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THE anticipated start date for con- struction of the €80 million Car- nelly House nursing home has been thrown into jeopardy by the decision of two local residents to appeal its planning permission.

Last month, the council gave Stam- er Ltd the go-ahead to proceed with Ireland’s first full-scale retirement village at Carnelly.

The company was hoping to be on site by the end of the year, with the facility opened by the end of 2008.

However, two sisters living locally, Maura and Helen O’Donoghue, have appealed against its development.

An Taisce opposed the planning application when the plan was before the council. However, a spokesman confirmed that the organisation had not lodged an appeal.

In their original objection against the development, the O’Donoghues stated, “The proposed development of 150 houses would be located in rural countryside away from village and services.

‘Therefore, it would be inappropri- ate. It would severely impact on the beautiful character of the area which is comprised of woodland and a vari- ety of wildlife undisturbed for many years.”

The O’Donoghues state that the

wildlife includes the red squirrel, deer, birds and woodcock. These would be disturbed for ever and eventually driven out of the area.

Financial director with the Stamer Group, Tim Kelliher said there was already “a high level of interest be- ing shown by potential residents in the development plans”.

He said, “As part of this €80 mil- lion development, in excess of €3 million is to be expended on restor- ing Carnelly House, its currently derelict courtyard, the grounds and woods, as well as comprehensive conservation measures including the accommodation of a small maternity roost for the Lesser Horseshoe Bat specie.”

Mr Kelliher said, “Once the devel- Opment is complete, Carnelly will be home to up to 300 residents and will create over 100 jobs in the local economy. The retirement village will include 95 houses, 40 apartments and a 64-bed continuing care facility.

“Village facilities include a spa with a 12-metre pool and a specially- equipped gym, a shop, restaurant and bar. The 50 acres of open parkland and woods situated to the front and side of Carnelly House will be com- pletely restored and preserved.

“This parkland and woodland set- ting will offer residents a tranquil setting for a relaxed lifestyle.”

A MAN in his 30s, with an address in North Clare, was set upon and attacked in Limerick prison, just a week after his personal property was damaged by fire.

The attack on the man last week, took place in the B2 wing of the prison.

He was set upon by five other pris- oners, who attacked him with a large piece of wood with a nail attached.

However, the convict, who is serv- ing time for public order and drug offences, swiftly turned the tables on his attackers. He grabbed the weap- on from his attackers and struck two of them – who are both from Limer-

ick city – on their heads. Both were taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital for treatment. The man with an address in North Clare – he is not originally from the county – did not require hospital treatment for his in- juries sustained in the attack.

Sources suggest he was beaten af- ter he failed to co-operate with the group of Limerick men in prison.

Separately, gardai in North Clare are investigating an incident in which the same prisoner’s property was damaged by fire.

The incident happened almost two weeks ago. The man is due to complete his sentence within weeks and is expected to be released next month.

TWO Polish brothers stole 67 bottles of perfume and aftershave after they saw someone else stealing one bot- tle in the duty free shop at Shannon Airport.

Thomaz (25) and Bartosz (24) Legan both pleaded guilty to stealing €3,953.61 worth of cosmetics at the duty free shop on Thursday, March 8 last. The duo initially appeared in court that day and spent a week in custody.

Inspector Kevin Moynihan told Shannon District Court last Thurs- day that the two men were seen tak- ing aftershave and cosmetics and placing them in their suitcases in the duty free shop.

There were 67 bottles of perfume and aftershave in total.

‘When the defendants were arrest-

ed, they readily admitted what they did was wrong and they stated it was a stupid act,’ he said.

Thomaz Legan has two previous convictions in his native Poland.

Defending solicitor Caitriona Car- mody said her clients travelled to Ire- land with perfume they had bought in Poland.

They had intended to sell the per- fume to a contact in Ireland. Howev- er, after arriving here, the two failed to meet that contact.

They were waiting for a flight home when they noticed another person stealing a bottle of perfume from the duty free shop.

“It was an utterly stupid thing to do. They were caught red-handed. They admitted to what they had done,” said Ms Carmody.

Judge Joseph Mangan fined Thomaz €800 and Bartosz €200.

DESPITE intense local speculation to the contrary, Dr Eamon Casey did not return to say Mass in the small south Galway village of Shanaglish over the weekend.

