The Clare People Archive

has learned that the three-day long festival will take place from September 5 to 7 in Kil- kee. Promoters MCD have been tight- lipped about the possible line-up for this year’s festival but early specula- tion is that Meteor Award winners Cathy Davy and Duke Special are being lined-up as possible headline acts.

Last year’s festival featured 2007 Choice nominees Roisin Murphy and Delorentos as well as international acts such as Ocean Colour Scene, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Enemy, Tom Baxter and Badly Drawn Boy.

Last year’s festivals was a sell out and attracted tens of thousands of tourists to west Clare for the week- Ker

‘Following on from the phenomenal success of last year’s Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson, we are excited to confirm that the three-day festival is back on the west coast this Septem- ber,” said an MCD spokesperson.

“From the outset, Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson was a roaring success, selling out well in advance of the festival weekend. Cois Fhar- raige 2007 received huge critical ac- claim from fans, performing artists

and critics alike, boasting a stellar line up and an original festival con- cept.

“The success of Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson was reflected by it being awarded the title of Best New Festival 2007 by the Irish Fes-

tival Awards. Fans can look forward to sealing off their summer with more of the same this year, leaving the best to last, Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson wraps up the festival season.”

The festivals surf section was can-

celled last year due to the lack of waves but organisers are hopeful for this year. Information will be availa- ble soon on www.coisfharraige.com.

CLARE County Manager Alec Fleming has caved into pressure from councillors and signalled he is ready to contravene the council’s own de- velopment plan to grant planning for a contentious one-off home.

Before yesterday’s council meeting CUlr Tommy Brennan (Ind) and 28 other councillors signed a motion di- recting Mr Fleming to grant planning permission to a Gerard Danagher for a one-off house near Corofin.

The special powers in the planning arena had not been invoked since ieF

Cllr Brennan initiated the Section 140 process when it appeared that the council was set to refuse Mr Dan-

agher permission.

However, ahead of yesterday’s crunch meeting, the council pub- lished a notice stating it would disre- gard its own non-local rule and give Mr Danagher the go-ahead to build his home.

The notice states that the council intends to consider granting plan- ning permission to Mr Danagher. The move materially contravenes the county development plan and defus- es a potential row between the execu- tive and councillors.

Cllr Brennan secured support from all sides of the council chamber. Those who signed the motion includ- ed Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) and Cllr Christy Curtin

(Ind).

As part of the material contraven- tion process, interested parties have four weeks in which to make submis- SIONS.

The Department of the Environ- ment, An Taisce and a local residents are set to make submissions having already made submissions on the ap- plication before the council.

In her objection, local resident, Mary Hanrahan said there was a “‘se- rious question of fairness and justice in the pursuit of this planning appli- cation. Seeking out public represent- atives to overturn what is right and just is open to much debate.

“The devastation of floods are evi- dent around this area. We can see how vulnerable our environment

really is. But this does not seem to deter developers who are intent on getting their own way irrespective of the consequences to others. We all know the dangers of inappropri- ate dwelling sites in the vicinity of a water supply and special areas of conservation.”

Stating that development should only be allowed for local and urgent need, the submission from An Taisce claims the applicant does not comply because he is a resident of Ennis and also works there.

The Department of the Environ- ment stated that the close proximity of the site to Ballycullinan Lough and its associated fen habitat raised obvious concerns regarding the wa- ter quality.

ROAD WORKERS with Clare Coun- ty Council and other local authorities are entitled to our respect but instead _Nuom EDU amcecD eet oms Koyus w len (C00 (on

That’s the view of Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) who expressed disappointment that the Advertising Standards Au- thority reyected a complaint by Clare County Council over an Irish Pride TV advertisement depicting a lazy road worker.

The council lodged its complaint on foot of a motion tabled by Cllr Ar- kins on the basis that it “stereotyped and derided a council worker”.

Reacting to the ASA decision, Cllr Arkins said that if the ad featured a coloured person, a non-national or it was directed at women, he was sure the complaint would have been up- held.

He said the advert shows a man fill- ing a hole in the road and it was quite obvious that the person could only be a council worker as no one else does that kind of work.

“It 1s quite pointed. It is a very dangerous occupation being a road worker with cars going past you at 60mph.

“Tt is a difficult job and if there is flooding or any other emergency, it is

the council worker who gets out of his bed at 2am or 3am in the morning to deal with it.

