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THE Department of the Environ- ment has raised concerns about fur- ther development on a floodplain on the outskirts of Ennis. Department officials were reacting to a planning application to Clare County Council by Gareth Kelly.

Mr Kelly has applied for plan- ning permission for a water supply scheme to facilitate the develop- ment of lands at Bunnow, Doora, Skehanagh and Clareabbey.

Officials say that major develop- ment in this low-lying coastal flood- plain area is likely to require up- graded flood defences in the future.

According to the department, this will raise the likelihood of addition- al negative impacts on the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and on sensitive species and wetland sys- tems in the area.

Mr Kelly has applied to have a total of 150 acres of land rezoned from low density housing to resi-

dential, commercial and to remove the flood risk designation.

In response, the council has stated that there is no identified need for additional zoning for development to meet the needs of the plan.

The Department of the Environ- ment has called for a detailed ex- amination of the Kelly application, through the drawing up an Environ- mental Impact Statement (EIS).

“The proposed development is located in and near Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conser- vation (SAC) and on its own and in combination with other plans and projects in the area is likely to have significant negative impacts on the SAC and its conservation objec- tives, including a range of species protected under Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive.

“Significant impacts on the SAC and on Annex II species, including otter, salmon, Lesser Horseshoe Bat and Marsh Fritillary are likely as a result of habitat loss, fragmentation

and degradation, including as a re- sult of changes 1n hydrology and wa- ter quality and a result of increased noise, light and disturbance.

“The proposed development be- cause of its nature, size and location and its association with other major developments in this area — pro- posed, permitted and under con- struction — is likely to have a signifi- cant impact on the environment.”

It goes on, “The site and associat- ed proposed development lands are low-lying and are known to flood extensively.

“A hydrological assessment and flood risk assessment will be re- quired to assess the likely cumula- tive impacts on the hydrology of the area and the need to redevelop or upgrade the flood defence work and the tidal barrage at Clarecastle in the future.”

Officials warn that “the flood risk assessment should be based on ex- treme flood events taking climate and sea level changes into account.”

AN application has been lodged with Clare County Council to rezone al- most 100 acres at Barefield for hous- ing, commercial and community use.

The application for rezoning has been made by Benster Ltd and is one of the 168 submissions made to Clare County Council in relation to the review of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

However, 1n response to the propos-

al, the Council’s Planning Depart- ment has stated, “There is no iden- tified need to zone additional land residential to meet the future needs of the plan period”.

Separately, an application has been made by Crystal Partners to zone land at Gaurus outside Ennis for a local centre and rezone land from limited residential land or ‘other set- tlement land’ to residential.

The planner’s report states, ““The proposal for a local centre is within a larger site zoned residential, located

south of the Knockanean Road, in the eastern Residential Development Area.

“There are two local centres zoned in this area, one at Roslevan one kilometre to the north west, which is partly developed and one south of the Tulla Road approximately 400 metres to the north, which is not de- veloped.

“In reviewing the plan, account will be taken of the ability of the area to absorb a third local centre, the dis- tance between the local centres and

future population growth.”

As part of its plan for the area, Crystal Partners are in negotiation with Doora Barefield parish and in an update to parishioners state, “Crystal Partners developed land and own Roslevan shopping centre and also have development land at Gaurus.

“On these lands, they have offered to provide a site for a 16-teacher school, a pre-school facility and a hurling pitch as part of their develop- ment proposals for the area — this is subject to planning permission being

granted.”

The update continues that the de- velopers “will continue negotiations with our development group in re- lation to the provision of a church, community hall, children’s play- ground and all weather pitches on the Fahy Hall lands in exchange for part of our lands in this area.”

Discussion on the submissions is to take place between members of En- nis Town Council and Clare County Council in the first two weeks of May.

THE fourth Annual Matt O’Connor memorial open sports were held at Crusheen GAA grounds and there was a huge turnout of juvenile ath- letes from all Clare clubs.

