The Clare People Archive

“We have been very happy with the people here,’ he said. “In the first nine months we have gone from zero to 30 billion US dollars in assets, and from 19 to 91 employees.”

The Northern Trust Corporation 1s one of the world’s leading financial services institutions.

It provides asset servicing, asset

management, wealth management, and banking solutions to institution- al and personal investors throughout the world. Founded in Chicago in

1889, it is a top ten asset manager by assets under management.

It is a leading fund administrator in Europe and one of the largest per-

sonal wealth managers in the United States.

Northern Trust describes the Lim- erick office as a growth centre in Ire- land in mutual fund administration, CCF (Common Contractual Fund) administration and alternative fund administration, supporting Northern Trust’s fund clients in Ireland and around the world.

The corporation set up a fund serv- ices division in Dublin in 2000, and already has 500 people employed there. The establishment of this sec- ond operation in the mid west, with the potential to create up to 300 high level positions, was announced by IDA Ireland in September 2006.

The office, which is in Block 2, Hamilton House, Plassey Technol- ogy Park, was officially opened by Michael Ahern, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

“The mid-west region 1s a very at- tractive location for multinational companies to establish a base, with

a strong community support for business and the availability of high quality graduates and skilled people, as well as a wide choice of property solutions supported by an interna- tional standard infrastructure and an excellent quality of life for all,” said WW Gtimaueoure

Mr Osborn added that Northern Trust was delighted with the sup- port and encouragement from IDA Ireland and the local and business community.

ANIMAL health issues were high on the agenda at an IFA meeting in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture held in Ennis last week.

Silom rnleoeelcmm Yen Oemue mo ar-sbusem ey Seamus Murphy, Clare IFA County Chairman, included guest speakers James Hannon, Senior Veterinary Inspector; Aileen Tighe and Mary Bourke, Veterinary Inspectors of En- nis DVO.

James Hannon’s_ presentation showed that there were 88 more herds restricted in 2007 than 2006. There were also 1,117 more cattle removed from Clare herds in 2007 than in 2006.

Farmers were not alarmed by these figures, according to Seamus Mur- phy, as TB is becoming an epidemic in some parts of the county.

The senior inspector said that farm- ers have to make every effort to pre- vent interaction between wildlife and cattle. This can be done by making water-feeding troughs inaccessible to badgers and by fencing off badger sets.

Farmer assistance is vital in the badger removal programme and farmers need to respond to the let- ter when a survey is being carried out, talk to neighbours and gather as much information as you can.

Full cooperation between all par- ties involved will help reduce the

incidences of TB in the county, the chief inspector said.

Aileen Tighe gave a detailed and informative presentation on BVD with regard to transmission and sources of BVD, BVD infection dur- ing gestation and the keys to control- ling BVD.

In summary, Aileen said that con- trol of infection relies on identifica- tion and culling of PI animals from the herd.

Vaccination must continue once started, good bio security and closed or test and quarantine of replace- ments.

Mary Bourke, Veterinary Inspec- tor of DVO Ennis gave a presentation on Johnes disease. This included the

history, symptoms, how and when do cattle become infected, risk factors and consequences of infection.

Some of the control factors include improved hygiene at calving time and at calf feeding times in dairy herds, do not pool colostrums and to take care when purchasing replacement stocks said Mary Bourke.

James O’ Keeffe, who is head of the Department of Agriculture Wildlife Project Unit, and Michael O’Flynn, Chairperson of the IFA Animal Health Committee answered many questions from the floor regarding TB issues in the county.

Seamus Murphy closed the meeting and he thanked the large gathering for their participation.

INDIVIDUALS, groups and organi- sations interested in undertaking works aimed at protecting Clare’s biodiversity are being invited to ap- ply for funding under the Biodiver- sity Fund for 2008.

The fund was established last year by the Department of the Environ- ment, Heritage and Local Govern- ment following the Interim Review of the Implementation of the Nation- al Biodiversity Plan 2002-2006.

Administered by the Heritage Council, with the support of Clare County Council, it aims to encour- age and enable people to undertake capital projects that help protect Clare’s abundance of wildlife and

wild places.

The types of works being targeted by the Fund include enhancement, protection and conservation of Bio- diversity, creating wildlife areas, re- moving invasive species, and plant- ing native wild flowers and trees.

