November 2008 Connemara View by Connemara View Publishing

Italian Knighthoods for Clifden The Marconi Festival of 2008 began auspiciously on Friday October 17th, when Paul Hughes of Abbeyglen Castle Hotel (Past President of Clifden Chamber of Commerce) and Gerard King, President of Clifden Chamber of Commerce were honoured at a special ceremony, where the Italian ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Alberto Lucio Savoia, conferred onto them the Italian Knighthood honour of “Cavaliere”. The Order is conferred specifically to Italian citizens abroad and to foreign citizens who have contributed significantly to the prestige of Italy, undertaking a primary role in the promotion of Italian culture, in the teaching of Italian, in supporting voluntary, humanitarian and health associations, and in intensifying the relations with the Italian communities in the world. The Canadian ambassador to Ireland, Patrick Binns, began by congratulating Gerard and Paul on their awards, and spoke of his intentions to further develop the Marconi link between Clifden and Newfoundland/Labrador in coming years. He also thanked the Chamber of Commerce and the people of Clifden for their hospitality and warm welcomes over the years. The Italian ambassador Dr Alberto Lucio Savoia, by now a familiar face in Clifden, then outlined why Gerard and Paul were honoured with the title of Cavaliere. After explaining the meaning of the Order, he presented Gerard and Paul individually with their medals and certificates, and thanked them on behalf of the Italian President for their work over the years in promoting Italian culture and history in Ireland. Both Gerard and Paul spoke after receiving their honours, and thanked their families, friends and colleagues for joining them as they were honoured so significantly by the foreign representatives of Italy. Photo (l-r): Canadian Ambassador Patrick Binns, Clifden Chamber of Commerce President Gerard King, Italian Ambassador Dr Alberto Lucio Savoia and Past President of Clifden Chamber of Commerce Paul Hughes. See more on Marconi Festivities on page 3

In The View 50 years of Achieving Dreams Page 2 New Draft Clifden Local Area Plan Page 15 Grainne Mhaoils Win Page 16 Staff Party Etiquette Page 27 Seaweek Highlights Page 33

Winning Words “Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.” From U.S. PresidentElect Barack Obama’s Victory Speech.

Fossett Finally Found The death of 2005 Alcock & Brown reenactment visitor to Connemara and global adventurer Steve Fossett has now been conﬁrmed after DNA tests on bones found near the site of his plane crash have proved conclusive. The result will provide closure on a diﬃcult time for his wife and family. May he rest in peace.

Connemara West: 50 Years of Achieving Dreams...and more to come! An impressive and meaningful result of many years of work was unveiled to a large crowd at Renvyle House Hotel on Sunday October 12th, when the community development publication “A Patchwork of Dreams 1957-2007” was officially launched. The beautifully finished book was produced by Foscadh, a publishing venture by Connemara West, FORUM and Tullycross Credit Union. Connemara West Director, the compiler and editor of the book, Michael O’Neill officiated at the launch and introduced the guest speakers in attendance; Dan O’Neill of Ireland West Tourism, Joe Young, 1956 All Ireland Medal Winner for Galway, who played at the official opening of the sports field in Tullycross in 1957, and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv. The book serves as a visual and physical archive of all that has been achieved in the parish of Ballinakill over the last 50 years. Through active community development since the 1950’s the Ballinakill parish has been extremely successful in keeping the area vibrant, productive and stable from a population perspective. At the launch, Michael O’Neill spoke on behalf of all involved in community development in the region and recounted the patience, commitment, leadership and organisation required to secure achievements such as the Marian Hall, the Thatched Cottages in Tullycross, the development of the Furniture College in Letterfrack, the Tullycross Sports Field and many more major and minor

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developments in the parish. Minister O Cuiv complimented all involved on their “magnificent continuous development” and described them as pioneers with long term vision. He also congratulated and recognised “the work of so many people in the selfdevelopment of their community”. The Minister concluded that while the dreams of the early years had been realised, the endeavours of the community are always needed, through good times and bad in order to keep a spirit of togetherness. He emphasized the importance of instilling in the individual an understanding that “if they give to their community, they and their families will reap the benefits in the future.” Former Galway football champion Joe Young also spoke humourously and eloquently, recalling the experience and excitement that surrounded the official opening of the Sports Field in Tullycross in August of 1957. For those in attendance who remembered the event it was a trip down memory lane, and for those who had not, an education and insight into just how far the community has come since those days. Going forward, Foscadh Community Development Ltd has many more plans in development for the future, including a residential care centre for the elderly with 1520 beds, a community sports field, a community sports and leisure centre with gymnasium, and 6 incubation units for small workshop projects.

November 2008

As a ﬁnished product the book is a treasure trove of old and new photos, anecdotes and news clippings down through the years charting the progress of the parish, and will fascinate and entertain anyone with an interest in the area and its social history. “A Patchwork of Dreams” is on sale in local stores and outlets now. Photo: Pictured are representatives of FORUM, Connemara West and Tullycross Credit Union with Minister O Cuiv and special guests. Back (l-r) Johnny Fitzpatrick, Dan O’Neill, Joe Young, Joe O’Toole, Mickie Kane, Tom Mongan, Joseph O’Neill and John McLoughlin. Middle (l-r): Minister Eamon O Cuiv, Michael O’Neill. Front (l-r): Patrick Salmon, Yvonne Keane, Janet O’Toole, Samantha Heanue, Breda Coneys and Pauline Mortimer.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

2008 Marconi Celebrations The Annual Marconi Festival, organised by the Clifden Chamber of Commerce, was held from October 17th-19th and included guided walks of the Marconi site in Derrygimbla, screenings of Marconi documentaries and a screening of a DVD made during last year’s Centenary celebration by Concetto La Malfa. The annual Marconi dinner took place at the Station House Hotel on Saturday the 18th, where guests enjoyed a sumptuous meal of scallops in parma ham, bruschetta, ﬁllet steak and tiramisu.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Photos above (l-r): Paul Hughes receives the Honour of Cavaliere from Ambassador Savoia. Ambassador Savoia and Gerard King after the presentation ceremony. Paul being congratulated by his son, Brian. Gerard King’s family show their pride. Photo right (l-r): Declan Mannion and Pat Guy (right). Photos below (l-r): Italian Anbassador Savoia with Dublin restaurateur friends Fabio and Vincent, Maura O Halloran, Nessa Joyce and Concetto La Malfa, Super Valu staﬀ Joe Lynch, Kate Wickenden, Sean McBertie, Caroline Bilon and Ray McLoone.

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REGIONAL Seafood the Star in Mussel Pie The culinary highlight of Sea Week 2008 was the launch of the Connemara Mussel Pie, which took place at Renvyle House Hotel on Sunday October 19th. Award winning Chef Tim O’Sullivan produced three mouth-watering versions of a mussel pie and all in attendance had a chance to try the three varieties for themselves in addition to a generous spread of oysters and mussels in the shell. The concept is to establish the Connemara Mussel Pie as a recognisable traditional food product, available throughout Connemara; in eﬀect, a signature dish for the region. Former employees of Renvyle House Hotel and bearers of a Michelin star apiece Colin O’Daly (formerly of Roly’s Bistro) and Gerry Galvin (Drimcong House) were on hand to decide which of the three pies would prevail and become the chosen recipe for the Connemara Mussel Pie. The ingredients of three pies were as follows (photos below l-r): Mussel Pie 1: Mussels, bacon, garlic, tomato, shallots, parsley, butter, white wine, dill, carrots, cheese, mashed potato.

Mussel Pie 2: Mussels, fennel, white wine, cream sauce, spinach, carrots, shallots, parsley and mashed potato. Mussel Pie 3: Mussels, puﬀ pastry, black pudding, shallots, garlic and sea weed. After the judges had deliberated and the hungry public scrambled for a sample of each pie, the verdict was delivered to a packed house. Mussel Pie 2 was chosen as the winner

shallots with scallions for a more authentic Irish feel, and exploring the idea that a local potter might create a standard dish or pot in which the pie could be served. All three recipes were very well received and the entertaining competition format added signiﬁcantly to the launch of the product. So watch out for the Connemara Mussel Pie on a menu near you soon, and rumour has it that it might soon be joined by a Connemara Lamb Pie as part of Bog Week! Photo: Michelin starred chefs and judges of the Connemara Mussel Pie Colm O’Daly and Gerry Galvin with the Pie creator Chef Tim O’Sullivan.

Letterfrack Designs for President after much consideration and judge Gerry Galvin outlined the reasons behind the decision to the audience. He began by praising Tim O’Sullivan on the creation of all three dishes and indicated that the main factors in choosing a winner were based on ease of preparation and general appeal of the dishes to a wide audience. It was suggested that the addition of bacon in Pie 1 might be little too strong in ﬂavour for the mussels, and might pose issues of storage. While the pastry topping of Pie 3 would appeal to a lot of people, the judges felt that it might incur issues of continuity in terms of pastry quality, and also how it would fare if sold over the counter in terms of freshness. In announcing Pie 2 as the winner, the judges concluded that the mussel was the major taste and all other ingredients served to complement rather than compete with it. It was also deemed easy to prepare, and praised for its use of fennel, which is plentiful in the West of Ireland. Final suggestions included substituting

GMIT Letterfrack’s Furniture students were invited by the OPW, on behalf of President Mary McAleese, to design and manufacture a lectern incorporating the President’s Seal of Office, the State Harp, for use in Áras an Uachtaráin. Fifteen third year students on the B.Sc in Furniture Design and Manufacture put together fifteen unique proposals, under the direction of lecturer Anthony Clare and three were chosen to be developed into finished prototypes. The three shortlisted designs were created by students Ann Foley from Lisselton, Co Kerry, Mathew Croker from Leitir Ceanainn, Co Dhun na nGall, and Mark Allen, from Model Farm Road, Co Cork. Continued on next page

Clifden Community School Reunion Class of 1977-1983 The recent Clifden Community School reunion at the Alcock & Brown Hotel for the class of ‘83 was highly successful with past pupils travelling from far and near to renew old friendships. including the U.S. and Britain. The teachers were represented by Brendan Flynn who spoke of his fondness for this class, the ﬁrst class to enter the then new Community School as ﬁrst years. He was not surprised how successful everyone had become in their chosen careers, and how they had become leaders in the community. Main organizer Marty Mannion in his key note address, remembered events and happenings from our school years - even some we wish he’d forgotten! His speech was full of wit and humour and set the tone for the evening. The evening continued with laughter and music, stories of sport, travel and friendship. On behalf of the organising committee, I would like to thank all who helped with the reunion; Mary and Marty

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November 2008

who cracked me up, Eileen and staﬀ in the Alcock and Brown, Sam and Jeremy at Connemara West centre, the Connemara View newspaper and Connemara Community Radio for spreading the word. Finally a thank you to all my old schoolmates, it was really great to see you all and let’s all meet again soon. Joachim Lydon Photo: Clifden Community School Class of 1977-1983 Back (l-r): Aidan Conneely, Oliver Ingelbach, Pat Coyne, Tommy Canavan, Johnny Conneely, Marty Mannion, Bartley Heanue, Ann Coyne, Tony Walsh, Mary O Neill, Martin King, Theresa Coyne, Pat Walsh, Penny Smith, Joachim Lydon, Bridget McGloin, Paul Nee, Pat O’Toole, John Schley. Front: Theresa Conneely, Rose Foyle, Pauline Davitt, Helen Joyce, Bridget Heaney, Ann Marie King, Deirdre Burke, Chrissie Conneely, Mary Joyce (sister of George Mc Williams R.I.P.).

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Presidential Designs continued The three shortlisted designs were created by students Ann Foley from Lisselton, Co Kerry, Mathew Croker from Leitir Ceanainn, Co Dhun na nGall, and Mark Allen, from Model Farm Road, Co Cork. The students and staﬀ presented the lecterns to President McAleese in Áras an Uachtaráin during the summer. President McAleese was so impressed she kept all of them for diﬀerent rooms in the Áras. It was a particularly proud day for student Mark Allen whose design was chosen for use by the President in the State Reception Rooms of Áras an Uachtaráin. The three lecterns are now part of the history of Áras an Uachtaráin and will be there for use by all future presidents. President McAleese visited GMIT Letterfrack in September 2006. The following month, October 2006, GMIT Letterfrack held a major furniture exhibition in the Farmleigh Gallery in the Phoenix Park entitled Furnishing the Details, which showcased furniture designed by students and graduates of the campus. The exclusive Farmleigh show endorsed the Institute’s status as a centre of excellence and innovation in contemporary furniture design, making, restoration, production, research and technology. Photo: GMIT Letterfrack furniture student Mark Allen from Shalamar Regency Close, Model Farm Road, Co Cork, with President Mary McAleese in Áras an Uachtaráin. Mark’s winning lectern design was chosen for use by President McAleese in the State Reception Rooms of the Áras. The Cork student is studying towards a B.Sc in Furniture Design and Manufacture at GMIT Letterfrack.

Defibrillator Training Twelve members of staff at Clifden Community School were trained in life-saving techniques by two members of the Irish Ambulance Training Institute on Friday October 24th. Instructors Bernie Murray and Rod Tobin delivered the Cardiac First Responder/ Heart Saver AED course, which means that the staff members who took part have now achieved the basic level of training, should a cardiac emergency occur in the School. A defibrillator/AED is now in place and ready to use in the school if needed. The members of staff who were trained in CPR and the use of an AED are pictured below. Photo: Back (l-r) Gerry Claffey, Nikki Lacey, Ursula Flynn, Angela Clancy, Breda

Sweeney, Marianne Hunter, Yvonne McGlynn, John Hartnett, Instructor Rod Tobin Front: Instructor Bernie Murray, Gerry Needham, Tony Mullen, Billy Gilmore and Doreen Walsh.

Family Friendly Hotel Renvyle House Hotel has garnered more praise from Georgina Campbell’s guide to the hospitality industry in Ireland. As Ireland’s longest running independent hospitality awards, the accolades are much sought after within the industry. “A wonderful place to visit at any age or any time, Renvyle House appeals to people with a yen for the rugged west of Ireland - and a love of the cosy contrasts you ﬁnd indoors, where a snug conservatory provides an all-weather vantage point to admire the view, and dark beams, rug strewn ﬂoors and

open ﬁres cast their spell. It’s a place that is easy to fall in love with, and a happy destination for families (and the dog). There is loads to do but, unlike many hotels catering for the family market, the focus is less on organised activities (there is a heated outdoor swimming pool in summer, but don¹t expect a leisure centre, less still a spa) and more on the old fashioned pleasures of doing things together or doing nothing very much at all, with plenty for older children who want to have a go at lots of things. Very good child facilities include a nice traditional playground and a crèche in summer - and, to ensure that parents are able to make the most of Tim O’Sullivan’s excellent food, the large dining room is cannily organised with a window along one side where parents can see their children in the supervised playroom next door, but typical of GM Ronnie Counihan’s very special management style, there’s no big deal made about the family facilities, they’re just a part of what this wonderful place is.” Georgina Campbell.

Hospital Fundraiser A Fundraising night will take place in the Renvyle Inn on November 15th from 6pm onwards to raise money for an ECG machine for Clifden Hospital. Traditional music will take place from 6pm followed by Rock and Roll from 10 until late. There will also be Sean Nos dancing and all the music will be provided by local bands. A raﬄe with great prizes will also take place on the night. Entry is €5 and all proceeds will go towards an ECG machine for Clifden Hospital. For more information contact Kenneth Coyne on 086-303-8887.

Ladies Discovery Day A new and exciting day-long event for women is to take place at the Alcock & Brown Hotel in Clifden on Saturday November 15th. Events will take place from 9:30am to 6pm and the price for the entire day is €20, which includes lunch. You may have read and heard a lot about diﬀerent kinds of Alternative Therapies. Now is the time to try them all out and then you will be able to decide which ones are for you. You can choose from therapies by existing local practitioners and try out some more which are new to Connemara. The list of workshops for the day is as follows, they will vary from one hour to two hour sessions pending on the workshops you choose: Alexander Technique, Hula Hooping and Middle Eastern Dance Exercise, Positive Aging, Kinesiology, Reiki, The Wheel, the Crystal Ball and Homeopathy. You will even be able to do some crafts by learning and practicing weaving, printing or cross-stitching. This day is funded by FORUM. Spaces are limited so book early. All women are

welcome to take part in what promises to be an extremely enjoyable and informative day. For more information on any aspect of the day’s events, contact Margaret Sheehan at the FORUM oﬃce Clifden on (095) 21741 or e-mail clifdenstudy@eircom.net.

Depression Support The AWARE Monthly Support Meetings are starting on November 6th in the FORUM Conference Room at Ellis Hall in Letterfrack at 8pm and will be held on the first Thursday of every month. The AWARE Support meetings are entirely confidential and are of great benefit to anyone suffering from depression, and we would encourage people to attend. For further information, contact Margaret Sheehan on (095) 21741.

Fundraising 25 Games Three 9 X 9 Fundraising Card Drives will take place in coming weeks. All proceeds are in aid of the Croi Cowboy Challenge in which Peter Coneys and Declan Ridge are taking part. Declan and Peter need to raise €5500 each over the coming months in order to visit a working ranch in Colorado in May of 2009. The three Card drives are as follows: Ti Feisti, Recess, Sunday November 9th at 7pm sharp. Johnny O’Loughlins Bar, (Zetland Hotel), Cashel, Sunday November 23rd at 7pm sharp. Glynsk House, Sunday December 7th at 7pm sharp. Entry into each competition is €20, with a prize fund of €1200. All funds raised go to the heart charity Croi and would be greatly appreciated. For more details contact 087 7925574/087 9575959.

Photo: Chef Tim O’Sullivan and General Manager of Renvyle House Hotel Ronnie Counihan with Georgina Campbell.

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Clifden

Donation to Clifden Hospital The sum of €790 was raised for Friends of Fatima, Clifden District Hospital, through the sales of the Real Food Real People cookbook compiled by Clodagh McKenna, which featured winning recipes from Supervalu shoppers nationwide. General Manager of SuperValu Clifden, Joe Lynch would like to thank everyone who supported this. Special thanks to our local winner Gillian Coyle. Photo: Joe Lynch of Supervalu Clifden presenting a cheque to Bernie Coyne and Bridie Flaherty of Clifden Hospital. Photo courtesy of Joe Lynch, Super Valu.

Scoil Mhuire Clifden Fundraise for Interactive Whiteboards You may be aware that many schools in your area are using Interactive Whiteboards in their classrooms. Those boards

are a fabulous teaching tool and their value is certainly enhanced by the high level of teaching skills, professionalism and commitment provided by the teachers in the schools of North West Connemara. In the case of Scoil Mhuire, where there are eight mainstream classrooms, we need 8 Interactive Whiteboards. To date, we have installed 4. This has been made possible by the efforts of the Parent Association Committee, the entire parent body, the staff and students at the school who have worked collaboratively to raise funds for this project for the last two years. We do not underestimate the generosity of the wider community. Unfortunately, the Department of Education and Science have made no contribution to this project. For the past four years, schools have received no funding for IT. We are still waiting to have proper Broadband service in our schools. Scoil Mhuire Parents Association and the students, parents and staff are organizing some fund raising activities in an attempt to raise money for a further four Whiteboards for your children’s classrooms. Any contribution that you can make will be warmly welcomed and very much appreciated. Each Interactive board at present costs between €4,000 and €5,000 and you then need a laptop computer for each board. While we do not wish in any way to interfere with the fundraising of any of our local schools, we encourage you to support us in any way you can. This equipment will make a significant difference to the education of your children/ grandchildren and all children in the community. If you can help in any way, (every €5 ads up), please contact the school on 095 21353 and we will be very happy to talk to you.

