The Clare People . “I personally believe that it would bring over five million tourists into Shannon over 10 years. It will lead to strong links being forged,” he said.

He said that the introduction of such a scheme would bring pride to those of Irish ancestry. “Irish people are so proud of their heritage. The economy can be boosted. We can make Shannon Airport viable and into profit.”

A LOVE for Shannon, coupled with a fascination with the US, are behind an international initiative born in Clare which is expected to be introduced later this year.

81-year-old Gerry O’Neill started out his career in Roscommon County Council before joining Clare County Council in 1958. He moved to Clare as a senior staff officer, dealing mainly with housing and water supplies.

“After a short while in the office I was sent out on the road buying land. I used to go down to Shannon. I was always interested in Shannon. Shannon was a whole series of temporary buildings. Anyone who had a job was working in Shannon. The planes going across the Atlantic were propellor planes.

“I was interested in the Irish. I sat down in Shannon and watched what was going on. I watched people emigrating to America. You were never sure what time a plane was coming in at. People came in from America very well dressed and speaking with fancy accents.

“I got to know Brendan O’Regan. He set up the first duty free shop in the world in Shannon. I was very anxious to go to America and see what America was,” he said.

There the fascination with the US was born. It was developed over the years. His love for Shannon, coupled with his interest in the US, prompted him to set about coming up with an idea to form a permanent link that he hoped would boost Shannon.

In the 60s he looked on as various initiatives were organised in an effort to attract tourists to the mid-west. He feels the formation of a Certificate of Irishness would emulate this in the future.

“Medieval tours were organised and groups visited all the villages along the way like Newmarket-onFergus, Sixmilebridge, Quin and Ballyvaughan. People waved at the buses along the way and made the visitors feel welcome,” he said.

Gerry’s first visit to the US was in 1966 and since then he has built up connections with several people living there. “I went to a Clare Association dinner in New York. There was a huge crowd there, mainly people who went there from Ireland in the 1920s. I heard the band playing The green, green grass of home. I saw old men with tears in their eyes. About 400,000 people left Ireland in the 1920s. There was nothing here so they went to America. I got talking to a few of those. Some of them wanted to come back to Ireland to retire,” he recalled.

Inspired by this, Gerry decided to come up with a way he felt could help those living in the US and at the same time ensuring the Irish economy would be boosted.

“Over the years I brought back a good few people to Ireland and helped them to make contacts to get houses here,” he said.

In 2008, he spotted an article in a national newspaper about the government reaching out to the Irish in the US. He was contacted by a government representative. Arising out of this, he later met with government officials, during which he put forward his idea. He says the proposal was welcomed and is looking forward to it becoming a reality later this year.

He believes a Certificate of Irishness would inspire those with Irish roots to visit here in huge numbers.

“Tourism in Ireland would benefit. They would come all year around,” he said.

A QUIN resident is poised to see his dream come to reality later this year when the government is expected to launch an initiative which will form a solid link between Ireland and America.

Gerry O’Neill, who has lived in Corbally, Quin, for the past 53 years, is a retired employee of Clare County Council. A number of years ago, Gerry – who is a native of Athlone – came up with the idea of presenting an official document which would certify the Irish heritage of those whose ancestors originated in Ireland.

Gerry developed a love for the US through visits to Shannon Airport while working with Clare County Council. He visited the US more than 50 times over the years during which time he developed several connections. Gerry put his idea forward to government officials in 2008 and felt it would provide an economic boost to Ireland through increased visits by those from the US.

Tanáiste Eamon Gilmore said last month that he expected the certificate to be in place by October and was in the process of being established “in direct response to a strong demand for such a scheme from those members of our diaspora who are not entitled to Irish citizenship”.

He said he believed the scheme would provide a practical demonstration of the inclusive approach adopted by successive governments to the di- aspora. However, he stressed that it would not confer any citizenship or other legal rights or entitlements to the successful applicants.

