The Clare People Archive

ENNISTYMON students in have gone horse mad after making history for the town in the Hoofprints show- jumping inter-school challenge.

The craze started at an Irish nation- al schools event in Ballinasloe after a local team was the first ever from Ennistymon to enter. On January 23, students from the CBS Ennistymon and Scoil Mhuire joined together and formed a team to enter the na- tional show-jumping event.

“IT was out doing a hunt and was talking to kids that had been involved in the Hoofprints events before through their schools so I thought

that it would be good to put the idea forward to the students at school,” said CBS teacher Aisling Haugh.

In this competition there is usu- ally divisions or groups that separate beginners, such as the Ennistymon team, from teams that have entered in the event previously.

Due to this year being the first year it was held in the Creagh Equestrian Center in Ballinasloe it was made into one group which made it diffi- cult for all the novice groups to do well. “Next year I believe that the team will do better as every year will be more experience for the stu- dents therefore they will be getting better every time they go,” said CBS

teacher Aisling Haugh.

“Currently there are second to fifth years involved and it is open to all years aS we hope to have as many available as possible next year.”

The people involved in the event from the CBS Ennistymon were Brendan Collins fifth year and Ca- thal McMahon second year while the people involved from the Scoil Mhuire were Aoife Haugh and Jean Kelleher both from fourth year.

“The pupils performed well con- sidering it was their first time in the event and also had fun, so it was a good day over all,’ commented the teacher on the day as a whole.

The pupils enjoyed the day they de-

cided to stay longer and do the indi- vidual class ride in the end.

Participation from both schools was a good point in itself as it shows the ability of the two schools to work together. The group intends to hold a sponsored ride in the coming school terms for team fundraising.

“This year there is a lot of interest so I though of fundraising for cloth- ing for the team next year,” said Ais- ling Haugh.

“IT see good potential for the schools teams in the future if this interest continues in the events.”

The schools team is participating in upcoming events in Kilkenny, Wick- low and Claregalway.

BALLY VAUGHAN poet on artist, Frank Golden launched his latest book of poetry at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan on Saturday evening.

The book, entitled In Daily Accord, is a Selection of short poems written on a daily basis over a twenty month period.

Golden came to the idea after un- dertaking a series of daily drawings, where he undertook a series a daily sketches over a prolonged period of time.

He began to write the series of short poems on his birthday, May 16 2003,

and continued to add a poem each day for more than two years.

“Sometime the poems are quite de- scriptive, and other times they can be much more personal. But as with anything done over such a length of time, certain voices, personalities, locales and dramas crop up and play WaLesbeKToy Atos @)ULIMOMN SLomST-NT OD

‘Because you are writing every day, things that happen during your day can often appear. So, if I had gone for a walk on Black Head one day, likely as not that will crop figure in a poem in one way of another. Over the course of the years I wrote some 1000 poems, so the book is just a se- lection of this work.”

The poems are loosely based on Haiku and Senryu forms with the book following a roughly seasonal order, with poems from each month being grouped together.

Frank was joined at the launch by fellow readers Valerie Whelan and John Doorty while a musical back- drop was provided by composer An- drew Collins.

‘There are introspective and they are questioning, they are more like distillations than a real narrative. I guess, there 1s a since of a life, lived on a daily basis,’ he continued.

“The thing about these poems is that they are very small in nature, so it was difficult to know how we could

present them in a public setting. I de- cided to have Valerie and Frank who would read a slightly altered version of the poem and create an inverted echo for each poem.

Frank has been living in the Bur- ren for some twenty years, and has been resident in Ballyvaughan for the bulk of that time. It has been a productive period for him, seeing the publication of four books of poems, a novel and a number of exhibitions of his paintings.

SPRING continues to awaken in north Clare with a number of artistic ventured taking place in north Clare and south Galway in the coming Neto) .e

On March 1, Rahaly Castle in Gort will be the venue for a Night of Mu- sic and Storytelling in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

Organised by the Spirit of Voice, the evening will include featuring music from Café Kinvara including instrumental performances from Eu- rope, Russia, South America and Af- rica, songs from Ireland and French and American jazz and folk.

Other highlights include Australian storyteller Matthew Noone who will

use African drums, Indian lutes and the odd touch of rockin guitar which creates a sensory experience of the myths and folk tales.

MC for the evening is Gort Slam Poet Marty Mulligan of Electric Pic- nic and Glastonbury fame.

Limited seats so advance at €20 from the Gallery Cafe Hostel in Gort on 091 630630.

Meanwhile, The Gallery of the Bur- ren College of Art in Ballyvaughan is currently hosting an exhibition of Irish works entitled Peer-to-Peer.