“Tt is obvious that the council work- ers don’t have the respect of the Ad- vertising Standards Authority and I’m disappointed that the complaint didn’t end up with a rap on the knuck- les for Irish Pride.”

He said he was glad the matter was investigated by the ASA and that it did not appear to be running any- more.

In the ASA case report, the adver- tiser responds by stating that they wanted to illustrate the concept of Irish Pride in a humorous and light

hearted way and took individuals from all walks of life, at work or at home and showed what happened when people did not take pride in something they have done.

They said that it was never their intention to make any social or po- litical comment and that the adver- tisement was a light hearted way to dramatise individual demonstrations of lack of pride.

The Complaints Committee did not uphold the complaint, noting that the advert specifically referred to a guy and not to a local authority worker.

The ASA report concluded: “No further action required”.

A SCHEME where Travellers will be allocated space to keep their horses in Shannon, is one of the first of its kind in Ireland.

Although the final details have yet to be ironed out, it is likely that the plan will get the go-ahead during the summer.

The initiative is part of the pro- gramme ‘Strategy for the co-ordina- tion of public services to the Traveller community in Clare 2005 – 2008.’

Shannon area members of Clare County Council previously agreed in

principal that the issue be progressed and the matter was up for discussion at a meeting of the town council last week.

Co-ordinator of the Traveller strat- egy in Clare, Etain McCooey said much work has been done between various agencies, to ensure this project is a resounding success.

“We want a sustainable agreement that will take into account concerns of councillors and others in the area,” she said.

While other similar projects are up and running in Tralee and Limerick, this project differs in that the land

being provided in Shannon is located some distance from the homes of the Travellers.

The 18-and-a-quarter acre site in question is located in the townland of Tullyvarraga, while the settled Travellers, the McDonaghs, live two POD CoM MWe NAB EO MD BEDONBOOLUME-hSd 0p

The Tralee site houses several Trav- eller families, while the only family living in Ballymurtagh is the Mc- Donaghs.

Ms McCooey explained that this scheme is about more than just land for animals.

“The Travellers will work with

Clare Animal Welfare. It is broader than providing land. They really want it to work and are willing to pay market value for the land,” she said.

Michael Flanagan, who has worked as a development worker with Trav- ellers in Ballymurtagh, stressed that “the day of having the horses on the side of the road is over. We are trying to create a win-win situation.”

He said that the Travellers were willing to pay market value for the land, “the same as anybody else.”

“It’s about integration. We want to get an integrated society and an inte- grated community,’ said Mr Flana-

eee

Referring to queries from council- lors, he said, “It is an unreasonable condition to say there can’t be sulky racing. We can’t legislate for what can happen.”

Shannon town manager Ger Dollard said he would suggest that the man- agement committee would “go away and come up with terms and cond1- tions and try it for a trial period.” He also suggested that the manage- ment committee be asked to manage the public information aspect of the project, both prior to its implementa- tion and during its existence.

WITH the exception of one council- lor, there was overwhelming support for the scheme among Shannon town councillors last week.

Although most councillors said they were concerned that it may lead to horses racing along the road, the reaction to the project was mainly positive.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy said, however, that she had concerns and asked what other parts of the county were considered for such a scheme.

“T outlined previously I had seri- ous reservations about it. Since I have seen the location of the site, my concerns have grown. I do think that given the location of the land, there has got to be a public consultation so that the people of the town can have an impact,” she said.

Stressing that she was not “anti- Traveller’, she said, “It’s not a case of being anti the projects, but it’s a case of location, location.”

“T’m not afraid of public consulta- tion. What if other Travellers say they haven’t been consulted and they talk

about horses. We have had horses on the Ballymurtagh site. Last week I Saw five or six. The new road is ideal for sulky racing,’ she said.

“This will be one issue I will not stand by majority decision. There has to be public consultation,” she insisted.

“This is something that is going to impact on people’s lives here in Shannon. My concern and my real fear 1s location, location.

“Tm sure the council’s land bank extends further than Shannon,’ she added. She said that the problems

with the Tralee project “do not relate to inter-family rivals. The problems relate to control.”

The mayor of Shannon, Councillor Sean McLoughlin said he was “very worried about” sulky racing.

Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn, who is on the advisory com- mittee for this initiative, said he was fully supporting the project, but add- ed, “there has to be strict conditions attached to it.”