Those who apply for the certificate will be required to submit details of their Irish ancestral connections. Contract negotiations have been completed and it is expected that the process will be finalised in October.

THE grounds of the former Our Lady’s Hospital have been identified as a potential new site for the Ennis Educate Together National School.

The school, which is located opposite the former psychiatric hospital on the Gort Road, caters for around 190 students.

Attempts to find a new site for the school have been ongoing after a proposal to purchase and re-develop the existing site at Cois na hAbhna five years ago proved unsuccessful.

In July members of Ennis Town Council recommended that a report on a proposed variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan be amended to extend the range of uses at Our Lady’s Hospital to include the text medical centre / hospital use.

A new report on proposed modifications to the proposed variation indicates a high number of potential uses for the Our Lady’s site, which is considered to have a “central role in the growth and development of the Clare economy”.

The report states that the site could be used for “technology-related business park, international services, research and development, education, railway station, road link, open space, hotel and ancillary uses, residential with ancillary small-scale retail, medical centre/ hospital use”.

In a reference to potential education uses at Our Lady’s, the report states, “A portion of the site has been identified for the possible relo- cation of the Ennis Educate Together School, and adequate lands exist to facilitate such development”.

The report explains that there are a number of uses currently on the site “but the main building, the former hospital, and vacant land to the rear, are unused”.

The report continues, “There is substantial scope for regeneration of the site and a high quality office complex has recently been completed. The site is considered to have a central role in the growth and development of the Clare economy.

It adds, “The site’s location adjacent to the railway line and its potential for employment creation and commuter trip attraction is such that a new station should be included in any development proposals. This is to assist with Plan objectives to encourage sustainable development and travel and to assist in the continuing revitalisation of the Limerick to Galway railway.”

According to the report the main building lends itself to residential apartment use including a retirement village complex.

It states, “The building is a Protected Structure and any redevelopment for this purpose will have to respect its existing architectural character.”

The report along with all proposed amendments to the proposed variation to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan (2008-2014) are now on public display.

The final date for submissions and observations is September 9.

A CLARE couple are seeking to tap into the online music revolution through a new traditional Irish tunes website.

Thetunesfoundry.com is the brainchild of Matt and Áine Heslin.

Musicians can upload recordings which will then be made available as paid downloads. Customers can also purchase manuscripts and listen to music at different speeds in order to learn tunes.

The couple, who live in Kilmurry McMahon decided to design their own website after musician and composer Áine started searching for a suitable site to make her music available on.

Matt explained, “She wrote some tunes and we were looking for a suitable site to put them on. We couldn’t really find one particularly for Irish music, new Irish tunes. So we set up a website called thetunesfoundry. com and we’re uploading her tunes on to that and then other composers are welcome to upload their tunes. We’ll have them in manuscript; a recording of the tune and people can pay for a download. That’s what we’re at.”

He continued, “We originally thought we would have physical paper distribution of manuscript. It’s just kind of impractical. We took some advice. They advised that it’s ideal for an internet business. That’s why we went that road. We came up with the name after a couple of months. We had different names but this one seemed to click.”

Matt explained that the website offers new composers a chance to bring their music to a global audience.

He said, “There are lots of sites for existing tunes. Any composer and I believe there are maybe six or seven people writing tunes in Clare and maybe they had the same problem we did, with nowhere to put the tunes. It’s an opportunity for musicians and anyone to write new tunes. At the moment we’re looking at the Irish tunes.”

He added, “Even abroad people are always looking for new tunes. There are sites for new tunes but none particularly for new Irish tunes. That’s what we want to do, have a quality website, quality manuscript. They’ll get the tune, the person who wrote it, their name would be on the tune with the copyright. Then they can download the tune as well.”

The website went live on Sunday morning with members of the public getting an opportunity to learn about the service at the Open Fair in the West County Hotel.