The exhibition is the culmination of a portrait project involving the artists and mentors in the Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent (KCAT). In an environment where the learn- ing between mentor and studio art-

ists goes both ways, this exhibition visually highlights those involved.

All the artists picked names from a hat in order to determine their sub- ject, then began the challenge of de- ciding how to portray and represent their peer.

There were no restrictions on meth- od or materials, and work produced includes print, paint, woodcut, stitch, sculpture and collage. An integral part of the process was the free-flow- ing interaction between each artist and subject, communicating styles and intentions for their work.

KCAT is a research partner in the Arts Council’s Touring Experiment. The show has traveled to Kilkenny Design Centre, Airfield Trust, Garter Lane Arts Centre Waterford, Aras

Eanna Inis Oirr before arriving at the Burren College of Art Clare.

KCAT is a Camphill project pio- neering inclusive arts and adult edu- cation programmes. It currently runs a FETAC Level 5 Art Course funded by Kilkenny VEC for people from different backgrounds and an Arts Council funded Studio where pro- fessional artists with special needs work in an inclusive environment.

It also run a FETAC Level 5 Thea- tre Performance Course based on the same inclusive ideas.

The work in this exhibition goes on tour and is in principle not for sale. However those interested can contact KCAT on 056-7755115 or check out www.burrencollege.ie for more de- NOES

EAST Clare’s potential as a centre for horticulture was given a further boost this week with the news that Tuamgraney company, Glenbrook Nursery Ltd was to receive funding under the Government’s National Development Plan (2007-2013).

The Raheen company, which 1s op- erated by Philip Moreau, will receive some €15,000 to invest in the pro- duction of nursery crops.

This is the latest in a line of good news stories for the company, having last year put up a great showing at the annual National Amenity Horti- CHUN AU oma Ne BKC he

The awards are run by Horticulture

Ireland and Bord Bia.

Glenbrook Nursery was the only Clare company to pick up an award in the award’s Nursery Quality Pro- eramme.

This voluntary quality assurance scheme is designed to assist Irish nurseries reach best practice in com- mercial nursery crop production and management systems. It sets out a code of practice for the efficient run- ning of a nursery business and pro- vides a standard against which nurs- ery businesses are evaluated.

Commenting on last week grant allocation, Clare Minister of State, Tony Killeen, said the Grant Scheme for the Development of the Horti- culture Sector continued to provide

wonderful opportunities for Clare crop producers to make on-farm in- vestments.

“Since 2000, there has been a year on year increase in the level of inter- est in the scheme, which reflects the high degree of confidence among Clare’s producers in the future of the Sector,’ he said.

“I would encourage shoppers to support local producers who are striving to meet the highest stand- ards. By supporting them we are making an investment in our own community.

“IT would also like to compliment the two local applicants who have been successful in the grant scheme announced by my colleague Mr

Trevor Sargent TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with special re- sponsibility for horticulture.”

The grant aid provided under the scheme covers all areas of the horti- cultural production sector, including mushrooms, protected crops, nursery crops, field vegetables, soft fruits, soft apples and even bee-keeping.

Horticultural output in Ireland is now valued at over €300 million and retail sales are an estimated €650 nSpON BONER

There was also celebrations in north Clare this week as a grower of protected crops in Belharbour was granted some €7,000 under the scheme.

THE Department of the Environ- ment has stated that a €100 million plan to convert a Killaloe health spa into one of the country’s leading re- sorts could have a negative impact on the Lough Derg Special Protection Area (SPA).

Former Killaloe doctor Paschal Carmody and his wife, Dr Freida Carmody sold Tinarana House to Limerick developers, Joe Hanrahan and John Shee in a multi-million euro deal.

Tinanara Ltd plans to convert the building into an integrated tourism, recreational and commercial devel-

opment. The developers state that 200 jobs will be created when the centre becomes operational, while a further 200 jobs will be generated during the construction phase.

The plan includes the refurbish- ment of Tinarana House; an 18-hole championship golf course; a spa and wellness centre; a 32-bedroom aparthotel; multi-purpose banquet- ing, function/conference facilities; 155 two bedroom short term accom- modation units and an equestrian holiday village

An Environmental Impact State- ment (EIS) is being lodged with the application and Tinarana Ltd are estimating that the resort will con-

tribute €30 million to the regional economy every year and €8 to €10 million to the local economy.

As part of the scoping process for the EIS, the developers contacted the Department of the Environment and An Taisce for their views on the project prior to the plans being lodged.

Inresponse, the department claimed that the development had the poten- tial to have “significant negative impacts on Lough Derg SPA and its conservation objectives, particularly at construction stage.”