Impact of Budget ‘08 on your child’s education Class sizes will be increased. This will mean that thousands of children will be in classes of over 30. It also means that a school could lose a classroom, for example, in the case of Scoil Mhuire Clifden, the entire student population could be divided into seven classrooms instead of the present eight classrooms. This will mean a combination of classes in some classrooms. A school will only be allowed two English Language Support teachers, irrespective of the number of non English speaking students in the school. From 1st January 2009, there will be no substitute cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave. This will lead to serious disruption in schools as the class of the absent teacher will have to be divided. The free book grant for families with financial difficulties is abolished. This could mean that we would have to discontinue the Book Rental scheme next year. Funding for special equipment and library books will not now be given to schools. The Plan for Students with Special Education Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 has been delayed. This will delay improvements for children with Special Needs in our schools. You will notice from the above points, the proposed changes in the recent budget, which will have serious effects on your child. A Protest Rally will take place in Galway on Saturday 8th November. The group will assemble at Eyre Square at 1:45pm, then march on to the Cathedral for some brief speeches. The whole event will take approximately one hour. Mary Byrne

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Library News October Reader of the Month: Emma Ridge. Summer Reading Challenge Certiﬁcates were awarded to: Ben Bartley; Ella, Conor, Jody, Amy and Suzie Booth; Amber and Owen Bray; Katie Bolger; Conor Byrne, Aisling Canavan; Joseph and Thomas Conroy; Leah Dyke, Kelly Heanue, Ciara and Niall Heaghney, Lorcan and Luke Kelly, Edwina, Elisha, and Ethan Mannion, Ryan and Sarah Maher, Francesca McDonagh, Dylan Newman, Saoirse and Ronan Newman, Aisling O’Flynn; Oisin and Roisin O’Malley, Patrick and Emma Ridge, Diarmuid and Emer Roche, Andrew and Grace Thornton, Fionn and Johanna Browne, Joey Burke, Roisin Gallagher Burke, Amy and Jessica Conneely, Aoife Conroy, Jeﬀwin and Susmi Ann George; Kevin Holmes, Colm, Amy and Shauna Horan, Stella and Zoe Hosier, Victoria Jarosz, Hilary Joyce, Chloe Joyce, Theo, Jack and Roma Joyce, Caoimhe and Saoirse Keogh Nevin, Mila LeMignon, Caitlin Lee, Rebecca and George Mullen, Orla and Aisling Sealy Phelan, Nithin and Neethu Venat, Arlene Walsh, Kelsi Young. Prizes for Best Projects: Arlene Walsh, Zoe Hosier, Stella Hosier. Prizes for Best Book Reports: Katie Bolger, Roisin Burke, Amber Bray, Niall Heaghney, Kelly Heanue, Kevin Holmes, Shauna Horan, Victoria Jarosz, Luke Kelly, Grainne King, Mila LeMignon, George Mullen, Rebecca Mullen and Emma Ridge.

Photograph Competition First prize of a fabulous digital camera was won by Johanna Browne for her photo titled ‘Walking with Friends’. Runners up prizes were awarded to: Caimen O’Neill, Maurice Prendergast, Eric McGrath, Patrick Ridge, Rose Conroy, Darerca Kane, Evan Mannion, George Mullen and Saoirse Newman.

Photos above: The winning photo “Walking with friends” by Johanna Browne shown with her ﬁrst prize of a digital camera. Many thanks to YouthReach Letterfrack and Galway County Library for sponsoring the camera, and Clifden Pharmacy for sponsoring the runner up prizes. We look forward to running this competition again next summer.

Clifden Sewerage Scheme Stage 1 Plans and particulars of Clifden Sewerage Scheme Stage 1 are available for inspection at Clifden Library during normal open hours from Friday 17 October to Friday 28 November 2008.

Draft Local Area Plan for Clifden The Draft Local Area Plan for Clifden along with a copy of the Strategic Enviromental Assessment Screening Report is on public in Clifden Library from 31st October 2008 to 12th December 2008 during normal library open hours.

See Pages 15, 42 & 43 for more details on Clifden Plan Fundraise for Cancer Care West A Flag Day Collection in aid of Cancer Care West will take place in Clifden Town Centre on Friday December 5th. Volunteers are required for 1-2 hours on the day and in promoting the event beforehand. As you may know, Cancer Care West opened Inis Aoibhinn – its Residence and Cancer Support Centre in March 2007. It provides a cancer support centre for anyone aﬀected by cancer, oﬀering a range of psychological counseling services, complementary therapies, information and courses. Continued on page 8

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

An Siopa Deas, Abbeyglen Castle Hotel, Actons Garage, AIB, Alcock & Brown Hotel, Amber Body & Soul, An Bean Fheasa, An Siopa Deas, Anna’s Nails, Bank of Ireland, Belle Bleu, Burkes Homewares plus and Dry Cleaners, Carrs Carpets, Celtic Crafts, Central Hotel, Ciuin Beauty Salon, Clifden Esso Service Station, Clifden Pharmacy, Clifden Plant & Hire, Clifden Supply Centre, Conneely’s Furniture Store, Connemara Florist, Connemara Hamper, Connemara Pony Company, Cooks Electrical, Cullens Bistro, D`Arcy Bar, Derryclare Restaurant, Derval Joyce, Des Moran Butchers, Design Platform, DNN Auto Store, Duanes Fish Shop, E.J. Kings, Eddie Flaherty B&B, Faoin Tuath, Femme Blu, Ferguson Fine Wines, Fioccos, Gannon Sports, Gifts by Grace, Griffins Bar, Guys Bar, Hedz Hairdressers, Hehirs Shop, Hillview Laundrette, J.C.`s Bar, John Malone Butchers

SHOP LOCAL IN CLIFDEN THIS CHRISTMAS WIN your Christmas Shopping this year in bundles of Gift Vouchers in a Community Prize draw. SUPPORT your local community groups Croist Linn & Friends of Fatima Hospital whilst shopping in Clifden.

1.00

DRAWS on Sat. 6th Dec. & Sat. 20th Dec.

From over 90 Participating Local Shops

Per Ticket

ELVES PARADE and PARTY on the Square Sat. 6th Dec. Joyces Waterloo House Joyces on the Corner, Kavanaghs SuperValu, Keanes Shop, Kings Garage, Kings Hair Salon, Lowrys Bar, Lowrys Clothes Shop, Mannions Bar, Marconi Restaurant, Millars, Mitchels Restaurant, Morans Chemists, Ni Raighne Opticians, O`Dalaigh Jewellers, Off the Square Restaurant, Office Chat, Paddy Power, Paper Shop, Passenger, Prendergast Antiques, Pryce`s Hardware, Reflexions Beauty, Renew, Salon, Schu Concept, Seamus Mannion Butchers, Stanleys Drapery, Station House Bar, Station House Theatre, Steam House Coffee Shop, Sweeney Esso, Sweeney Oil, The Clifden Bookshop, Tom Kings Bar, Upstairs Downstairs, Vaughans Bar, Video Vault, Vivianna, Walsh`s Coffee Shop, Walshs Bakery, Walshs Emporium, Wellwear, Whistlestop, W.W.I. Wholesale, 2nd Hand Bookshop. Log on to www.clifden for updates

This initiative is proudly supported by Clifden Chamber of Commerce CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

www.clifden.ie PAGE 7

Cancer Care West continued All services are available at no cost to the patient and Cancer Care West relies heavily on fundraising and charitable donations to fund these services. All funds raised from the Clifden Flag Day will support the operating cost of Inis Aoibhinn, and also the charity’s work in continuing to develop cancer support services in the West of Ireland. If you would like to help out, contact Sharon Fitzpatrick, Fundraising Manager of Cancer Care West on (091) 529609 or e-mail sharon@cancercarewest.ie.

Clifden Tidy Towns Campaign The Clifden AGM took place at the Station House Hotel on Wednesday October 22nd. Results of 2008 and projects for 2009 were discussed by the committee. 2008 Tidy Town Results: Even though we only garnered 1 extra point, the Chairman pointed out that as said last year, it would take a number of years before we could convince people that this Tidy Towns Group are serious and here for the long term. The past year has been spent trying to understand how the Tidy Towns works politically and with the help of Mark Molloy, Environment Section, Galway Co. Co., we will bring a highly visible increase in the points gain for Clifden in 2009. But aside from that, we as always, do require a few more dedicated volunteers. Projects for 2009: Our biggest project will be planting of up to 100 various fruit trees in Ballyconneely from Old Mill to top of Pat Nee’s hill. The name of the project is to be called”Memory Trees” and we will release info on project in the near future. Other projects will be the Brodoig River, Waterfall and Old Jail Walk, Golden Mile entry, Old Graveyard and completion of walking and wildlife signs. The annual Super Sunday Cleanup of town and Beach Road will take place at a date to be announced in either late March or April 2009. We also would like to form a ‘Connemara Tidy Region ‘ by asking all Connemara Tidy Towns Groups to get together to assist each other. As ever, if you feel you would like to become a part of this very dedicated team of Volunteers, you can forward your name to Secretary at: cregg1@eircom.net. A big thank you to all our very dedicated volunteers and friends.

Clifden Chamber News Marconi ‘08-Clifden Connected Our Marconi Festival was a great success with both Canadian and Italian Ambassadors delighted with the

festival, and both left with assurances of continued support and connection with Clifden. The Italian knighthood of our two “Cavaliere” Gerard King and Paul Hughes was a lovely intimate event and a well deserved recognition of all the hard work of our present and past presidents on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. No swords were used in the knighthood!! Thanks to Paul and Brian and staff in Abbeyglen Castle Hotel for the lovely wine and cheese reception. Both our Canadian and Italian guests were delighted with the wonderful ceili in the Alcock and Brown Hotel. The music was provided by the extremely talented Hernon family and friends and the wonderful dancing was a treat with young and old showing their skills, in particular Maeve Vaughan. Special thanks to our wonderful MC, Mrs Kathleen Wallace, and Mrs Mary Hickey for all their help and to Eileen and Kenneth Davis for hosting the event. Saturday saw a bracing walk with Suzie Ward on site, where members of the Galway Radio Experimenters Club had set up a station communicating with Canada and Europe. Many thanks to Michael Nee in providing bus hire. The Station House Theatre was very well attended all afternoon with the book launch by Tim Robinson and fascinating lectures by our own Breandan O’Scanaill and Dr Edward Jones, NUIG, finishing up with Concetto La Malfa’s DVD on last year’s centenary celebrations. Thanks to Jimmy and Angie for all their help. The Gala Ball finished the weekend with a fun filled evening of wonderful food and excellent company. Many thanks to John, Treena, Wilson and all the staff in the Station House. If anyone would like to get involved in future heritage weekends such as Marconi, Railway, Alcock & Brown, please contact michele@clifdenchamber.ie or 087 0520295.

RNLI News Annual Cake Sale On Friday the 28th of November, the annual Lifeboat Cake and Christmas Card Sale will take place at the usual venue, the Alcock and Brown Hotel. It will start at 11am and hopefully be as busy as always. If you would like to bake, please bring the cakes there in the morning, labeled and with an appropriate price if possible. Please support this fundraising event; as always we will have loads of goodies for you! If you cannot make it to the sale, Christmas Cards are now available from the Celtic Shop, Main St, Clifden. Thanks to all who support this every year and we hope to see a good turn out on the 28th. AnneMarie Bennett

Presentation of 10k Run Funds The 10k RNLI Fundraising Run which took place in September was an outstanding success. The total amount raised was a fantastic €8859.36 and on Friday October 24th, organizers Laurence Ingelbach and France Nee presented a cheque for €8,800 to AnneMarie Bennett, Peter Bailey and Percy Hyland of the Clifden RNLI Fundraising Committee. The remaining €59.36 will stay in the account to keep it

Shop Local in Clifden for Christmas Our Christmas Committee this year has a number of exciting projects. Our aim this year, whilst encouraging everyone to shop in Connemara as best they can, is to try and make this Christmas an intimate and community orientated holiday season. In the midst of global turmoil and doom and gloom, we must aim towards making our community as self sufficient as possible. Shopping local means keeping money in the area and sustaining local employment. Our Shop Local Campaign is, in effect contributing to our two nominated charities: Criost Linn and Fatima Hospital, while giving individuals the opportunity to win a huge selection of local shopping vouchers towards their Christmas spend. Tickets will be available in participating businesses from early Nov, with two draws, one on the 6th Dec and the second draw on the 20th Dec.Tickets will cost €1 with all proceeds going directly to the two charities. Windows in various businesses around the town will be decorated and designed by a representation of voluntary groups, societies and schools. This will be similar to the Clifden Community Arts Week Art Trail. We are very grateful to both the groups and the businesses for their participation in this pilot scheme and we urge you all to keep an eye on the windows in Clifden this Christmas! Our kick off to the season will be an Elf Parade with a Christmas party on the Square on Saturday 6th Dec, turning on the Christmas Lights and the first of the Shop Local Draws. The Station House Theatre will be showing a Santa Movie in the theatre at 4pm on Sat. 6th Dec. Registration of the Elves will take place beforehand in the theatre or in the Santa’s Grotto on the day. More info will be available on the Elf Parade in posters and on the website www.clifden.ie over the next few weeks. We want all children in Connemara to participate. The party on the square will feature mince pies, mulled wine, carollers and of course the man himself –Santa! Santa’s Grotto will be opening on Saturday 6th December in JC’s Restaurant, and will run every Saturday and Sunday from 12noon-4pm up to the Sunday before Christmas. Huge thanks to Martin O’Connor in JC’s for the use of the premises, and to John Amenhauser and his little helpers in their dedicated running of the Grotto.

Enterprise Development Centre Clifden Chamber of Commerce is looking at a feasibility study in setting up an Enterprise Development Centre. If you have a business idea and would be interested in taking part in such a study, please contact michele@clifdenchamber. ie. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest of conﬁdence.

Chamber Membership and Marketing Finally, we urge all businesses that have not yet done so,

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to become members of the Clifden Chamber of Commerce and to contribute to the Marketing Fund. We need as many members as possible in order to project the image of a strong, vibrant community, thus enabling us to carry out our many plans for the future of our community. We are only as strong as our members, and particularly in today’s economic climate, we must protect our community. Remember, there is strength in numbers. Please contact michele@clifdenchamber.ie or 087 0520295.

November 2008

open for next year’s event. The Clifden Lifeboat Fundraising Committee would like to sincerely thank Laurence, France and all sponsors and participants for this wonderful donation, which was gratefully accepted. Photo (l-r): Peter Bailey, AnneMarie Bennett, Laurence Ingelbach, Percy Hyland and France Nee at the presentation of the proceeds of the 2008 RNLI 10K Run.

Joanne Hynes at Passenger One of Ireland’s most talked about and popular designers Joanne Hynes dropped into Passenger at the Station House on Saturday October 25th to interact with customers on a personal basis. Former stylist Helen Russell has been stocking Joanne Hynes range since opening the Clifden boutique, and customers were treated to champagne and sushi while browsing. Photo: Irish Fashion Designer Joanne Hynes, model Larissa wearing one of Joanne’s designs and Passenger’s Helen Russell.

Dun Gibbons News The immigrant and asylum seeker population in Ireland is almost 15%, yet Ireland has very few politicians from the immigrant community. Elections are at the core of all democracies, allowing those eligible to vote an opportunity to choose whom they wish to represent their particular interests. Elected oﬃcials should ideally be broadly representative of the population, but this is not the case in Ireland, with women and immigrants grossly under-represented in the Dail. Continued on next page

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Dun Gibbons News continued Dail candidates must hold Irish citizenship to run for election. Local elections are a diﬀerent matter. All people who are resident in Ireland, including asylum seekers are entitled to elect people to local authorities. The same applies for a person who wishes to stand in a local election. Therefore, local elections provide an excellent opportunity for immigrants in a community to have a voice. Greater participation by immigrants in the electoral process will also encourage established politicians to address immigrant issues and needs. The Irish Immigrant Support Centre NASC is working to educate, inform and involve immigrants in next year’s local elections. All of the residents of the Dun Gibbons centre in Clifden have now registered to vote in the next local election.

new office in Clifden was officially opened by Minister of State Eamon O Cuiv on the morning of Friday October 31st. The staff of the office are pictured with the Minister as he performed the official opening. Photo (l-r): Hilary Conroy, Fiona Conneely, John Barry, Minister Eamon O Cuiv, Tom Healy, John Jeff ries, Brenda Maguire.

New Office for Tom Healy Architect and Engineer Tom Healy’s

Fire Brigade News Helicopter Exercises: The Crew of Clifden Fire Brigade held a special familiarization exercise with the Crew of the Coast Guard Helicopter in Clifden on the ﬁrst weekend of November. The crew is pictured with the helicopter. Photo

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

- Back (l-r): Sean Heanue, Brendan Mullen, Dave Bann, John Heﬀernan, Adam Conroy, Joe Acton, Simon Boote, Neil Gallery. Front (l-r): Paul Ryan, Gerard King and David McNamara. Halloween Party; A very successful and great fun Hal-

November 2008

loween Party was held in the Clifden Fire Station. The Crew all dressed up especially for the night and would like to extend a big thank you to Dave and Paula Bann who organized it. Photo: Some of the disguised crew pictured with Nicole Bann and Luke Acton. Photos courtesy of Sean Heanue

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Hall on Friday night 7th November, 2008. Anyone interested in booking a table or joining a table please contact a member of staﬀ at 23333. All are welcome.

Ballyconneely

American Tea Party Ballyconneely Playschool and Afterschool Service are hosting an American Tea Party in the Ballyconneely

Christmas Cards The children from the Playschool and Afterschool Service are currently designing Christmas Cards. They are going to print soon and hopefully will be in all local shops shortly. As you are aware our staﬃng grant has ceased and there will be a shortfall of approx. €15,000 in 2009. The committee has held meetings with the parents and are trying to fundraise to subsidise the shortfall. We would ask that people purchase the cards in order to support the service. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Melanie Migneaux for her time and assistance in the design of these cards.

about our trip. The other pupils were very excited to hear about our trip. We brought them back Lego, sweets and souvenirs. Before the Halloween break and to ﬁnish the term oﬀ, we had a Board Games Day and a Fancy Dress Disco! Every pupil brought in €1 towards a charity, we brought in board games and we played them! We dressed up as whatever we wanted and then danced-just like a disco! We hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. Roma.

Race Night The Parents Association of Cashel N.S. will have a Race Night on Friday 28th of November in Paddy Festí’s at 8:30pm in aid of school funds. Everyone is welcome for a bet and an evening of fun!!

Wedding

Camus

Waterscheme Grant Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Aﬀairs has sanctioned a Gaeltacht grant to the value of €110,490 for Camus Groupwater Scheme, Co. Galway. There are 145 houses participating in this group scheme. The overall cost for the scheme is €1.341m.The Minister said that he was very pleased to sanction this grant which will improve the water quality in the area.

