Category: Uncategorized

TRICK-OR-TREAT. A phrase that aptly summed up Whitegate’s Hal- loween adventure on Saturday as they followed the well worn path of Clooney/Quin, Clonlara and Broad- ford into the latter stages of the pro- visional intermediate championship.

The trick for Whitegate was mani- fold, beginning with the Munster Council’s decision to take the game out of Whitegate to the enclosed con- fines of neighbours Scariff, a venue that has been a veritable graveyard for the club over the past two years. It also refers to the county’s unwel- come tradition of only leaving a week between the county final and the Munster campaign, insufficient time really to prepare for such an im- portant competition.

Add in the fact that Whitegate tend to start slowly and this could have been a a real Halloween horrorshow for the east Clare side. Crucially though, through the ever depend-

able George Waterstone, who again scored all of Whitegate’s four first- half points for the second week in succession, the county champions only found themselves two points in arrears at the break at 0-6 to 0-4.

With the wind at their backs, Tip- perary champions Davins_ should have been cruising by half-time but while they were dominant for long periods through centre-back anchor Lee Mackey and the running of William O’Dwyer and Noel Butler, their inability to turn possession into scores repeatedly frustrated them. As did the dogged performances from Whitegate’s John Bugler, Thomas eC) I EiCe Mr TiOMMWF:lKo nice) etee

The treat duly arrived with a storm- ing second-half display from the home side who, in keeping with the festive day, appeared like a side pos- sessed as they threw off the shackles of a below par opening period.

The Davins two point advantage was wiped out after only four minutes when the impressive John Minogue

and a Waterstone free gained parity for their side and from the puck-out, Thomas Holland put Whitegate into the lead for the first time with an in- spirational score from halfway.

Now brimming with confidence, Whitegate proceeded to haunt the Davins with their half-back line of Thomas Holland, Brendan Bugler and Jason Malone again proving to be Whitegate’s strongest line by cut- ting off the South Tipperary side’s supply to their front six.

It forced the Tipperary champions back and allowed Whitegate to lay siege on the opposition goals as Wa- terstone converted another free be- fore Stephen Malone completed the purple patch with a goal in the 37th minute.

It came out of nothing really as Carrick Davins full-back Richard McGrath beat Malone to the ball in the right corner, only to dig his hur- ley into the heavy surface. Malone did the rest by gathering possession and ghosting past the remaining de-

fenders before hammering the ball past goalkeeper Ed McGrath.

Not having scored in the half while conceding an unanswered 1-6, that goal proved to be the death knell for Carrick Davins, who all too easily dropped their heads after that. Mikey Cronin secured their first point in 16 minutes through a free in the 40th minute but by now, Whitegate were rampant and further points from Wa- terstone and captain Patrick Minogue saw them pull 1-10 to 0-7 clear by the turn of the final quarter.

In an effort to regain a foothold in the game, the Davins brought back Shane Butler as a third midfielder but that tactic only played in White- gate’s hands even further as former county senior Thomas Holland now had a free reign in the half-back line to sweep up any danger that Carrick would pose.

An Jan Fahy lineball and another Waterstone effort cancelled out the Davins mini-revolt of two Cronin frees, with the final nail in the Tip-

perary champions’ coffin coming when Lee Mackey blazed a 20 me- tre free over the bar instead of at the intended target before substitute Michael O’Brien finished the scoring for the home side.

A typically spirited fightback en- Sured there were no real scares for the east Clare side on this occasion but the celebration bonfires are still burning strong as Whitegate march on to another home tie for the sem1- jnbOr-N IS

Gavin is well known aan his time with De Dannan and has worked

with some of the biggest names in the music industry.

However, their concert at the Old Ground Hotel on Sunday, November 8, as part of the Ennis Trad Festival, brings the pair together for a rare joint appearance.

Festival Chairman, John Rynne ex- plained that the concert promises to be one of the highlights of the week- Koyatemy oyueyeaucbeebeates

He said, “Tony McMahon who is from here in town, an accordion player. Frankie 1s a fiddle player, of De Dannan fame, RTE producer, he’s done all that sort of thing. The two of them, they are like lions of the trad1- tion, if you like. They are two very long established big names. You have the Noel Hills, the Matt Molloys, the Chieftains, Frankie Gavin and Tony McMahon, Christy Moore, Donal

Lunny, they’re the big names.”

