The Clare People Archive

UNTIL the Leapfrog Creche and Montessori opened it’s doors in Tua- mngraney, parents had to take their tots twelve miles or more to be cared oe

This month, the busy facility is cel- ebrating it’s first birthday by having an official opening, because, says owner Sarah Ryan, “thing were too hectic to do anything about the open- ing before now.”

“It’s been an amazing twelve months but now that we’re settled, I just want to do something that will

acknowledge the parents and chil- dren who come to us.”

Sarah and husband Johnny decided to open the childcare facility when they were expecting their second child and it became clear that that the nearest purpose built facilities were miles away.

The fact that the pair were running a carpentry business was a huge help at the time in constructing the build- ing.

Now Leapfrog has 39 pre-school and 13 afterschool children all being cared for under the watchful eye of creche manager Claire Heaney and

her staff between 8am and 6.30pm each day.

The youngest of their charges is a five-month-old baby, “although this is unusual’, says Sarah.

“With better maternity leave enti- tlements, most babies come to us at around ten months, but if like me, you re self employed, you need a few hours every day to do things and par- ents need a facility where they can bring young babies.”

Leapfrog has baby, toddler, play- school, Montessori and after-school care and it’s little customers come from all over east Clare, from every-

where between Tulla and Whitegate.

“At the moment we’re full and we have a waiting list, so the opening isn’t to show off the créche, it’s just to celebrate the year that’s gone and getting up and running,’ said Sarah.

Local councillor, Joe Cooney, will be performing the official opening at the creche in Tuamgraney village on February 26.

PLANS are at an advanced stage for the redevelopment of Tulla court- house, with hopes that the building will be ready for community use in March. At the AGM of the Court- house Rejuvenation Committee last week, local clubs and organisations came along to give their suggestions about the make-over.

Committee Chairman, Bernard Mulcachy, said the evening proved “very helpful. We wanted input and there was a good response from the community groups and a few good

Suggestions. For instance, we hadn’t looked at wheelchair access to the stage although there is wheelchair access to the hall itself. That’s some- thing we can examine now. We got feedback on quite a few issues which we will be able to look at.”

Since the county council moved out in November to take possession of their new premises in Scariff, the committee have swung into action and now there is a new lighting and sound system, a complete repaint and redecoration of the former council offices and an extension to the build- ing to add an extra meeting room is

also underway.

Among the groups who will be us- ing the newly refurbished courthouse are the Tulla Drama Group, the musi- cal society, the GAA, who will use it for meetings and groups taking yoga lessons and other courses.

The Midnight Court Film Society, based in Scariff, are also considering having some screenings depending on local demand.

Funding for the project came large- ly from a grant from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism, which was allocated several years ago.

“We couldn’t use the grant straight

away because we were waiting for the council to move to their new of- fices. Luckily, the department gave us a lot of leeway,” said Bernard.

The total cost of the refurbishment project will be €120,000 and the grant will meet 80 per cent of that COST.

“We would hope that the facility will earn money to make up the dif- ference rather than put the cost back on the community,” said Bernard.

‘And it’s hoped that the community will be attending an open day at the end of March, once the bulk of the work has been done,” said Bernard.

A MEMORABLE 12 months for Ennis Track Club was crowned on Saturday when the club was named Munster Cross Country Club of the Nae

2007 was the most successful in the club’s 17 year history with the club taking home major honors at all lev- els in both track and field and cross eo) t nem mea Lo) TLE

The efforts of athletes and coach- es were recognised on Saturday in Dungarvan, Waterford at the Mun- ster Athletics awards.

The occasion held extre signifi- cance for Tom and Vera Dullaghan

who accepted the award on behalf of Ennis Track Club.

The Dullaghans are both founding members and are still actively in- volved with the club.

Ennis Track Club made history at the Munster Championships last year by becoming the first club to win the ladies novice title, ladies intermedi- ate title and ladies senior title at the Munster Championships.

The club also won the national men’s title and there was also success in the national under 12s champion- ships.

In total, the club won an aston- ishing 163 medal in track and field events and 275 medals in cross coun-

try events.

Club PRO Michael O’Brien said the year reflected the commitment of athletes and the huge contributions made by coaches and volounteers through the years.

“We are just small club that came from humble beginnings but have been lucky in that there has been a ereat group of very dedicated and talented people whop have been with the club since the start.

“Last year was definitely historic for us’. Ennis Track Club was formed in 1991 with the first committee meet- ing taking place in O’Keefe’s Bar Lifford.