Carna

Another attack on Garda station Carna Garda Station was once again the target for a serious act of vandalism on the night of Sunday October 12th.Extensive damage was caused, with lockers and uniforms being destroyed, but two units of Clifden Fire Brigade brought the ﬁre under control. This is the second attack on the station in recent times; in September the windows of the station were broken in by stones. Last year, a sergeant’s uniform was stolen from the station and destroyed. Any witnesses or anyone who might have any information on the cause of the ﬁre is asked to contact Carna Garda Station on (095) 32242 or Clifden Station on (095) 22500.

Stephen O’Toole of Scrahalia and Loretta Walsh of Tawnaghbawn were married by P.P. Fr. John McCarthy in St James Church, Cashel on Friday October 17th, followed by a reception at the Park Lodge Hotel in Spiddal. Photos: Bridegroom Stephen O’Toole and members of the O’Toole family from Cashel with nieces and nephews who were home for the family wedding. Stephen O’Toole and Loretta Walsh on their wedding day. Photos courtesy of Bernard Lee

Cashel

Cashel N.S News Hi everyone! Guess where two pupils from the school have been? Denmark! Our school is included in a project called ‘Comenius’. The school was awarded a grant and on the 6th of October we flew off to Billund, Denmark. Niamh, her mother, Mrs Stephens, my mother and I were very excited. We couldn’t believe it was happening! When we arrived, a welcome party greeted us. In the morning, we had to get up at 6 o’clock! We had to be in school at eight! Niamh and I went to classes and the parents went to look at us and other classrooms. That evening we met up with pupils and teachers from the other countries: Denmark, Belgium, Hungary and the Czech Republic who are also taking part in the project. We had great fun talking to them. We did the same thing most days, but on Thursday and Friday we went for tours. We saw the Fish Museum and the Big White Men. On Friday we saw the Viking town of Ribe. On Saturday, we went to LEGOLAND. It was so much fun. We went on lots of rides and cool stuff like that. Then on Sunday, we returned home. We were back in Cashel School again the next day to tell the rest of the class

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November 2008

Cleggan/Claddaghduﬀ Community Hall

The Claddaghduﬀ Community Hall has a full schedule of events taking place in November. Events taking place are as follows: Mondays: 8-9pm Senior Soccer, Tuesdays: 7-8:30pm Junior Soccer, Wednesdays: 8-10pm Art classes, Thursdays: 4-4:45pm Credit Union, 7:30-9pm Aerobics, Fridays: 8-10pm Youth Club, Saturdays:11am-12 Children’s Yoga, 12-1pm Teenagers’ Yoga, 1:30-3:30pm Dolphin Country Market.

Country Market Please note that the Country Market is also in Cleggan Community Centre from 10am to 1:30pm every Saturday. Bring and Buy Book Sales will take place on Sundays 9th and 23rd of November between 12 and 4pm. This is a Hall Fundraiser so please support. The Country Market will also be there on the 9th and 23rd, also from 1:30pm-3:30pm.

Bingo Bingo also takes place on Sunday nights from 8-10:30pm, all are welcome. Terry Minogue

Kylemore

Day Retreats The day retreats have ﬁnished for 2008, and having had a very satisfying response they will resume again on March 28th, 2009. Thank you very much and best wishes to all who attended and we hope to see you again next year. The Benedictine Nuns, Kylemore Abbey.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Letterfrack

Letterfrack CIC If you have any questions about Social Welfare, Housing, Consumer Aﬀairs, Employment, Education or your rights and entitlements in general, contact us on 095-22000 or 087-1301100 or call in 1:30pm to 4:30pm at Connemara West on Tuesday 11th & Tuesday 25th November 2008. Free information on Education, Employment, Family, Health, Housing, Social Welfare, Taxes, Consumer Insurance/Finance, Agriculture, European Union. A wide range of application forms and booklets are available, including: Entitlements for People with Disabilities, One Parent Families Information Guide, Information for Regular Part Time Workers, Employment Rights Explained. Further information is available from Clifden Citizens Information Centre, which provides a free and conﬁdential service to the public. Tel: 095 22000 & 087 1301100 / Email: clifden.cic@comhairle.ie.

Letterfrack Water Scheme Cllr. Thomas Welby recently signed the tenders in relation to the extension of the public main to service Dawros. The work will service approx. thirty houses, and the upgrade of the Tullycross reservoir. The upgrade of the reservoir will include new pumps and the replacement of the existing pipes servicing the reservoir. Galway County Council expects to sign the contracts in the next few days and it is hoped that the works will start in the next 2 / 3 weeks. Cllr. Welby has also been informed by the Council that the contractor for the construction of the Letterfrack and Clonbur sewerage schemes should be onsite in the next few weeks. Both schemes are being bundled together and will comprise of network extensions and the construction of two new plants. Cllr. Welby has been active in trying to get the council to progress both of these schemes due to the environmental and economic issues in the two villages. It is hoped that both plants could be completed in mid 2009.

him for his work in the parish during the past two years. Fr. John has taken up a new post as parish priest of Dunmore. Photo: Fr John Kenny with Anne Donald Joyce and Michael Coyne at his farewell dance. Photo courtesy of John Holmes

Congratulations to Geraldine Coyne, Tiernakill and Eamon O’Cualain, Lochconaortha, who were married in Kilmilkin Church on October 17th. The reception was held in the Meyrick Hotel, Galway. Congratulations to Roisin Higgins, Tiernakill, and Brendan Connolly, Inishmean, on their wedding on October 26th in Kilmilkin Church, followed by a reception in Menlo Park Hotel, Galway. Best wishes to both couples and every happiness in the future. Rosemary Hanley

tion these players made to the club both on and off the field. Also we remembered the contribution of other great Oughterard players, committee members, executive officers, founding members, fans, parents and all who have contributed to our past successes. The main event that we held to celebrate the centenary was a Centenary Social. The social took place on the 4th of October in our local community centre. As one of the oldest organizations in Oughterard we felt that we should hold this special event in our local community. The hall was specially decorated for the night by Eventus of Tuam and the entertainment was provided by Discovery, Richie Kavanagh and DJ Aidan Kenny. The event was catered by Forest Catering with Justin Keogh, the club sponsor running the bar. Roddy Joyce, a club stalwart was MC for the night and there was a historical review of the club’s history. Special guests for the event included Mr. Eamon O Cuiv TD, Minister of State, Football Board Chairman Mr. John Joe Halloran, Mr. Enda Kenny TD, Leader of Fine Gael and Mr. Brian Geraghty. The club was very grateful for the very special contribution these guests made to our special night. We would like to thank all natives of Oughterard, past and present, club members and non-club members that came together to help make the social and our centenary a great success. John Byrne Photo above: Back (l-r) - John Joe Halloran, John Gibbons, John Joe Reilly (Club Chairman), Richard Lee, Paddy Geogheghan, David McGinn, Enda Kenny TD ( whose father played for Oughterard in times past), Paddy Clancy, Gerry D’Arcy and Kevin Clancy. Front - Frank O’ Halloran, John Byrne, Paddy Halloran, Paddy Joyce Alfie Gibney (89 years of age) and Tom Sullivan. Photo by Tom Broderick

Oughterard

Permission for Playground

New Parish Priest We would like to welcome Fr. Kieran Burke P.P. to the parish of Kilbride. Fr. Burke comes from Ballyhaunis and was a curate in Finny in 1995.

Maam Women’s Group Art classes are taking place on Wednesday evenings in Ionad Pobail an Mhama with tutor David Keane. David recently had an Art Exhibition in Connemara National Park, as part of Sea Week 2008. Laurie Walsh, H.S.E. will be guest speaker at the November meeting of the women’s group. She will discuss the courses which the H.S.E. provides for community groups.

Card Game Progressive-25 Card Games begin in Ionad Pobail an Mhama on Tuesday, November 4th, at 8.30pm. Great prizes to be won – so come along and enjoy the craic!

Weddings

Leenane/Maam

Statue Restoration Ecclesiastical restorer Michele Thierbach has been working on the restoration the statues at Leenane Church during the month of October. He has worked on the statues of Bernadette, Our Lady and Calvary, but work was interrupted at times by bad weather. Locals and passersby may have seen Ireland’s only dedicated ecclesiastical restoration truck as Michele carried out the work. Photo courtesy of Michele Thierbach

Farewell Dance Parishioners from Leenane, Maam and Finny attended a farewell party for Fr. John Kenny in Leenane Hotel on Saturday, 18th October. Music was provided by John Dunne and Micheal Burke of Killary Sound. A Salsa Band and dancers came from Westport and the surrounding area. Refreshments were served and a great night was had by all. A presentation was made to Fr. Kenny by Michael Coyne and Anne Donald Joyce thanked

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Centenary of Oughterard GAA Cumann Seamus O Maille Oughterard was delighted to celebrate our club centenary this year. Oughterard GAA Club Celebrated 100 years of its role in the promotion of Gaelic Games in the community, participation in GAA competition, contribution from exiles to the club, representatives to its county teams, other clubs and the Association. As the second oldest club in Galway and the oldest in Connemara, we hosted a number of special events including a club mass, golf classic, Over 40’s game and a centenary social. As a club we have seen many great county players pass through our ranks. The centenary celebrated the contribu-

November 2008

Planning permission has been granted by Galway County Council for a playground in Oughterard, in the Corribdale grounds, adjacent to the Council Car Park and the Health Centre. It is hoped that works can proceed in the next few months on this new facility. Monies have been allocated by Galway County Council and the Oughterard Credit Union in addition to fundraising by the local committee. Cllr. Thomas Welby has been actively involved in relation to the planning and the funding from Galway County Council and he hopes that this project will come to fruition in the very near future.

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Oughterard continued New Bus Routes

A new bus service is starting in Oughterard and surrounding areas as part of the Social Inclusion Programme. It is provided by the Clann Resource Centre in co-operation with Bealach. The new routes are as follows: Route 1: Existing Route. Fridays only. Seanafeisteen, Rusheeney, Oughterard, Spiddal and return journey. Route 2: New Route. Thursdays only. Oughterard 10:30am. Tonwee, New Village, Shanballymore, through to Hill of Doon and return to Baurisheen to Oughterard. There is a return journey in the afternoon. Route 3: New Route. Thursdays only. Oughterard 11:30am. Ardnasillagh, Porridgetown, Oakﬁeld, Carrowmoreknock, Burnt House, Wormhole, Tullykyne, Killanin, Garrynagry, Roscahill and return to Oughterard. There is a return journey in the afternoon. Pensioners travel free with Travel Card. The maximum fare is €3:00, students €2:00. The yearly membership fee for pensioners in €1:00, non pensioners is €5:00. Anyone interested in using the service please leave name, contact number and pickup point with the Clann Resource Centre, Oughterard, Co. Galway Phone 091 557633/4.

Pitchmaker Draw Launch Oughterard Association Football Club (OAFC) hosted the launch of their much anticipated Pitchmaker Draw last Sunday 19th October 2008 in the Connemara Gate-

way Hotel, Oughterard. The event proved to be a huge success, with local Oughterard sports star and former Olympic marathon runner Mick Molloy attending the event. The Pitchmaker Draw itself will take place on St. Patrick’s Day 17th March 2009, with the grand prize being a top of the range sporty Mazda2, 3 door car, which won the prestigious car of the year for 2008. There is also a host of other prizes including a boat and trailer, holiday voucher, shopping spree in Marks and Spencer’s, and a high- tech laptop. All proceeds raised through the draw will go towards funding new sports pitches and associated facilities at New Village Glann High Road, Oughterard. Tickets cost €50 each and will be available from early November from the fundraising committee, club members or by calling (085)1000074. Photo above (l-r): Eddie Keane, Cllr. Sean Kyne F.G. Moycullen, Mick Molloy and Treasa Tuck, Club President.

scheme on the Glann Road in Oughterard. Cllr. Welby had liaised with the committee and Galway County Council in relation to the taking in charge. The Lakeshore Group Water Scheme will now provide the source for the Glann Group Water Scheme, it is presently getting the supply from Lough Corrib, and it is hoped the works presently taking place on the Glann Group Scheme will be complete in the coming weeks.

Riverstown Comhaltas Visit The Riverstown (Co Sligo) branch of Comhaltas came on a weekend visit to Oughterard in early October. They stayed and played at The Connemara Gateway Hotel. Number-

Lakeshore Group Water Scheme Galway County Council has oﬃcially taken in charge the Lakeshore Group Water

ing 58 people currently, they have been coming to Oughterard every year about this time of the year for the past 8 years. The group have recently also been on a visit to Brittany, according to their spokesperson, Kathleen Lyons, who also said that there is a big and growing interest in Ceoltas in the Riverstown area, by the young people. The continuation of traditional music in the Riverstown area has been given a new lease of life with the new hall and the unveiling of the Morrison monument. Photo courtesy of Tom Broderick

Oughterard Youth News BeatClub: Listen up, all you young musicians – tired of sitting at home practising your music by yourself? In BeatClub, we get together with other aspiring musicians to jam (mostly pop, rock, and blues) in a fun and relaxed environment, with an eye to eventually performing publicly. Thursdays, 7-8pm, in the VEC on Camp Street in Oughterard. We especially need bass guitarists, trumpeters, and saxophonists! Rainbows is a peer support programme to assist children who are grieving a death or separation/divorce in the family. It provides a safe, conﬁdential setting in which participants can express their feelings with others who are experiencing similar situations. Clann is running a Rainbows group in Moycullen; contact us for more information. Oughterard Club4U: Help! Oughterard Club4U seeks adults to work with this structured club of teens (15-18 years old) to do projects, take trips, run non-alcoholic discos and generally enjoy and develop themselves. Youth democracy: Oughterard will once again host non-Gaeltacht Connemara’s Comhairle na nÓg, or youth consultation day. We ran the ﬁrst one last February, but this time it will take place in November, in time for the group to elect someone to represent them at the national Dáil na nÓg

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November 2008

in Dublin in February 2009. Spraoi, the Oughterard Youth Circus, has started up again and is looking for new members to join them in learning to juggle, use devil sticks and diabolos, and other fun things! A clowning college is planned for this year. We also need adults to help out with Spraoi, to keep it going! If you’d like to help kids grow and develop through circus, and have great fun while you’re at it, please contact us!! The Girls’ Group, just for 1st and 2nd year girls, has started and has done fun things and has loads of ideas for more fun things – it is a space for girls to get together on their own terms, so if you’re a girl in 1st or 2nd year, get in touch with us. The Oughterard Youth Café is still looking for volunteers to help run the café. An intergenerational project will start up in late October in Tullykyne National School. Older participants in the Sonas Group, Moycullen, and St Annin’s Retirement Group will go into the school to exchange stories and do drama activities with 4th, 5th, and 6th class students to try to see life from each other’s points of view! The Ógras group, for children 8-12 years old, meets every Thursday from 5-6:30pm in the Community Centre; tá fáilte romhat! An gaeilgeóir tusa? An maith leat páistí? Tá Club Ógras Uachtar Ard ag lorg daoine ar an gcoiste. Gach eolas le fail ó Treasa Ní Ghiobúin ar 087 201 3844. The youth club continues to meet on Friday evenings, and is looking for adult supervisors to help out. Contact Bridie Upton in Bridie’s Hairdressers if you might like to get involved. Children First (child protection) training for anyone involved in working with children/young people will take place in Oughterard the evening of Friday 7th November and all day Saturday 8th November. It’s very useful to have done this training if you’re ever going to work with children; it’s a nationally recognised and certified programme. There are a few places left so ring now to book a place. Buy Nothing Day: Is on Saturday November 29th. The rules are simple: for 24 hours, detox from consumerism and live without shopping. Clann will mark the day with a simple event on the evening of Friday 28th November, likely a short film about consumerism and a free barter fair, at which people can swap their unwanted things for other people’s things (one woman’s trash is another man’s treasure!). Get in touch to find out more. To find out more about any of the above, ring/text Kerry E’lyn in Clann Resource Centre on 557633 or 087 684 2865 or email kerryclann@eircom.net

Graduation Patricia Prunty of Carrowmanagh, Oughterard was conferred with a certiﬁcate in Training and Education in NUI Galway on October 18th. Patricia went back to education through the VEC in Oughterard. She has just started her third year in the NUIG course and will receive her diploma at the end of the current college year.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Boys and Girls Now Together: The pupils of the Boys and Girls Primary Schools in Oughterard have amalgamated for the ﬁrst time this year. Grant assistance is anticipated to suitably accommodate the increased numbers in more appropriate premises. The National School boys and girls are pictured below. Photo by Tom Broderick

Renvyle

More Green Flags for Eagle’s Nest The Green Schools programme is encouraging primary school students to take their environmental eﬀorts one step further by participating in An Taisce’s Green-Schools Travel Programme, which was launched for Galway City and County during European Mobility Week. This year 7 schools in the West Galway region have been invited to join the national roll out of the Green-Schools Travel Programme, mak-

ing them among the first schools across the country to tackle the issue of school travel. These schools will tackle the problem of congestion at the school gates as well as promoting health & fitness and making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.The ultimate aim of An Taisce’s Green-Schools programme is to encourage students, teachers and parents to walk, cycle, park ‘n’ stride and car-pool instead of using the private car on the school run.” Eagles Nest National School, Renvyle have been extremely enthusiastic and successful with the Green Schools programme to date. The school has already achieved three flags for their work on the themes of litter and waste, energy and water. For their last flag the school not only looked at water conservation but also got involved in events in their local community, related to the water theme, such as Letterfrack Sea Week. The school also carried out a project on the local aquaculture industry at Killary. Over the next two years the pupils will be working towards their fourth Green Flag by concentrating on the travel theme. Photo above: Senior pupils at Eagle’s Nest NS, who have already achieved three green flags. Photo courtesy of Green Schools

its annual Festival at Renvyle House Hotel from Thursday 6th to Sunday November 9th. There will be live entertainment in the bar every night and highlights of the weekend include talks and readings by Gerald Dawe, Michael O’Loughlin, Nuala ni Dhomhnaill, and Dr. Nicola Gordon Bowe. Various local community groups will also run events as part of the festival. The Renvyle Writer’s group will meet in Paddy Coyne’s on the Sunday afternoon for discussion and readings. An Art exhibition titled “Land and Sea” curated by Laura Cull will also be on display at Renvyle House for the weekend. See details of artists exhibiting in our Arts section on page 31. For more information on the Gogarty festival or events taking place, contact Joan McBreen on (093) 24826 or 087 8334528. The Gogarty Bicycle Race Oliver St John Gogarty was a keen sportsman in addition to many other interests, and it has been decided to stage a fundraising community cycling event to complement the Gogarty Festival that takes place annually in Renvyle House Hotel. The Gogarty challenge – a leisure family cycling event - takes place next Sunday, November 9th. Assembly point for the event is Renvyle House Hotel at 1.00pm. The Gogarty challenge runs from Renvyle House Hotel to Letterfrack – Currywongaun – Tullycross – Renvyle House Hotel. Four ‘pit stops’ along the way will make it easier for the less enthusiastic cyclist. The Gogarty Challenge is a sponsored event. Cards Available from schools and local radio. All proceeds go to the Elm Tree Centre, which provides housing for the psychiatric sector in the local community. This cycling event is part of the annual ‘Gogarty Literary

Festival’ that is taking place in Renvyle House Hotel over the weekend. The Gogarty Challenge is organised by The Western Lake Cycling Club in conjunction with Renvyle House Hotel. For further information contact 085 1154629 NB: No helmet-No race. Safety is as always the main priority.

