Category: News

A NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS car enthusiast who has had two major organ transplants is revving up to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation.

Brendan McCarthy underwent a heart and lung transplant in 2000. Five years later, he returned to hospital for another lung transplant. Brendan was forced to undergo the double transplant after being born with a congenital heart condition.

Now Brendan and fellow Newmarket man James Shanagher are aiming to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation by setting off on a sponsored ‘Wheels of the West’ drive around parts of North Clare and South Galway.

However, to take part in the event, drivers’ cars must fall into a specific category. Brendan explains, “It’s been done with the VAG club – Volkswagen and Audi club – so anybody can take part as long as they own a Volkswagen or an Audi.”

After receiving the support of the IHF, Brendan was keen to support the work of the foundation.

He says, “I like driving and I thought this would be a good way to raise money for the Irish Heart foundation… Every year the Irish Heart Foundation helps fund research to help prevent disability and death from heart disease and strokes. This is the reason behind starting the wheels of the west charity drive.”

The drive will set off from Glór car park in Ennis on August 20 at 11am. Brendan says, “We will then continue on to Lahinch followed by the Cliffs of Moher, Liscannor and Ballyvaughan, finishing back in Ennis. On each stop, we will be fundraising on the streets wearing branded t-shirts and using brand buckets all with the logo of the Irish Heart Foundation. The foundation has agreed to send all this equipment to us and has said they are 100 per cent behind the drive.”

Brendan aims to raise € 10,000 and hopes to attract the support of Clare businesses to help him achieve his target.

Anyone wishing to donate can contact Brendan on 087 3885116 or Jamie on 087 7871870 or email wheelsofthewest@gmail.com.

SOME of the Banner county’s finest baking proved tempting enough for one of the biggest names in Hollywood to make a brief stopover in Ballyvaughan last month.

Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg returned to the north Clare village three weeks ago for a bite to eat at the Ballyvaughan Tea Rooms.

The American’s private jet made a stopover in Shannon Airport while en route to the royal wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco. And the chance to taste another slice of homemade baked mixed berry cheesecake was enough to persuade the Oscar-winning filmmaker to spend three hours in Ballyvaughan.

“When he came in, he said ‘I’m back for the cheesecake’. It was a bit surreal,” said Alan Clarke, who, along with Jane O’Donoghue, runs the Ballyvaughan Tea Rooms.

The 64-year-old sat with a group of 10 friends and family members at the back of the premises.

Alan said, “That was the only thing he wanted, a bit of privacy. He’s a very, very nice man, down to earth and his wife is a lovely woman as well. No airs and graces. They just wanted to be treated like normal people.”

Spielberg previously visited Ballyvaughan in 2009 and is known to be a big admirer of the Burren region.

Alan said, “It was a bit surreal to meet him once. You wouldn’t expect him to come back again. You see this guy sitting at the Oscars, one of the most high-profile directors in the world and you never expect him to be sitting down in front of you on a Saturday afternoon. It was unexpected and pleasant.”

He continued, “The last time he came, he loved the cheesecake. He loves the Burren and he loves coming to Ballyvaughan. He’s very open and vocal about it.”

After finishing his meal, Spielberg posed for photos with Alan, Jane and staff. He clearly enjoyed his latest sample of Clare’s hospitality, telling Alan and Jane, “I’ll be back again.”

The Ballyvaughan Tea Rooms were opened by the O’Donoghue family in 1981.

A HORSE was injured when she fell on a cattle grid near Tulla after the lock and chain were cut from the gate of a field over the weekend.

The incident, which is the subject of a garda investigation, occurred between teatime on Friday and 4am on Saturday at Craggo, Tulla.

After the lock and chain were cut from the gate, the horses left the field and one horse, which is in foal, sustained an injury.

Gardaí in Tulla are keen for anyone with information on this incident to contact them.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Kilrush are investigating the theft of 50 used batteries from a garage yard at High Street in the town in the early hours of Thursday morning.

THEY have been part and parcel of big sporting occasions in Clare for 75 years but are the Tulla Pipe Band about to make their mark on the world stage?

Though yet to be confirmed, it is thought that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) are keen to have the legendary band perform at Ireland’s crucial European Championship qualifier against Slovakia in Dublin on September 2.

Having been a fixture at county finals and other major cultural and sporting events including Munster Club and Railway Cup finals, the mooted performance would bring the talents of the men and women of the Tulla Pipe Band to a global audience.

Ireland need to beat Slovakia to cement their place at the top of Group B and further enhance their chances of qualifying for next year’s tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.

Should the band line out in front of Giovanni Trappattoni and Co. at the Aviva stadium; it would surely rank as one of the biggest moments in the 75-year history of the famous pipe band.

The logistics of transporting all 20 band members and their equipment to Dublin would be a challenge but you wouldn’t bet against them rising to the occasion and inspiring the boys in green to a famous victory.

Plans for the band to perform at the game are said to be “99% in place”.

The band left an indelible impression on FAI boss John Delaney and former internationals Ray Houghton and John Aldridge when they performed at the opening of Tulla United’s new € 200,000 community astro turf pitch last month. During the FAI’s weeklong festival of football in Clare, Delaney also revealed that the delegation were “marched” out of a pub in Tulla at 2.30am by the Tulla Pipe Band following a late night in the east Clare village.