The department and An _ Taisce have yet to lodge submissions to Clare County Council.

However the developers maintain that the proposal is a realisation of a unique development opportunity afforded by the natural and historic characteristics of the property.

They say the proposal is similar to the concept of Doonbeg golf club, but unlike Doonbeg is not a green- field development, but is similar to Dromoland Castle in that it will be an extension of an existing commer- cial and tourism related product.

Clare developers, Sean Lyne, who iS an investor in

NATIONAL honours will be be- stowed on a rural community in east Clare when seven young ladies take part in a All-Ireland talent competi- tion next week.

Seven members of the Lough- geraney Youth Club in Flagmount will participate in a national variety competition, organised by the Youth Council.

The event, which will see the girls sing a variety of songs, will take place in Maynooth on Saturday.

The girls got through to this stage of the competition, having been suc- cessful at both county and regional levels.

The seven – Cassie Comerford, Vasthi Curran, Ciara McNamara, Lorraine Moloney, Alanna Moro-

ney, Caoimhe Ryan, Sharon Keane – will sing a variety of songs, focus- ing mainly on folk and traditional music.

Fiddle player Colin McNamara also got through to the Munster finals, where he did his club proud.

They entered the competition under the auspices of their local youth club, which was set up last year and are tutored by Veronica Ni Chuilleagain from Bodyke.

Chairperson of the youth club Kathleen McNamara said young people are actively encouraged to get involved in events in the local com- munity.

“Young people have a lot to offer in the community. We have a lot of community projects ongoing. It is important for people to have owner- ship of the community,” she said.

“We had nothing in the area for so long, no community centre, no meet- ing point,’ said Ms McNamara.

“What brought the youth club on was having the childcare centre. It gave us a new lease of life,’ she ANOe(cre

“You have to have something for the youth,” she said.

The youth club is headed up by a variety of leaders – both adults and young people in the area. The club has 30 members, aged between 12 and 17.

SW stereo mca vek moter roe DUE ous activities, including fundraising initiatives along with fun events. They took to the streets of Galway last Christmas, where they engaged in carol singing, raising money for the Share A Dream Foundation in the process.

Next weekend’s event in Maynooth will be followed by an activity week- end for the club, from March 7 to 9, when the club visits Petersburg out- door recreation centre in Mayo.

Along with Ms McMahon, among those involve in the running of the club are Hillary Dully (secretary), Regina McCormack (assistant sec- retary), Tom Fitzpatrick (vice chair- man), Mary Kenny (treasurer) and Margaret Curran (assistant treasur- er). A number of youths in the area are represented on the committee – Eoin and Stephen Kenny, Sinead Reilly and Lorraine Moloney.

CHILDREN attending the gaels- coil in Shannon were given the chance to enjoy a personal tour of their local garda and fire stations last week!

Twenty-one infants from Gaels- coil Donncha Rua, accompanied by their teacher Aisling Harnett and one of their parents Geraldine Hickey, were given guided tours of both venues.

Their school principal Eamonn

Bromell decided to request the visits, amid enthusiasm among the youngsters, who were keen to learn how both services operated.

Their first port of call was the fire Station, where Richie Sunderland gave them a tour of the building and a close-up look at the fire engines.

This tour lived up to the eager childrens’ expectations and they then took in the garda station.

Garda Sean O Murcht – himself a Gaeilgeoir – gave a guided tour, as Gaeilge. One of the highlights of

that visit was their trip to the hold- ing cell at the station – the young- sters compared it to a prison cell and expressed hope that they would never get to experience a real cell in the future!

Mr Bromell said the initiative was an unforgettable experience and benefited the young children im- mensely.

“It was good for them to see dif- ferent people working in the com- munity. School is one service, the fire service 1s another, while the

gardai also provide a Service,” said Mr Bromell.

The trips formed part of an overall project and the youngsters recalled the afternoon’s excitement when they wrote of their experience.

The extra-curricular activities are sure to continue over the next term as Mr Bromell’s next plan is to bring a mobile pet farm to the school.

This 1s poised to create much ex- citement for the children, who will be able to show care for the animals on the farm.

THE wider community in Shannon is, for the first time, being invited to attend an Arts and Heritage Festi- val, which is taking place at a local school next week.

St Patrick’s Comprehensive School will run its fourth annual festival on Monday and Tuesday (March 3 and ae

Viewed as one of the highlights of the school year, the event is antici- pated by staff and students.

It will range a wide variety of events and activities, which young people can engage in. This year’s itinerary includes copperwork, rap dancing, pottery, drumming, creative writing,

kickboxing, computer programming and film making.

