The Clare People Archive

THE LATEST bid to reconnect Shannon’s air link to Heathrow has suffered a setback with news that Minister Noel Dempsey has not in- cluded the service on a list of appli- cants for EU Public Service Obliga- tion (PSO) funds.

But the Mayor of Clare, Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind), who heads

the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance, said that while the minister’s deci- sion was “disappointing, the route is a profitable one and I am confident that a carrier will be found and we will continue to work to achieve ere

It had been hoped that EU funds would be available to an airline will- ing to operate the Heathrow route out of Shannon under the PSO system.

Under EU legislation, governments can impose a PSO on a route if it is considered vital for the economic life of a particular region. PSOs are in place on routes between Dublin and Sligo, Donegal, Derry, Knock, Gal- way and Kerry.

But it emerged this week that the minister had not included the Heath- row slot in his application for a re- newal of a PSO on these routes for a

three-year period from July 2008.

Minister Dempsey said that offi- cials from the Department of Trans- port had discussed the possibility of having a PSO on the Shannon- Heathrow route with the European Commission. The minister said that the EU officials had pointed out that there were already regular services between Shannon and other airports in London.

AER LINGUS flights could be erounded if union members go ahead with threats of industrial action at the end of the month.

The largest union at the airline, SIPTU, has said it will not rule out a fresh ballot for industrial action if management forces through cost cut- ting measures on February 24.

The craft group of unions at Aer Lingus announced it was withdraw- ing from what it described as the “charade” of talks with management, before SIPTU made its warning.

In early January, the airline and

SIPTU had reached agreement in principal on how savings of €10 mil- lion could be achieved. The airline says the cuts are vital to its future. But no progress has been made since WeoOe

At the weekend the airline’s deputy chief executive, Niall Walsh, wrote to the union to tell them that cost cuts must be implemented by February 24 at the latest, with all negotiations concluded by February 22.

He said that the “urgency to agree, implement and realise the savings is more and more pressing” amid “weakening economic conditions and continued high fuel costs”.

A SIPTU spokeswoman, Teresa Hancock, said that her union wants the airline to adopt alternatives to reducing take-home pay and annual Eee sl ala espa orn nce

“SIPTU will not accept the com- pany unilaterally implementing any change to current terms and condi- tions. Should this occur, it will be viewed as a provocative act.”

Meanwhile, the craft group of un- ions has withdrawn from talks with management, claiming that Aer Lin- gus has withheld a pay settlement which was agreed as part of the na- tional wage agreement since Octo- ber.

“This whole episode of talks has been a charade” said Brian Gormley of the Unite trade union and chair- man of the craft workers’ group.

A spokesman for the company de- nied that any action by the 180 craft workers would result in grounding of NbKele NA

But while such action would cause some disruption, the bigger threat would be from the 1,800 members of SIPTU who could bring flights to a halt if they downed tools.

Aer Lingus has told the craft unions eroup that it will implement cost sav- ing initiatives in their areas from February 25 unless talks resume.

DARK clouds are once again begin- ning to gather over farming in Ire- land the spectre of the World Trade Organisation looming large on the KeyuyZevne

Speaking last week, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan asked that particular attention be focussed on recent WTO developments which she described as being “of great concern’ to her.

Her fears were echoed by ICSA president Malcolm Thompson who said he had “grave concern” over the WTO.

“WTO negotiators seem hell bent on getting a deal and are quite pre-

pared to throw EU agriculture to the wolves,” he said. There will be considerable difficulty 1n convinc- ing farmers that the EU is acting in farmers’ best interests, especially if Commissioner Mandelson delivers a deal which goes beyond his negotiat- ing mandate. Of even greater concern is the fact that Ireland seems to have little or no control over the negoti- ating process. Farmers are increas- ingly concerned that too much of our autonomy has been lost to European bureaucrats, and will need strong re- assurances before accepting the Ref- erendum on the Reform Treaty.

“It will not be easy to persuade farmers of the merits of greater in- stitutional efficiency in the EU deci-

sion making process if the EU insti- tutions sell out agriculture at WTO,” he warned.

Meanwhile, the ICMSA have warned of an “agriculture catastro- phe” if WTO proposals are agreed.

‘“There’s no point any more in adopting a ‘“wait-and-see’ attitude on the subject of WTO,” said ICMSA President Jackie Cahill.

“Every time the process stops or breaks-down, it simply resumes again at a starting point that is even more disadvantageous than the orig- inal point of difference. Vital Irish economic interests are in imminent danger of being sacrificed.

“Despite repeated efforts by the Irish Government – and here, we

must acknowledge the personal ef- forts of Minister Coughlan and her team – unelected EU bureaucrats are about to broker what amounts to a catastrophic sell-out at WTO.