The girls U7 50metres saw Sarah O’Donoghue, Kilnaboy, take vic- tory while Conor Malone, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, won the boys ONE

The first double of the evening went to Clodagh Leonard, Marian, in the

girls U8 where she romped home over 100m and 200m.

Wayne Linnane, St Mary’s, pro- duced two outstanding races in the boys U10 when taking double gold in the 100m and 200m.

Niamh Markham, St Mary’s, re- corded a great double in the girls U13 100m and 600m with Catriona Hennessy, Marian, a very impressive winner of the girls UI5 when taking a treble in the 100m, 800m and jun- ior ladies title.

Conor Neylon, Marian, was in fine

form where he took the junior and senior 100 metre titles, with Hilda O’Connor, Ennis Track Club, taking gold in the masters ladies 100m, and Dermot Moran, St Mary’s, took the masters men O50 title.

The senior ladies 1500metres and the Matt O’Connor Memorial Tro- phy went to Sue Garrahy, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, where she led from start to finish to take the title ahead of Marian Burke, St Mary’s, and a surprise third was Caroline Darcy, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North

Clare, who also got engaged on the day.

The senior mens 1500metres team event saw a very big race from Brian Murphy, Marian, taking the field out at a very good pace over the first two laps. With two laps remaining he had opened up a good lead to take the title from Martin Glynn and Pat Hogan, both Ennis Track Club.

Marian AC retained their team title with Brian Murphy, Fergal Smith- wick, Tom Geraghty for a total of eo ie

ENNIS native Selina Moylan is studying Sports and Business Man- agement in University of New Haven Connecticut. Moylan led Munster under 18’s in the 2003 Gaynor Cup, the same year she picked up the Irish Under 19 player of the year award and was named Irish Under 19 cap- tain. Two years later she started her first season on a soccer scholarship with New Haven.

It can be gruelling combining stud- ies and soccer, but Moylan is loving 1

“A week during the season is pret- ty long. Last year on Monday and Tuesday alone we would have done

three hours training by three o’clock on Tuesday. On Monday I’d go to my classes from 8am to lpm, get an hour break then we have training at 2.30 for 90 mins. On Tuesday I go to class from 8.30am to lpm and then we have training again at 2.30pm. We get one day off a week and that is usually Sunday and we have a mini- mum of two games per week.

“Last season at one point we had seven games over a two week span. Those two weeks were pretty hard because we had to go to class and then travel, then come back and do homework.

“It didn’t take me too long to adjust to playing with American players, but I will say that there are very few

of them that know the game.

“The facilities vary at every school as well. You could go to one school that had state of the art facilities and then you could to another one that barely have a field.

“My coach is Brendan Faherty. He is only in his 20’s so he 1s still pretty young and he is still learning, he is a very good coach though. He went over to England to college so he knows the game really well. Soccer is his life, that’s all that needs to be said about him.

“T don’t really keep that much of an eye on the game back home when I’m away. Brendan will tell me about it because he keeps an eye on it. But other than that not really.

“IT would like to see Noel King (Irish ladies manager) give some of the younger players a chance to make it and not just call them in just to make up numbers.

‘I do know that he has given a few of the girls a chance, but there are a lot of us that know we are good enough to play in the team. That is SOMO MUNI OeLBUNToaae

Moylan has certainly made her mark in the US. She has been named on the NSCAA adidas Women’s soc- cer All-America team, which basi- cally means the league picked her in their top 11 players last season. An- other honour for the girl from Ennis who is sure to pick up more as her career progresses.

RIGHT after the game, they were dancing like they’d just won the lot- tery. Inagh/Kilnamona upset the odds and Paddy McGuane was lost in a sea of celebrations. Just after the cup was lifted, he threw his mind back over a rip-roaring game.