The events will not be confined to indoors as there will also be an envi- ronmental walk, rock climbing and dolphin watching, over the two days.

Journalist Nell Mc Cafferty and environmentalist Dick Warner will once again return to the school for the festival and their contributions, in particular, should attract members of the wider community in Shannon.

Deputy principal Anne Lucey said the festival will be, once again, var- ere

‘The emphasis is on arts and her- itage, with guests from all walks of life, be it writers, artists, musicians or computer programmers,” said Ms

Biren

“Students will be able to get a feel for what it is like to be working in creative areas,’ she added.

She said the decision was taken this year, for the first time, to invite members of the community to attend the event.

“We decided this year to invite the adults. If the adults want to come in to a talk, we can facilitate that, if they ring the school in advance and book a place,’ she said.

“The adults would relate quite well to Nell McCafferty,” she added.

Students enjoyed the event over the past few years and this year should be no different, said Ms Lucey.

“We suspend the normal timetable

for the two days. The event is a great experience for everyone. We used to present a musical, but we felt that, with a musical you would have the top 10 stars. What about the other children?” she pointed out.

“We wanted to do something where every single person is involved,’ she added.

Not only do well-known guests at- tend the festival, but former pupils also turn out, to lend tips on their expertise in various areas.

Anyone interested in attending the school’s Arts and Heritage Festival next month should contact the school on 061 361428.

The cost for those who wish to at- tend is €5.

YOUNG people interested in setting up youth clubs will receive support and guidance from the newly-ap- pointed youth club development worker in the Shannon region.

Pat Kerr has recently taken up the post, where he will work alongside youth worker Cathal Dillon, in the Shannon youth office at Rineanna MVETAWA

The

24-year-old’s appointment

came, after youth organisations in the region pointed to the need for ad- ditional support.

Mr Kerr, who hails from Belfast, has no shortage of experience in the area of youth work, having worked for short periods in both America and South Africa.

He will specifically work with the Drumgeely youth club, while he will also offer support to those interested in setting up or developing youth clubs in the Shannon region.

“IT will provide basic training around personal development, com- munication and leadership,’ he said.

“My job will also be to help with those who are looking to establish clubs, like Newmarket-on-Fergus, and to help with the running of other clubs,” said Mr Kerr.

“From what I see the job will fol- low on from the standards set up by Cathal (Dillon),” he said.

Mr Dillon was previously the only full-time worker in the Shannon of-

fice and this new post will see the number of hours available to young people in the area doubled.

“IT am working solely in Shannon, while Pat’s job will have two aspects – to work with new clubs and out and about as club development worker for the region,” said Mr Dillon.

AN ASSESSMENT of needs to identify the extent of the demand for step down housing is to be carried out in Shannon.

This has emerged, in the wake of calls for a suitable site for this type of housing in the town.

Councillor Gerry Flynn (Independ- ent) made the call, saying it was nec- essary, to cater for older people who may wish to downsize their proper- ties to smaller, more manageable USDA

In reply to this motion, at a Shan- non area meeting last week, Senior Executive Officer in housing, Nora Kaye said that a proposal for six step

down houses has been submitted.

It is part of a larger application, of 54 affordable houses, a new access road and ancillary services at Tul- lyglass Lower, south of the Cluain Airne housing estate.

“These six step down houses are bungalows, comprising four semi- detached and two detached and have small back gardens for easy mainte- nance,” said Ms Kaye.

However this development is be- ing opposed by residents of Cluain Airne, who are concerned about the number of houses proposed. A deci- sion on this application is imminent.

Ms Kaye added, “An assessment of needs to identify the extent of the demand for step down housing

would be required and I have spoken with the Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment regarding such approach. The department will provide additional information when the assessment is complete, as there is no national step down housing scheme.”

Councillor Flynn said that his pro- posal affects several people.

“A considerable amount of peo- ple in Shannon live alone in two- storey houses. They want to live in their own community, close to their families and friends but require step down housing,’ said Cllr Flynn.

“The maintenance costs would be very low as the houses are much smaller. It would give people accom-

modation suitable to their needs. It would also free up a lot of houses for the next generation,” he said.

He said that Clare County Council should “specifically put aside a site” for such a scheme.

“Small-type chalet housing would be built and sold to people who would like to buy them. They could, in turn, sell their houses and make second-hand houses available, which are needed,” he added.

Fine Gael Councillor Tony Mulcahy supported calls for such a scheme.

“It’s an absolute need. A lot of peo- ple in their 70s and 80s live in hous- es where they can’t go up the stairs, while we have very few bungalows, which we need,” he said.