Rynne added, ““They’re doing a duet together and I haven’t found anybody else, apart from myself, who’s actual- ly heard them doing a duet together, playing together. They’ve both been in all sorts of arrangements and done all sorts of concerts and shows and television and every sort of thing. Individually they’re extremely well known and regarded. But as a combi- nation they’ve been rarely heard. So it should be really special.”

Ennis native Tony McMahon’s con- tribution to Irish folk music, both as a broadcaster and as one of Ireland’s most remarkable musicians, has been singular and unmatched. His music has been variously described as both transporting and transforming.

Sharing the stage on this night will be Galway fiddler Frankie Gavin.

Frankie who hails from Corrandul- la, has recorded 16 albums with De Dannan as well as a number of solo albums, and three collaborations: one a tribute to Joe Cooley entitled

THE contest for the highly sought after Clare vacancy on the GAA’s influential Central Council commit- tee is set to boil down to a two-horse race between two former members of the Munster Counc1l.

MEMBERS of Clare’s All-Ireland winning under-21 team will lend their support to the Irish Wheelchair Association’s (IWA) annual Angel campaign in Ennis today.

The Mayor of Clare, Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) will also be on hand at the official launch, which takes place at 2pm in the Temple Gate Hotel.

The Angel campaign runs through- out November when IWA Angel Pins and Angel Pencils will be sold na- tionwide for €2.

All funds raised will help to fund Services for the 20,000 members throughout Ireland.

Commenting on the launch, Berna- dette O’Rourke, Community Employ- ment Supervisor, IWA, Ennis, said the

funds raised from the Angel cam- paign are “vital” in allowing the [WA to maintain services throughout Clare.

“It’s vital. We receive funding from the HSE and FAS but it does require a lot to keep the service going.

“We have buses going here in Ennis and all over Clare. If you’re picking someone up in west Clare that means bringing them to an outreach centre in Spanish Point. The main thing is is that people are getting out of their homes to socialise.”

She added, “It’s not just the out- reach service we are providing. We are facilitating personal assistants to help people in their homes. These might be people they know, people from their area. There is a whole personal and social side to it. We are providing assisted living services

throughout Clare.”

The Irish Wheelchair Associa- tion was founded in 1960 by a small group of wheelchair users commit- ted to improving the lives of people with physical disabilities in Ireland. Almost 50 years on IWA provides services nationally, including 60 re- Source and outreach centres; assisted living services; motoring advice, as- sessment and tuition; youth services; training and education; respite and holidays; wheelchair sales and rent- al; peer counselling and sport.

The IWA aims to achieve greater independence, freedom and choice for people living with a disability.

Speaking about this year’s cam- paign, CEO Kathleen McLoughlin commented, “Our annual Angel campaign allows us to generate the

funds to provide essential resources and services to many people with disabilities. Our members rely on us for essential services, such as, per- sonal assistants to support them in their daily living.

“In these tight times, with reduced funding sources, we are doing our very best to avoid cutting the serv- ices we provide to our members in their own homes and in the commu- nity. We are asking the general pub- lic to support our essential work by buying these lovely angel pins and pencils.”

The pins are distributed courtesy of DPD Ireland, the national courier service. For further details or to do- nate online, contact the Irish Wheel- chair Association on 065 68 44150 ennis@iwa.ie or angles@1wa.ie

EAST Clare has never been behind when it comes to being generous in a good cause and with Christmas loom- ing large, organisers of the Shoebox Appeal are hoping that people local- ly will come up trumps again.

Every year, thousand of shoeboxes, filled with toys, warm clothes, toilet- ries and sweets, are shipped to chil- dren around the world.

The gaily wrapped boxes are the only Christmas presents these chil- dren see, living as they do in war- torn countries or in third-world areas devastated by famine and disease.

Under the auspices of the Samari- tan’s Purse organisation, Operation Christmas Child – also know as the Shoebox Appeal – brings a bit of cheer into the lives of the children involved.

In east Clare, Joanne Allen is gear- ing up to collect boxes from the gen- erous people in Scariff while a sepa- rate shoebox appeal is under way in Tulla.

Joanne got involved with the appeal after her daughter Rachel started do-

ing it in school.

‘People are very generous when it comes to making up boxes. We have one collection at the school and we are also asking anyone who wants to fill a box to drop it into Bane’s Gift Shop,” said Joanne.

The numbers taking part in the ap- peal has been rising steadily, despite the recession. “We got 150 boxes from the school alone last year which was fantastic,’ she Joanne.

As well as co-ordinating the col- lection of boxes in the Scariff area, Joanne works in the warehouse in Ennis, checking the boxes and pre- paring them for the onward journey.