Matt said, “There has been very good interest. This is a mixed audience. While people are interested, the person who maybe makes the music isn’t here. But they are emailing me now. So we’ll put them on the site and let them know when we are up and running.”

Having been involved in the running of the first Open Fair back in the early nineties, Matt was excited to be a part of the venture again.

He said, “It’s the exact same buzz when I came in today as I got in 1993. People are just delighted for the opportunity to get out and show what they can do. It’s very rare that you get that opportunity, especially when it’s free.”

THE ‘Yes We Can’ spirit was alive and well in Ennis on Sunday as 91 small Clare businesses participated in the Open Fair.

Almost 1,500 people passed through the doors at the West County Hotel at an event designed to showcase the talents of local craftsmen and service providers.

Exhibitors ranged from bakers to home insulation providers to traditional music websites.

The Open Fair was officially launched by well-known entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den panelist Bob- by Kerr. The fair was also praised by Mayor of Clare Pat Hayes (FF), the Mayor of Ennis, Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) and the Ennis Town Manager, Ger Dollard.

The concept of the Open Fair was first developed in 1992 by Jim Connolly, founder of Rural Resettlement Ireland. The fair was then run in conjunction with Clare VEC.

Speaking at the West County Hotel, Mr Connolly said the event gave small businesses a chance bring their talent to the wider public.

He explained, “What’s happening here is really an exposé of the kind of talent that’s out there. Even though the fair is on today, it’s the people that are there; the exhibitors are making this stuff anyway. It’s a stunning array of talent that we see and nobody knows they’re at it. This whole idea of the Open Fair is a talent-sharing exercise whereby these ordinary people with extraordinary talents brought all their products together, many of them offering services through a website, many offering computer services, a whole range of services.”

He added, “People are not aware of it. It’s not an invention; what I look upon it is common sense in action. That’s really what it is.”

Mr Connolly said the underlying reason for running the fair was to give people “a bit of heart and hope in these recessionary times”.

“You’re kind of exposing yourself in a sense. When you make something that’s very, very personal to you, it takes a bit of courage to put it up in front of your neighbours and take the first step into maybe making a business out of it. That’s what we’re trying to do, it’s an opportunity to take that first step without pressure.”

Mr Connolly, who thanked the West County for providing the exhibition hall free of charge, urged communities around Clare to run their own Open Fairs. He said local groups would be assisted by RRI.

He added, “There is no guarantee that things are going to get any better in this country. We’re on our knees as far as I’m concerned but the human spirit never dies. The philosophy behind this as far as I’m concerned is that it taps into two fundamental human traits: one is the instinct to survive and the second one is their endless potential for creativity. So when you add those two together you have a strong driving force and that’s what produces results at any time. These people have courage, colossal courage.”

WELL known Clare priest and rural campaigner Fr Harry Bohan has called for a complete change in the way that the Church in Ireland is organised – with a return to a style of Church that was originally envisioned by Jesus.

Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, Fr Bohan said that the Church in Ireland had never fully embraced the changes suggested by the second Vatican Council which had resulted in an organised Church which was disconnected from the feeling of the people on the ground.

Fr Bohan said that is was because of this historic disconnect with the people that recent scandals with the Church and subsequent cover-ups were allowed to take place.

“As we look to the future of the Church in Ireland, I think that we have to look to the past – Jesus was a man of the people and the Church in Ireland has been one dominated by the hierarchy of clerics. It has been this top-down attitude which has led to the disconnect which exists between the Church and lay society,” he said.

“I think that we need a new defi- nition of leadership in the Church in Ireland. There has to be a systematic change in the way in which the clergy interacts with lay people. The number of priests are declining and there will be a much bigger role for lay people in the Church but that is not the reason why they must be involved – they should be involved because it is there right to be involved.”

Despite the current crisis in the Irish Church, Fr Bohan is confident that there is a future for organised Catholicism in Ireland.

“When you look back through history, which is something that I like to do, you begin to realise that a crisis like this is not something to be feared. It is through things like this that God brings us closer to his people,” he said.