The proposed performance would further enhance Tulla’s growing reputation as one of Munster’s football capitals. Tulla United’s Cragg field has already been earmarked by the FAI as a potential venue for an Irish underage international fixture.

Clare will be represented at tomor- row’s international friendly between Ireland and Croatia when Kilrush brothers Kyle and Evan Carmody will serve as flag bearers at the Aviva stadium.

GARDAÍ are preparing a file for the DPP in connection with an accident in which a young Clarecastle man suffered serious injuries.

19-year-old Aaron Considine sustained multiple injuries in an incident at College View on the Clonroadmore in Ennis in the early hours of last Monday, after he was involved in an accident while out walking.

Aaron, who has played minor hurling and intermediate football for Clare – along with representing his club Clarecastle at senior hurling level in recent years – has undergone surgery since the accident and is currently in Tallaght Hospital.

The community of Clarecastle has rallied behind his family during the past week. Large crowds attended a special Mass at St Peter and Paul’s Church, Clarecastle, last Friday morning, where prayers were said wishing him well in his recovery.

As part of the investigation, gardaí have spoken to a number of witnesses who were in the vicinity of the accident, while forensic examinations have been carried out. A 19-year-old man has been questioned in relation to the incident, while a car has been taken for examination.

A file is being prepared for the DPP and this will be submitted within weeks by investigators.

A NEW two-day Ennis market has been forced to limit trading to Saturdays only after falling foul of planning regulations.

The Market bazaar was started by former general election candidate Ann Cronin in May. The bazaar has been open on Fridays and Saturdays at Cronin’s Yard on Market street.

However the decision to limit trading days at the bazaar comes after Ennis Town Council wrote to Ms Cronin stating that she did not have planning permission to operate a market in the area.

Under planning laws, Ms Cronin faced a possible maximum fine of € 12.5 million euros or a prison sentence.

The Ennis woman had availed of a loophole that allows markets or fairs to operate for a period of 30 days without planning permission.

The market has now been in operation for 22 days so Ms Cronin has decided to halve trading to extend the lifespan of the bazaar.

She explained “It will stretch it out a bit into September. There are a couple of traders relying on it for their week’s income so that’s why we want to try and stretch it out for as long as possible”.

She said she had hoped to fight the planning laws and claimed she was willing to go to prison. However, Ms Cronin said she is planning to emi- grate and fears a criminal conviction could prevent her from entering some countries.

She added, “I can’t beat the system…. Hopefully it will continue on into something more permanent. I think we did something good. I will definitely do it (the bazaar) again next summer if I’m still around”.

The bazaar was founded as a means of supporting small enterprises. 60% of the goods sold at the bazaar had to be made by Clare based businesses.

Ms Cronin estimates that as many as 500 different traders have taken up stalls at the bazaar since it opened three months ago.

She said, “These are people who are coming into town, spending money on parking, buying cups of coffee. They are not spending massive money but they are contributing to the local economy”.

In her blog (ennisbazaar.wordpress. com), Ms Cronin writes “I set the Market Bazaar up in response to the protracted death knell of Ennis as I knew it. My father is a signwriter, we grew up in the middle of the Market and watched it change from a vibrant buzzing centre of commerce and social support to a giant car park with fewer and fewer shops, replaced by the betting shops and empty lots which pepper our towns and villages”

TIPPERARY County Council has issued a health warning about water on Lough Derg, advising people to “exercise caution” on the lake, but according to Clare County Council there is no cause for concern.

The contrasting state of water quality on either side of Ireland’s largest lake emerged this week after the environment section of Tipperary County Council revealed that the green scum known as algae bloom had returned to the lake.

“The presence of Algae Bloom was observed in recent days,” a Tipperary council spokesperson revealed.

Blue green algae can produce harmful toxins. Such toxins have been known to be harmful to animals that drink the water and skin rashes have occurred in humans following contact.

The bloom is most easily recognised when it forms a bright peagreen paint like scum on, or close to the shoreline.

“Notices are in place at various locations around Lough Derg informing the public of the algal blooms. The public are advised to please exercise caution,” the council said.

“Contact with this bloom should be avoided as it may cause skin irritation. Keep all animals especially dogs away from the affected area. ensure animals have an alternative source of drinking water,” the council spokesperson added.

However, when contacted by The Clare People this week, a spokesperson for the environment section of Clare County Council said there was no cause for concern for those on the Clare side of the lake.

“There is no case of algae bloom on the Clare shoreline,” a council spokesperson revealed. “That’s not to say that it’s not going to happen, but there are no cases to report. It’s being monitored all the time and the council is satisfied that everything is ok,” the spokesperson added.

Back in 2005 the death of two dogs after a swim in Lough Derg had prompted the two county councils to ban the public from swimming in the lake. A subsequent investigation of the waters were the dogs swam found a potentially toxic algae bloom.

It prompted both Clare and North Tipperary County Councils to erect signs advising the public not to swim in the lake and farmers and others to keep domestic and farm animals away from the lake.