Labour Councillor Greg Duff said he would be afraid if there was con- sultation that people may not “ap-

preciate and understand the Travel- lers’ perspective on the needs to have Wenn

He said however he would have to ask how many horses were going to be put into the field.

Fianna Fail’s Geraldine Lambert acknowledged that Travellers have had a long tradition with horses.

“Id prefer to see them on designated land rather than on the halting site,” she said. She said that Councillor McCarthy “has a point, perhaps not public consultation, but public docu- mentation.”

THE funeral will take place later to- day of author and journalist Nuala O Faolain (68), who died in Blackrock Hospice on Friday after a short battle with cancer.

Ms O Faolain, who lived in Bartra – just outside Lahinch, passed away almost three months to the day since she was first diagnosed with termi- nal cancer at a New York hospital on oe)ale- va arer

Journalist Nell McCafferty, who lived with Ms O Faolain in Bartra for a number of years, said that she was “proud” of her former partner and commended the way that she used her final days.

“I took pleasure and pride that the woman I knew, though she was afraid and very ill, she used what remained of her life with panache, style and exquisite good taste in her travels,’ she said.

“The culture of dying has changed, Nuala has changed that and the cul- ture of loving has changed.”

Instead of using chemotherapy to

extend her life, O Faolain decided to used the time to travel. In the last two months she visited Paris, made a trip to see art works in Madrid and took in the Berlin Opera.

Indeed, on the Sunday before her death, she had returned from her travels to Sicily with her sisters and a number of close friends.

A large crowd is expected to turn out for the funeral mass which will take place at the Church of the Visi- tation in Dublin at noon tomorrow. Removal will take place afterwards to Glasnevin crematorium.

Ms O Faolain is survived by five sisters, one brother, her partner John Low-Beer, and a wide circle of friends.

Born in Dublin in 1942, she was educated at UCD, the University of Hull and Oxford University. She gain ed international notoriety in 1996 with her controversial first memoir Are You Somebody’?

CLARE’S bathing waters are bask- ing in the findings of the latest EU report into water quality.

Every single beach and bathing spot in the Banner county has been given a clean bill of health in the lat- est report from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Two beauty spots which lost their blue flags but regained them in 2006 – Mountshannon and Ballycuggera – were among the bathing places which got the highest accolade of “good quality”.

And despite Blue Flag problems in 2006 for Doonbeg due to coastal ero- sion, it’s waters also got top marks.

Councillor Pat Hayes (FF), who is on the county council’s area commit- tee for Mountshannon said he was “delighted to see that the water qual- ity is up to scratch. There has been much improvement in the quality of the water in Lough Derg in recent times and we need to keep working at that.”

The EPA’s Bathing Water Quality in Ireland Report 2007 lists 97 per cent of 131 bathing areas assessed nationally as being full compliance with European standards.

The score is one of the highest the country has enjoyed in the last 10 years. In previous years Ireland had scored between 79 per cent and 92 per cent compliance.

In Clare, 100 per cent of bathing waters assessed complied with EU minimum standards including all the

top summer holiday spots such as Ballyallia Lake at Ennis, Ballycug- geran, Bishopsquarter, Cappagh Pier at Kilrush, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Spanish Point, White Strand at Doonbeg and White Strand at Miltown Malbay.

All bar one of the bathing spots got the top mark of “good quality” and Ballyallia met the “acceptable qual- ity” grading, which is second from the top.

Just four beaches nationwide failed to make the cut. Balbriggan in Dub- lin, Youghal in Cork, Clifden and Na

Forbacha in Galway were all graded as being of “insufficient quality”.

A total of 15 beaches were down- eraded from being of good quality to being acceptable quality.

EPA programme manager Dr Michael Lehane said that while the “overall level of bathing water quality remains good, the EPA is concerned that a small number of bathing areas are consistently failing to meet the mandatory minimum standards”.

THE State Solicitor’s office in En- nis is under pressure due to the large amount of books of evidence being prepared.

That was the message delivered in court last week, when State Solicitor for Clare, Martin Linnane pointed out that several books were currently being prepared.

Books of Evidence are prepared for cases heard in the Circuit Court. The State is given 42 days to prepare the book and present it to the district

court, prior to an accused being sent forward for trial to the circuit court.

In cases were reasons are given, a district judge can extend this time, for preparation of the book.