“The objective of this fund is to Support site conservation and man- agement for the enhancement of bio- logical diversity at a local level,” said Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council.

“Priority will be given to high qual- ity and well thought-out applications that assist the management of sites that contain habitats of special con- servation importance in Ireland, or which support threatened or vulner- able species.”

A grant allocation can cover up to 50 per cent of the project cost and can be used in conjunction with grants from other sources.

Individuals, community groups, properly constituted non-profit or- ganisations, local authorities, statu- tory institutions, academic institu- tions and private companies are eligible to apply to the Fund for grant assistance.

“Clare has a rich variety of dif- ferent animals and plants as well as some of the best examples of habitats in Europe. However, our biodiversity is disappearing fast with animals and plants becoming extinct and habitats being damaged.

Therefore, I would urge anyone interested in protecting their local

biodiversity to consider applying for funding,’ said John Murphy, Biodi- versity Officer with Clare County Council.

“Biodiversity is all living things from the tiniest insect to the mighty oak. It is the variety of life on our planet. Our health, economy and quality of life depend on a healthy environment rich in_ biodiversity. Here in Clare, its presence is every- where, in our parks and gardens, by our roadsides, in our rivers and seas, and our ‘living landscapes’.”

Application forms will be automat- ically sent out to all previous appli- cants, and may also be downloaded from www.heritagecouncil.ie. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 15 February 2008.

THE Ennis General Hospital Devel- opment Committee is in the black following a very busy year for the lobby group.

According to the accounts present- ed to last week’s AGM of the com- mittee, the group has carried over €8,804 from last year.

Its treasurer, Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey (FG), told the meeting that the

committee spent a total of €19,576.

Last year proved a busy and expen- sive year for the committee as it cam- paigned during the general election campaign for commitments to the future of the hospital and organised a protest rally for the streets of Ennis.

The greatest expense for the group was media advertising which totaled €7,951.

This included the cost of advertis- ing in the four local newspapers and

the local radio station.

Printing costs came to €4,151, which did not include car stickers, the cost of which was sponsored.

Postage costs for 2007 came to €3,520, public relations cost €300, Clare Cancer Concern was afforded €800, photography €1,098, the pub- lic health alliance €50 and bank charges came to €117.

The hospital committee raised most of its fund from church gate collec-

tions totalling €6,843.

Sales of the lobby group’s CD raised €5,/41, with further donations reaching €1,550.

The collection on the day of the hospital rally came to €2,800.

In total, the committee raised em eres

A carry-over of €10,646 from the previous year saw all the bills paid and the books in good stead for the Ley eaBNTSaA orb

THERE was good news for Munster rugby fans when Ryanair confirmed it would provide extra flights to Bris- tol from Shannon and Cork for the province’s Heineken Cup quarter fi- TDM Ee MOM Grell (Geni (om NIM INDI oMNU ole) es wbeelee

Following Munster’s emphatic pool-topping victory over London Wasps at Thomond Park on January 19, desperate fans began scouring the internet for flights to the quarter final encounter with Gloucester on PN eee

Airlines were quickly accused of upping their prices to cash in on the demand but Ryanair denied the claims and said it was simply a case of whoever got on first got the cheap- More LINE

While the cost of the few remaining seats on the scheduled service from Shannon to Bristol for the weekend of April 4 to 6 were well over €400 return, seats on the extra Ryanair flight were going for less than half that on Thursday.

NAW Ue B Respectable Beene im ome for a Cork-Bristol round trip.

Ryanair already operates a daily service from Shannon to Bristol and will add two extra flights for the quarter final clash. On April 4, the additional service will depart Shan- non at 4.50pm, while on the follow-

ing day the extra aircraft is scheduled to leave at 6.55am.

The additional flights from Bristol back to Cork and Shannon are sched- uled to depart at 5.35pm and 9.35pm respectively on Sunday, April 6.

If Munster beat Gloucester and are not ousted from the competition as they were by Llanelli Scarlets in last year’s quarter final, the 2006 Heineken Cup Champions will meet either Ospreys or Saracens for an away semi-final clash.

Many Munster fans, confident that the men from Munster will reach the last four, have already booked flights to Bristol or Luton in the hope that they will beat the rush.

AN BORD Pleanala has rejected a planned €24 million housing devel- opment for Ennis.

