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HUNDREDS of inoculation doses that can prevent bacterial meningi- tis are to be sent out to Clare doc- tors next month, following the trag- ic death of a County Louth toddler.

After media reports on the death of the two-year-old, anxious par- ents began turning up in droves at GPs’ surgeries only to find the doctors did not have supplies of the booster vaccine.

The little boy died while on holi- day abroad, several days after hav- ing been seen at Our Lady Of Lour-

des hospital in Drogheda.

He developed bacterial meningi- tis, despite having been vaccinated against it as an infant.

The child had been thought to have recovered from Haemophilis influenza group B (HiB) but de- veloped meningitis. Children are vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease as babies and given booster vaccinations later on.

The Department of Health has confirmed that supplies of a boost- er vaccine will be made available to Clare GPs over the coming month.

GPs usually have a limited supply of the vaccine, but not enough to cope on an on-going basis with the OCSTeee Neem e-UI orem ON AUST E-Te-VOIA YA

But the Department came in for serious criticism after it emerged that it threw responsibility for the €10 million funding needed for a vaccination campaign back to the Health Services Executive respon- sible for the Louth area.

Dr Niall O’Cleirigh, spokesman for the Irish College of General Practitioners, said that a November date for the roll-out of the booster

vaccine is not soon enough.

“In the light of a child having died, it is not quick enough. Moves should have been made over the summer to have this programme in place,” he said.

A vaccine against the life-threat- ening strain of meningitis 1s includ- ed in the five-in-one immunisation given to all children.

But two months ago, the National Immunisation Advisory Commit- tee urgently recommended that all children under the age of four should be given a booster vaccine.

Of 50,000 children vaccinated since 1996, 38 have developed the disease, despite being vaccinated.

It is believed that there are 200,000 children in need of the booster shots nation-wide.

The Department of Health con- firmed that booster vaccines will be distributed next month and that further supplies will be available in Deore

The shot will be made available free at GPs surgeries and any par- ent who has concerns is urged to contact their family doctor imme- diately.

The high quality of childcare services in Clare laid the foundation for a new approach on the issue in the Mid-West, a confer- ence was told yesterday.

The National Care Plan- ning Project Conference (NCCP), hosted by the HSC was held in Limer-

ick yesterday to analyse the research undertaken by the NCCP. Following a pilot survey of Children in care in the Clare area the National Care Planning Project (NCCP) was estab- lished.

In 1999 the Mid-West- ern Health Board com- missioned the Children’s Research Centre in Trin-

ity College to under take a comprehensive review of the quality and range of services available to chil- dren care and their fami- Wy

Agnes Feely, who carried out the research praised the dedicated, innovative and committed work with chil- dren in Clare. Since then the good work carried out

in Clare has been extended to the entire Mid Western region as a pilot project which was supported by the Department of Health. The project highlighted the importance of evidence based decision making and ongoing evaluation in en- suring the delivery of child care services. It also developed assess-

ment and planning tools for social workers to en- sure that children’s needs are identified at an earlier stage.

Key note speakers at the event were Professor Robby Gilligan from Trin- ity College Dublin, Dr Tim Riley, CEO of two primary Care Trusts in the UK and Dr Valerie O’Brien, UCD.

Thousands of Clare farmers and ploughing enthusiasts are on their way to Mogeely in County Cork today (Tuesday) for the opening of the National Ploughing Cham- pionships. The championships, which will be officially opened by President Mary McAleese, will see some 300 ploughmen and plough- women take part over the three days of competition.

Interestingly, Tuamgraney aid worker Fiona McLysaght will be at the championships helping to promote the work of Concern in Africa. An African village will be recreated at the Cork venue with each of its four huts showcasing an aspect of the work done by the charity agency.

“Over the years, the people of rural Ireland have shown excep- tional generosity to our organisa- tion, with the IFA for example, giving €100,000 to Concern and other agencies after the Tsunami,” said Ms McLysaght who was most recently stationed in Liberia. In all there will be 700 stands at the championships. These stands will represent every aspect of farming life from the serious work of the farming organisations like the IFA and Teagasc to more unusual ven- eb Keny

No less than 14 stands will be occupied by third level institutions showing how the role of education is becoming more important in the

modern farming world. Six stands will deal with health issues includ- ing the Pfizer stand which will of- fer free cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose checks.