Wedding Bells Sorcha Diamond and Mark Burton were married on Saturday the 25th October at Adare Manor Hotel, Sorcha is the daughter of Liam & Breege Diamond, Renvyle and Mark is son of Derek & Alison Burton, Enniskerry. Photo courtesy of Priscilla Diamond

Gogarty Festival The Oliver St John Gogarty Society will hold

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

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Roundstone, again another successful get together, a special thank you to Geraldine Coyne, who is one of the Adult leaders for her incredible work to make this a success. In fact all the club troops did a great job. I might also add that the two girls from Eldon’s also had a party for the kids on the Wednesday, lucky kids!

Ros a Mhil

Grant Assistance Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has announced a grant of €517,588 to help Coláiste Chamuis Teo build an extension to their Téalta na hÓige centre in Ros an Mhíl, Co. Galway. The College plans to build an extra four classrooms as well as a store room and a small playing field. This will enable the College to enroll more students on to their Irish courses. The facility will also be made available to other clubs and organisations in the area. The Minister said that he was very pleased to be able to make such a grant available to Coláiste Chamuis Teo and that it will be an excellent facility for the area. “I am very happy to be able to help this project and I am also pleased that this facility, once built, will benefit the community in general,” the Minister said.

Award for GMIT student Avril O’Connor from Ros a Mhil, who is studying towards a BA in Culinary Arts at the Dublin Road campus, won a gold medal at the European Association of Hotel & Tourism Schools (AEHT) annual competition, which took place

Dogs Bay Seal

stone for the occasion. Fr McCarthy owing to other commitments was unable to attend but blessed the plaque on Saturday 1st November. Paul was killed along with the pilot in that fatal crash in July 2007 that left many Connemara business men badly injured, when they were on a familiarisation trip to the Aran Islands for the Connemara Airport. Paul spent his early years in Roundstone and went to school here, but he never forgot his grass roots and bought a holiday home for himself and his family in Dohulla. One of Paul’s favourite haunts in Roundstone was O’Dowd’s and he enjoyed many the pint standing at O’Dowd’s wall having the crack as no better man could do and looking out to sea. May you rest in peace Paul we all miss you, and you will never be forgotten, always remembered.

Births Congratulations to Maurice and Ashling Ryan on the birth of their new son. Congratulations also to James and Chris de Courcey whose daughter Caroline and her husband JF had a son. They have named their child Huston James. Congratulations to Patrick and Cliona O’Flaherty who had a baby girl, a little sister for Jake.

Christening Congratulations to Sophie and Martin Laffey who had their baby girl christened Sunday and named her Teigin. The Laffey family had their celebrations in Eldon’s Hotel. in Estonia in October. Avril was on the Irish team that competed in the international event. She won Gold in the dessert /confectionery category, having prepared and dished up 40 afternoon tea pastries and three marzipan flower sweets in just four hours. Cáit Noone, Head of the School of Hotel & Catering Management, said “We are delighted with Avril’s achievement and congratulate her on an excellent performance.” Photo: Avril O Connor with her Tutor Mary Reid and her award. Photo courtesy of GMIT

Roundstone

Paul McNamee Plaque A plaque was erected by Paul’s family underneath O’Dowd’s wall here in Roundstone, and has been oﬃcially unveiled. (See photo.) Richard delivered a lovely few words in Paul’s memory. Friends and relations travelled to Round-

Eldons Proprietors Depart Michelle and Lorraine’s time in Roundstone has come to an end. For the past three years they have successfully run the hotel and brought many new clients to the Roundstone area. During their time here they were chosen to take part in a young entrepreneurs programme featured on RTE. They have had articles written about their success in the Sunday Times and also many catering magazines. The girls were both aged 23 when they took on the running of the hotel and they tell me that it was a great challenge for them but they have had great experience. Halloween night saw the closure with a great Halloween party given by Michelle and Lorraine. It was a fantastic evening, with a serious eﬀort of dressing up, huge local turn out, with various humble prizes given out for the costumes, in fact Cormac Lowry won the most Original costume as a ghost buster, Geraldine Coyne for the most scariest, Cathal Nee with his Girlfriend as a pair of doctors, with very colourful wigs. Any way the two girls did very well, that night, as they have done for the last three years, they will be missed, there is no doubt about that and so we wish them all the luck in the world for the future. There are in fact some quite good photos on the Roundstone website of the Halloween revelries for you to have a look at.

Halloween Fun The Roundstone Youth Club members decorated the Hall for a Halloween party for all children from the surrounding areas of

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November 2008

On Saturday October 22nd Richard and Nicky Griﬃn both got phone calls about a stranded seal on Dog’s Bay. As you may remember, both Nicky and Richard have been involved over the past year with the rescue and release of seals in the Dogs Bay area. So when they were alerted both of them rushed to the scene. Right enough a very young baby seal 8/9 weeks had got stranded in amongst some rocks, as Richard pointed out you must never try to catch this animal no matter how lovely and cuddly they look, they are strong and vicious. The boys had a basket which they put over that cub and pulled it towards the sea, when just a little away they released him and he headed back into the sea in search of his mum. A good job done by the lads, therefore a journey from Roundstone to Dublin was saved by the Seal Sanctuary people.

The Tidy Town Committee It was decided that there are grants out there that must be availed of so that applications will be made to the relevant departments. All this is in preparation for next year’s entry, there is much work to be done to get higher up the ladder.

Graveyard Mass On All Souls Day we had an open air mass up at Gurteen graveyard, with Father McCarthy. We were lucky because as two o’clock arrived, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was a lovely situation with a much bigger crowd than last year. Father McCarthy was in a horse box, thanks to Micky Nee who had it painted and carpeted, it really worked, and my compliments to those for their eﬀorts of the cleaning of the graves. A few more still need attention, but on the whole not a bad eﬀort. You know there is always something quite magical, when the community comes together like this for an open air mass representing those that have passed on, it is huge respect and certainly something I admire.

Defibrillator/AED Training Saturday November 9th from 2pm to 5pm is the date for the Deﬁbrillator and AED Training Course this will take place in Richards home, Errisbeg House. So please let Richard know if you wish to take part, as he is taking names.

Keep Fit Classes On Thursday 6th November, we have the start of the keep ﬁt classes starting at 7pm which will continue right through the winter with Leanne in the upper part of the community hall, so for more details and registration, just ring Leanne on 0863278011.

Condolences Our condolences go to the family of Mark Joyce. Mark is the son of Eileen O’Malley daughter of Bridgie and the late Paraic Jim from Bunowen. Mark spent his holidays each year in Ireland going between Ballyconneely and the Aran Islands the home of his father. He was laid to rest in the Ballyconneely graveyard. Our condolences to all members of the O’Malley family. Our condolences go to the family of Nuala Sullivan who was tragically killed in a car accident in Recess on the October Bank Holiday Weekend. Our sympathies go to her husband Michael Sullivan and her three sons, the family are living in England. Our condolences also to Michael and Eamon Nee, on the passing of their father Eddie Nee. May they rest in Peace. Richard de Stacpoole/Ann Conneely

Road Works Galway County Council has informed Cllr. Thomas Welby that they will be carrying out works on the Toombeola road leading to the graveyard in the near future. Cllr. Welby has allocated monies from his notice of motion to carry out these necessary repairs.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

2009-2015 Draft Clifden Local Area Plan On October 31st, the Galway County Council released the long awaited 2009-2015 Draft Clifden Local Area Plan. The full 84 page document plus appendixes and maps are available for viewing at the Clifden Library and online at www.galway.ie. The deadline for citizens to respond to the Council is Friday, December 12th. This is a very important proposal which will impact the entire Connemara community and merits our interest and comment. I have extracted the objectives set out in this draft plan here (pages 15 and 42) and have also included the objectives set out in the 2001-2006 Clifden Local Area Plan (page 42). A comparison of the two puts the current draft in perspective. You will notice, no doubt, that there was technically no plan in place for the 2007-2008 period. The Connemara View invites your written comments which can be emailed to news@connemaraview.com, posted to us at Connemara View, Clifden, Co. Galway, or dropped in our ViewBox at the Paper Shop in Clifden. Ellen McDonough

Natural Heritage Objectives H1 Seek to provide guidance to the community in the implementation of a heritage awareness programme. H2 Seek to develop walks in an environmentally sensitive manner within the plan area in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. H3 Seek to ensure insofar as is possible that there is greater habitat and species diversity through the appropriate planting of trees, shrubs and hedgerow indigenous to the Clifden area in public and private developments / parks /amenity areas. H4 Manage to protect the biodiversity of existing designated sites and any future sites designated in the life of the plan, and other important biodiversity areas. H5 Seek to retain individual trees and groups of trees, hedgerows and stone walls which add to the local character of the area and are important for wildlife. H6 Seek to promote greater awareness of the natural heritage and natural heritage designations in Clifden. H7 Seek to protect non-designated habitats and landscapes. H8 Support the facilitation of a habitat mapping project for the plan area and seek to take cognisance of any relevant findings from such a project H9 Support the facilitation of the development of a biodiversity action plan for Clifden to include the Owenglin River. H10 Support efforts by responsible agencies to prevent the introduction of invasive plant, animal, or fish and invertebrate species on land or in water. H11 Seek to cooperate and coordinate with all relevant public authorities under the Water Framework Directive regulation in ensuring that the Owenglin River can be protected from pollution, sedimentation and aquatic invasive species.

Architectural Heritage and Conservation Objectives AH2 Proposals for development within the Architectural Conservation Area shall have regard to the Council’s Architectural Heritage Inventory for Clifden. AH3 Adopt a strategy of minimum intervention in relation to proposals concerning protected structures and those of local interest that contribute to local distinctiveness. AH4 Protect structures included in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS), identiﬁed in Table 2.2 and Maps No.2 and 3. AH5 Require that the design of any proposed building adjoining or in the same setting as a Protected Structure shall have regard to the architectural context of the building. AH6 Proposals for intervention in relation to protected structures or proposed protected structures shall have regard to the following documents: Conservation Guidelines published by the DoEHLG, the Counci’s Architectural Survey and Assessment: Best Practice Guide and the Architectural Heritage Protection: Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2005) and any subsequent Guidelines, Acts, Directives or Policies which may be issued during the lifetime of the Plan. AH7 Respect the character of existing buildings, important views and spaces and the historic settlement pattern in terms of scale, height, grouping, density, design and materials. AH8 Promote an understanding and appreciation of Clifden’s architectural heritage.

Transportation Objectives T1 Continue to implement the Traffic Management Plan for Clifden. T2 Improve road/pedestrian signage T3 Continue to improve car parking management within the town centre through the operation of “pay & display”. T4 Facilitate and reserve lands for the development of future public car-parking facilities to serve the town centre T5 Provide special needs car parking facilities at appropriate locations throughout the town and ensure that all new developments have adequate parking provision for people with special needs including mobility needs T6 Develop paving, soft landscaping and comprehensive signage for walking routes around the town. T7 Reserve and construct a relief road linking the Galway Road (N59) to the Westport Road. Prohibit development which would encroach on such development and its associated facilities. T8 Reserve access points for the future development of backlands. T9 Facilitate a road network through potential development lands to allow for vehicle and public transport to access new development if and where required. T10 Facilitate the development of bus shelter in the town centre. T11 Improve culverts and all roadside drainage through kerb gullies, maintain and renew pavements, widen and improve existing roads, improve road signage and facilitate the provision of new roads within Clifden, as the need arises and as resources permit. T12 Improve and maintain existing footpaths. Options regarding the extension of footpaths will be investigated. T13 Require developers to bear the cost of improvement to junctions, road widening and the provision of footpaths in association with public lighting requirements where appropriate. T14 Ensure that all new pedestrian facilities have particular regard to principles of universal accessibility. T15 Improve traffic management through: Improving traffic circulation, one-way system already in operation. Developing additional public parking facilities We will investigate the possibility of providing new pedestrian link from Council Lands to town centre. Maintaining loading and unloading facilities already in place. Improving road signage where necessary. Other measures deemed necessary by safety audits. Provide pedestrian areas and public lighting/footpath connectivity to existing town facilities insofar as far as is possible. Provide for cycle lanes as part of all developments. Provide for bus shelters as appropriate. Consider pedestrianisation of Main Street. Provide for self sufficiency of car parking within all new developments.

Water & Drainage Objectives W1 Ensure that proprietary treatment plants serving all future development accord with the Local Authority’s requirements. W2 Provide a new/upgraded wastewater collection and treatment system with tertiary treatment facilities (nutrient removal). W3 Restrict development that does not connect to the public sewer in order to consolidate the town structure and to control further ribbon development along approach roads into Clifden. W4 Require all relevant applications, which are located in close proximity to a watercourse, to submit measures to reduce and prevent pollution to a watercourse, both during construction and after completion of the scheme. W5 Protect a buffer zone around the perimeter of the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Works boundary from inappropriate development in the interest of public health. W6 Have regard to any flood plain details including maps and data that may be issued by the Office of Public Works during the lifetime of this Plan. Have regard to DoEHLG Guidelines “The Planning System and Flood Risk Management, Consultation Draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities” September 2008 www.environ.ie W7 Ensure that all non domestic water connections are metered. W8 Plan for a sludge handling facility in or around the environs of Clifden.

Information and Communication Technology Objectives ICT 1 Avoid the location of masts in any highly scenic area and within signiﬁcant views or within the ambit of National Monuments or Protected Structures or Monuments. ICT 2 Discourage the location of masts close to schools, residential areas, and residential buildings. Continued on page 42

CONNEMARA VIEW

November 2008

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West Galway Junior League Final

Grainne Mhaoils Win Final Soundly Grainne Mhaoils 4-11 Micheal Breathnachs 0-7 In spite of some possible nerves, the Grainne Mhaoils put the fact that this was a league final out of their minds and set foot on the pitch to play a clean and enjoyable game of football. In an excellent performance, Helena Lydon as goalie stopped 7 goal tries by the MB’s- four outright blocks, two nudged into a point, and one tipped out for a 45. Her composure and strong kick outs were crucial to the win. The three full backs Brenda Healy, Lucy Lydon, and Shona Acton worked together, sweeping possession from the opposition and stopping the Michael Breathnachs from scoring. Outstanding performances were put in by half backs Rebecca Sweeney, Brenda Mulkerrins, and Alison Coneys. They challenged for possession and their speed and determination moved the ball out of danger and back into the Graine Mhaoils forwards. All the backs must be commended for the fight they put in. They closed down the MB’s and defended cleanly, with a minimum of penalties conceded. Paula Cohill and Triona Folan were given the hard task of playing midfield. They displayed a strong presence and fed the ball into the forward line. Emily Gibbons, Lorraine Heffernan (Captain), and Noreen Coyne were in the half forward positions. Usually a defender, Noreen used her strengths to win back possession. Lorraine scored 3 points from play and two frees. Emily made beautiful passes into the full forwards that resulted in goals and points and scored a point herself. The full forwards were Maire Cloherty, Nicola Walsh, and Sinead Salmon.

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Maire’s long kick from odd angles went over the bar for multiple scores. Sinead played strongly in the corner position, and sent consistent passes into Maire and Nicola. The other team were unable to close Nicola down and stop the four goals that she scored from play. Amanda McDonnell and Nicola Connolly went on to the pitch in the second half; they played solidly and contributed to the victory. It was unfortunate that Lily Joyce was injured, as the management were hoping that she would go into the second half with fresh legs and run rings around the MB’s backs. The MB’s scores did not reflect the fight that they showed during this match. Not once did they concede the fight, and continuously put pressure on the backs. Lorraine Heffernan, the captain of the Junior team, was presented with the West Galway Junior League cup at the end of the match. Alison Coneys and Helena Lydon were named Players of the Match. As manager, I have to add to Lorraine’s comments on the day: I could not ask for a better group of ladies to play football with. They are supportive, and offer their hearts on the pitch every time we tog. Many of the Juniors are poised on the brink of moving to Senior status, and hopefully the years on the team have provided them with the playing time to develop their skill with the ball and love of the game. It is a boon to have a second team that is allowed to go out and have fun playing football - sometimes it only takes one season for that shy sleeper player to find their confidence and strength. With the large catchment area, the junior team also

November 2008

helps to bring together a range of players from all age groups – Under 14’s, under 16’s and up to players in their 40’s! The mix of ages and varying localities develops a stronger West Connemara community spirit, as well as providing for an environment that balances the skills and physical strengths of the younger players with the conﬁdence and experience of mature team members. Melissa Wallace Junior Players 2008: Aine Hannigan-Dunkley, Amanda McDonnell, Alison Coneys, Brenda Healy, Brenda Mulkerrins, Sara Brittain, Chloe O’Malley, Claire Kane, Clare Mullen, Deirdre Staunton, Emily Gibbons, Nicola Connelly, Nicola Walsh, Helena Lydon, Lily Joyce, Lorraine Heﬀernan (Captain), Lucy Lydon, Megan King, Noreen Coyne, Patricia Flaherty, Paula Coohill (2nd Captain), Rebecca Sweeney, Roisin Hennessey, Sarah DeLappe, Seona Mitchell, Shona Acton, Sinead Salmon, Sorcha O’Connor, Lauren Coyne, Maire Cloherty, Triona Folan, Melissa Wallace (manager). Photo: Back (l-r): Amanda McDonnell, Rebecca Sweeney, Paula Cohill, Alison Coneys, Lily Joyce, Triona Folan, Lucy Lydon, Nicola Connolly, Maire Cloherty, Melissa Wallace (Manager), Brendan Mulkerrins, Shona Acton. Front (l-r): Brenda Healy, Sinead Salmon, Lorraine Heffernan (Captain), Helena Lydon, Noreen Coyne, Emily Gibbons. Not pictured: Nicola Walsh.