Last year, Clare County Council refused planning permission to one of the county’s best known build- ers, McCarthy Brothers, to build 94 |aLeyenteherslmm oY VU oleae r mse oMmOlUlNeouE environs of Ennis.

In their appeal, McCarthy Bros pointed out that the site was zoned for residential development in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

While surrounding lands were sim- ilarly zoned, there was no guarantee that the development of these lands would take place at any time in the near future, they argued.

The open space provision also met the requirements of the development plan, with a total of 16.4 per cent of the site given over to open space, while the Ballybeg Road was ad- equate to cater for the level of traffic the development generated.

But after assessing the application, the appeals board’s planning inspec- tor concluded that it “would repre- sent a haphazard and non-integrated piecemeal development which would

preclude the full and comprehensive development of the entire area of residentially zoned land at this loca- tion”.

The appeals board also stated that the proposed layout of the develop- ment was “substandard due to the general layout and disposition of public open space and the overall lin- ear emphasis in terms of the layout of access roads and adjoining hous- ThOTSan OODLES

The board inspector concluded that the development would seriously in- jure the residential amenity of future occupants of the estate and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The inspector also found that the proposal, which included the utilisa- tion of an existing cul-de-sac road to serve the eastern portion of the pro- posed development, would seriously injure the amenities of the residents. This was because a more suitable access which would serve the entire area of residentially zoned lands at this location was located approxi- mately 120 metres further west.

As aresult, the inspector found that the development would endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard.

SUNGIS LOM M Someta cmolcc rm eeliiunitcani cee Ruan’s Gerry Daffy who lost his life tragically on his farm in Lismugna last week. Mr Daffy, who was laid to rest in the New Ruan Cemetery on Sunday, has been hailed as a selfless community volunteer who will be a “tragic loss” for the area.

Mr Daffy, who is survived by his wife Annette and daughters Ciara and Aoife, died when his tractor rolled towards him while he was feeding cattle on his farm in Ruan on Thurs- day evening.

“The hallmark of Gerry Daffy in the community is that he was al- ways willing to help others, even to the detriment of his own work,” said

neighbour and friend, Cllr Joe Arkins Cal G}

“He is a tragic loss to his family and to the whole community. It brings it back to mind that farming can be a very dangerous occupation and this freak accident has brought that back to the whole community out here.

“Gerry was a man who was very talented, both in farming and in

building, whatever he set his mind to he could do it.”

This is the second tragedy to strike the Daffy family in recent years. It follows the death of Gerry’s sister, Maura Daffy (54), in a road traffic accident in Clarecastle in 2005.

A keen sportsman, Gerry’s farm was home to Ennis soccer clubs Av- enue United from 1995 to 2004 and Lifford FC from 1998 to 2006.

This incident has highlighted the dangers that exist on all farms, with 11 people dying in farm accidents in Ireland in 2006 and 18 in 2005.

The chairwoman of the IFA’s Na- tional Farm Family Committee, Mary Sherry, has urged Clare farmers to remain vigilant and take the time to assess the potential dangers.

“We all know that farms are dan- gerous places. Farmers can be work- ing alone, working under pressure and working in a hurry.

“People need to be reminded of the potential for accidents all the time,” she told

THE team of volunteers who worked with Gerry Daffy on building a hos- pice in South Africa formed a guard of honour for his funeral at the week- end, along with members of the Tur- key Trotters and the Clare Hounds.

And his family bravely insisted that the church gate collection which he had organised to raise money for the Sr Ethel Normoyle Building of Hope Project should go ahead.

His grieving widow, Annette, told friends that her husband had been so moved by the plight of the people in

the townships at Missionvale that he was adamant to continue fundraising.

Gerry, who died in a tragic farm- ing accident, had just returned from spending 10 days working to raise the building in the centre run by the Lisseycasey nun outside Port Eliza- lreiteF

When news of the tragedy broke in Port Elizabeth, stunned volunteers placed a picture of Gerry on the seat in the children’s playground where he used to sit to have lunch.

As candles burned before the pho- to, children from the township came to say prayers and thank the man

who had worked tirelessly on their ont ee

Sr Ethel said that she could not believe that “such a bright light has left us. He worked so hard and gave everything while he was here to help bring hope to people. We are so shocked and our hearts go out to his Ie DObeAVA

‘He was a lovely, caring man. He will be reaping the rewards of his kindness and hard work now.”