For the motor enthusiast the will

be 13 stands, each containing dif- ferent ranges of tractor models on show. And for those farmers keen on capitalising on the natural beau- ty of the of the Irish countryside, there we be 17 stands occupied by representatives of the tourist

industry. Of course it wont be all seriousness at the championships and Ireland most famous gaelgoir, Hector O’hEochagain will be at the ‘Go Racing’ marquee looming to raise a smile.

THE possibility of Shannon library being developed as a theatre and arts centre — at a cost of up to €5 million — has again been raised and hopes are high that the project will get the go-ahead within the next few years.

Town officials and elected rep- resentatives will, over the com- ing months, view a new facility in Selva lcm senCemm im seceUlt-D am KOM ser-l motte visaged for Shannon.

Fine Gael Cllr Tony Mulcahy says there is a strong belief that Shannon needs a facility like this.

“The possibility of a theatre being developed as part of the town cen- tre was proposed a few years ago but this fell by the wayside. There is a belief that the library could be developed into a 250-seater theatre,

while retaining the library at the same time,’ said Cllr Mulcahy.

“T believe it will happen but it will be long-term and we need to put down the parameters now, regard- ing how we can move forward on this,’ he added.

He says groups including the mu- sical society and drama group could avail of the theatre, while various meetings could take place there, along with bingo, dancing and various other events. Some funding would be provided by the Depart- ment of Arts, Clare County Council and local community groups.

Chairman of the Shannon Musical Society, Derek Barrett believes the idea to visit the facility in Thurles is a positive development.

“We are delighted this is back in the public domain again and it is

one thing that would bring the town together. Various groups, societies and community groups would ben- efit from this. It wouldn’t be just a theatre, but it would be a multi-use venue,” said Mr Barrett.

He said a theatre as 1s proposed is a place where children would aspire to perform in, while various music and comedy events could also be staged, spanning a 52-week pro- eramme every year.

“This could be a cinema, theatre and cultural centre. None of these would survive individually, rather they would, together, be a multi- purpose unit. None would be viable on their own,” he said.

He added that Shannon Musical Society will celebrate its 30th anni- versary in February 2008 and “we would hope to be in the theatre by

eto

Shannon Chamber of Commerce is welcoming any development on the creation of a theatre in the town.

“While we are very conscious of both the initial costs and ongoing expenses of running such a facility, I believe the current developers in the town should contribute funding towards such a venture. They have gained considerable tax incentives and savings to-date,” said Chamber CEO Triona McInerney.

“In recent times, there has been an explosion of commercial and residential developments. It is cru- cial that social and cultural outlets are components of this growth, to ensure that a balanced approach to community development is achieved,” added Ms McInerney.

RETIRED employees of Aer Rianta and Aer Lin- gus in Shannon plan to continue to fight for im- proved pensions, following their meeting with the joint Oireachtas committee on Transport in Dub- lin last week. The group plans to protest on Dail Eireann tomorrow (Wednesday), to voice their on- going concerns on the issue.

Jim O’Sullivan, a former employee at Shannon, joined with his colleagues from Dublin and Cork, who made a presentation to the committee on the issue last week.

They are incensed over their pension rates — they claim the average pension at the end of March 2005 was just €14,000, which represents just 39 per cent of their average salary. They argue that despite discretionary increases in the scheme,

since 1990, pensions have fallen behind by 50 per cent, when compared with public service pen- SIONS.

They are particularly concerned that there are no provisions for increases in their pensions, and say that to meet their claims, the scheme needs additional funding.

“We are looking to be given the same rights as civil servants. We are going to keep going. This has to be brought to a conclusion and we have to make sure we are not going around like paupers. We want annual increases in the pension and it 1s time that this is brought to some sort of finality,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

Retired member of staff at Shannon airport, Bri- an Cronin told The Clare People there are hopes to arrange a meeting with Transport Minister Martin Cullen, to discuss the issue.

‘We have to keep pressing right up to the next general election. We are being kicked from gov- ernment to Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta and from Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta back to the govern- ment,’ said Mr Cronin.

Clare-based Senator Timmy Dooley, who is a member of the Oireachtas committee on Trans- port, says the meeting was fruitful.

‘There was a uniformity of understanding across all political parties and there was a recognition that something needs to be done. The committee is now going to get a pensions expert, to review the actuarial evaluation of the scheme.

‘There is a serious issue here and there are con- sequences not just for retired staff but also for people working in the companies at the moment. Their future pensions are likely to face difficul- ties, going into the future,” said Senator Dooley.