“The time has now come for the Taoiseach to point out to the Presi- dent of the European Commission – in the strongest terms possible – that EU Commissioner Mandelson does not have a mandate for the offers he is apparently now making on behalf of the EU.”

Gr NIURSTCCM der lMersmBEseoIlMCEh Amilo push for a deal has been noticeably increased and that Commissioner Mandelson continues to offer con- cession after concession on the agri- cultural front.

CLARE Fianna Fail TD and Vice Chairman of the Oireachtas Com- mittee on European Affairs member- ship, Timmy Dooley, has welcomed the news that the IFA have called for a Yes vote for the EU Reform Treaty.

“Europe has been good for Irish farmers and it is vital that we contin- ue to have a strong voice at the heart of Europe,’ he said.

“Showing our support for the EU Reform Treaty is a vital display of our support.

“The Common Agriculture Policy

of the EU has played a vital role in the development of the Irish farming and food industry. Farmers in Clare continue to be influenced by the EU and the IFA is right to recognise this and call on farmers to continue to play a central role in the EU.

“This Government is committed to backing farmers and the rural econo- my and our relationship with the EU is intrinsic to this.

“Issues such as the upcoming CAP Health Check negotiations and World Trade Talks will be dealt with by our Minister for Agriculture and her officials. It can only strengthen their position if they are quite rightly

recognised as active and respected members of the European Union. This is how we can deliver the best results for Irish farmers into the fu- neko

“IT am urging all Clare farmers to heed the call of the IFA. A Yes vote for the Reform Treaty will show that Irish farmers are determined to re- main at the heart of European deci- sion making.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Clare TD, Pat Breen, has welcomed the complete ban on the importa- tion of Brazilian beef saying it was good news for consumers and for the

farmers of County Clare.

“IT welcome news of the Brazilian beef ban and it is high time consid- ering the evidence of low production standards and risky practices which have been exposed in Brazil,” he said.

“Consumers have a right to know that the beef they are buying is pro- duced to the highest standards. I hope that this ban will result in a re- balancing of the situation where one set of rigorous standards is applied to Irish farmers who are forced to compete with Brazilian beef produc- ers who do not comply with the same rules.”

THE quest for quiz glory began again in north Clare last week when a team from Doolin National School won their way through to the re- gional final of the All-Ireland Credit Union Quiz.

The quiz, which is the largest sin- gle quiz to take place in Ireland this year, has been dominated in recent years by teams from the north of the

county with Lisdoonvarna National School taking the national title in paul eToys

Indeed this year’s Doolin team will include one member of the Lisdoon- varna National School team which represented Munster at last year’s All-Ireland competition.

“Last weeks quiz was against kids in fifth and sixth class from around the county,” said Orla Burke from Doolin.

“I was in the Lisdoonvarna team last year who made it to the All-Ire- land final. It was great fun so hope- fully we can do well again this year and maybe even make it to the All- Ireland again.”

While Orla had the experience of last years competition, for fellow sixth class student, David Sims, this was his first taste of competitive quizzing.

“Some of the questions were really

hard but some of the other ones were okay,’ he said.

“This was my first year being in- volved in the quiz. The heat took place down in Ennistymon and there was 53 other teams from all over tak- ing part.”

For the third member of the team Keelan McMahon, liking subjects is the best way of studying them.

“T like geography and history and the capitals of all the countries a lot,” he said.

“I liked the sports questions as well. I think that it’s easier to study the subject you like so I really liked the sports questions.”

The youngest member of the team was David Nagle, who is the only fifth class pupil in the group.

‘After this we are going down to Limerick in March and if we do well there we will be going up to Dublin for the All-Ireland,” he said.

“There will be one or two other teams from Clare in the Limerick competition as well as loads of teams from all around Munster. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Limerick Regional Final will take place on March 3 with the best two teams going forward to the All Ireland. More than 25,000 children from north and south of the border will compete in this years competi- nt

THE life and times of Jack Garrihy will be celebrated as part of this year Russell Memorial Weekend which begins in Doolin on Friday, Febru- 1 ae

Jack, who passed away at last years festival, was one of the founders of the memorial weekend, a friend to the Russells and one of the key fig- ures in Doolin’s development over the last hundred years.

As part of the festival launch, a spe- cial picture of Jack will be unveiled in the Russell Centre. The photo will be unveiled by Jack’s friend, Cllr Richard Nagle, while Jack’s grand-

daughters Aoibhean, Ailbe and Dao- ireann will perform songs from their erandfather’s repertoire in memory of his fine gift as a sean nos singer.

‘Jack was a neighbour of the Rus- sells and was one of the founders of the memorial weekend back in 1995. He died after the wreath laying cer- emony last year, he had just fulfilled his job and then he died,” said John Doorty.