Asked about criticism which claims that project organisers are plac- ing religious literature in the boxes, Joanne says that this is not the case. “The boxes have to be checked to be sure that the contents are suit- able for the age group and within the guidelines but once that is done, they are sealed and sent off. There is no literature put in them and they are given to children of every religious background. What does happen is that nuns and priests who travel to

where the children are to give them their gifts also give them a leaflet on the story of the first Christmas or some other religious story if it’s ap- propriate. The Samaritan’s Purse is a religious organisation – they make no secret of that. And if I was a child be- ing handed a lovely box all wrapped up, and a sheet of paper at the same time, I know which one Id be inter- ested in.”

Anyone in the Scariff area who would like to make up a box is asked to drop it into Bane’s Gift Shop be- fore Saturday, November 7.

Ennis co-ordinator of the appeal and east Clare man, Louis Duffy, told

LEGENDARY ‘Tulla walker and dancer, Kitty Leyden, is to feature as one of the contestants on this week’s ‘Jig Gig’ programme.

T na G have started another 13 part series of the popular show and Kitty said she was “delighted” to be asked to take part.

“T got the shock of my life when they rang me and said I had been nominated – I thought they were cod- ing me. But they called back and I had to go to Jury’s in Limerick first to dance for them to see would I get through to the next round.”

Kitty made it through the Limer- ick try-outs and was asked to go to Dublin to the RTE studios where the filming would take place.

“T was delighted – I didn’t get any further in the competition than that but I got to take part and I had a love- ly time in Dublin. I always wanted to see RTE and I got to meet all of the newsreaders and the cast of Fair City – | really enjoyed it.”

The episode featuring Kitty danc- ing will be screened this Sunday, November 9

A LEADING expert on the Burren has called on the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley (GP), to consult with the people of the Burren before pushing forward in seeking World Heritage Status for the area.

The Green Party leader yesterday announced a new tentative list of po- tential Irish nominees to the World Heritage List which included the Burren and six other possible loca- tions.

Speaking yesterday, the manager of the BurrenLIFE Project and found- ing member of the BurrenBEO Trust,

Brendan Dunford, said that the local people needed to be consulted to avoid hostility to the project arising because of a lack of information.

“The important thing about this process 1s what happens next – the real challenge will come when they try and push this project forward,” said Mr Dunford.

‘In contrast to Ireland’s two other World Heritage Sites, the Burren is a relatively densely occupied area and this whole thing will require a lot of engagement with the people.

‘“BurrenBEO did a survey last year on this subject and it revealed that most people didn’t know much about

the World Heritage status. There was curiosity but not necessarily hostil- ity and most people wanted to know nee) Ree

Speaking at yesterday’s announce- ment, Mr Gormley said that the “World Heritage List has evolved considerably since its inception and it is now much more difficult to meet the UNESCO requirements for in- scription.”

Yesterday news was welcomed by the Mayor of Clare, Tony Mulcahy (FG), who said it could be a real tourist draw for the county.

“By securing World Heritage Site Status, the Burren would benefit from

a wider international profile and, as a result, would experience an increase in visitor numbers,” he said.

‘Furthermore, such status would ensure the conservation of the fragile landscape and its habitats for future generations.”

The Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment is inviting comments on the draft new tentative list to be made to it’s office before the end of the year.

IT HAS been confirmed that US- based firm, Emerson Electric, is to buy out Avocent, which employs more than 100 people at its base in Shannon.

But it is understood that the $1.2 billion deal to buy the company is unlikely to harbour any major chang- es at the Shannon concern.

Under the deal, Emerson 1s paying €25 per share, a premium of 22 per cent over the price which was quoted for shares a few days before the deal

was agreed.

It is understood that the deal will be completed by the New Year.

There was no-one available today to comment on the Emerson buy-out but it is understood that employees were aware that the deal is going through.

The parent company, Avocent In- ternational, announced a restructur- ing programme in July of last year which involved the loss of 57 jobs at the Shannon operation as well as another seven in Dublin. The cuts affected research and development,

marketing and technical support functions as well as the transfer of its Asia operations from Shannon to its newly established operations in Sin- gapore.

The functions of Avocent’s Dublin office were also transferred to the US, resulting in seven redundancies.

Shannon remained the company’s support centre for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

There was good news on the con- struction business front in Clare this week as a Clare company landed a €2 million contract. The Limerick Mar-

ket Trustees yesterday announced the appointment of Clare-based L&M Keating Ltd as the main contractor for the development project at Lim- erick’s Milk Market. This is a sig- nificant coup for the Kilmihil-based firm, with demand for construction work currently at an all-time low and intense competition for the limited work that is available.