Dr Casey had been expected to take to the alter in Shanaglish for 10am Mass last Sunday, just over a year since he returned from his self imposed exile in the UK in February of 2006,

Dr Casey has been given the official go ahead by the Vatican to return to

saying Mass in public following the completion of an official church in- vestigation into 13 allegations made by Limerick born woman in 2005. Following an investigation, the D1- rector of Public Prosecutions decided in August of last year that Dr Casey had no case to answer in relation to the incidents, which were alleged to have taken place some 30 years ago. Despite been cleared by the DPP, Dr Casey had to wait for the conclusion of the internal church investigation before he returned to active duty. Despite Dr Casey’s no-show, a

large crowd gathered for 10am Mass in Shanaglish on Sunday morning.

Interestingly, the main reading de- livered by local parish priest, Fr Pad- dy Callanan, was that of the Prodigal York

This was followed by a sermon on the topic of forgiveness in which Fr Callanan spoke at length about God’s willingness to forgive.

It is expected that Dr Casey will re- turn to the day-to-day duties of say- ing Mass in the coming weeks, but he is likely to wait for a time in order to avoid excess media attention.

Dr Casey was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and apos- tolic administrator of Kilfenora in alee

Aes OU MRE IHN eres maUllout can woman, Annie Murphy, became public in 1992, Dr Casey resigned as Bishop of Galway and left Ireland to become a missionary in Ecuador be- fore eventually returning to the UK.

IT IS just a matter of time before a major outbreak occurs in the Gort area as a result of poor water quality according to Gort Regional Alliance for Community and the Environment (GRACE).

The warning has come after more than 90,000 people in households to the north of Gort were issued with boil notices last week, following an outbreak of stomach illness thought be cause by cryptosporidium and spread through the drinking water.

More than 40 people were admitted to hospital late last week with similar symptoms including diarrhoea and SiKoyeek-(e) sere: bash eke

“The water in Gort is a disgrace. They are putting two and three times the recommended amount of chlo- rine into the water. Chlorine is car- cinogenic and I would have extreme concerns about the water if they have to put that much into it,” said Niamh Clune of GRACE.

“We are very worried that this could create a serious problem, both in the

short and long-term. The water is al- ways discoloured and Gort is often without water altogether, especially during the summer months.”

A campaign to improve the water supply has been ongoing in Gort for nearly four decades and locals are hopeful that a breakthrough can be made sooner rather than later.

“We are campaigning to get the Re- gional Water Scheme into Gort, but this has been ongoing for 37 years now. It has become a generational quest that gets handed down to sons

and daughters,” continued Dr Clune.

“We have been campaigning for this to be speeded up, but it looks like it will be delayed for another five years Or SO.

“In the meantime we need new pipes to be laid on the Ennis Road and on Crowe Street. Gort 1s con- stantly running out of water and al- though we have received new pumps the pipes themselves are degrading and are prone to breaking and dis- solving away.”

The population of Gort has expand- ed rapidly in recent years putting further pressure on the town’s water supply. Indeed, according to the most recent census figures, the population has ballooned by some 40 per cent in the last eight years. This population increase is believed to have placed even more strain on an already pres- surised water system. With a number of developments nearing completion, the population is predicted to contin- ue to rise over the coming years.

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WARNING bells have been sounded about rogue recruitment agencies who lie to applicants about why they didn’t get a job, send on their CVs without per- mission and bill employers for ‘ghost’ staff they never employed.

A major agency with offices in Gal- way, Cork, Sligo, Dublin and Athlone this week lashed out at, “falling stand- ards, unscrupulous behaviour in an already fragmented and unregulated Th eveLbrsiam Yaa

SUeteBrceuelianets sme ClUbamlOm bKorTN OMI: booming under a national skills short- age in a range of professions and indus- tries. Now the managing director of one of Ireland’s longest established recruit- ment consultancies, Collins McNicho- las, Colman Collins, has been lobbying for nearly seven years for the industry to pep Ker MUI IKeen

“I firmly believe that new legislation is urgently needed if the recruitment industry is ever to be recognised as a provider of professional services.

“The current situation is reaching crisis point. What we have now is a erowing number of agencies — 707 by December 2006 — chasing a reducing number of candidates.

‘This is a recipe for disaster, with em- ployers and job seekers both being short changed in the process.”