A conference to discuss the future of scouting in Ireland will take place at the West County Hotel in Ennis next weekend. For the first time Scouting Ireland are hosting their annual commission- ers conference outside of Dublin. The two day confer- ence will be attended by 70 delegates including national officers who will attempt to outline how best the organi- sation can go forward.

The popularity of sports such as hurling, football and soccer has seen scout num- bers in Ireland fall consist- ently over the past few years. SUicor-KeReteCONUN A ReKoNIG dren enrolled in the scouts in Ennis along with 25 vol- unteers. The Ennis branch of the scouts opened in 1932 and will celebrate its 75th birthday in two years time.

One of the main topics up for discussion will be an evaluation of the organisa- tions Renewed Approach

Programme (RAP), a new initiative designed to make scouting more appealing in the 21st century. “Through RAP we are trying to make scouting more relevant to today’s society, because lets face it scouting isn’t cool an- ymore outside of the sphere of scouting. We are trying to make it appealing and relevant to a lot of other peo- ple. That would be one of the main challenges facing the scouts in Ireland today,’ said Julie Malone

Provincial Commissioner in the western region for scouting Ireland. To address the issue Scouting Ireland have already redesigned its uniform and released stick- ers and banners to make scouting more visible.

“Scouting isn’t just about hiking and the weekly meet- ing in the hall. There are life skills to be learned that other organisations don’t practice such as safety and first aid. These are important skills that you have for life”

ENNIS Town Council has given the go-ahead for a commercial development that is expected to further reyuve- nate the Drumbiggle part of eTom Kenai e

Earlier this year, Pat Hans- bury, Alan Collins and Do- nie and John Dillane lodged plans with the Council for a four storey building to con- tain 18 apartments and four retail units, along with an underground car-park to ac- commodate 46 car-parking Sey: eke

Currently, the site is waste- land opposite Ennis town Council’s Drumbiggle head- quarters and was the former site of the rundown Drumbig- gle flats before they were de- molished by the Council.

The Council subsequently sold the property and plans were lodged for the develop- ment earlier this year.

In its decision, the Council ruled that the development would not seriously injure the amenities of adjacent dwell- ings, is acceptable in terms of traffic safety and is in the interests of proper planning and development.

However, the plan has en- countered opposition from residents in the Buttermarket

area of Ennis. In an objection lodged with the Council, the residents claim that “the de- sign of the proposed structure is more appropriate to a city or sea/harbour location than a central location in a medium size town with streetscape of traditional design.”

SU ileaar Uomo t-b bee mm ner:l mmm lets proposal bears no relation- ship to any development in the vicinity with respect to scale or density and the scale of the building is excessive and will be unduly prominent in its setting with respect to all developments in the gen- eral area.”

They also claim that the building detracts from the visual amenity of the Town SEV o eel Cebuetcanysavloe miei Ker Kor@] Coxe CLO MELCLRU KOR

The residents also raise concerns over the impact the development will have on traffic in the area.

They state: “access to the underground car park is off the side road and will result in large volumes of traffic coming up and down Butter- market Street.

“This street is not capa- ble of taking the volumes of traffic that would be gener- ated by the development. The Council should also note that this street is used extensively

by school children walking to the nearby schools. Traffic generated by the development in these circumstances would be a serious traffic hazard.”

The residents also pointed out that the proposal is lo- cated within Ennis’s archi- tectural conservation area (ACA) where new buildings will be permitted where it can be clearly demonstrated that that such developments reflect the character of the area and its streetscape.

In the planner’s report on the case, it is stated: “the development now proposed, contains 18 apartments. The scale and extent of the pro- posal has now been consider- ably reduced from previous applications.

“The majority of the devel- opment now faces Drumbig- gle Rd. Rear return section has been omitted thereby reducing significantly the im- pact of the development on the adjoining cottages.

“The basement holds 46 car-parking spaces. This is not considered to be of such number that it would give rise to traffic hazard.

The council granted plan- ning permission, subject to 39 conditions including that the developers contribute €217,000.

LADY Gregory will be hon- oured once again this week- end as the Autumn Gather- ing takes place at the Lady Gregory Hotel and Coole Park in Gort.

The gathering, which is in its eleventh year, will include a host of lectures, plays, cul- tural and social events to highlight Lady Gregory’s contribution to the [Irish Lit- eV AYA CAREY

The weekend will be of- ficially launched in_ the Lady Gregory Hotel at 6pm on Friday evening by Ben Kennedy, the great-grandson of Lady Gregory and Ronnie O’Gorman.