That committee was made up

Gerry Hayes (president), Tom Casey (chairman), Maeve Casey (secretary) and Tom Dullaghan (treasurer).

The club made an instant impres- sion by finishing first in the women’s 4×400 relay at the Munster Champi- onships in Waterford.

Over the years the club has also produced athletes who have compet- ed on the international stage.

Rory Chesser and Liam Markham both represented Ireland at the U23 championships in Scotland.

The club now has over 100 mem- bers and six coaches Gerry Hayes, Pat Hogan, Deirdre Cahill, Mar- ian O’Loughlin, Jim Donnellan and Michael O’Brien.

THE work of staff and students at the Adult and Community Education Centre in Ennis has been described as essential to the success of the sec- ico) e

Speaking at the opening of the cen- tre’s new extension, Minister of State Sean Haughey praised the progress made by adult education providers in OE

Mr Haughey was in Clare to open centres in Shannon and Ennis, as part of the National Adult Learners Festival.

Referring to some last minute prep- arations for his visit to Ennis, Mr Haughey quipped “I was told to be late because there was sign to go up. If I have achieved nothing else by my visit to Ennis, then I have achieved Werelaae

The extension and _ re-develop- ment of the Adult and Community Education Centre in Clonroad, Ennis means more services can be provided as part of the Clare back to education initiative.

The centre provides learning op- portunities in reading and writing, language support, youthreach pro- gression, the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and family learning. Services include a creche, night classes, e-learning and adult learners guidance.

In Clare, there are currently 2,000 learners availing of adult basic edu- cation and a further 700 engaging in community education.

Mr Haughey said the centre provid- ed valuable learning opportunities. “This is particularly evident here in Ennis, where your Adult Basic Edu- cation Service provides great assist-

ance to adults returning to education, particularly those who did not get the chance to complete their secondary education. Work undertaken on the ground is absolutely essential to the success of the sector, and I am very much aware of this”.

“This expanded adult education centre will provide additional and valuable opportunities for learners in the Ennis area to create a better life themselves and their families”.

He added, “The Ennis Adult Edu- cation centre does a great job in providing that crucial support and I know that with your capabilities extended, many more opportunities will be available to you in this re- een Ke ae

Dr Sean Conlan, Education Of- ficer for Clare VEC, said significant strides had been made in the area of adult education.

‘Adult education used to be called the cinderella of education, because we were never invited to the ball. Now things are different, and in GET ucee tree or Dus CGUIT Dem Ne uome sr KMmolon significant investment in services”

Mr Haughey met with students, programme leaders, tutors and co- ordinators and received a painting from VTOS student Malcom Gay. Youthreach trainee Shirley Price and her daughter Brooke, who attends Cuan Aire Creche, presented Mr Je Ft tea teas

Music was provided by VTOS tutor Andrew Newland and the Founda- tion Ministry Choir.

THERE was a large attendance of approx 120 people at the emergency public meeting of the Killone Group Water Scheme, held at the Commu- nity Centre, Ballyea.

Waters shortages have affected around 3300 homes, farms and small commercial businesses in recent weeks. Supply from the plant installed last year, at a cost of €900,000, on Killone Lake is not meeting the high demand in the area.

The plant was designed to meet a demand of 180 cubic metres per day. It is estimated current demand for water in the area is 300 cubic metres per day.

Arsing from the meeting, the Kil- lone Group Water scheme are seek- ing a meeting with the officials from EPS, the firm who designed, built and currently operate to station.

The meeting proposed and _ sec- onded local businessman Michael Sheedy to the role of Chairperson and Cllr. Paul Murphy was called upon

to take the minutes. Past and present committees were also thanked for all of their work throughout the years.

The current shortfall in water was then addressed. Murt Reddington outlined how at present only 288 m3 per day was being produced and that there was a need for 360 m3 per day. As a result the problem being posed is how the water is to be shared amongst the community.

Homes in Dara have also been af- fected by the shortages.

Deputies Joe Carey, Tony Killeen,

Pat Breen and Timmy Dooley all ad- dressed the meeting and spoke of the need for all parties involved to pull together and iron out any problems.

Joe Carey TD then proposed that meetings should be sought with of- ficials from the firm EPS who are in charge of the pump station and also with officials of Clare County Coun- cil to try and fast track a solution to this ongoing problem.

A number of volunteers were also appointed to the committee to spread the workload

ENNIS Town Council has been urged to follow the example set by famous chefs like Gordon Ramsay and aim higher.