Among the horror stories which are brought to the agency are those of cli-

ents whose CVs are sent to firms with- out their permission and who are then bullied by the agency, which demands to represent them.

In other cases, employers complain that some agencies lie to clients about why they didn’t get a job, falsify refer- ence checks or change the client’s email address to get around employers’ IT tracking systems that would otherwise recognise that they already have a cli- ent’s CV.

Several employers have complained that some agencies present invoices for fictional candidates who were never hired by the employer.

One employer who contacted Col- lins McNicholls said that submitting an invoice in excess of the agreed agency rates was a regular tactic of one particu- lar agency.

While many agencies maintain scru- pulous dealings, Collins said, “Every week, one of my consultants tells me a horror story of an employer or a job seeker, about the unprofessional behav- iour and practices of some recruitment agencies.’

Collins said that a “recruitment agen- cy in Ireland can be established with great ease by anyone really, with no formal qualification required and very little monitoring of activities, so the re- sults of the present situation are not only predictable but inevitable…Legislation is the only answer and the sooner the eres wae

THE Labour Relations Commis- sion (LRC) is set to put an improved ‘survival plan’ for Shannon before unions this week that is expected to secure the approval of the 550 work- ers at the airport.

The talks between union and man- agement at Shannon continued until 4am on Friday morning, with steady progress made on agreeing a deal.

Negotiations commenced on Wednesday and continued all day through Thursday.

Chief executive of the LRC, Ki- eran Mulvey is expected to present a package to unions possibly as early as today (Tuesday) at Shannon.

The deadline for any progress be- ing made in the current round of talks is this coming Friday, when the first round of lay-offs will commence among the airport’s 90 temporary SENeR

Twenty-three staff are due to lose their jobs in the first round and the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has also told a second group of tem- porary workers that they will lose their jobs next month.

However, the lay-offs and industri- al action promised if they go ahead, will be diverted if the LRC — as ex- pected — produces a deal that 1s ac- ceptable to both unions and manage- ment.

Executive Chairman, Pat Shana-

han and Airport Director, Martin Moroney along with Head of Hu- man Resources (HR) at the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Damien Lenagh headed up the talks on be- half of management, while Pat Fit- zgerald and Tony Carroll represented SOF A source close to the talks told

STRONGER commitments regard- ing the delivery of broadband serv- ices in Ennis are being sought amid claims Clare could be missing out on thousands of jobs.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council, Councillor Joe Carey stated that many homes in Ennis still had no access to broad- band services.

He called for the council to provide a full report with regard to broad- band services in the county indicat- ing which areas have been enabled and what plans Clare County Coun- cil have to expand the network.

He said, “In reality there is a large part of Ennis that is still without broadband services. No commitment has been given to when it’s going to

start up.”

Responding, Director of Services Community and Enterprise, Tom Coughlan said the council had al- ready submitted proposals for Ennis and Shannon to be included in the Metropolitan Area Networks Pro- eramme (MAN).

“The responsibility for the rollout of broadband services nationally lies with the Department of Communica- tions, Marine and Natural Resourc- oe

“To co-ordinate the delivery of broadband in the Shannon region, Shannon Broadband Company Ltd was established in 2003. This com- pany comprises the six local authori- ties in the mid-west region including Shannon Development.”

Mr Coughlan continued, “The de- partments strategy for broadband

connectivity nationally since 2002 has been on two fronts, The Metro- politan Area Networks Programme (MANs) and the Group Broadband Scheme (GBS). MANs deals with the provision of infrastructure to strategic towns in the country with a population greater than 1500.

“GBS includes towns and commu- nities with a population of less than 1500. Proposals have also been sub- mitted for Ennis and Shannon.

“Government approval and excheq- uer funding will be required for this development. It is anticipated that these projects should be at the plan- ning stage by the end of this year”’

An inadequate broadband infra- structure could also mean that Clare iS missing out on thousands of jobs. That’s according to the Managing Director of Magico.ie, the Ennis

based web design and software de- velopment company.

Paul Montwill said a growing dig- ital divide had emerged between rural and urban areas resulting in a loss of investment, job creation and competitiveness.

Montwill said, “In light of the re- cent significant job losses in the mid- west region, the Government should now look to ways of creating new employment opportunities’.