This will be followed by the launch of an Italian translation of Lady Grego- ry’s stories for children ed- ited by Dr Rosangela Barone and Melita Catald1.

Saturday will be domi- nated by a series of lectures in Coole Park chaired by Ki- Cie-NO Nye esre KYA

The lectures will cover topics including mythology, shrines and the supernatural and will feature professors Gearoid MacEoin, Miranda Aldhouse-Green and Patri- cia Lysaght.

SW rlemeeldetoubetcmalemeleneey tec pleted on Sunday by a trip to Thoor Ballylee for the pres- entation of a series of poems about Thoor Ballylee by Pe- ter O’Shaughnessy.

The weekend comes to close in the traditional way on Sunday afternoon with tea and barn brack at The Lady Gregory Hotel.

Lady Gregory is_ best known for her work with Yeats and Synge in the for- mation of the Irish National Theatre and the Abbey The- atre Company.

A playwright herself, she gained notoriety not just be- cause of her artistic work but also because of her role as a patron for some of Ireland’s best known writers. She died on May 22, 1932 at the age fo) are OF

can reveal.

The castle, which was built in 1306 by the O’Connor family, has developed a number of deep cracks over the last few years which now Web usrelKo) /MMOOCoMECIE-1OyEDIA MOJO Os loMIINUECOr neko

Dough Castle lies between the seventh and eight hole of the La- hinch Castle Golf Course and has been the subject of a major archi- tectural investigation in recent weeks.

Secretary Manager of the club, Alan Reardon, is currently await- ing the results of the investigation before action can be taken to rein- force the castle.

“We are looking into the situation

at the moment,” said Mr Reardon.

‘There are some cracks that have been developing over the years and we are investigating what is the best way to deal with them. It’s not in danger of falling down too soon.”

The investigation will also at- tempt to uncover as much informa- tion as possible about the castle’s long and proud history.

“We are trying to find out as much as we can about the castle and see if it is a protected struc- ture,’ continued Mr Reardon.

“At that point we can see what kind of grants are available to help fund the work.”

While it is impossible to say for sure the castles current state of dis- repair is blamed by many on the sandy foundations on which it is built.

Sections of the building have col-

lapsed at various times during the nineteenth century and at present only one wall remains fully intact.

Dough Castle was originally founded by the O’Connors at the beginning of the fourteenth cen- elas

Its original name was ‘Dumhach Ui Chonchtir’ which translates roughly as O’Connor’s Sandbank.

The O’Connors were ousted from the castle by the O’Brien family in the time of Elizabeth the first of England.

The current castle dates back to the sixteenth century when it was the property of Sir Donal O’Brien and his family.

The castle was save from dem- olition by ‘Commissioners for overthrowing and demolishing castles in Connacht and Clare’ by a Cromwellian officer named Colo- nel Stubber in 1654.

OVER 40 delegates from eve- ry County and City Enterprise Board in Ireland flocked to La- hinch this week for the eigth annual Association of Assist- ant CEO’s and Business Advi- sors Conference.

The conference, which was being held in Clare for the second time, began in the La- hinch Golf and Leisure Hotel on Wednesday morning and lasted for two days. The pur- pose of the high level meeting was to compare and contrast the different strategies used by the Enterprise Boards from all over the country and to swap ideas and experiences.

The main issue dealt with at the conference was the role of the Central Support Unit

for County Enterprise Boards. The Central Support Unit, which has responsibility for all the Enterprise Boards, has been up to the present time un- der the control of the Depart- ment of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

However, under the new ar- rangements discussed in Lahi- nch this Central Support Unit will now be managed by En- terprise Ireland.

“It is a fairly significant move,’ said Lucy Reidy, Busi- ness Advisor for the Clare County Enterprise Board. “It is going to bring change to the Enterprise boards but at the moment we don’t know exactly how. The decision was taken by the Government in an effort to streamline the work of the agencies.”

Aside from the Central Sup- port Unit the delegates also discussed the importance of design excellence in Irish busi- ness. Mr Sean McNulty, Presi- dent of the Institute of Design- ers in Ireland, spoke about the importance of design for entre- preneurs and outlined the com- petitive gain for entrepreneurs who use creativity in design.

Life long learning was also on the discussion table with Mr Dermot Coughlan, Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learn- ing and Outreach with the Uni- versity of Limerick, speaking to the delegates.

“It was successful and a lot of good ideas came from it,” continued Ms Reidy. “I think that the ideas swapped here will help the micro enterprise sector in the future.”