That was the message from the February meeting of Ennis Town Council where there was support for a motion calling for the Council to seek the ISO 9000/9002 Quality As- surance Award.

Town Clerk Eddie Power explained the Council does not intended to pur- sue the ISO qualification because a rigorous system of measurement, involving 46 separate service indica- tors, 1s already in place.

Supporting the motion Green Par- ty councillor Donal O’Bearra said,

“You don’t see chefs stopping with one Michelin star, they always go for two stars. We should do the same”.

Tabling the motion, Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn said that given the Council’s €12 budget it was important the Council retained the confidence of the public.

He said, “€12 million of public money is being spent this year. The ISO is widely accepted as the highest standard of performance. There have been issues like the crisis with the public water supply that have dam- aged public confidence. The time is now to address that”.

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn agreed it was important public con- fidence was restored. He said, “I would support that motion. Percep-

tion 1s everything”.

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon also backed the motion. He said the Council should not be fear aiming for the highest possible standards.

“If we go for the ISO, then I don’t think we should be afraid of going for it. If we don’t go for it, the ques- tion will be asked, why we didn’t go for it. If its, (the Council), is as good as we Say it is, then we should go for ra

Independent councillor Taiwoo Matthew said it was important for the Council to operate to the best Standards. “We have to set standards, we have to be measured because we are providing a service. If we were in the private sector, we would have to

innovate”.

Mayor Tommy Brennan tabled a counter proposal. He said, “I think before proceeding with this, we get advice on what we would have to do and what are the costs associated with it”.

Fianna Fail councillor Joe Reidy said, “I’d have no problem with the system there at the moment. We need to find out a bit more about the ISO”.

Town Manager Tom Coughlan said the funding and impact on resource allocation would have to be consid- ered. “It would take up more time. I wouldn’t like it to be the case that staff time is being taken up with achieving measurements rather than doing the actual work”.

THE need for a maternity unit and a proper ambulance service for the county came to a head this week When three babies were born in GE TKcmeE-AWE WAS RO)ONMMalom Kcr LUBDRSLO Mpa eTorO ce ical services.

As the HSE prepares to centralise its services to centres of excellence, the mothers of Clare have called for the one service that 1s already cen- tralised to be decentralised back to the county.

Following years of campaigning amid claims that west Clare has been under resourced, political figures and young mothers are now demand- ing an emergency unit in the region.

During the early hours of Monday morning last, first time mother Mary O’Gorman discovered first hand the shortfall in the ambulance services when she went into labour.

An ambulance was called at 3.45am for the terrified Kilrush woman but failed to arrive in time and baby Brooke was born with the assist-

ance of her aunt and grandmother at 4.20am on the family’s couch.

Mary’s father, local town council- lor Stephen O’Gorman (FF) said that the ambulance eventually arrived at 5.05 am. Shannondoc, the out-of- hours GP service, was contacted by the family at 3.45am but arrived just minutes before the ambulance.

Cllr O’Gorman believes that the ambulance that arrived to bring his daughter and granddaughter to hos- pital would have been even later if another young woman from the area

who was also in labour had not can- celled it and risked the long journey to hospital by car.

That new mum – Anna Jenkins – was just a short while in hospital when her baby was born.

“There was no ambulance coverage in west Clare from Saturday night to Tuesday. That 1s a disgrace,” said Cllr O’Gorman.

“We need a mid-wife service in Kilrush and a unit that people can avail of in emergencies and a proper ambulance service. The coverage 1n

west Clare is not good enough. We are looking at fatalities in the fu- ture,” he said.

Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey, said that the nearest ambulance available for the O’Gorman baby had to come from Limerick.

“It’s just not possible for it to be able to respond to emergencies hav- ing to cover that distance. A 24-hour fully equipped fully staffed A&E is essential for Clare people. We also need 24 hour ambulance cover to support this service,’ he said.

THE first sod on a multi-million euro community project in Sixmilebridge will be turned within weeks.

The development of a playground will be the first part of an overall plan which will include a creche, daycare centre and a community hall.

The initiative, located on the Shan- non Road in Sixmilebridge, is organ- ised under the auspices of The Bridge Complex in Sixmilebridge.

Local funding, allied to financial

assistance from Clare County Coun- cil and Government funds, helped cover the costs of the initiative, which has been on the cards for a number of years.

While the playground will be con- structed within months, it will take some years before the final prong of this project is completed.