Fr Bohan also described the recent abuse scandals in the Church – the crimes themselves and the Churches decision to hide from the scandals.

“I can say for certain that I didn’t even know that things like that existed,” he said.

“On two levels I’m appalled with the thing. Firstly, the fact that this kind of crime could have been committed, but secondly, the hiding of it.”

A KILMIHIL woman is celebrating after becoming the first Clare musician in 10 years to take first place in the senior button accordion competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.

Vanessa Millar took the prize at Ireland’s largest festival of traditional music and dance in Cavan earlier this month.

The 25-year-old musician hails from Greygrove in Kilmihil.

Vanessa has being playing classical and traditional music since she was eight years old. She entered her first fleadh competition at under 15 level.

A four time county champion (under 18 and senior), Vanessa has also won four Munster titles.

She is one of the founder members of Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann (CCE) St. Michael’s and is currently Youth Officer with Clare County Board Comhaltas.

Her family are steeped in music. Vanessa’s grandfather, the late Paddy Murphy, was a concert flute player and the late Willie Clancy was a regular visitor to house dances at the old farmhouse at Greygrove. Her late grandaunt, Ida Millar studied classical piano and organ under Music Professor Ernest de Regge (1901-1958), who tragically lost his life in the Carmody’s Hotel disaster in Ennis in 1958. Her grandmother, hails from Kilfenora and Vanessa’s cousins there are keeping the tradi- tion going.

A former student of Clonigulane National School, Vanessa also attended St Michael’s Community College Kilmihil.

Vanessa furthered her studies at National University of Ireland, Galway and completed a masters in Irish traditional music at University of Limerick.

Vanessa said she would like to thank her parents for all the time and effort given to get to this level and to her younger sister, Caoimhe (All Ireland Winner 2010, U18, Button Accordion),

She adds, “Also, a special thanks to her Teacher and Master Accordion maker and former All-Ireland Senior Champion, Martin Connolly, whose help and master classes were invaluable over the last ten years”.

“DON’T let it fail again”. That was the message from local priest Fr Harry Bohan at the official reopening of the Sixmilebridge Mart last Saturday.

Fr Bohan, who was deeply instrumental in the campaign to reopen the mart, warned that the only way that the mart could fail is if the local farmers stopped supporting it.

More than 500 cattle were sold at the mart last Saturday, far exceeding the number hoped for by the management committee. The mart, which was purchased by a co-operative style group of more then 600 local farmers earlier this year, has it’s first day of trade in almost two years.

The premises had been the subject of a protracted negotiations big between the local farmers and Golden Vale Marts (GVM) who had originally the land at almost twice the 300,000 that was paid for it.

According to local farmer Jim Enright, the first day of trading exceeded all expectations, and has firmly put the mart on the road to success. It had been feared that the protracted closure of the mart might have scared away it’s traditional sellers and buyers but that proved not to be the case on Saturday.

“It really was a great day, it exceed- ed all of our expectations. We had a massive crowd of people there for the launch itself and there was also a large crowd both buying and selling,” he told The Clare People yesterday.

“It is now a case of getting people back used to coming to the mart again and Saturday went a long way towards that.

“We had a lot of sellers from Clare but there was also a large crowd from Limerick and Tipperary and even some up from as far away as Kerry. We also had a good number of buyers in from the midlands and from the east coast which is also a good sign. In total we had more then 500 animals up for sale which was a good number.

“Fr Harry also gave a great address to open the mart. He said that if we are too lose this mart again that it would be our own fault for not using it.

“It was a great day overall. At lot of work has done into getting the mart up to scratch. Over the past weeks and months there has been teams of 30 of 40 men down there on the weekend and even in the nighttime cleaning, welding – doing whatever was needed to get the mark back into shape again.”

The Sixmilebridge Mart will be open every Saturday from now on between 12pm and 5pm.