“The goal scored by Brendan Long straight after Newmarket’s goal was vital as we were giving a message that we would not lie down against them. Our defence was tremendous to a man with our fast forwards com- ing into the game in the second half. A huge factor in our win was the training of the two squads together all year displaying the unity between the clubs.”He said the plans on how to tackle the final were made well in advance and the unity in the squad was a Springboard to Sunday’s suc- cess.

“On Wednesday night the two panels were training and Donal Ca- hir and I asked the Kilnamona lads to stay on for a few minutes to dis- cuss the Under 21C final on Friday evening and every Inagh man stayed to listen and offer support. The fact that Fergal Keane congratulated the Inagh mentors Noel Hehir and Tom Hogan after we won the C title on Friday showed the respect that now exists between the two clubs and the fantastic work that is being carried out by all mentors in the two clubs”.

Even though they had their eyes firmly set on capturing the title last week, they were taking it just one game at a time all season. It was an approach that worked.

“We took every game in the two erades as the next game to win. No talk ever took place about winning titles. The smaller clubs have players of the highest standards and when

they can join together, they can dis- play this quality. Just because a club is low on numbers does not mean they do not have players as good as those from the strongly populated clubs.”

He also paid tribute to the team they had just beaten.

‘Newmarket played their part in what I hope and feel was a great game to view and we applaud them for their brilliance as champions over the last three years. We modeled our- selves on their high standards and applied our own requirements to achieve the ultimate success. We still won’t get carried away bit I have to say well done to a fantastic bunch of men from the parish”.

IT WAS a big strike for the small man. Inagh and Kilnamona joined forces once more on Sunday and took the catapult to Newmarket-on- Fergus.

David and Goliath stuff. Hard work and belief won through in the end and when the game was done with, the amalgamation had their first ever Under-21 A title.

Newmarket were striving to be- come only the second club ever to secure four titles on the trot — Feakle

did it back in the *80s — but in the end their firepower ran out.

The second half of this game had everything. The champions surging ahead, the underdogs fighting back. Another surge by Newmarket before Inagh/Kilnamona finally got their teeth around the game and rattled off six points in the last ten minutes. Newmarket had only a point to show for the closing stages of the final, before Bernard Gaffney whipped in a bullet from 21-yards. It was saved by Inagh/Kilnamona captain Patrick Kelly in the goal, but David Barrett

flicked the return into the net.

It was a one point game and injury time had just begun. In truth, Inagh/ Kilnamona never looked like leaving it behind them once they flourished in the final quarter but it was breath- less stuff all around.

As a crowd was gathering on the field to see Kelly collect the trophy, County Board chairman Michael McDonagh gushed, “this must be the best game of hurling we’ve seen all season.”

He was right. Out on the field, with the crowd spilling all around him,

Paddy McGuane — who had a major hand in Kilnamona winning the C ti- tle earlier in the weekend — said the day should be seen as a shot in the arm for the smaller clubs of Clare.

“They [smaller clubs] have play- ers of the highest standard and when they can join together, they can put in displays of this quality. Just because a club is low on numbers doesn’t mean they don’t have players as good as those from the strongly populated clubs.”

It should point the way forward for the senior championship to come.

Nothing was taken for granted by the amalgamation as they marched through the season. Step by step until the annexed the big gun on Sunday.

Crusheen were the other big win- ners of the weekend. After a strong start, Broadford died away in the Under 21B final and Crusheen took it easily in the end.

CLARE legend Seamus Clancy has claimed that the county’s football- ers aren’t making the most out of the Paidi O Sé factor and he believes the former Kerry manager took the job TNO Od E:Duomr:| mBeCoMAYanO)a tom ADS ELoe

Speaking to a Sunday newspaper over the weekend, Clare’s only foot-

ball All Star also said a number of Clare footballers are still not pulling their weight.

“It comes down to the players. Some of them are just happy to get on the team. There’s a serious lack of collective will to succeed in Clare. There are a number of lads who are great and busting a gut for the cause but they’re in the minority.”

