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A CLARE county councillor has suggested that TV consumer ana- lyst Eddie Hobbs should carry out a “Rip Off Clare” investigation.

Councillor Christy Curtin (Ind) was speaking at yesterday’s monthly Clare County Council Meeting, on hearing a report of the council’s draft financial re- port.

A reduction in the amount of waste going into the county’s JE NeTeNCUUMAY SOU uciUllambemr:MenKejomti mets county council’s coffers.

This, coupled with a reduc- tion of €208,000 in Government funds, is likely to put financial pressure of the council over the coming year.

Following the presentation of the report covering the first six months of the year, councillors agreed to write to the Environ- ment Minister, to request he re- think the current funding system for local authorities.

Members of the council will also outline their concerns about the effect the overall reduction will have on the local authority.

The financial report showed that 48 per cent, or €45 million of the annual budget was used in the county from January to June, keeping the budget on target for the end of the year.

“Maintaining this position will be challenging,’ the report warned. The reduction in funds from the Government “will nega-

tively impact Local Government Funds receipts in the second half of the year.”

The members of the council are claiming that the rates they are collecting from industries, such as the ESB in Moneypoint, are being off set by the reduction from the Department.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) asked where else the council was to get the money from, if the Minster didn’t provide it.

“On one hand, he is telling us to look after the ratepayers and not to be too hard on them and on the other hand, he is cutting our funding because we have a few big ratepayers in the county,” she said.

Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn

(FG) said the on going monitor- ing of the landfill at Inagh needed constant attention.

‘Are we going to ask ratepayers of Clare to make up deficit by the Minister?” she asked.

She said that €10 million in rates were going to the govern- ment every year from Money- point, yet funding was not avail- able to upgrade the roads for the increased traffic to the planned JON) owe sKevie

The County Manager assured the councillors that the financial situation “should be okay for this year’. But he said it was the ex- ecutive’s duty to flag stormy seas ahead.

CONTENTIOUS plans by fast-food g1- ant, McDonalds, to develop a drive-thru restaurant in Ennis hang in the balance.

An Bord Pleanala has informed the company that its present proposal for the Sheils’ garage site on the Ennis-Galway Road may seriously injure nearby resi- dential amenities through noise, general disturbance and fumes.

As a result, the appeals board has re- quested McDonalds submit revised draw- ings for an amended proposal.

In a letter to the appellants in the case, the appeals board stated that the Inspec- tor’s report in the case was complete and that the matter was now at board level.

One of the opponents of the McDonalds proposal, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP), this week welcomed the board’s intervention.

He said, “It shows that the appeals board is considering all aspects of the proposal and that is to be welcomed.”

Earlier this year, Ennis Town Council refused planning permission for a fast- food outlet in the Lifford area, ruling that it would injure the residential amenities of Wetomr- Baste

Cllr Meaney said: “I would hope that

An Bord Pleanala would follow the exam- ple of the town council in refusing plan- pup panee

It is just a pity that the council did not recognise the negative impact the Mc- Donalds proposal would have on the resi- dents on the nearby Galway Road, when allowing the proposal to go ahead.”

Cllr Meaney and the other appellant in the case, Cllr Donal O’Bearra (GP) will now have an opportunity to make submis- sions on the revised proposals put forward by McDonalds.

Last year, the McDonalds proposal sparked a national debate on the impact of fast food on diets, after the Mid-West- ern Health Board’s Department of Health Promotion objected because of concerns about children’s health.

The Department demanded that Mc- Donalds carry out an Environmental Im- pact Statement (EIS) into possible health impacts on the local population, before the application be further considered.

However, the Health Board soon dis- tanced itself from this objection with the then chief executive, Stiofan de Burca de- claring that the objection was a personal statement by the community dieticians fey ileroru ileee

‘(01 HONDA ACCORD

: “Centres like Lahinch Seaworld were never designed to make money. They are not profit making machines and if they do make a profit, it is a bonus. The value in Lahinch Seaworld is the resource it provides to the community.

He added: “I would like to congratulate the direc- tors, management and

staff for reducing the an- nual loss and the net debt by €80,000. While the balance sheet isn’t as healthy as one would like, its value is the superb facilities it provides for the community and for schools in the area.

OT OO e\ ab ab elo added: “More _ facilities like Lahinch Seaworld are needed.”

The complex employs 30 people and during the Win- ter months provides facili- ties for 40 schools in North and West Clare — while this year has added a steam room to the range of facili- ties on offer.

Sroleieter i Ceyme comm seco leuee Clare area, Martin Lafferty said: “Any resort like Lahi- nch needs a centre like La- hinch Seaworld. It is a tre- mendous development for Lahinch, while also provid- ing employment in the area.

Cllr Lafferty added: “I wouldn’t be overly con- cerned with the losses and I would urge the Council to maintain its annual con- tribution and interest in the centre.”

The accounts show that the Council guarantees loans

and overdrafts for Lahinch Seaworld to the amount of €317,000.