L&M Keating Ltd won out over a to- tal of eight building contractors who submitted tenders for the project.

‘Key factors which led to Keatings’ success include their superb track

record in the building trade, expertise with heritage projects and the value for money they offered,’ said David O’Mahony, Chairman, Limerick Market Trustees Ltd.

Other projects completed by L&M Keating Ltd include the construction of the Doonbeg Hotel and Golf Club and restoration of the 18th-century Clifden House in Corofin.

Commenting on the appointment, Louis Keating, Managing Director, L&M Keating said they are “delight- ed to win such a high-profile project, especially in the current economic

THREE MEN from west Clare will travel to South Africa later this week, where they will help to build new houses for families living on the breadline.

Kevin Burke and Pat McMahon from Cooraclare and Kevin Whelan from Kilkee will join dozens of other volunteers from across the country in the Niall Mellon Township Trust Building Blitz. A total of 1,000 volun- teers will complete 100 new houses in Cape Town, which will replace shacks that the families currently occupy.

Mr Burke and Mr McMahon trav- elled with the Niall Mellon team

last year and were so moved by what they experienced that they both de- cided to undertake the trip again this year. Each of the three men had to raise €5,000 for the trip and they are indebted to the people of west Clare who generously helped them out.

Mr Burke, who currently lives in Killimer, is a part-time farmer and also drives machinery for Clare County Council. He explained how he got involved in this project.

“T was talking to a friend in Feakle and he said his brother was going. I said I’d like to do that some time. That was last year. We were accepted. We went last year and we said we would like to give it another shot,’ he said.

The group spent almost two weeks building houses, in intense heat, but they were pleased to be able to give something to those less well off than WNIT Aone

“It was a complete eye-opener. It was unreal. The living conditions were unreal. You would be crying coming out of it, but it was a great experience and well worth it. I can’t wait to go again,” he said.

Pat McMahon also said the experi- ence was amazing last year. “It was unreal. Those people are living in a totally different world to what we are living in. Most people haven’t got a clue what the recession is here com- pared to what they have out there. A

lot of them have no education,’ he said.

“When everyone is out there to- gether, it is easy to do the work, es- pecially knowing that the families are going to get proper homes out of it,’ said Mr McMahon, who is a wind turbine installation technician.

He paid tribute to those who helped him to raise the funds to take part in the challenge.

‘People have been very good, espe- cially with the recession. They came in their droves with money,’ he said.

The three men organised various fundraisers including a head shave, table quiz, bag pack and céili. All of the events were very well supported.

CHRISTMAS | shoppers will be making their way to Kinvara this December for the annual Christmas Fair, organised by the local farmers market.

After celebrating their first full year in operation last Friday, the Kinvara Farmers Market Committee announced details of their upcoming Christmas Fair which will take place on December 5 and 6 in the Kinvara SroysveleviA monies

The Christmas Fair will be very different from the weekly farmers market, with a much greater focus on crafts for Christmas presents rather than the usual supply of local fresh food.

“This event isn’t really a farmers market as such. There is a much big- ger emphasis on crafts. The farm- ers markets can only have a small amount of crafts where as the main focus of this event will be on the

crafts side of things,” said Rosaleen Tanham, secretary of the Kinvara Farmers Market.

“We are still confirming the stall- holders but already it looks like we will have lots of different crafts on Show and, as with the farmers mar- ket, as much as possible will be sourced from local producers.

“There will be a great atmosphere on the day, with lots of things for children to do and a great festival at- mosphere.”

The Kinvara Farmers Market has gone from strength to strength this year. So much so that they have al- ready confirmed their start date for 2010, with the first market due to take place on Friday, April 2.

“It’s been a fantastic first year. We were very lucky with the weather all summer long and always seemed to have a lovely sunny Friday for the market. The whole market was very well supported by the local people and it very much became a social

occasion for the local people. People come along and have a cup of coffee or tea, listen to the music and then have a look around at what is on offer to buy,” continued Rosaleen.

“At the height of the summer, we had about 25 stall-holders and it was very much a farmers market. What I mean by this is that the vast majority of what was on sale was food which

was produced in a 35-mile radius of the market. We did have a small amount of crafts and a few bits and pieces which we could not source locally but the majority of it was lo- cally-produced foods.

“The whole committee has worked so hard all year and we are all very pleased at how things have gone so ie