‘He was a hero for those 10 days,” said project organiser, Olive Halpin. “When he was getting on the bus to leave I hugged him and he said, ‘Ol-

ive, those were the best 10 days of my life’.”

Fellow organiser, Maureen Mc- Carthy said that the team are “abso- lutely stunned. He was such a vibrant person and so lively”’.

Ennis priest, Fr John Molloy said Mass on Sunday in Missionvale as Gerry was being laid to rest in Ort

Gerry and his wife Annette organ- ised a charity performance night with traditional music star, Sharon Shannon. The night raised more than €6,000 for the Building of Hope Ke) elm

CLONLARA and Patrickswell in Limerick are today trying to come to terms with the deaths of two friends who shared a passion for sport.

William Quane from Monaska in Clonlara and Sean O’Donoghue of Patrickswell in Limerick were look- ing forward to supporting Ireland in the Ireland—Italy clash in Croke Park When their car was involved in an horrific head-on collision between Borris-in-Ossory and Roscrea on Saturday morning.

Niall Furlong, from the Canal Bank

in Limerick, who was also travel- ling to the Six Nations match was the only survivor in a crash which claimed the lives of four people. Last night he was in a Serious but stable condition at the Midlands Hospital in Tullamore.

Both Mr Quane (34) and Mr O’ Donoghue (37) died at the scene of the accident, described by Fr Jackie Robinson, who administered the last rites, as “the worst I have ever seen’’.

All three men who were travel- ling from Limerick were employees of Dell, who have opened a book of condolences at the plant in Raheen.

The Quane family had moved from Limerick to Clonlara about 30 years ago.

‘William was very much into sport and followed the rugby in particu- lar,’ said Fr Brendan Cleary, Clon- lara, who described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”.

William, who had followed the for- tunes of the national team at home and abroad, had driven to Birdhill on Saturday morning to be collected by his friends.

The accident also claimed the lives of Polish man David Dziemianowicz (21) and his Italian girlfriend Marika

Rossi (24) who were travelling in a rented car from Dublin when the ac- cident took place.

According to a Garda spokesman, the accident took place while one car was attempting an overtaking ma- noeuvre.

The head-on collision took place on what the spokesman described as a “very wide, straight part of the road” where the “hard shoulder was nearly as wide as the road itself”.

Gardai are appealing for any wit- nesses to the accident as they don’t expect Mr Furlong to regain con- sciousness for a number of days.

deserve great credit for exposing the fact that EU farmers were not playing on an even pitch with Brazilian producers and for persisting in their campaign against the background of scepticism by the EU Food and Veterinary Office,” she

SrHLGe

ICSA president, Malcolm Thomp- son also welcomed the full ban but said that the campaign against Bra- Zilian beef was only beginning.

“ICSA has always maintained that restrictions were inadequate and nothing but a full ban was ever go- ing to be enough, until the Brazilians produce beef to EU standards,” he Sr HLOe

“ICSA has delivered this temporary ban for Irish farmers by initiating the campaign to ban Brazilian beef in June 2002, and it has been a long and hard fought campaign, but we do not necessarily believe it 1s over, and it will not be over until the EU finally

concedes that imported food must be produced to the same high standards as domestically produced food.”

Speaking before the announcement of an all-out ban, Clare TD Timmy Dooley (FF) welcomed the action against Brazilian beef imports and said that is only right that the same rules that apply to EU food produc- ers should apply to companies seek- ing to sell their products in the EU.

‘This debate has been ongoing for some months now and the EU gave the Brazilian Government numerous opportunities to clean up it’s act with regard to the operation of the beef in- dustry,’ he said.

“Every time EU veterinary offi-

cials visited Brazil, they came back to Europe with more questions than answers. This was simply an unac- ceptable situation and the European Union had to respond accordingly.

“EU Governments and the EU Commission together have taken the decision to significantly curtail Bra- Zilian beef imports into the European Union and it starts this Thursday.

“It 1s only fair that there is a level playing pitch and that the same rules apply to farmers and the food sec- tor outside and inside of the EU. No other decision would have been fair to farmers and beef producers in Ire- land, or indeed to the consumers of beef in Ireland.”