“He had been training his neigh- bour, Patrick Sweeney, who was an- other neighbour of the Russells, to take over the job of the wreath lay- ing. He made sure that we had typed out the speech that he had to give and everything. He had been future

proofing the whole future of the fes- tival.”

Besides his involvement with Rus- sell Weekend, Jack is remembered as one of Doolin’s most prominent business people and community leaders.

“What Jack did was that he forged these links with the Aran Islands. It’s extraordinary, there are still people who come to Doolin from the Aran Islands. He was areal self made man, he started the trade back and forth with the islands,’ continued John.

“I remember when I went out to Inis Meain, everyone asked me did I know Jack Garrihy. Everyone out there knew him. If they wanted some-

thing he would get it for them. He looked after them, often time some of the fishermen would stay with him in Doolin for a day or two.”

Other highlights of the weekend include a concertina recital with Ro- nan O’Flaherty and Edel Fox, the Russell Concert featuring all local musicians, a traditional singing re- cital, a tin whistle and flute recital with Christy Barry and Colin Nee, set dancing with the Four Courts Céili Band and sessions throughout the weekend in Doolin’s pubs and hotels

For more on the weekend check out www.michorussellweekender.ie.

GORT will celebrate it’s first ever literary festival this May when a two-day long events hosted by the Western Writers’ Centre rolls into town. The festival, which 1s entitled The Forge at Gort – A Writers Gath- ering, will take place on March 28 and 29 at various locations around the town.

“We have called it the forge, which related to one of Yeat’s poems where he mentions the forge in Gort.

“That forge is still there in the main street in Gort,’ said Fred John- son, founder of the Cuirt Festival and member of the Western Writers’

Centre.

“The Western Writer Centre has or- ganised a lot of events in the western region. I was in Gort as we had or- ganised a reading for Evelyn Conlon the novelist, and I looked around and thought that Gort would be a lovely town to have a little festival in. The best way to do these thing is to start modestly, and have a small festival which reflects the literary history of Gort.”

One of the main aims of the festival is to take an all inclusive approach to literature.

“We will have poetry workshops, Christy O’Connor will be down to talk about his book on hurling “Last

Man Standing’, we are trying to keep it as open as possible,” continued Fred.

“The last thing that we would want is to have anything that is too elitist. We really want to be as all inclusive as possible. If anyone locally has ide- as and would like to get their group involved then we would love to hear from them.

“We have been in touch, for exam- ple, with the Brazilian community in Gort and we hope that we will be able to organise something with them. But if anyone has an idea, all they need to do is give us a shout.

“We are supported by the Arts Council, Galway City and County

Councils and Poetry Ireland but we are hoping for other sponsorship if it is forthcoming.”

The festival line-up so far includes novelist Geraldine Mills, poet Knute Skinner, a poetry workshop with poet Nessa O’Mahony, poetry read- ing with Frank Golden, a talk with Christy O’Connor, a reading for children and adults with Eddie Leni- han a workshop on poetry publish- ing, with the head of Salmon Poetry, Jessie Lendennie and The Rahaline Experiment, a drama by John Arden and Margaretta D’Arcy.

For more info check out www. twwe.ie or contact 091 533594 or westernwriters @eircom.net.

THE countdown is officially on for the Clare first ever walking mara- thon, which takes place in the Bur- ROOM BODY ENYA

The Clare Burren Marathon Chal- lenge, which is being organised by the Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club, will take place on Saturday May 24 and organisers are expecting a treat for enthusiast who can exper!i- ence first hand some of Ireland most SOUR UI DMCC OMA

The marathon was launched in the Burren Coast Hotel in Ballyvaughan last Friday evening and organis- ers are hoping to help attract new visitors to discover the beauty of the Burren.

“We have everything you could

want from a walking marathon – up- hill, cross county – everything you ol tIKe Me bele

“The majority of marathons are on the flat on roads, and that is a bit bor- ing after awhile,” said Kevin McCor- mack of the Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club.

“It’s ust as tough as running a mar- athon. The runners are trained fro running and the walkers are trained for walking, it’s still more than 26 miles. It’s a big challenge all the wneales

“We have great scenary for this walk. We have Galway Bay, we have the Aran Islands – on a clear day you can actually see as far as the lakes in Connemara so it’s a great route for anyone who is interested in nature and sight seeing.”

The marathon will coincide with the Burren in Bloom Festival in Bal- lyvaughan and will start and finish in the Burren Coast Hotel in Bally- vaughan.

It will start at 8am and will go cross country through a variety of different landscapes before arriving in Fanore.

The walker will then return via Black Head and the Green Road and back into Ballyvaughan.

The Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club was set up in 2006 and has al- ready some 80 members drawn from all over the country.