It was the fifth year in a row that the councils had been forced to erect such signage along the Shannon’s largest lake in response to a pollution scare.

THE MONTHLY Killaloe court sittings are on the move again – less than a year after a new venue was secured.

The district court sittings moved to the Kincora Hotel last September, after months of searching for a venue by The Courts Service. At the time, the move was described by the Courts Service as a “temporary measure”. It came after it emerged that The Lakeside Hotel – where the court had sat for a number of years – would not be an option in the long-term.

However, the Kincora Hotel has now gone into receivership and the position regarding the availability for future court sittings is still unclear.

The hotel will not be available in September and a decision has now been taken to move the September and October sittings of the court to Ennis Courthouse.

The old courthouse in Killaloe is in a state of disrepair and funding is not available to renovate it.

The regional manager of the Courts Service, Brendan McDonald told The Clare People last night that a permanent venue is still being sought.

“The court will be moved to Ennis for the months of September and October on a temporary basis while we look to see can we remain in Killaloe. We will explore all options. We are committed to staying there in the short to medium term, provided we can get accommodation,” he said.

One of the more senior solicitors in the east Clare area, Billy Loughnane, expressed hope that the court will sit in Killaloe in the future.

“It is very important for a number of reasons that the court is held in Killaloe. We have Scariff close and Tulla close. The natural orientation of people from Killaloe would not be towards Ennis. It would be towards Limerick,” he said.

“Hopefully this is only a temporary glitch. A permanent move to Ennis isn’t something that should be contemplated,” he said.

THE dream by those involved in Clare camogie to have a headquarters for the game in the county have taken a giant step forward in the last week, with the news that Clare County Council has given the go-ahead for the Camogie Board’s ambitious development plans for a three-acre site just outside Ennis.

Local authority planners have given permission for a range of developments on the site at Gaurus on the Doora Road, that will transform the Clare County Council owned property into a new home for Clare camogie that will be the envy of other camogie associations around the country.

The development includes two pitches, while the planning permission granted by the council last week is for the construction of a carpark, the installation of dressing rooms, the erection of retractable netting system behind each goal on the premier playing pitch and for floodlights on the second pitch.

The granting of planning permission for these phases of the project has been held up as “the final piece of the jigsaw” in what has been a long-running campaign waged by the Clare Camogie Board to get proper facilities.

“Camogie in the county has been crying out for proper facilities for many years,” says Clare Camogie Board chairperson, Orla Considine.

“As far back as 1988 there was a commitment from Clare County Council to provide playing facilities for camogie, so that now it’s finally happening is great. It’s been a long road.

“Nothing was done about it for many years but two years ago the campaign was started up again and this is the result of it.

“We have had many meetings with council officials over the past couple of years and the granting of the planning permission for these developments is a huge step,” Considine said.

As recently as June, prior to the lodging of the planning permission by camogie board treasurer, Michael Maher, a development committee was established to spearhead the fuding and delivery of the project.

This committee is made up of chairperson Orla Considine, treasurer Mick Maher, county councilors Joe Cooney, Patricia McCarthy and Pat Hayes as well Dr Pádraig Quinn, Kevin Kennedy and Eamon Fennessey.

LARGE crowds are expected in Sixmilebridge tomorrow for a Better Farm event run by Teagasc.

The O’Reilly family farm at Rathmore will be the focus of attention for the estimated 1,000 beef farmers expected to visit Sixmilebridge.

Tours of the 96-hectare farm, which consists of land at Kilmurry and Drumullan, will take place at 2pm and 6pm.

The event, which has been organised as part of Teagasc’s Better Farm beef programme, will focus on different areas of farming including grassland management, breeding performance, animal health and farm planning.

At the beginning of the Teagasc/ Farmers Journal Programme in 2008, Pat O’Reilly and his mother Mary had 103 suckler cows split into two calving periods with 75 cows calving in the spring and 28 in the autumn.

Shane McHugh, Better Farm advisor with Teagasc explained, “As is the case on many farms, there was no distinct start or end to either spring or autumn calving and in effect they were calving cows for 11 months of the year.” He continued, “With good limestone ground, the farm offered great potential to drive more production from grass. Pat started to measure grass weekly in the spring of 2009 and quickly realised what needed to be done. Extra money was spent on fertiliser addressing any P&K imbalances.

“The grass measuring showed up paddocks that were not performing and, in 2010, eight hectares were reseeded and a further eight hectares is targeted for 2011.”

Shane explained, “The other major development is that this year, in the outside farm in Kilmurry, the farm has been paddocked to give more control and flexibility in manag ing grass.” Shane added, “The extra output achieved in 2010, coupled with controlling of variables, has increased gross margin by 59 per cent over the 2008 figure and it now stands at € 668/HA. In real terms, gross margin has improved by € 248/ ha since 2008 which on a whole farm basis leaves the O’Reilly’s with an extra € 23,800 which can go to towards fixed costs and ultimately net profit. With such a high level of output on the farm, the improved beef price this year should leave the farm well positioned to further increase gross margin in 2011.”

Visitors will get an opportunity to discuss the issues with the management team and Pat himself.