Connemara SportsView

Connemara Rugby Two wins and good start to season We started off the first part of the AIB AIL season with mixed results. The first game was against Sundays Well, a game in which we started well, but failed to take our chances. The visitors took the lead and were 10 nil up before Sean Joyce kicked our first penalty. The start of the second half looked bad for us, when Aden Kelly who had just come on, got sin-binned, and The Well went 10 points clear again. For the next twenty minutes we had our best patch; Kevin Ward led the charge to the line and when the visitors went offside, Sean Joyce kicked the penalty to make it 6-13. We kept up the pressure, and good work by Frank Leonard and Ollie Delappe brought play near the 22. More pressure resulted in a 5 metre lineout for us. The ball was won by David McHugh and the drive came on. Once Bernard Keaney got his hands on the ball there was no stopping him. The resulting try made it 11-13. Sean was just wide with the conversion. We took our foot off the pedal and Sundays Well got into our 22. We conceded a penalty and they extended their lead by 5 points. Tomas King claimed the restart and brought play into the 22, but couldn’t link up with Peter O’Toole with the line at our mercy. The visitors cleared and got another penalty on full time, denying us a bonus point. The final score was 11-19. Our next game was away to Barnhall, and what a difference a week makes. Against Sundays Well we knocked on and missed kicks-this match showed a much better performance. After 12 minutes, Sean Joyce had us 9 points clear with three well-taken penalties. A mistake in our defence allowed the hosts in for their only score, a try in the corner. Another Joyce penalty left the half time score 5-12. The second half saw Barnhall come at us hard, but good defence

Next up was Suttonians on October 18th. With Tomas King and Mark Foyle out injured we were happy to have Troy Nathan back. The game started well for us and Ollie Delappe opened the scoring after 10 minutes. Troy added the conversion to make it 7 nil. The Dublin side hit back and got in for a converted try to tie up the game. Troy edged us ahead again with a well taken penalty, 10-7. This lead was short-lived as Suttonians got in for their second try, 10-12. Troy put us in front again with an injury time penalty. The second half was a real forwards battle. Hard yards were made by both sides and nobody wanted to give away a score. (See photo above). With ten minutes remaining, we got a penalty which Troy converted, 16-12. With time almost up, another Nathan penalty sealed the game for us. His fourth penalty left the final score 19-12. The worst part of this game was the injury to David Keogh. David, who was playing at full back this season was playing great rugby, and is a real leader for the young back line we have. We all wish David a speedy recovery and hopefully we will see him back on the playing field before the end of the season. Our last game of the month was against Portadown on Saturday October 25th. With the heavy rain all morning, there was a danger this game could have been called off, but with hard work by Tommy Coyne and John Joyce, the pitch passed the inspection. With driving rain, this was going to be a hard fought game. The first score came after 30 minutes when Troy Nathan kicked a penalty. Both teams tried to run the ball despite the conditions, and only for trojan tackling there could have been tries scored at both ends. We gave away a lot of penalties and had a man sent to the bin in each half. The visitors were looking good at the start of the second half when we were a man down, with the wind in their backs. But in true Connemara spirit, our lads lifted their game and pushed hard for that second score. With so many penalties going against us it was hard graft. Kevin Keogh, David McHugh and Bernard Keaney led the charge from the front. But when we had our second man sin-binned, Portadown got their chance, and we were short on defence when they took a quick penalty and got in for the only try of the game. We never gave up though. Another attack, started by Frank Leonard and carried on by Emmet Ferron brought play up to the try line, but when Gary Conroy went to pass the ball out, the referee got in the way and our chance was lost. An attempted drop goal by Troy Nathan just went wide leaving the final score 3-5. We now have a break until the 29th November when we travel to Banbridge.

Our last game was away in Gort and after a hard fought game, we won 22-5 .The worst part of this game was the serious leg injury to Martin Faherty. We wish him a speedy recovery as he is a vital part of this team. This win puts us up to second place in the table behind West Oﬀaly Lions. The next game is at home on Sunday November 9th next against Ballinrobe. Peter Keane

Local Success in Leinster Schools Connemara’s Tiernan O’Halloran has won Interprovincial Honours with Leinster Schools after wins over Ulster (20-3), Munster (21-6) and Connacht (44-5). Tiernan is pictured scoring the second of his two tries against Connacht Schools. He has since been selected for trials for the Ireland Schools team- Ireland Schools’ ﬁxtures take place in April 2009. Photo below courtesy of inpho.ie

Junior Team kept them at bay and when we got into their 22, Sean added a drop goal to make it 5-15. More good play by the pack set up another attack, and when Gary Conroy broke on the blind side he sent Peter O Toole clear to score in the corner bringing the score to 5-20. Sean Joyce added two more penalties to make the ﬁnal score 5-26, and the journey home didn’t seem too long!

The Junior team is having a good start to the season. The ﬁrst game away to Ballyhaunis didn’t go too well. After a shaky start we gave away two tries and we had to play catch up after that. We did make a comeback in the second half, but eventually lost 23-14. Our next game was at home to Carrick on Shannon, and we won that game 36-16 scoring 4 tries and getting a bonus point. The next game was against Westport, and again we scored 4 tries to get another bonus point.

New Director of Camogie from Moycullen Sinead O’Connor was announced as the Ard Stiurthoir (Director) of Cumann Camogaiochta na nGael on October 22nd. Sinead is a native of Moycullen, and plays camogie with the Portobello Club in Dublin. (See photo right).

Send in your news, views & photos to news@ connemaraview.com Connemara SportsView

November 2008

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Clifden Triumph in Sea Week Soccer Blitz

A Russian Odyssey

We had not planned to return to the Kharlovka River, in the Kola Peninsula, inside the Arctic Circle in Russia, when we said our farewells to the camp and guides in 2007. But the lure of gigantic Atlantic Salmon proved too much, and when we got an e-mail from Justin McCarthy, Camp Manager in late July offering us a trip at a greatly reduced price, due to a cancellation, we really had no choice. A hasty application to the Russian Embassy in Dublin for a visa was met with the usual courtesy and efficiency, hurried preparations with fishing rods, reels, flies and waders, and we were on our way! We left Clifden late on Show day and flew to Stockholm in Sweden the following day, overnighted in that beautiful city, and on to Murmansk in the northern tip of Russia, where we had a short delay due to fog, before flying in a huge helicopter with twelve other anglers (none of whom we had met before, but became firm friends) to the camp, approximately 500 km due east, where we were welcomed with the customary Russian welcome, lots of good food, and plenty of drink! The Kharlovka River, together with the Rynda, and eastern Litsa, and their tributaries, fast flowing rivers, with waterfalls, rapids and long pools which we waded through, with 15’ rods and barbless flies, run north through the Tundra to the Barents Sea, which gets the tail of the Gulf Stream. They freeze over from late October to late May each year, and have prolific runs of huge Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout. It is a National Park, with strict catch and release policy which is enforced rigorously, you even require special gloves to handle the fish for photographs. The Tundra is amazing, covered with lichen, shrubs, berries, and wild flowers, with absolutely no rubbish, wonderful wild life, reindeer, bears, wolverines, otters, sea eagles, buzzards, and small rodents, with occasional midges/mosquitoes, incredible how they survive the barren cold winters, where temperatures can reach -40°C. Spring usually lasts a week or two, late May/ early June, the ice melts, and the tundra bursts back into life for another year. Our camp on the Kharlovka consists of a series of wooden huts, warm and comfortable, with a central dining area, great food and all the drink you can consume. Camp also has an amazing sauna, very welcome on your return from the river, cold and occasionally wet. We had a wakeup call each morning at 7:25am, quick shower, hearty breakfast, and into our gear before assembling at 8:45am for a chopper flight to our designated stretch for that day. We fished in teams of two with a guide who carried a huge back pack with lunch and provisions in case of a fog-in and a night camping out. Each team have a night or two camping in ex Russian Army tents on the river bank, which is an adventure in itself. The fishing was superb, my brother Eugene and I (see photo above) had many Salmon up to 25lbs, some fresh, and some not, all released. Eugene had a super Sea trout over l0lbs, again released, and we had a day’s Brown Trout fishing with over sixty Trout between 2 - 5lbs weight, again all released. The weather this year was perfect for fishing, overcast and not too windy, but we have experienced the extremes, brilliant warm sunshine, turning to freezing fog in hours, on previous trips. We ended a record week with over one hundred and eighty Salmon and one hundred Trout, exhausted, dishevelled, but happy campers, glad to end our Russian odyssey in Murmansk with a final tot of vodka, one for the road! Dr. John Casey

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Nearly 100 young players braved the elements to take part in the Conamara Sea Week Primary Schools Soccer Blitz on Monday October 27th. In tough conditions, some fine soccer was played throughout the afternoon and Brendan Ridge who referred all the games praised all the players for their efforts and their brilliant quality of sportsmanship displayed throughout the day. A special award for the most sporting team was presented to Tully Girls Team. Player of the tournament was won by Colm Coneys, who gave an outstanding display of quality football and great sportsmanship – a well deserved award. The champions on the day were Clifden A who defeated a team from Lettergesh / Leenane, a most entertaining final. The final score was 2-1. Letterfrack A defeated Tully to claim third spot. Great praise was given to Brendan Ridge and Paddy Joe Joyce and the backroom team of sandwich makers who in spite of severe conditions managed to put on a great day of fun and entertainment for all the family. Photos: The winners of the Conamara Sea Week Soccer Blitz, Clifden A. (l-r) Enda Conneely, Emmet Moran, Colm Coneys, Henry O Toole, Paul Lee and Dillon Barry. Photo courtesy of Breda Coneys. The Kingstown NS team who took part in the Blitz. (l-r) Jack Gavin, Thomas Mullen, Ethan Mannion, Ian Staunton, Evan Mannion, Elisha Mannion. Front: Jamie Mullen. Photo courtesy of Marty Mannion.

U-10 Connemara League Final Oughterard 4-7 Carna-Caisel/Na Piarsaigh 0-5

Matthew Tierney and Vadim Connolly all hit the net in the second half. CCNP never gave up but with Cillian Noone, Joey Fox, Stephen Cahill and goalkeeper Oisín Duggan in

Oughterard won their division in the Connemara League Final in great style on Saturday 18th October last in Oughterard. It was lucky the game was played at all as it had been postponed twice due to bad weather. The Connemara team started best as Michael Coleman O Flatharta scored a point after only 30 seconds. Eoin Whittaker got the home team oﬀ the mark with a free. However CCNP dominated much of the half and were rewarded with points from Robbie Seoighe, and two from their impressive mid-ﬁelder Ricard O Guairim. Oughterard were defending well at the back and also had a few wides at the other end. Paul Walsh scored a nice point and hard working Darren Cormican scored a vital one to keep his side in touch. Half time score was CCNP 0-4 to Oughterard 0-3. CCNP started well in the 2nd half and had a point from Michael-Coleman O Flatharta after 2 mins. Impressive wing forward Daniel Kenny replied for Oughterard and from then on the home team piled on the pressure and CCNP were not to score again. Eoin Whittaker added another point in the 26th minute. They say goals win games and so it turned out as Eoin Whittaker, Daniel Kenny,

great form for Oughterard they couldn’t make any headway. Team Photo: Coaches standing L-R Harry Walsh, Willie Moran, and Eamon Connolly. Players:Back row (l-r) Marc Allen, Peter Tierney, Caoimhe Watts, Aisling Hanley, Joe Clancy, Jim McCarthy, Kevin O’Toole. Middle (l-r) Joey Fox, Jessica Lee, Eoin Whittaker, Darren Cormican, Cillian Noone, Stephen Cahill, Seán Walsh and Mary Faherty. Front (l-r) Matthew Tierney, Paul Walsh, Vadim Connolly, Conor Joyce, Liam Walsh, Oisin Duggan, Daniel Kenny and Michael Molloy. Missing from photo are Evan Walsh and Tom Hoban.

Hurling in Clifden Every Friday afternoon at 4:30, you will see a new Connemara breed of GAA athletes in training at the Clifden GAA Pitch. Yes, hurling training is back with the ﬂair of ash in the air after a long abscence The renewed focus on hurling is due to funding from the Sports partnership between Galway County Council and the GAA, according to Naomh Feichin’s Ann Mitchell. On account of this funding, Ballindereen hurling star, Mike Gallagher comes out on every other Friday to train at the primary schools. He also joins Johnny Mummery in coaching the new U-16 team. Johnny is a Clifden local now, but only after making a big mark in Gort hurling. Anyone interested in getting involved in the revival of hurling in Connemara should phone Ann Mitchell on 23938 or Johnny Mummery on 21795.

November 2008

Connemara SportsView

Darts Mikey Mullen and All Souls of the Sea Memorial Cup The Grand Finale of the Mikey Mullen and All Souls of the Sea Memorial Cup Singles Darts Competition took place at the Atlantic Bar, Clifden on Sunday October 19th. After nine heats which took place in venues throughout Connemara since September 17th, 64 players competed in the grand final. The eventual overall winner of the Memorial Cup Trophy and €200 was Richie McMahon. In 2nd place was Eamonn Mannion who received a trophy and €100, which he donated back into the fund, and the highest finisher was Peter Coneys who received a trophy and €50. All proceeds raised throughout the course of this competition will go to the Clifden Lifeboat Fund. The players, organizers, host venues, sponsors and all contributors were thanked by the Mullen family on the night for their support and help in making the competition a great success and a fitting memorial for Mikey Mullen and all members of the Connemara community whose lives were tragically lost at sea. The Clifden Connemara Fundraising Branch would like to thank Michael Mullen, his friends and helpers for the idea, and the hard work they put in to organizing this event. The total amount raised came to

Oughterard Golf 01/10/2008 Ladies 18 Hole Stableford Sponsor: Finnerty Meats Oughterard C.S.S. 75. 1st Noreen Hegarty (33) 35pts, 2nd Bridget Walsh (16) 34pts Gross: Patricia Lee (19) 17pts, 3rd Grace Morris (16) 31pts .Category 0 – 20 1st Marguerite Fallon (15) 24pts, 2nd Niamh Keogh (13) 21pts. Category 1 – 28 1st Ann Kavanagh (26) 30pts 2nd Kathleen Dolly (26) 29pts. Category 29 – 36 1st Mary Buckley (34) 29pts 2nd Cathy McGoldrick (36) 28pts, Nine Hole: Nuala Walsh (34) 8pts. 05/10/08 Sponsor B. Higgins. 1st Cathal Jordan (5) 65 pts. 2nd Tim Mullins (8) 67 pts. Gross: Cathair Connelly (6) 74 Gross (23 b6). 3rd Ken Jenkins (17) 69 pts. Cat A (0-9) 1st Liam O’Reilly (4) 70 pts. Cat B (10-18) Diarmuid Cawley (10) 70 (34b9). Cat C (19+) 1st Michael Seoige (21) 70 pts.CSS 70. Photo below: 5th Oct winner Cathal Jordan with Captain Pat McEvilly. €2,683.75. Thank you very, very much from AnneMarie Bennett and all of the RNLI Fundraising Branch. Photos: Left from top - Highest Finisher Peter Coneys with Claire and Michael Mullen. Runner Up Eamonn Mannion with Claire and Michael Mullen. Photos above - Richie McMahon, Winner of the Mikey Mullen and All Souls of the Sea Memorial Cup 2008 with Claire and Michael Mullen. Winner and Runner Up Richie McMahon and Eamonn Mannion with the Cup. Photos below - Group shot of heat winners and younger players.

2008 Grainne Mhaoils Darts Open Singles Competition The Singles Competition began on Sunday October 26th at the D’Arcy Inn and Angler’s Rest. Entry is €10 with registration at 8:00pm, draw at 8:15pm and commencement of competition at 8:30pm. Heat Winners and Runners-up qualify for the Grand Finale, and Heat winners receive a trophy. The remaining ﬁxtures in November are as follows: Sun Nov 9th - Moran’s/ The Renvyle Inn Wed Nov 12th - Festy’s/ Mac’s Sun Nov 16th - Mannion’s / Carraig Bar Wed Nov 19th - Sweeney’s/ Zetland The Grand Final will take place at the Atlantic Bar, Clifden, on Sunday Nov 23rd.

Connemara Golf

Open Doubles Competition The Open Doubles Competition begins on Wednesday November 26th. Entry is €10, with registration at 8:00pm, draw at 8:15pm and commencement of competition at 8:30pm. Heat Winners and Runners Up qualify for the Grand Final, and Heat winners will receive a trophy. The Open Doubles Fixtures Plan is as follows: Wed Nov 26th - D’Arcy Inn/Anglers Rest Sun Nov 30th- Keoghs/Veldons Wed Dec 3rd - Leavys/Ros’s Bar, Tully Sun Dec 7th - Griﬃns/Mollys Wed Dec 10th - Morans/Renvyle Inn Sun Dec 14th - Festys/Macs Wed Dec 17th - Mannions/ Gaynors Fri Dec 19th - The Pier Bar/Zetland The Grand Finale will take place at the Atlantic Bar on Sunday December 21st starting at 3pm. The Grainne Mhaoils Darts Administration Committee for the 2008-09 season is as follows: Declan Ridge (087) 792-5574, Paul Gannon (086) 384-7499, Peter Coneys (087) 957-5959, John Francis Flaherty (086) 105-4590, Vincent Leggett (086) 877-8598, Melissa Wallace (087) 997-7197.

Darts at Ryans Ryan’s in Roundstone are looking for people to play for their darts team in the forthcoming Pub competition. People who are interested can put their name forward at the bar. We have 2 darts boards and Friday nights are reserved for darts competitions if there are enough players around. If not, everybody can use the boards to practice.

Connemara SportsView

08/10/08 Ladies 18 Hole Stableford Voucher Competition C.S.S. 74 1st Ann Kavanagh (26) 37pts 2nd Niamh O’ Dwyer (30) 34pts Gross:Marguerite Fallon (15) 19pts 3rd Theresa Lydon (29) 31pts (B9) 4th Peggie Blehein (24) 31pts Nine Hole: Dorothy McCarthy (36) 9pts Open Day Competition 7th October 2008 18 Hole Stableford 1st Bernard Merrick (17) 40 pts, (21B9) 2nd Jeﬀ rey Lee (11) 40pts, (19B9) C.S.S. Non Qualifying. The winner Michael Seoige is pictured with Captain Pat McEvilly. 12/10/08 18 Hole Competition. Sponsor: Vinnie Walsh, Bathroom World. 1st Michael Seoige (21) 41 pts. 2nd Tim Mullins (7) 39pts (22b9) Gross: Liam O’Reilly (4) 32 gross pts. 3rd Cammie Gallagher (13) 39 pts (21b9). 4th Eamonn Connelly (9) 39 pts (20b9).5th Eugene Thornton (10) 39 pts (19b9). 6th Don Walsh (12) 39 pts (16b9).CSS 36 pts. Photo below: The winner of October 12th Michael Seoige with Captain Pat McEvilly.

November 2008

08/10/08 Open Stableford, 1st: Gerard Cosgrove (17) 38pts, 2nd: Jerry Horan (15) 36pts, 3rd: Clive Cummings (4) 35pts. Ladies: 1st: Kathleen Burke (35) 34pts. 12/10/08 4 Ball Betterball Stableford, Sponsor: Kevin Broderick & Son, 1st: Sean Birmingham (19)/Feichin McDonagh (13) 40Pts, 2nd: John Roche (9) Kenneth Coyne (18)39Pts. Ladies: 1st: Pat Dooley (21) /Antoinette Waldron (21) 39pts. 2nd: Josephine O’Neill (27)/ Kathleen Burke (35) 38pts. 22/10/08 Open Single Stableford. 1st: Jamie Flaherty (13) 38pts, 2nd: Liam Reilly (4) 37pts, 3rd: Padraic Malone (8) 35pts, CSS 35pts. Ladies: 1st: Betty McAleese (22) 32pts, CSS-Red Only. 26/10/08 18 Holes Single Stableford. Sponsor: John McMenamin/ Paul Gilligan, 1st: Adam Conroy (18) 35pts, 2nd: Michael O’ Cartuir (15) 34pts, Gross: Rory Sweeney(4) 29Pts,3rd: Paul Gilligan (19) 32pts,Visitor CSS-Red Only. Home CSS 32pts. Ladies: 1st: Evelyn King (20) 39pts, 2nd: Kathleen Burke (35) 31pts, 3rd: Vivienne Saunders (23) 30pts. 27/10/08 18 Holes Stableford, Sponsor: Oﬀ the Square Restaurant, 1st: Lorcan Brophy(6) 38pts, 2nd: David Brophy(19) 36pts, Gross: Rory Sweeney(3) 32pts, CSS-35pts. Ladies: 1st: Deirdre Murphy (15) 32pts, 2nd: Marie Bourke (29) 32pts CSS: Red Only. 02/11/08 18 Holes Singles Stableford, Presidents Prize- Mr E. P. Foyle. 1st: Jack Cosgrove (12) 40pts, 2nd: Jamie Flaherty (12) 39pts, Ladies Gross: Deirdre Murphy (15)17pts, Mens Gross: Liam Reilly (4)29pts, 3rd: Donal Standun (13)39pts, 4th: Martin O’Neill (20) 37pts, 5th: Peter Higgins (7)34pts. Visitors Prize: Paddy O’ Looney (6) 28pts, Ladies 9 Holes: H. Geoghegan (36)10pts, Mens CSS-34pts, Ladies CSS- Red Only.