The Bridge Complex is currently based at the old courthouse building, but will move to the community hall, when it is completed.

PRO of the Bridge Complex Mare-

len Cadogan said while the wheel was 1n motion for some time, the ac- tual building work is poised to get underway within weeks.

‘People will actually be able to see the digger on the site, which is the start of the next phase,’ said Ms Ca- dogan.

€10,000 of the funds for the play- ground was raised in the local area, while the remainder was granted in funding. It will feature state-of-the art equipment and will be located on a secure Site.

When completed, the facility will be run by the local community and will be a huge asset for the people of Sixmilebridge, where the population has grown substantially.

The official website of the Bridge Complex, www.bridgecomplex.ie, will be launched by Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley, on Friday evening, in the old courthouse building, at oy oeee

“It will give people the chance to come and ask questions,’ said Ms Cadogan.

THE people of Shannon are unclear about what services are available to them at the local health clinic.

That was the message delivered at a meeting between town councillors and two Health Service Executive Chie lecim ase

HSE General Manager in Primary, Community and Continuing Care, Chris Monaghan and Senior Execu- tive Officer in Community Services, Esther Conlon, attended a meeting of Shannon Town Council last Tues- day.

Independent councillor Gerry Flynn asked about the frequency or availability of a range of services,

including a family planning clinic, blood testing facilities for the elder- ly, dental, speech therapy and physi- otherapy services.

Cllr Flynn said, “Your PR is a dis- aster. There is no link for me. What I want is somebody at the end of the phone to say there is a problem there. The connection 1s gone.”

He said if the current trend contin- ues, he would be calling for the abo- lition of the HSE and “go back to the way things were”.

Cllr Sean Hillery (FF) said he regularly hears concerns relating to home help for older people.

‘The work is there. The people are in need. Ye must not have enough people to help,” he said.

Mr Monaghan said he agreed, add- ing, “We don’t have any additional re- sources to put in. There are restraints on what we can actually deliver.”

“We simply do not have enough resources to deliver home help pack- ages to everybody who needs them.

“We are developing primary care teams to provide additional services within a local community setting,” said Mr Monaghan.

In December, in response to que- ries from councillors, the Health Service Executive sent a letter to the town council, outlining the range of services on offer at Shannon.

Fianna Fail councillor Geraldine Lambert said she was surprised at how comprehensive the list was.

“If there is a perception out there that services aren’t being provided, that needs to be addressed,’ she CrHOR

However Mr Monaghan said that while he would take on board the queries, he couldn’t comment on 1n- dividual aspects.

“If there are issues or queries, write to us. If we are in a position to an- Swer, we will,” he said.

He said that HSE staff meet Oire- achtas members on a quarterly basis and issues could be raised at those meetings.

Ms Conlon told councillors that ophthalmic, physiotherapy and den- tal services are all carried out at the clinic.

THE Shannon town manager is to recommend the provision of €50,000 in funding towards a major develop- ment of the town’s leisure centre, which will include the creation of a skateboard area and floodlit tennis court.

Ger Dollard said he would be sug- gesting this figure, after management at Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre wrote to the local authority, seeking funding for a major renova- tion of the town’s leisure centre.

In the letter, Chairperson of the

centre, Martina Kennedy-Clancy pointed out that when completed, the outdoor facility will include a flood- lit fenced outdoor tennis court.

She said that the possibility of a skateboard area was also being actively considered. “The approxi- mate cost of this particular part of the project 1s €75,000,” stated Ms Kennedy-Clancy.

She pointed out that 15 people are permanently employed at the centre and every effort would be made to ensure it remains open during the renovation period.

“This approach would involve the

centre in additional financial ex- penditure and we are currently ex- amining how best to meet the addi- tional cost, which will be in excess of €250,000,” she added.

Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said that more than €1 million has been raised, for the ma- jor development.

Cllr Gerry Flynn said it would only be “right and proper” that the town council would financially support the renovations.

Councillors, in general, supported the calls for the financial support and said they would like to see copies of

the plans for the development.

Cllr Sean Hillery (FF) said, “The council should come up trumps. This is a Service for the community, being provided by a private company.”

Mr Dollard pointed out that over the past few years, money had been set aside for community initiatives. €100,000 had accumulated and he said he would be suggesting that €50,000 of this be considered for the leisure centre.

‘The idea of a skatepark is an ex- cellent idea. If we can get a skatepark out of this, I think it would be hugely successful,’ said Mr Dollard.