He said when he heard O Sé was taking over, he thought the county’s footballers would be “knocking on his door to get into his squad. But that didn’t happen. If I was 25 I’d be bursting my arse to impress Paidi be- cause he’d bring out the best in me and the team. He’s proven that.”

Clancy’s comments come after Clare failed to secure Division 3

football next year by finishing in the bottom half of their league group. Now, Clancy believes that Clare struck for a big-name manager a number of years too early. “Bringing in a man at the top wasn’t the right thing to do. Paidi should have been brought into Clare in five years time when there has been a good develop- ment structure firmly in place. When

you have that and a good team com- ing together the time would have been right for someone like Paidi to get the very best out of them.

‘When I was with Clare I was lucky because there were 25 lads who were willing to do everything for the team. When we went out on the field, we went out together. But you can’t say that about Clare now.”

LIFFORD played the Tipperary League in an under 16 friendly over the Easter break and it was the Clare side that emerged victorious on a 1-0 scoreline.

Lifford took the lead in the first half through Toni Lagan. Naomi Carroll hit a rasper of a shot which the keep- er parried. Lagan was lurking in the area and was quickest to react. She pounced on the loose ball, making no mistake from close range.

Lagan and Lifford came close to doubling their lead a few minutes later. She was one on one with the keeper who made a good save.

Captain Cathy Hayes and Niamh O’Dea were outstanding at the heart of the Lifford defence — in the cen- tre half and sweeper positions re- spectively. Laurie Ryan, Caitriona Hennessy and Ashling Darcy were equally as outstanding for the away side.

THE Republic of Ireland schools

team participated in the Celtic Na- tionals Schools’ Championship fea- turing Scotland and Wales and fin- ished in top spot.

There was Clare interest in the form of Naomi Carroll who started against Scotland and come on as a 35th minute substitute against Wales. Maria McMahon also made the squad but had to withdraw due to injury

IRELAND have failed to qualify for the Elite Phase of the under 19

Championships after losing to France in their final group two match.

It started off brightly for the Irish, recording two 1-0 victories over Por- tugal and then the Netherlands with Aine O’Gorman and Diane Caldwell netting the all-decisive winners.

Ireland faced France in their final eroup encounter and with France’s superior goal difference Ireland knew they needed to take all 3 points. De- spite putting in a brave performance they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat, both of the goals coming in the first half.

Each of the group winners takes their place in the finals in Iceland along with the best runners up. Ire- land completed their group in second place with six points and were denied the latter spot by Italy, who qualify with 7 points.

Jennifer Critchley of Lifford was on the squad and played a part in all three games.

She was in the starting line up against Portugal and the Netherlands and she came on as a half time sub- stitute in the game against France.

FAI chief executive John Delaney laid out the vision for underage soc- cer in Clare saying such programmes would a true reflection of the work carried out by the FAI. In his first visit as FAI supremo to Ennis Dela- ney officially kick started the proc- ess that will eventually see a full time County Development Officer appointed to Clare.

The officer will co-ordinate the development of soccer at grassroots level by working closely with clubs, schools, Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council.

Addressing league officials, play- ers, politicians and coaches Dela- ney outlined the vast level of work carried out by the sport’s govern- ing body. In total the FAI caters for 450,000 people a week. The number of coaches now stands at 17,500. By the end of 2007 it is anticipated that a 100 technical staff will bee in situ at the FAI’s new centre of excellence in Abbotstown.

He hailed the work being done by local volunteers as “extraordi-

nary’ and also heaped praise on the achievements of Clare’s Oscar Traynor team.

Speaking after wards Delaney ex- plained how the County Develop- ment Officer would lead to more fo- cused player development.

He said, “That individual will work with the club, the kids, schools devel- oping a mass participation level. The best players will come through at the top. Their role is very much based on getting participation and tackling anti-social issues like obesity, alco- hol abuse/ drug usage, getting girls active in the game. By doing that, the better players will come through always, but soccer in this country is not about the elite level, it’s about participation for everybody who lives TbO MO etemexelbbeL nm aes

Delaney has strong Clare connec- tions. His wife Emer is from Ennis. He counts Clare’s unforgettable All- Ireland win in 1995 as among his fa- vorite sporting moments.