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Connemara has an extensive selection of listed buildings of historical value with stories of great interest behind their ancient facades. The Connemara View is delighted to start this new monthly series entitled “Historical Sketchbook” written by Breandan O’Scanaill, the Chairman of the Connemara and Clifden Heritage Society. This inaugural story focuses on John D’Arcy’s Clifden Castle on the Sky Road in Clifden.

Clifden Castle The now ruined castle near Clifden was described by Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland of 1837 as “a castellated house standing on the verge of a fine lawn sloping down to the bay”. In one sense this brief description tells us everything and yet really nothing about this wonderful building. Built by John D’Arcy about 1812, it was the centre of social life in West Connemara in the early part of the 19th century. It was also very much a home and one can imagine the large D’Arcy family, there were 14 children from two marriages, enjoying the place, both inside and out. The castle is a fairly large structure and being technical it could be described as a four bay house with two floors above an overground basement. The east end has a round tower with three floors. The castle would have contained the usual collection of rooms, entrance hall with rooms to the left and right, drawing room, dining room, library, study or office plus other reception rooms on the ground floor. The bedrooms would be found on the first floor and were probably fairly numerous to accommodate the family. Below stairs would have contained the kitchen and the normal offices, needed to run a substantial household. There is one story that the billiard room was also down at that level. A small chapel was located at the back of the castle, this would have been used by the family and friends. Beyond the castle there was a substantial stable block and beyond that a semi walled garden. Early photographs show a different style of decoration on the outside of the building. In its D’Arcy days it would have looked more Norman than the present day Gothic appearance. This style was added by the Eyre family. Each of these styles are superficial mere concrete design, the building itself is solid stone. There are stories that Clifden Castle was designed by John’s brother Mark, but as far as I can make out these have never been substantiated. What can be stated without contradiction is that John D‘Arcy picked a magnificent setting for his family home. The views to the front and sides take in Clifden Bay, Errislannan, and in the distance Errisbeg and Bunowen. The Atlantic rolls by the entrance of the bay and the islands can be seen in the background. The castle and grounds are protected from the north and east winds by a ridge of hills, so that the parkland gardens

Connemara Pony Sales

Buyers Aplenty – Prices Down

The annual October pony sales in Clifden took place over 5 days from Thursday the 23rd of October to Monday the 27th. There were over 1300 lots on offer over the five days with the first day of the sales consisting of riding ponies, stallions and colts (yearlings and upwards). The expected drop in prices did materialize but, unlike in other sectors of the horse world, there were still a large number of buyers present at the sales. The highest price paid for a riding pony on day one of the sales was €5300. The seller of this pony was Brenda McCully from Northern Ireland who had her 5 year old gelding by Templebready Fear Bui well turned out. Lot 104, a 5 year old gelding also, by Shakelton, fetched €4400 and was purchased by well known horse dealer Bob Sweeney from Ballina. Mr Sweeney went home with a total of 21 ponies from the sales, most of which will be bound for the UK and further a field. A six year old gelding by Glenvalley Grey, lot 62, was sold for €4500 to a buyer from the UK.

PAGE 20

which John laid out would have been sheltered. In addition, the D’Arcys planted a great number of trees throughout the grounds, some still standing, but most have fallen in the almost two centuries since. The glory days of Clifden Castle ended for the most part with the death of John D’Arcy in 1838. The estate was inherited by his eldest son Hyacinth, who appears to have been a less able landlord. The famine ruined the family and Hyacinth was forced to sell the estate. It was purchased in 1850 by Thomas Eyre from England. Unfortunately from that date on it was used as a holiday home, and lost much of its importance. There were changes

to the outside and presumably inside as well. The front took on a more Gothic (or Gothik as it was also called), appearance, and this is the aspect which presents itself to us today. To all intents and purposes the castle was abandoned in the early years of the 20th century. It very quickly fell into ruin, but in this state it holds a fascination for the many visitors who look on it from the sea or the Sky Road. Breandan O’Scanaill Photos: Above - National Library of Ireland archive photo of Clifden Castle in the late 1800s. Below: Clifden Castle in May 2008. Both photos show the vehicles of the time; horse and trap (above) and a Reva electric car.

Although the prices for many of the yearling colts were a little disappointing in comparison to other years, there were still some good prices fetched for the ones that were above average. Lot 84, a yearling by Castleside JJ fetched €2400 and has found a new home in France. An interesting and positive effect of the reduced prices is that it has reopened the market of Irish Connemara Ponies to many of the European countries which had been unable to afford the prices of the ponies when combined with shipping costs. Several other ponies were purchased by European buyers over the duration of the sales and Clifden Pony Sales manager Padraic Heanue believes that this is a market which is likely to grow over the coming months with larger numbers of Irish Ponies likely to be exported. Day two of the sales consisted of fillies (yearlings and upwards) and mares. Trade was even busier on the Friday with buyers aplenty for the large selection of females on offer. The top price on day 2 was €6500, paid for lot 253, an eight year old mare by Windy Day. She was sold by T O’Connor from County Clare and purchased by Edward Sheehy from Dublin. 24 lots on the Friday were sold for between €4000 and €6000, included in these were yearling fillies, two year

old fillies and in-foal mares. Saturday, Sunday and Monday’s sale consisted of over 800 foals and a small number of broodmares. The top priced foal and winner of the Clifden Mart Cup was lot number 1282, a filly foal by Moorland Snowy River, which had achieved much success in the show-ring throughout the season. She fetched €4500 for her owner Martin Coyne from Letterfrack and is bound for Tipperary. Prices for foals were back on previous years but on a positive note there were buyers aplenty. The sales commenced at 10am each day and on the final 3 days of the sales the auction continued until 9pm with a large number of buyers present throughout the day. The marquee which holds the sales ring was filled to capacity. On an interesting note, all the auctioneers working over the 5 days were pleasantly surprised with the number of buyers present as this has not been the case over the last number of months at many other Horse sales. The next catalogue sale of Connemara Ponies will take place in February on a date yet to be set. Details of this sale and up to date news on Clifden Connemara Pony Sales is available on-line at www.connemaraponysales.com.

November 2008

Connemara SportsView

Venture Smartly & Positively into the Christmas Season We have once again reached the time of year when the wallets take a big hit. Since the Christmas Holidays are on the horizon, our thoughts turn to ways to save money and spend it wisely. This year, with the recessionary economy looming gloomily overhead, let’s enjoy the Holidays even more by being frugal and creative! Here are some tips to help you to save money, time and sanity.

Gifts & Shopping • Shop locally: Save on the high cost of travelling as well as support your local economy, particularly in these recessive times. • Decide on a spending limit: With a budget, you know how much money you have to work with, then its easier to see how much you can spend on each person; this also cuts down on impulse purchases. • Make a list: Take your spending limit and your list of people to buy for and decide how much money you have for each person. • Gift drawings or secret Santa’s: For bigger families secret Santa’s or gift drawings can make the gift aspect much cheaper, for instead of having the whole family to shop for, you can cut it down to one or a few. • Use cash: There’s no interest on cash, unlike credit cards. Cash can also prevent the urge to overspend on presents. • If using plastic, use one, low interest credit card: Credit cards can be good, for they can also make it easy to keep track of purchases. However, make sure you don’t exceed your limit for interest rates can be dangerous. • Homemade Gifts: Homemade treats like fudge, truﬄes, cookies, pies, jams and jellies, are always great gifts, and easier on the wallet. If your talents include knitting, crochet or other arts or crafts skills, create a present that will be cherished even more because you made it. • Say “NO” to toy lust: Some children’s Christmas lists are incredibly expensive, don’t overindulge. You can still bring joy to their faces, just let them know there are limits. • Don’t break the bank on friends: Instead of buying gifts for all of your friends, suggest a night to go out to a movie, dinner, and/or for drinks, I am sure they will all feel good about being able to cross a name(s) oﬀ their list. • Shop prices, not sales: Shop around and compare prices. During the holidays, “sale” signs will be everywhere. Don’t buy right away, compare prices and save. • Donate to charity: For the people who have everything they need, donate to a charity in their name. It is a thoughtful way to show your Christmas spirit. • Allow enough time: Giving yourself enough time to plan and shop saves those splurges on last minute gifts, and prevents forgetting anybody.

• Have potluck holiday meals: When having family and friends over for dinner assign guests with certain dishes to prevent putting all of the stress on one person.

Daily Behaviour • Take fewer trips to the grocery store: Most people go to the store 3 to 4 times a week. Make bigger trips and that will cut down on impulse purchases. • Kick a habit: reduce those little weekly habits that one does such as buying a coffee, sodas, water, lunch, etc. If you stop these habits for a month or two to save, you will see the benefits. Just bring lunch or coffee into work. • Eat out less: Eating out one less time a week or a month will add up fast. • Put on a sweater: Every degree you go down on the thermometer you save 5% on your heating bill. So put on a sweater, take a few degrees off the thermometer and watch the savings. • Examine phone and cable use: Do you really use all of those Sky channels? If not, then take a few channels off your bill and save a few euro. • Use a timer to run your outside lights on and off, then you won’t be running them all night, and you’ll save money at the same time. As you can see, there are quite a few ways to save money during the holiday season. The holidays can be unnecessarily stressful; hopefully, some of these ideas can make them less financially stressful and more festive. Connor McDonough-Flynn

Shop Local-Keep Money In Your Community The “Shop Local” slogan is regularly used around this time every year. Many of us hear or read about it and think to ourselves “Oh yes I must remember to support that” and then one day end up packing the car with groceries and gifts bought on a shopping trip to Galway, Castlebar or Dublin. Shop Local doesn’t just mean buying a ticket for a giveaway-it means actually buying products from, and in doing so, supporting your local shops. What we don’t consider so often while making our shopping choices are the repercussions of not shopping locally. Who wants to live in a town full of empty retail units, with vacant windows and deserted car parks? Perhaps your kids who are still in school will have no options for local employment open to them on leaving school, and be forced to move elsewhere. The popular saying “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” springs to mind. Amidst the current economic situation and concerns for the futures of small local businesses, there has never been a better time to re-engage with the Shop Local concept. Continued on page 28

Holiday Ideas • Wrap with recyclables: Wrapping with paper bags from shops is more economical and much cheaper than seasonal wrapping paper. Decorate them yourself with glitter, stickers and poster paints. • Send e-cards and plan mailing: E-cards are often free, and you save money and a trip to the post. However, if the post is needed, post only the gifts to those you won’t see for a while, or who live far away

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

PAGE 21

Christmas Trees Real or Fake? “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” This quote from Larry Wilde really encompasses the power of a Christmas tree in the eyes of all onlookers, especially children. During the holiday season the Christmas tree has been the centerpiece of Christmas enjoyment for generations. A growing concern recently however is whether to get a real tree or a fake tree. Can you give up the pine for the plastic, or is the real tree a practice that can’t be given up. There are arguments for both sides, but the decision will be left to you.

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Whether something is environmentally safe or not will be a topic for the foreseeable future, and no stone will go unturned. This leads to the question of what is more beneficial to the environment, real trees or fake trees? With Christmas celebrations at an all time high and rising, the topic of Christmas trees has been taken off the back burner. Recyclable and/or renewable, two words that go hand in hand in deciding whether something is environmentally friendly. Real trees have quite a few benefits for the environment and they happen to be both recyclable and renewable. Real trees can be turned into many useful products, mulch being at the top of the list. Real trees can be turned into wood chips (mulch) and reused in daily life. Mulch gives protection to plants and future trees from the elements, and can make a nice decorative addition to gardens. Shore erosion can be prevented with the left over trees, and they can be used to make shelters for fish and wild animals. The most important fact is that real trees can be turned into useful products once they aren’t bound for the landfill. Fake trees have far fewer benefits than the real trees. Only 10% of fake trees are recyclable, and some aren’t recyclable at all. Fake trees are made from PVC (vinyl), which is a non-renewable, non-recyclable petroleum derived product. There is no further use for these trees

once they have served their purpose, the only option left is to take them to the landfill, where they will just be piled on top of each other. Health concerns stem from the recyclable and/or renewable problem as well, for these trees need to be produced, but at what cost to the environment and to us? Real trees mainly come from tree farms, and these tree farms have many benefits. Tree farms stabilize the soil, protect water supplies, provide refuge for wildlife, and create scenic belts all around the country. Health wise, trees battle one of human’s most hated enemies, carbon dioxide. One acre of trees provides enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe. Real trees do this by absorbing the carbon dioxide in the air and in turn, emit fresh oxygen. Real trees do pose health issues, besides allergies. A real tree is strongly dependent on chemicals for growth, mainly herbicides and pesticides. During a tree’s growing life (7-8yrs) an average of 1/4oz of these chemicals are used on each tree. These chemicals are used to ensure the expected and desired growth of the trees. The problem is the effects of these chemicals to the environment and to humans. These chemicals can get into water supplies through water run off, and can cause pollution. The workers can be affected as well, for they are working with the chemicals, and illnesses have been linked to these chemicals. Some tree farms use integrated pest management (no chemicals) instead of chemicals, but these farms are few and far between, because it’s a far more tedious and timeconsuming practice. Fake trees have a tough time with environmental and health issues. Since they are made from PVC they aren’t biodegradable and they cannot be burned safely. If they are burned, harmful toxins are released in the air. These toxins should not be ingested. Fake trees have also been found to contain traces of lead and other harmful additives. Where the trees come from is another major point, for it has effects on the environment and on your wallet. Real trees lead to local jobs, in the States over 100,000 people have jobs directly related to Christmas tree farming and harvesting. They also keep money in the country, when you buy locally and know your tree comes from local tree farms. Real trees in Ireland have recently posed a problem, for there might not have been enough planted at the millennium to cater to future demands. Since these trees take 7-8 years to grow, future planning is necessary. The UK, France, and Germany are having problems with the amount of trees for domestic use. Irish tree exporters are now dealing with these problems, for exporters increased their amount, but the amount they have is insufficient to balance the lack of planning by the domestic tree farmers. This will lead to fewer trees and fewer small market tree lots, and will force consumers to go to the major retailers to find trees. Fake trees come from far away. 85% of fake trees are made in Asia, mainly Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Which leads to two things: shipping these trees worldwide, and your money going to other

November 2008

countries. The amount of fuel used to ship these fake trees worldwide is vast and not environmentally safe whatsoever. The remaining question is: “what is your preference, cost to your wallet or cost to the environment?” Real trees, unfortunately do die, with average shelf life is 1.5-2 months, which leaves you buying a tree yearly. In 2007, the average real tree cost around €30. Fake trees have an endless shelf life, and an average life span of 7-9 years, before they are dropped in the landfill. The average cost of a fake tree in 2007 was €54, and The National Tree Association wrote that 17.4 million were sold in 2007, 8.1 million more than 2006. 2007 was the first year that there was over 10 million fake trees sold in one year, and all of these trees are non-renewable and barely recyclable. Real or fake, the decision still rests with yourself. There are pros and cons for both sides, hopefully your choice will be easier to make. Just remember, “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree” (Roy L. Smith). Merry Christmas. Connor McDonough-Flynn

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Christmas Recipes from Three Clifden Show Domestic Arts Winners Crochet Corner 1oz chopped al-

Traditional Rich Christmas Fruit Cake Mary Gibbons, Rich Fruit Cake Winner 2008 Ingredients: 4oz (110g) glacé cherries 2oz (55g) chopped almonds 12oz (340g) sultanas

monds Grated rind of 1 lemon Grated rind and juice of 1 orange 4 eggs ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon mixed spices 1 bottle of Guinness stout 1 cooking apple, grated or ﬁnely chopped Method: • Melt the margarine. • Place all other ingredients except eggs in a large mixing bowl. • Add melted margarine and beaten eggs to the mixture and mix thoroughly with wooden spoon. Divide the mixture between 2 greased 2 pint bowls. • Cover with greased grease proof paper and tin foil. • Steam in boiling water for 5 hours.

12oz (340g) currants 12oz (340g) raisins 2oz (55g) ground almonds 4oz (110g) mixed peel Grated rind of 1 lemon Grated rind of 1 orange 2 ½ fl oz (35ml) whiskey 8oz butter or margarine 8oz soft brown sugar 6 eggs 1 teaspoon mixed spice 10 oz flour 1 large cooking apple grated • Line the base and sides of a 9 inch (23cm) round or 8 inch (20.5cm) square tin with brown paper and greaseproof paper. • Preheat oven to 160˚C/325˚F or Gas Mark 3. Method: • Wash the cherries, dry them and cut in half. • Mix together all the dried fruit, nuts, ground almonds, mixed peel, grated orange and lemon rind. Add the whiskey and leave for 1 hour to macerate. • Cream the butter until very soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. • Whisk the eggs and add in bit by bit, beating well between each addition so that the mixture doesn’t curdle. • Sieve the flour and spice and stir in gently. • Add the grated apple to the fruit and mix in gently but thoroughly. • Put the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre. • Put into preheated oven. • Reduce the heat to 150˚C /300˚F or Gas Mark 2 after 1 hour. • Bake until cooked, approximately 3 to 3 ½ hours. • Test centre with a skewer-it should come out clean. • Pour a little whiskey over cake and leave to cool in tin. • Next day, remove the cake from the tin. • Do not remove the original lining paper but wrap in extra greaseproof paper and tin foil until icing.

Christmas Guinness Cake Mary Pryce

An easy way to get going or brush up on abandoned crochet skills is to begin with something simple and what could be more appropriate for winter in Connemara than a scarf! For a gift or a personal project, this simple crochet pattern is suitable for beginners onwards. So get the hook out! Instructions: • Width: 10ins/25cms, Length: 44ins/112cms. • With 3.50mm crochet hook make 46ch and wk as follows: • Row 1: 1dc into each ch to end, turn. • Row 2: (RSF)*5ch, wk a picot of [1dc, 3ch, 1dc] into 3rd ch of next 5ch arch, rep from * ending 2ch, 1tr into last dc, miss tch, turn. • Row 3: 1ch, 1dc into ﬁrst st, *5ch, miss picot, picot into 3rd ch of next 5ch arch, rep from * ending 5ch, miss picot, 1dc into tch arch, turn. Rep the last 2 rs until wk measures 14 ins from beg ending with a row 3, turn. • NR: *4ch, 1dc into 3rd ch of next 5 ch arch, rep from * ending 2 ch, 1 tr into last ch, turn. • NR: Wk 1dc into each st to end. Fasten oﬀ. Pattern courtesy of Peggy Mannion

Ingredients: 8oz (226g) butter 8oz (226g) brown sugar ½ pint (283ml) Guinness (bottled stout is best) 1 ¼ lb (566g) mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins) 4oz (113g) mixed cut peel 1 ¼ (556g) plain flour ½ level tsp bread soda 1 rounded teaspoon mixed spice 1 rounded teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 apple 3 eggs • Grease a 9 inch tin with oil and line with greaseproof paper. Preheat oven to 150˚C/300˚F or Gas Mark 2. Method: • Place butter, sugar, and Guinness stout in saucepan and bring slowly to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved and butter melted. • Remove from heat, add fruit and grated apple and allow to cool to lukewarm. • Sieve flour, bread soda and spices into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre. Beat eggs and add with the cooled fruit mixture to the flour. Stir together quickly, mixing well. • Turn mixture into tin and bake in a slow oven (150˚C/300˚F or Gas Mark 2) for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Christmas Pudding Mary Gough Ingredients: 8oz margarine (not soft marg) 8oz dark brown sugar 10oz breadcrumbs 4/5oz plain ﬂour (sieved) 10oz currants 10oz raisins 6/8oz sultanas 3oz mixed peel 2oz glacé cherries, washed, dried and chopped

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

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Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments! It’s EASY! Creating Christmas crafts that the family can cherish for years to come is fun and inexpensive. Stephen Coohill, the Connemara View KidsView Junior Editor, completed all the steps outlined below to create his own line of salt dough ornaments. He is shown below with a delightful selection of snowmen, stars, circles and candy canes which he made. He then decorated them himself. The ornaments at the top of the page are some of his favourites. The easy instructions are below and to make it even faster, we perfected a microwave recipe! Have fun.