Now in its ninth year of operation, Lahinch Sea- world is a community-based initiative that has provided an added dimension to Lahinch’s long-standing reputation as being one of Clare’s most popular sea- side resorts.

Benefiting from over €2.5 million in EU money, the lo- cal community ensured that

the centre would become an extra tourism resource to Lahinch after individu- als from Lahinch and sur- rounding towns and villages including Ennistymon, Lis- cannor and Miltown Malbay contributed over €650,000 to the scheme.

The accounts for the end of October 2004 show that the centre had a turnover of €695,000 with a gross profit of €607,000.

However, the cost of run- ning the centre stood at €621,000 leaving an oper- ating loss of €14,000 and this led to an overall loss of €33,000 after charges of €19,000 in interest and other charges.

The accounts also show that €304,000 was paid to the 29 staff at the centre in 2004. Lahinch Seaworld also has assets worth €1.5 million.

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BEING crowned _ the ‘International — Festival Queen of Ireland’ has cer- tainly not gone to Kinvara woman Emma Kilkelly’s head as the 19-year-old seems to have both her feet firmly on the ground.

Just hours after win- ning the prestigious title, which is competed for by the winners of regional festivals from all over Ire- land and beyond, Emma was on her way to Mos- ney for the finals of the community games.

After celebrating her victory late into’ the evening of Friday August 26 the GMIT business student made the journey to Mosney early on Sat- urday morning to referee the camogie semi finals playoff between Cork and Offaly.

“I knew I had commit- ted myself to refereeing the match but I had no idea I was going to win the tile,” said an overjoyed Emma. “To be honest I’ve

been coming to Mosney all my life as a competi- tor and now as a referee and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Emma qualified to take OV MBD MMO MBKION EU MEDAN being crowned the Gort Show Queen, an achieve- ment which also qualified her to compete for the Galway Rose Competi- tion. She was also select- ed as the Banrion at the Gouterievlempercmpeelar:(eme aloe val and The Oyster Pearl at the 50th International Galway Oyster Festival.

The International Fes- tival Queen of Ireland Sores} orem isco me meue- Hever! by Dundalk man Mr. Pat- sy Rogers and involved a formal interview on Fri- day evening followed by an interview live on stage later that night.

Emma was joined at the festival by her fam- ily, friends and support- ers, along with her spon- sor, Patricia Kilkelly of Streams Beauty Rooms im ecoum

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FOR 20 years, Fanore man Joe Queally has been travelling to the Blasket islands.

This week, Joe sets out again to follow in the footsteps of his literary hero, Tomas O Criomh- WerenOOP

Located off the tip of the Dingle Peninsula, the Blaskets don’t seem the most obvious location to spend a month on holi- CMA

Great Blasket Island comprises 1,100 acres of unspoilt, | mountainous Keeney

It is four miles long and half a mile wide.

For Joe, the attraction has always been a spir- itual one.

“My biggest reason for going out to the Blaskets has always been my fas- cination with the island people.

“IT wanted to walk in the footsteps of Tomas O Criomhthain, Peig Sayers and Muiris O’Sullivan.

“There’s an awful lot of fascination to be able Ke say I stayed in Tomas O Criomhthain’s house. It is very special to me.

“There 1S one room 1n Tigh an Ri where John Millington Synge wrote a lot of the

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WHEELCHAIR users in Lahi- nch are annoyed that an oppor- tunity to make the streets more Wheelchair accessible was not availed of during footpath recon- struction at the seaside town.

There were claims this week that Clare County Council re-laid the footpaths on the main street in Lahinch without any dishing to allow disability access.

Clare County Councillor Brian Meaney is now demanding that all street improvements under- taken by Clare County Council have regard for the access re- quirements for the disabled.

“Representations have been made to me from wheelchair us- ers, angry that the opportunity to make the street more useable to them was not availed of during footpath reconstruction in one of the county’s best-known seaside resort towns,’ said the Green Party Councillor.

“After reviewing the fact, I have to say I share their anger.”

Cllr Meaney spoke of seeing people in wheelchairs making their way along the street in traf- fic looking for a place to gain ac-

cess onto the footpath.

He is requesting that Clare County Council remedy this oversight immediately, as it is also in contravention of the Coun- ty Development Plan guidelines on access and mobility which states, “The design of new devel- opments and public open space should have regard to the needs of people with disabilities.

“It is clear that no regard has been given to the needs of peo- ple in wheelchairs and yet we are trying to promote Lahinch, and Clare in general, as a tourist des- tination for all.”

Cllr Meaney has spoken with management in Clare County Oro triTere Mm coscx-V Cu tercmmmmdeDKcmmmpONT- Nes ter and has asked for consulta- tion with the various disability eroups to identify locations on the footpaths suitable for disabil- LALO

“Not only is this a disability issue, it is also an equality 1s- sue and I will be writing to the equality officer with Clare Coun- ty Council to put in place proce- dures to ensure such an oversight does not occur in the future” concluded Cllr Meaney.