“My wife is from Ennis. Her father was Paddy O’Dea, I think he played football for Clare. Her first cousins were Seamus and Colm Clancy who

won that famous game in 1992 when they won that Munster football final. Her aunty Kitty played in the Kil- fenora Ceili band. My father’s moth- er was a Darcy from Ennis. I used to spend two or three months of my summers in Kilkee. Every summer we’d go to Kilkee for maybe 16 or 17 years of my life. Probably one of my most memorable days outside of soccer would have been 1995 when Clare won the All-Ireland. I was there with Emer, her brothers and her mother and Dad. That was a fantas- tic day. In terms of a sporting occa- sion, to see Clare win an All-Ireland, I don’t think they’d won one since 1914. They’d won the Munster final in 1932 but got beaten by Kilkenny. I think when they won in 1914 Michael O’Hehir’s father was the manager”.

On qualification for the Euro- pean Championships the former St Michaels clubman was cautiously optimistic. He believes the public must be patient.

“You must remember we were a fourth seed going into the group so that means you should finish fourth de facto. That’s not what we are aim-

ing to do. I think everybody should realize we are in transition from where we were. Some of the older players have retired since 2002. I’m very much encouraged by, like I think everybody in the country is, by young Hunt, he scored again for Reading today, Shane Long, Paul McShane, Kevin Doyle, young Darren Gibson who is at Manchester United and on loan at Antwerp, Terry Dixon at Spurs, Billy Clarke from Cork who’s with Ipswich, young McCarthy who’s with Hamilton his grandfather was from Donegal. I think there are a lot of very good players coming through. I think patience is required as we bring those players through. The omens are good”’.

ALL-IRELAND glory came to Clare handball on the double on Saturday as Clare handball played the genera- tion game to stunning effect in Moy- cullen on Saturday evening last.

In the winners enclosure were O’Callaghan’s Mills doubles pair Conor and John Cooney while vet- eran John Kirby of the most famous handball clan of them all added an- other title to his name.

The Cooneys claimed the Under 21 Doubles titles with a hard-earned victory over Mayo’s Dara Reid and Ciaran Burke while Kirby’s latest hour of glory came in the Diamond Masters A Singles.

The doubles final went to a tie- breaking third game, after the open- ing two games were shared. The Cooneys won the first by 21-16, but were taken to a third game after go- ing down 21-16 in the second. How- ever, they came good again in the de- cider to win comfortably by 21-8.

Then Kirby showed that his skills remain undiminished by the years When beating Roscommon’s Pat Clarke by 21-7, 21-17. At the same venue, Lousie Hayes of Tuamgraney put in a fantastic performance in the All-Ireland Junior Ladies singles fi- nal but in the end was just edged out by the single ace by Mayo’s Pauline Gallagher.

Meanwhile, in the Girls Under 17 Singles, Kate Lynch received a bye into the All-Ireland final, as did Ais- ling Fitzgerald and Edel O’Grady in Under 17 Doubles. The coming weekend will be another big one for Clare handballers and handball fol- lowers.

Cappagh in Limerick will the be the place to be on Saturday at 5.30pm as Tuamgraney’s Niall Malone and Di- armaid Nash face Niall Smyth and Ger McGrath of Kilkenny in the All- Ireland Minor Doubles final.

At Crinkle in Offaly on Sunday at 2.00pm Louise Hayes and Ann- Marie Fitzgerald Tuamgraney are in action in the Ladies Junior B Dou- bles final against Roscommon’s Lin- da Connolly and Laura Mannion.

Also on Sunday at 2pm, John Kirby and Jimmy Walsh travel to Cashel for the Diamond Masters ‘A’ Dou- bles final against Kilkenny’s Paddy Reilly and Seamus Reade.