Salt Dough Ornament Instructions

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose ﬂour, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup water Tools • A baking sheet to roll out the dough • An egg cup to make circles • A small straight edge spatula to make lines • A skewer to make holes for hanging. • A small knife to cut through dough. Note: Children should have adult supervision, especially when handling the sharp objects.

10 Simple Steps: 1. Make the dough • Mix warm water and salt and let stand for a few minutes. • Stir in flour to create a stiff dough. • Mix well, working ingredients together with your hands. • Add water if needed. • Sprinkle in some more flour to prevent stickiness. • Knead a few minutes. • Let rest for 10 minutes. • Colour the dough by adding food colorants 2. Roll your dough using a recycled bottle. Keep the dough 1/4” or less in thickness to prevent cracking and for quick baking. 3. Trace your ornament shape lightly on the dough. To make the snowman, use the wide end of the egg cup to make the body and the small end for the head. Use the spatula to make the hats and arms. To make a star, use the spatula to trace the lines of the star. The egg cup can be used to make circle ornaments. Cookie cutters can also be used. 4. Cut your ornament out with the knife using an up and down motion. 5.Tear the excess dough from the shape. 6. Use the spatula to scoop the shape and place on a microwave safe dish. 7. Bake your ornaments in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. Test for softness, more time might be needed. 8. Let the ornaments cool. 9.Decorate your ornaments using poster paints, spray paint & glitter, Be creative! Write the names of family members on the ornaments. 10.To hang: Loop fishing string through the hole and tie off. Attach a ribbon to hang on the tree.

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November 2008

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

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Designate a Driver This Christmas The world’s leading soft drinks manufacturer is once again trying to make sure everyone has a happy and most importantly safe holiday season. Coca-Cola has launched their “Coca-Cola Designated Driver Campaign 08’”. Alﬁe Lydon, the managing director of Coca-Cola bottlers Ireland said: “encouraging people to make the responsible choice when driving is crucial in reducing the number of road accidents, particularly during the holiday season”. With a 103% rise in participating establishments from last year, the campaign seems to be working. The campaign’s main goal is to prevent drink driving, and dispensing free soft drinks is their method of doing so. Coca-Cola will give three free soft drinks to a person who drives two or more friends to the pub. The designated driver simply leaves their car keys behind the bar while they are served their free soft drinks. 1,655 pubs, clubs, hotels, and restaurants were involved in the summer 08’ campaign, and that number is rising quickly. The only thing venues need to do is register with Coca-Cola, as this deal is only available through participating licensed premises across the country. The Campaign can be seen as an incentive to go to a pub, and it is Coca Cola who are responsible for

the cost of the drinks dispensed, not the publican. The campaign was launched with “Alcohol Free-Santa” and friends got to ride in Santa’s sleigh. If you go to http://www.designateddriver.ie/index.htm you can see articles, pictures, and get more information on this campaign. You can also ﬁnd a designated driver randomizer; you enter a list of names into the randomizer and it randomly picks out the designated driver for the night. The most useful feature of the website is the location of participating venues, which could seriously inﬂuence your choice of where to go. With the success of the campaign to date, the number of participating venues is sure to grow every year. Given the serious clampdown on drink driving, particularly during the festive season, choosing a designated driver is a smart decision. Fines, penalty points, and danger to yourself and others are all reasons to not drive drunk, any time, not just the holiday season. And, with incentives like this, the choice is becoming an easier one to make. Make responsible decisions when socializing during the holiday season and enjoy a few Cokes; leave the vodka for another night. Happy Holidays

Get Started With Party Games Christmas Dinners and Parties can often be slow to get going. While they may sound cheesy at ﬁrst, party games are a great way to get people warmed up and get the craic going with very little eﬀort. Here are a couple of game ideas to distract and entertain at the dinner table or throughout the evening.

Celebrities-Who Am I? Every person writes the name of a celebrity on a piece of paper which they stick to the forehead of the person on their left. Make sure they don’t see the name first. Post-it notes are ideal for this. Everyone except you can see who you are, so the objective is to figure out who you are. Going around the table, each player gets a turn to ask the group questions about who they are-with Yes or No answers only. If you get a Yes you can keep asking, if you get a No play moves on to the left. The last person to guess who they are is the loser. Punishment can be getting a round of drinks in or whatever the first person who guessed correctly chooses.

Christmas Alphabet Give every person a piece of paper with A-Z written vertically on it. They must come up with a word for each letter that relates to Christmas. The ﬁrst person to come up with a legible and correct list should win a gift.

Santa Hat Game Yes this one requires everyone to wear a Santa hat, which will be popular! Alternatively, paper party hats will do fine. The game is based on observation-the objective is NOT to be the last person with a hat left on. At the start announce the simple objective, the only rule being that no one can take off their hat until you have. Let some time pass, and wait until the conversation and focus has moved on. As time goes on, people will forget to pay attention. Casually remove your hat after a while and watch as people cop on. Gradually the hats will come off, with an unsuspecting person being the last to notice what’s been happening. They are of course the loser, and after punish-

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November 2008

ment should be given the chance to start oﬀ the next game!

Spoof “Spoof ” is another popular party game, and can be played over and over if the people in the group are competitive. Everybody in the group needs 3 coins, ideally the same size, for example €1 coins. Before every round, you must choose to conceal 0, 1, 2 or 3 coins inside your fist. Then you go around the table and each person has to guess the total number of coins held at the table. So a table of 6 can guess from 0 to 18. Each person must guess a different number. At the end of each round, the total number of coins is counted and whoever was right can drop out. The others continue until there is just one loser at the end, and of course they can be punished as the group sees fit! As more people drop away, the game becomes more interesting and competitive. Bluffing may be required, as in the last hand, what you are holding in your own hand can be a “tell” for others, so you might have to “guess wrongly” to put them off!

Lie Detector Ask everyone to come prepared with one lie and two true statements about themselves. For example “I’ve met the president”, “I am allergic to paper”, or “I’ve done a bungee jump” etc. Each person takes a turn to tell everyone their three statements. They must do their best to conceal which one is the lie. Now everyone around the table votes on which statement was the lie. Someone can keep score if you like or if a prize is on offer. Eventually each player must reveal which statement was their lie and also describe the truths in further detail. This is a good game for groups who don’t know each other too well, and breaking the ice. Any group looking for something to spice up a Christmas party should definitely find one to suit from the above list. So ignore the bores and give party games a try; even if they go wrong the result is invariably funny, and most importantly fun!

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Christmas Party Characters The annual Christmas Staff Party is a curious beast. While many look forward to the promise of free booze and food, and a chance to let their hair down after a year of work, others dread the event where social slip ups and faux pas are practically guaranteed at some point in the night. The combination of a group of people who work together but hardly ever socialise as a group, throws up many entertaining or cringe-worthy exchanges, and the potential for disaster is heightened by the amount of alcohol flowing freely. So how does one avoid waking up the morning after the night before with a thumping headache and flashbacks of telling the boss where to stick it after one too many “festive” bevvies? Consider the list of the Christmas party characters described below-if you recognise yourself or a colleague then it might be advisable to stick to the soft drinks and be designated driver, or keep a lower profile than usual to avoid feeling like the loser from an alcohol awareness ad. The Suck Up: Every workplace has one. They simperingly agree with the boss or manager on absolutely everything. Their willingness to crawl and flatter is only heightened at social outings, where they shadow their boss, showing off their “people pleasing” and “accommodating” skills in the vain hope that the boss even notices or gives a crap. They may also pay for rounds of drink even if there’s a tab running, so they don’t look like they’re abusing the kitty in front of the boss. Generally despised by all others for their shameless ass kissing behaviour. The Inappropriate Dresser: Can be male or female. Singletons looking for action tend to be the worst offenders. Too-low necklines, too-short skirts, or tootight unflattering fabrics are the order of the day for ladies, also inviting negative attention (see The Perv). This look only worsens as the night progresses; cheeks redden, mascara runs and hair takes on the bird’s nest appearance. Single men show their lack of ironing skills with creased shirts and beer bellies nestling on top of just-too-tight pants. Over enthusiastic dressers may find themselves wearing ballgowns and tuxes in the grubby local, standing out like unwanted gifts left under the tree. The Perv: If male, spends most of the night leering at the younger females in the group. They are also often spotted in photos afterwards where their eyes are invariably pointed directly at a ladies bosom or backside. If drunk enough, will chance a most unwelcome fumble or grope. Women pervs feature too.Usually a little older, they direct their suggestive comments at the younger guys, trotting out the old “If I were a few years younger..” line. Pervs normally end up alone as the night progresses, as they have said something inappropriate to almost everyone. The Bore: Doesn’t dance, doesn’t laugh at jokes, gives mono-syllabic responses to friendly questions. If drinks enough, may trap unsuspecting victim into hour long description of tracker mortgages or similarly boring topic. Otherwise, stands outside group with drink in hand all night, expressionless, then bizarrely announces at end of night that they had “a brilliant time”. The Thick-with-Drink Spoilsport: This oaf doesn’t need a christmas party as an excuse, but it’s as good

a time as any to kick off. The temptation of free whiskey is enough to start this grouch off and they’re ready to take on anyone-the bartender who they claim overcharged them, or the guy who didn’t do them a favour a year ago are likely targets for abuse. Great with personal insults too, leaving lots of awkward silences at the dinner table, and at work the next week. The Whinge: “The dinner was awful, we should have gone where I suggested”. “I didn’t know we were coming here, I would’ve worn something else”, “Did you see my Secret Santa present, what a pile of rubbish”, “Oh I’m not going there, it’s a dump”, “I shouldn’t have worn these shoes, my feet are killing me, hey wait up everyone, where are you going?” etc, etc. The Enthusiast: Wants everyone to love Christmas as much as they do. Organises the Secret Santa, which everyone secretly resents spending money on. Gives party members “hilarious” flashing Rudolph earrings and Santa hats and makes sure to pull a cracker with absolutely everyone. Takes 1500 photos on their digital camera of everyone looking pissed, then shows them to everyone, with running commentary. The enthusiast usually collapses in a chair at the end of the night, realising that they’ve been so busy putting the “fun” into the party, that they forgot to actually have any. The Surprise Scandal: The one everybody loves to witness and talks the most about afterwards. The quietest person in work all year gets hammered and does something mad. For example: slags the boss loudly while they are standing behind them. Sings karaoke, when there is no karaoke taking place in the bar. Emerges from bathroom with vomit stains down front and glassy eyes. Loses scarf/keys/hat/wallet/shoe then searches frantically for an hour, making everyone move. Is found asleep in toilet or armchair at end of night dribbling on self. Ends up scoring highly unlikely character in appalling display of drunken slobbering and groping. Most likely to be off sick for a few days afterwards due to shame. Cliched as some of the characters may be, we all know that they exist in various guises. So if you recognise yourself in any of the descriptions above, it might be time to be a bit more cute about how much drink you consume, and mind your p’s and q’s this festive season. On the other hand, it might just be worth it for the craic; after all the Christmas party season comes but once a year...! Catherine Pryce

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

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A Male Christmas Tale I was recently asked: “What do men do for Christmas?” This was a tough question for I didn’t realise that there were distinctive jobs. Apparently men are supposed to do certain stuff? Weird. I thought it was a given that the holidays were for eating, drinking, and merry times. Rumour has it that I was misinformed, but this is what I have done for quite some time. As a result, I started to think about this question and was hard pressed to find ideas for men to do, and with a little more thought, I realised how much we already do. The problem isn’t our lack of help; it’s the absence of credit, credit that we never receive. This is the obvious problem, and the reason for that is because we don’t lobby for compliments. We do our part and enjoy the holiday season, a lesson that could be exercised a bit more frequently by the lovely ladies in our lives. Smile. The fun and games begin with the swallowing of pride and going holiday shopping with your better half, and/or your mother/sisters. It leads to the same sorrowful tale every time. Going out to the vast unknown shopping world, dealing with the bombardment of bags that you are obligated to carry, no matter what the weight or quantity. Running from store to store at an Olympic pace, constantly agreeing with the painful question’s “do you think this is cute?” or “do you think so an so will like this?” when all you want to do is jump off a tall building. We have all seen the poor bastards in malls or shops, with the deadly bored look stamped on their face. Standing motionless, dazed, and silent, while madness ensues all around, trying to hold on to the fleeting bits of self-control and patience left in one’s body. Some say it’s an art form; I chalk it up as unnecessary punishment. The shopping dilemma doesn’t end there, oh no. The daunting task of finding the right gift for mothers, sisters, girlfriends, and/or wives, continues the shopping madness. Men must go out and search far and wide for the right gift(s), praying it won’t lead to the heartbreaking, muffled wheeze of “oh, really, it’s, really nice”. A biting remark that comes with no retort, only the feelings of failure and inadequacy can follow. Hopefully there’s nobody else around, for ladies don’t realise how crippling that comment is… So please, while you are spreading the Christmas cheer ladies, find it in your heart to find a smile and the receipt (so you can return it), instead of chopping us down to Christmas elf size. As I pondered the question a bit more, I came to a few more conclusions that will without doubt ring true and leave no argument. While the ladies don’t mind decorating the inside of the house with the precious little holiday trinkets, who is left with the vital parts of the plan? That’s right, the men; when the ladder is taken out and the house has to be decorated with Christmas lights, we handle the situation. I might add, it’s one of the least desirable circumstances at that, for trying to complete the intricate design that’s expected can usually lead to a cluster of broken lights and series of four letter words. Not to mention, the fact that those lights inevitably have to come down, which is as annoying as putting them up. Now, don’t forget the Christmas tree. Christmas couldn’t be Christmas without the tree. Therefore, into the wilderness (Christmas tree lot) we go, axe in hand (wallet), chopping

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(picking up) down the perfect (cheapest) family Christmas tree with great pride. Then bringing it home, and showing it off in the sitting room, for all family members to see and enjoy. Leaving it strong and sturdy awaiting the barrage of decorations that will be strategically placed all around. Only then to be left with the disposal of the poor decrepit tree, after it has served it’s purpose; much like the carcass of the holiday turkey. Keeping the house warm is no easy task either, and while some might not realise, wood doesn’t chop itself, and turf doesn’t jump out of the ground. Leading to the best part, the inevitable fielding of minor complaints that it’s too chilly or too hot. These steps must be taken in order to have warmth in the house and most importantly in family members hearts. In spite of this, men take the most stick for their lack of help in the preparation of the holiday dinner, and the verbal abuse is completely unwarranted. I remember as a youngster helping with the Christmas dinner. Making cookies, decorating them as Santa Claus and Rudolph, those were joyous occasions. Regrettably, as I got older these fun times became non-existent, and inevitably, I was looked upon as a burden to the process. What was once considered being helpful was replaced with belittling comments that drove me to the couch, never to look back. As you can probably imagine it was a traumatising experience, but an experience that needed to happen nonetheless. To be caught doing such acts at the age of 23, would be catastrophic. I would be charged with the high crime of being unmanly, which would result in a long sentence of shame. No man can have that on his record. Hence, the reason that I now happily take my seat on the couch and enjoy whatever food and drink is served, with a smile. Not to mention the fact that men take on the ancient tradition of carving the meat, when the main course is served, we slide right into action. You’re welcome. A thank you is not needed, for we are happy to handle these situations during these hectic times. Your name-calling during the process is actually rather funny. Ironically a thank you is actually in order, for we use those sarcastic pokes to our benefit. They allow us to keep the expectations of usefulness down during the holidays, as long as we play the part. We are happy to do a few things and then be told that we aren’t able to do this and that, and to the pub we go. So, maybe it’s not our lack of motivation, it’s the ladies that are in fact sabotaging themselves. Now, there’s a question to ponder… The long and short of it is to have fun during the holidays, not to let the small idiosyncrasies get in the way. It’s a time for enjoyment and delight, not bickering and cold shoulders. Take the men out of the crosshairs, just because we are easier to please during the holiday season; it’s the perfectionist ladies that throw the monkey wrench into the plan, it’s certainly not male laziness. There’s that quarrelling again, let’s just call a truce. Let us use these times to be with family, decorate, eat, and most importantly make sure the poitin is ready and waiting. Just in case, if. You know… In case any of those dreaded mishaps were to happen, but surely they won’t… Happy Holidays! Connor McDonough-Flynn

November 2008

Shop Local continued A perception of price competition and availability of products is one of the major reasons customers leave Connemara to shop. While certain children’s toys and particular items may only be available in larger urban retail stores, the tendency to shop for other miscellaneous items simultaneously while in Galway or Castlebar does no favours for small Connemara businesses or the community in general. In recent times, the concept of convenience has become pervasive in our attitudes to what we buy and where we buy it. While the possibility of obtaining all the products one needs in an urban centre is appealing, the damage and loss to our local communities must not be underestimated. On inspection, shoppers often express surprise at the quality and value of products available in their local gift, clothing and general merchandise shops, and the knock-on benefits are clearly visible. Small businesses, employing less than 50 people are the cornerstone of Irish enterprise. According to the CSO, over 60% of employment is provided by small business across all sectors, including the services industry. For the long term economic health of a community, small local businesses must be well supported. If locally owned businesses purchase from and support other local businesses and service providers, more money is kept in the community. Money re-circulates far more significantly when purchases are made at locally owned, rather than nationally or internationally owned businesses. Unlike chain stores or franchises, locally owned businesses put a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, thereby enriching the whole community. If further reasons to shop local are still required, consider the following points: Customer Service. Connemara businesses generally offer far superior customer service and assistance to that which you would find in larger retailers and chain stores. Delivery of goods, special requests or requirements met, and the simple act of the server spending time and dispensing advice to the customer is crucial to customer satisfaction. Local businesses also often hire people with more specific product expertise for better customer service. The character of a community. Diversity and character in appearance and services is what makes a place unique and different, and attractive to visitors and locals alike. Therefore it should be supported and preserved. Employment. Most new jobs in Connemara are likely to be provided by small businesses as indicated by the CSO statistic above. Environmental Impact. Local purchases require less transportation. Local shops help to sustain vibrant, walkable town centres, which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, car use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution. In conclusion, it is plainly evident that supporting small local businesses is the key to sustaining a productive and vibrant community, and taking into consideration the current economic climate, that is something we should all bear in mind when planning our shopping expeditions this festive season. Catherine Pryce

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Health Problems & Natural Medicine

HRT-Is it for me?