“IT was always a walker I suppose and I have been away for year, But when I came back to Fanore here I ended up walking by myself. I got fed up of that and decided that I

would try and start off a club,” con- tinued Kevin.

“This is the very first walking marathon in Clare as far as I know anyway. But they have these walk- ing marathons all over the world. We have the ideal place for walking here. We have the Burren, there 1s no location like it for walking anywhere in the world.”

For more information check out www.bally vaughanfanorewalking- club.com

PROVING that education is about more than reading, writing and ‘rith- matic, students in the transition year in Scariff Community College have been throwing themselves – literally – into the wider learning experience.

The students have just finished a three-day stay in Petersburg Outdoor Education Centre in County Mayo. Outdoor cooking and dining were part of the experience.

The youngsters abandoned dry land for kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, gorge walking and raft building.

Back on terra firma they went hill walking, orienteering and abseiling.

‘The weather was in our favour and this along with the positive at- titude of everybody left us with great memories,’ said co-ordinator Liam Sie

On another outing, the students learned what happens when you get on the wrong side of the law.

They took part in a mock court tri- al conduced by Mr James Fahy, SC, and did a law examination certified by Dublin’s Portobello College.

aUCe NAUOMCOLUUM MD SM Sy IDONICM Lol MmCIAULO(ONAS see jury Selection, a criminal trial and they had a very sobering visit to the cells as well as alook inside the van that transports prisoners be- tween the court and the jail.

“Something I hope will be repeated only in a professional capacity,” said Liam Coyle.

“We witnessed the full cross-sec- tion of life,’ said one of the students.

“Court staff, especially Ned, were very helpful in explaining proceed- ings and we are grateful to them.”

The nineteen students have also passed first, second and third ECDL tests.

The transition year tour, with fifth years, is to Barcelona on March 12 and students are preparing for work experience.

A programme on health and life- style issues devised by college chap- lain, Geraldine Condren went ahead

during the winter months and later an evening for parents was arranged so that they could hear presentations from contributors to the programme and open doors for discussions, with their children on issues that had been eI SLe B

Students took part in discussion workshops on_ relationships and sexuality, including an information session on STIs, the contributor be- ing Dr Conor Magee; on emotional health handled by Gerry Dobbins of the Outreach Programme of the Samaritans, and on Christian values and young people, directed by Fr Brendan Quinlivan, college chap- FETEOe

WHEN ‘Tulla woman, Kay Madden was told she had breast cancer, it was the most frightening news she had ever got.

But that was ten years ago and thankfully, she is now running her tenth annual coffee day to raise cash for a cause which gave her hope and support throughout her ordeal.

The Maddens would like everyone in the parish to come to visit them at 23 Main Street on Friday, February 22 between 10am and 10pm, to enjoy a cuppa and support a good cause.

Kay describes it as “a very low point” after she was diagnosed, op- erated on and struggling through nine months of chemotherapy and TecTeul@lAeles 1 Oh VA

But that summer she was contacted

by members of the Clare 250 mile Cycle organisation, offering Kay and her husband Pat a trip to Lourdes as part of their annual pilgrimage to bring 80 people with cancer to the JK emevubAteE

Organisers, John Dunne and Claire Nugent started the cycle and every year, dedicated cyclists, organisers and fundraisers raise money to bring very ill people on pilgrimage.

Kay had been nominated by Ger Treacy from Scariff and Patrick Kel- ly from Tulla to take part in the trip.

“It was the trip of a lifetime. We were So Well looked after and every- thing was arranged. And we got to meet with other people in the same boat and talk and maker friends. It was fabulous,” said Kay.

But the support which organisers, John Dunne and Claire Nugent gave

to Kay didn’t end when the plane touched down in Ireland again.

“T had to go to Dublin for radiother- apy for five weeks and they brought me up on Monday and back home again on Friday. It was amazing practical support. That’s what they do for people,” said Kay.

Throughout her battle with cancer, Kay got “immense support” from those involved in the Clare 250 as well as from good neighbours, fam- ily and those who looked after her medically.

“IT could not have managed with- out their kindness, help, dignity and support,” she said.

Kay says after the trip, she was lucky to have the support of two friends in Tulla – Lavender Wright and Sr Celia – who had battled with cancer Six years previously.

“The coffee morning fund-raiser was my husband’s idea. This is pay- back as far as we are concerned for all the help we’ve been given by the Clare 250. Now it’s become an annu- al event and a real parish day – peo- ple come and have coffee, they bring the kids, we have a laugh and talk. It’s a real get-together day.”

The Clare 250 is currently also rais- ing money to build a Cancer Centre for Clare in Ruan.

The centre would provide a drop in place initially where people di- agnosed with the disease can go to talk, meet others and get support and advice.

The project is currently at the plan- ning permission stage.