At Ennistymon District Court last Wednesday, state solicitor Martin Linnane pointed out that the Book of Evidence was not ready in one case.

He asked for an adjournment in the case – of alleged sexual assault – for three weeks, “by which time I hope the Book of Evidence will be ready, but I can’t guarantee. I may need fur- Welolam Bb sl ome

He pointed out that several books were being prepared by his office, adding, “Time is of the essence, bearing in mind the 42-day rule and what not.”

Mr Linnane said he had been of the view that the book in this case was not due to be presented to the court VUOLHU MD E-IKolumHOpEcweslOnsey

The solicitor representing the ac- cused did not object and Judge Joseph Mangan extended time for service of the book. The case was adjourned until later this month, when the book is due to be presented to the court.

The following day at Shannon Dis- trict Court, Mr Linnane was due to present a Book of Evidence in the case of two people charged in con- nection with alleged damage to a bank ATM.

Previously in court, the case had been marked peremptory against the State. At Ipm last Thursday, Mr Lin- nane said the book was “physically being bound and will be ready in an hour.”

However the accused’s barrister Michael Hourigan said he was apply- ing for the case to be struck out. “If

my clients were not here at 11, they would be in jeopardy of bench war- rants,’ said the barrister.

However Judge Joseph Mangan al- lowed the case to stand until after the lunchbreak and the book was pre- sented to the court in the afternoon and the accused were sent forward for trial.

A spokesperson for the courts serv- ice told

through the Freedom of Information Act show that the Environmental

Protection Agency warned the coun- cil in January that the water supply was at risk of another outbreak of cryptosporidium.

Council officials did not make the public aware of the EPA concerns and a month later, an outbreak of cryptosporidium resulted in two children being hospitalised.

The documentation shows that de- spite a budget of €3 million for a

temporary water treatment plant, 25 to 30 per cent of the water go- ing through the plant was not being treated for cryptosporidium.

This was also kept secret and the EPA audit stated that when raw water conditions are poor, there is in effect no treatment barrier to the parasite in the Ennis public water supply.

“This places the supply at risk of another outbreak of cryptosporid-

tum’, the EPA concluded.

Clir Meaney said, “I don’t know if we can trust the officials anymore. This is appalling, people who were elected to represent the people are being kept in the dark, misinformed, told that the filtration plant was Oya ena

THE minor hurling management have dramatically invited Cratloe duo Liam Markham and Cathal McInerney back into the Clare panel for the upcoming Munster semi-final against All-Ireland champions Tip- ares It follows Clare’s impressive display against Cork in the Munster Minor Hurling Championship first round on Wednesday.

Dual county players Markham and McInerney, along with fellow

clubmate Conor Ryan left the squad earlier in the year when asked by the hurling management to choose either football or hurling.

However, after Clare were knocked out of this year’s Munster Minor football championship by Limerick, manager PJ Fitzpatrick and his team reviewed the situation and invited both players back into the set-up. In effect, it adds another dimension to the Clare team ahead of their crunch UeCereL BUSTA LHS MOBO) eoe-T as

“They’re great additions to the squad,” said selector Gerry Kennedy.

‘And the thing is, the players believe in a team effort right down to the last vere

“On top of the return of the lads, we re also hopeful that Eoghan Mad- den and Brian Hehir will also be back from injury for the next game.”

Clare’s battling 2-17 to 2-16 victory over All-Ireland finalists Cork was fully merited and while Kennedy is delighted with the win, he says Clare have to continue to focus for the challenge of double Munster and All-Ireland champions Tipperary on tt ioay

“T think a win 1s always a good thing and the fact that we haven’t won a first round in so long is a bonus. It’s important for the team to win and the victory in Pairc Ui Chaoimh should improve team morale and spirit any- eA

“We’re delighted to have got over the first round but we will have to sit down now and prepare for the next game which will be equally tough if not tougher.

“At the end of the day, Tipperary are going for three All-Ireland’s in- a-row and four Munster titles in-a-

Ke) Aa

In preparation for the Tipperary game, Clare have organised a chal- lenge with Offaly this Wednesday, with further challenge matches in prospect after the completion of the Leaving Certificate.

Liam Markham and Cathal MclIn- erney will rejoin the squad in White- gate on Wednesday for that Offaly challenge and with Eoghan Madden and Brian Hehir expected to return in the coming weeks, Clare are con- tinuing to move in the right direc- nt)