He continued, “Numerous studies have shown that the development of an advanced communications infra- structure can lead to job creation and retention, increased business effi- ciency, improved education systems, faster industrial growth, increased start-up and entrepreneurial activi- ties, and more productive research and development.”

WALKING around the narrow halls of Ennis National School the one thing you quickly notice are the pic- tures. There’s quite a few of them.

Old grey images, which chart the school’s achievements through the years, be they sporting or other 8 Ion

Grouped among various teamshots of hurlers, footballers, basketballers, soccer players and the few youth- ful, but instantly recognisable faces of future All-Ireland winners, are photos of the Ennis National School band.

Founded by former teachers Sean McDermott and Michael Collins, the band nurtured and encouraged many

aspiring young musicians.

This year marks the 30th anniver- sary of the band’s formation and to celebrate the occasion a special con- cert will be held in Glor this Wednes- day (March 21).

Two schools from Clare; Knocka- nean National School and Ennis National School will be joined by students from Limerick’s Milford National School for a school band’s spectacular. The students will also share the stage with local piper, Michael Coyne.

This is the second year of the event, which was last year held in the con- cert hall of the University of Limer- ee

Organisers decided it would be ap- propriate to acknowledge the contri-

bution made by Sean McDermott to promoting music in the school.

Teacher Fiona de Buitleir explained how the band developed in the early days.

“We only just realised that the band would be going for 30 years this year. When Sean started the band with another teacher at the time Michael Collins, they didn’t know how to play themselves so they were teach- ing themselves as they were teaching the kids.

“They used to say they were one note ahead of the band while they were playing. At that time they didn’t have a set room, so they used to prac- tice in the hallway.”

Ms de Buitleir said the school band was one of the few forums available

Where children could learn to play music.

“If you think about it, 30 years ago there was no maoincheoil or other eroups where kids could go to play.

“It gave the opportunity to children who weren’t necessarily the best at sport or other areas a chance in the limelight, so from that point of view it was important.

“The band has performed in pa- rades and I| think they got to play in Cusack Park one year.”

The full timetable for the concert is: llam – Knockanean; 11.15am – Milford; 11.30am – Ennis national school during which time the 30 years will be acknowledged.

The grand finale will take place at 11.45am.

THE cool dudes from Mullagh know what is good for them.

Everyday during the month of March they are eating their greens and devouring their fruit as part of Bord Bia’s Food Dudes programme.

The programme, launched by Mary Coughlan, Minister for Agriculture and Food and Mary Hanafin, Minis- ter for Education and Science aims to permanently increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables among primary school children both in the school and at home.

Mullagh National School is just one of 50 schools nationwide selected to take part in the programme.

This programme, which was devel- oped by the University of Wales, has delivered effective and long-lasting

results across the primary age range, regardless of gender, school size, and geographic and socio-economic fac- tors.

It is ultimately designed to enable children enjoy healthy diets, and to create a healthy eating culture within schools.

Two of the teaching staff, Mrs Connie Sexton and Ms Brid Keane, of Mullagh National School have attended Department of Education in-service in relation to the delivery of this programme and are currently overseeing its implementation in the school.

The pupils enjoy fruit and vegeta- bles on a daily basis as well as talks and videos explaining the benefits of fruit and vegetables within a healthy hte

More than 30,000 children will

participate in the programme over a three-year period.

The implementation of this pro- gramme was one of the recommen- dations in the recent report from the National Obesity Task Force.

Speaking about the programme in Mullagh National School, Minister Coughlan said, “The results of the National Children’s Food Survey 2005 tell us that currently in Ireland, some one in five children are over- weight or obese. It is therefore impor- tant that we encourage our children to eat healthily and fruit and vegeta- bles are key in that regard. The Food Dudes programme is designed to encourage children to develop a lik- ing for fruit and vegetables through repeated tasting and to maintain this behavioural change over time.”

School principal Séan McMahon

welcomed the initiative.

“Food Dudes is proving to be pop- ular with both parents and children. It has been successful in increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables among children in Mullagh. I see it as a central element of the schools approach to promoting a healthy en- vironment and seeking to instill in pupils a health conscious approach to diet, which will stay with them throughout their lives.

Mar a deir an seanfhocail “Is fearr an slainte na na tainte,” he said.