Benefits of a Winter Detox

When you reach midlife you are bombarded with a lot of scary messages from the media: cancer risks, cardiovascular risks, diabetes. Fear is a powerful tool of control as well as a huge risk factor in itself. It is obvious that the Irish are living longer, that we are heavier, that we get more cancer and more cardio-vascular diseases, as in all Western countries. It is also obvious that we are leading a more sedentary life: using cars, watching TV, and smoking, drinking more alcohol, using machines to do most of our chores and eating more and too much processed food. The menopause is statistically a time of life when women are more exposed to cardiovascular risks, because of the drop in oestrogen levels. Estrogens have a protective effect on our cardiovascular system. So how can the bewildered menopausal woman, struggling with change, work and family responsibilities not get worried and lost, and be able to make an informed decision about how to look after herself? We have in previous issues looked at common sense measures concerning our lifestyles and diet. A yearly visit to your GP with blood pressure control, blood testing and breast examination, combined with Breast Check visits ( for women between 50 and 64), Bone density every 3 to 5 years and a cervical smear test every 5 years (until you are 60) should be a basic “NCT” for all of us. If you have medical conditions or a family history for a particular condition, your doctor will advise you on investigations and prevention. If you are suffering from severe menopausal symptoms and have tried all sorts of common sense measures and natural remedies, your doctor will be able to advise you on the risks and benefits of HRT. HRT are hormones given under tablet form, patches or creams. It can be estrogens alone or combined with progesterone. HRT

definitely works on hot flushes and genital dryness. But these symptoms may reappear after discontinuation. HRT does reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures and the benefits are maintained long after discontinuation. The health industry, pharmaceutical companies, conventional and now alternative medicines are powerful economical forces. The discovery of a medical ‘cure’, for the menopause (as if it was an illness) HRT, created a medical ‘menopause industry’’ socalled because it is managed, marketed and makes profits. HRT was promoted in the 90’s as a protection against cardiovascular diseases. In later studies, this was contradicted and now HRT is only found to have a protective effect in women who had a hysterectomy at a young age. HRT can also increase, very slightly the risk of developing a blood clot. In 2002 it was found to increase slightly the risks of breast cancer in long term users. The risk of developing breast cancer due to taking HRT for 5 years is estimated between 1 and 6 extra women out of 1000, depending on the type of HRT. And the risk for 10 years of HRT is between 5 and 19 extra women out of a 1000 again, depending on the type of HRT. It is indeed a hard decision to choose to take and prescribe hormones knowing that it might interfere with the precise and harmonious clockwork of our bodies. It is also a sin to deny to women who really need it a very powerful treatment to improve their quality of life and old age. I am neither an advocate nor an enemy of HRT. Each patient is unique and each decision has to be made in the context of the special relationship established between an informed patient and a qualified doctor. The future is for ultra low dose HRT that controls symptoms, reduces fracture risks, reduces cardiovascular and breast cancer risks. This is being studied currently. Dr Sophie Faherty

It’s worming time for our dogs again and I was looking for an alternative to the usual worming tablet. I thought of garlic, since it is so good for humans, so I did a search on the web, to see if it was a good idea. I was surprised to ﬁnd there is a big controversy on the subject of garlic for dogs. I went on a forum (www.thriftyfun.com) where totally opposite views and reasons- some put forward by professionals - were given. Some put garlic on par with chewing gum and chocolate, as poisonous food for dogs, (www.healthypet.com) and “Garlic causes liver and kidney damage in dogs”. Others say it is the “healthiest way to control

worms and fleas and promote a healthy coat”. Our own dogs are regularly fed leftover veg or soup flavoured with garlic, from our table, as a supplement to their dry food, yet they don’t seem to suffer from it. But then, what are the side effects? Some people on the forum say that after starting on garlic, their dogs got skin problems as well as vomiting, yet someone else suggests that the side effects are difficult to detect. Some suggest that only cooked garlic is safe. And I’ve heard of “natural garlic supplements” for dogs. I’m not sure anymore what to do: continue giving them garlic in their home cooked food, increase the dose as preventative or administer the worming tablet I bought at my pet shop. MNB

The great garlic controversy

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

The miserable wet summer we have just endured was not one that led to much physical exercise outside in the sunshine. Consequently, it is quite possible that your body is not ready for the dark, long, days and nights of winter. Although the Christmas season is something to look forward to it can bring many stresses to some people. Stress can reveal itself in many ways including toxin build up, indigestion, bloating, poor skin, catarrhal congestion, frequent colds, headaches, bad breath, fatigue, heavy periods and other symptoms. One of the main problems regarding stress is that it does not allow your body to function properly and therefore detoxify efficiently. Considering that something like 93% of toxins are produced by the body itself, imagine what kind of extra stress you may placing on your system: smoking, drinking, poor quality food, lack of exercise, being in contact with large numbers of people each day, working with chemicals or driving a lot. We should all consider doing a deep cleanse at least four times a year, but particularly if you are one of those people who does not have at least one bowel movement per day. You should also consider it if you are someone who does not get into the fresh air at least once a day; or someone who never eats fresh fruit and/or vegetables and does not drink about 1.5L of pure water daily. If you are someone with a toxic body or you are feeling some of the symptoms listed above it is possible that your organs of detoxification are under stress and unable to function efficiently.The main organs are the liver and kidneys and they excrete the chemicals found in food, medications, pollutants, drugs and alcohol.The three main exits are the bowel, the urinary tract and the lungs.To help these organs to function properly cut out junk food by at least 80%, drink more water, eat more fibrous fruit and vegetables and take some exercise which will get your lymph system moving and will prevent those toxins from stagnating

testine. Once you have regular elimination you will feel much lighter and livelier. The liver works constantly and never rests. It needs some support and an herb such as Milk Thistle will protect the liver and aid in regeneration of liver cells. It also plays a role in fat metabolism, which means you find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Dandelion is very useful as it supports both the liver and the kidneys and simulates digestion. It nourishes the liver with nutrients and works to improve the production of bile as well as being a diuretic and so helping the kidneys to flush out toxins too. The lymph system works as a transport system, bring nutrients around the body and collecting waste as it goes along. It does not have a pump, like the cardio system, and it relies on you to exercise to get it moving. Calendula cleanses the lymph and is a blood-purifying herb too. It has anti inflammatory properties so is useful for the skin-it reduces acne and it can assist with the healing of wounds as well as heal mouth and stomach ulcers. You know how good the house feels after a good clean out. You will feel marvellous too if you clear out your toxins. The benefits are numerous, clear skin, more energy, feeling positive, feeling lighter and more comfortable in yourself, less stressed and looking great, glowing with good health. Call in to An Bhean Feasa for your detox remedies and for further advice and look forward to winter-you don’t have to dread it. Terri Conroy

and putrefying. It is also important to aid digestion so always sit at a table for your meals, do not eat on the run. Chew your food carefully, don’t bolt it down.Try to ensure that you are eating in a peaceful and calm environment. Helping your digestive system will ultimately mean less stress on the body as a whole and will make work easier for the eliminating organs. If you feel you need some extra help there are a number of herbal remedies that work very well and are also gentle on the system. Opening the bowel after every meal or at least twice a day is a good place to start. Fruit cubes with Senna and Figs are gently cleansing, as is the herb Frangula and they will not make the bowel lazy. For those with constipation that is a regular problem, there are stronger remedies such as Linoforce. Aloe Vera Colon Cleanse is a gentle acting juice, which helps to remove stagnated waste that is sitting in the large in-

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Music

More Mozart

If you missed Cantairí Chonamara’s amazing rendition of the Mozart Requiem during the Clifden Art Festival, here’s your chance to catch it again. The Clifden-based group led by director, Aodán McGlynn, are performing it once more. This time it will be at the more sociable hour of 8pm, on Sunday, November 16th in Kilcummin Church of Ireland, Main St, in Oughterard. They will be accompanied by the renowned organist, Mark Keane along with a string quartet and timpanist, Cathal Murphy, who will knock your socks oﬀ. The conductor is the legendary Máire Ní Dhuibhir from New Inn.

A “Lyttle” Jazz in Clifden

One of the brightest young stars of the Irish and indeed international jazz scene is to perform in Clifden th this November in M Mullarkey’s Bar on F Friday November 221st. Arriving in C Clifden directly from th the London Jazz F Festival, David Lyttle is an Irish jazz drumm mer known for his p passionate and drivin ing approach to jazz that swings hard. Lytt Lyttle le has perform performed professionally with a wide variety of internationally-acclaimed artists including Greg Osby, David Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Tommy Smith, Soweto Kinch, Dave Allen, Jonathan Kreisberg, Jamie Baum, Ken Peplowski, Louis Stew-

art, Jacqui Dankworth, Michael Buckley and Ronan Guilfoyle. His debut album ‘True Story’ was released in 2007 to much acclaim and features leading Irish jazz artists while also showcasing his skills as a composer. He was awarded an Arts Council studentship to attend Skidmore Jazz Institute in New York in 2004 and studied at the Banﬀ Centre Jazz Workshop in Canada in 2005. He also received a travel award to attend lessons with some of the leading New York jazz drummers and has undertaken a Phd in Jazz research. Lyttle was born in Belfast in 1984 into a notable music family, and is joined on this Irish tour by guitarist Mark McKnight and NYC bassist Derek Nievergelt. Jazz enthusiasts and curious music fans alike are sure to be entertained and impressed by this young Irish talent, who is stopping oﬀ in Clifden as part of a nationwide tour. Tickets are available from Foyle’s Hotel (095) 21801 and may be available on the door on the night.

Hall on the 5th, 6th and 7th of December. Rehearsals are currently underway for this hilarious comedy. The cast includes Mary Carey, Olive McFadden, Bernard Corbett, Maureen Corbett, Sharon Prendergast, Lavinia Bray O’Malley, Oliver Griﬃn, and Joseph Coyne. Brother Oswald is the director. Jimmy Keary wrote this this year’s play and this is its premiere production. See posters for times and tickets in coming weeks.

Theatre

Beautiful Art

“The Cunningham Sound”

A traditional music and dance extravaganza with a distinctly local flavour is set to take to the stage of the Station House Theatre this November. The first ever live performance of “Fuaim na Chuinneagainaí” will take place on Saturday November 8th, before going on to the Town Hall, Claremorris on Friday November 114th and returning to Clifden on S Saturday November 22nd. The show is aimed at displayin ing the Sean Nós tradition and it its evolution up to modern st step dancing. All the performeers come from a background st steeped in musical tradition and th the show blends the old and the n new; the Sean Nós dancing contr trasted against the English songs aand ballads, and the regional st styles in music blended together. It is hoped that this show will eencourage the revival of and respect for these important culre tural traditions. tu “The Cunningham Sound” will showcase a spectacular w including performances range of Connemara talent tal by the following: the Cunningham family, Dessie O’Halloran, Mheaití Jó Sheamuis O Fátharta, Fiachra Regan, the Sheridan sisters, Nan Tom Taimín, Sabhbh Ni Fhlatharta, Tommy Doherty, Louise McKinney, Liam Stapleton, Joe Gibson, Amy Coyne and a host of vibrant talented young singers, dancers and musicians. Gerry Glynn of Mid West Radio will MC the show. Packed with singers, music and dance, this is a show that guarantees to keep audience members of all ages entertained from start to finish. To find out more about “The Cunningham Sound” go to www.thatsseannos.com. For tickets/bookings for the show contact the Station House Theatre on (095) 30303 or go to www.stationhousetheatre.com. Photo: Brian Cunningham

Fal agus Foscadh presents

“Out of the Frying Pan”

This year’s production is a 3 Act Comedy written by Jimmy Keary which will be performed at Clifden Town

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November 2008

Ceol Theatre

A big thank you to Jason Foyle and Foyle’s Hotel and to those who attended or participated in our Halloween Musical Review at Mullarkey’s on the 31st, we had a great night. “ANNIE” is coming up in the Station House Theatre On Dec 13th, 20th, 21st, 27th & 28th, please see posters or contact the Theatre for times and tickets. If you would like to be a part of this show or any of Ceol Theatre’s productions please contact John @ 087 750 4697.

Visual Art

“beautiful place” is an exhibition of new paintings by John Kingerlee and Valerie Joyce that will be oﬃcially opened by Katharine West at 6.30pm on Friday 7th November, in Kenny’s Gallery on High Street, Galway. John Kingerlee first saw Valerie’s work in her Gallery ART IN HEAVEN, Roundstone, Connemara, back in 1998. The idea of a joint show came to John and he spoke to her about the idea, and then made a selection from her paintings, and Valerie in turn, selected his images for this exhibition beautiful place. Valerie Joyce is a Clifden born artist who trained in fine art painting in NCAD and in Drama and Theatre Studies in Samuel Beckett, Trinity, Gaiety School and RTC Inchicore, Dublin. Her artistic journey began in Connemara and has taken her to Munich, Sri Lanka, Temple Bar, Saarbrucken and eventually to Artspace Studios in Galway. She makes work with whatever medium her ideas lead her to oils, watercolours, pastels, video, photography, poetry, live art performance, theatre, film, teepees, currachs, fire, potatoes, willows, water, etc. John Kingerlee was born in Birmingham, England. In 1982, he moved to an isolated farmhouse on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. A non-conformist at heart, he has turned his back on the traditional ways of seeing and depicting landscape. He takes a diﬀerent approach that is as radical as it is original. He wants his art to recreate the experience of being in and moving through the landscape. On the inspiration for this latest exhibition, John says “Several years ago walking about in the village of Roundstone I was thrilled to see the work of Valerie Joyce for the first time. A sunny morning in the street and a sunny morning in the Gallery called Art in Heaven. I bought a picture and it was the fulfillment of words that had haunted me a long time: Arte Poverawords that have an increasing significance as we daily witness the ongoing collapse of our society all about us. The greater the flamboyance, the greater the inward collapse. The picture bought was of sea, rock and sky. Gouache and thick pencil. Its paper very beautiful in its agedness, a page from an old Greek Grammar, eroded and yellowed at the edges by numerous hands and fingers long since dead. Like Valerie I pick up the discarded and value what many find insignificant. Old books, old papers, old ledgers, to mention but a few. Both of us get a thrill from the directness and simplicity of works on paper.”

Connemara ArtsView

Television

Kate O’Toole - from stage to stove! Renowned actress and Clifden local Kate O’Toole is one of the stars appearing in the new series of one of RTE’s most popular reality TV shows, The Restau-

rant. For anyone unfamiliar with the show, the basic premise is that a celebrity guest becomes Head Chef of

Desperate Househusband Neal McDonough, brother of Connemara View Editor Ellen, has made a dramatic impression in the new fifth series of Desperate Housewives on RTE Two on Tuesday nights at 10pm. As Dave Williams, the creepy new husband of Edie Britt (Nicolette Sheridan), Neal is showing his skills as an actor to brilliant eﬀect, slipping eﬀortlessly from friendly neighbour to suspicious sinister sneak. His ice blue eyes and cool demeanour have made him ideally suited to the bad guy role, but he has also shown wicked flashes of comedic timing. As the main villain of this series, Neal has proven a huge hit on Wisteria Lane, with critics at TV Guide America hailing him as Desperate Housewives “best villain yet”. Existing fans will already be anticipating some

Visual Arts continued

“Land and Sea””

A comprehensive group exhibition by local artists will be on show at Renvyle House Hotel from Thursday November 6th to Sunday y November 23rd. Land and Sea will feature the work of artistss Pam Berry, Clare Cashman, B Bernie i Di Dignam, M Mary D Donnelly, Margaret Irwin, David Keane, Keelin Kennedy, Gavin Lavelle, Anne Merrins, Sean O’Farrell, Angela Williams and Laura Cull. The exhibition begins in conjunction with the annual Gogarty Festival held at Renvyle House on the weekend of November 6th to 10th and is curated by Laura Cull. Media in the exhibition will include drawing and giclee print, textiles, printmaking and extensive and dramatically diﬀerent painting styles. Photo: A piece by Land and Sea by Curator Laura Cull.

Fashion Forward

Earlier this year we featured a profile of a Connemara native who is making waves in the world of high fashion, designer Alison Conneely of Faul, Clifden. Since then, Alison has been developing her new Autumn/Winter collection (see photo). The current collection “Dreams & Fables’ features “draped silks with bronzed vines. Furred head-caps and soft leather

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a gourmet restaurant for one night. They must create their own unique menu and select a red and white wine, which will be served to 40 diners, and a panel of three judges whose aim is to give the meal a rating of stars out of five, and also try to guess the identity of the celebrity chef. The resident critics are Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio who are joined by a guest critic each week. As a keen cook, Kate was happy to take on the challenge and developed a mouth-watering menu that hinted at her identity and background. The dishes she created were: Connemara lamb, brill stuﬀed with Cleggan crab, wines from a Galwegian wine producer (provided by Ferguson’s Fine Wines) and lastly, a dessert of Lemon Posset which is a traditional Tudor recipe,(Kate stars in the hit series The Tudors). According to Kate, the producers take great care to ensure that the identity of the Guest Chef is not revealed. She arrived through a back entrance and was shown to a suite, where she remained until 7am the next

morning when work in the kitchen began. She worked flat out all day with the help of the Restaurant Team, and served dinner for 40 before eventually revealing herself to the judges and diners. The new series of the Restaurant airs on November 16th on RTE1 at 8:30pm, so tune in to see some local food and a local star taking centre stage on national television. Photo: Kate O’Toole surrounded by the kitchen crew of “The Restaurant”.

explosive storylines involving Neal’s character, Dave, so if you haven’t tuned in yet, try a sneak peek and see Connemara’s export to Hollywood doing his thing on Wisteria Lane!

frames replace the Gothic edge of her earlier collection. These were made for tomorrows’ movie stars with fond aﬀection for the romance of a vintage past”. In the last year, Alison’s clothes have been featured in ID, Dazed and Confused, the Sunday d Times Style Magazine, M The Irish Ir Independent, The T Gloss, and Im Image Magazine. In 2009, she will produce p two collections le for general e retail, which w be stocked in will stores st nationwide, in the U.K. and E Europe. She also in intends to expand th millinery and the a accessories ranges a continue the and tw couture coltwo lections under the Eme Vandal label, and has spent time working with an atelier in Paris who also works with Christian Dior, Rick Owens and Christain Lacroix. Local followers of fashion can see some editorials styled by Alison using labels from Clifden’s Passenger boutique, run by Helen Russell on Oﬀ the Rails in November, on RTE1 at 8:30pm on Wednesdays.

November 2008

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Film

“Home”

“Home” is a poetic and thought-provoking featurelength documentary written by Alan Cooke and directed d by Dawn D Scibilia. Cooke, C a young Dublin D actor and a writer, refl re ects on his recent re arrival in New York City, C exploring such h universall themes h as nostalgia, l the h journey and the concept of home. The film features a remarkable series of interviews with quintessential New Yorkers Susan Sarandon, Alfred Molina, Fran Liebowitz, Rosie Perez, Colin Quinn and there are also contributions from such New YorkIrish luminaries as Liam Neeson n and Frank McCourt. Directing g her first feature, New York University Film School graduate Scibilia turnss the film film into an impeccably shot lo lovee letter to the thriving metropolis. Jim Sheridan, who has himself lived and filmed in the city, said that Home “beautifully captures the Irish immigrant’s journey through the myth and mystery of New York”. “Home” will be screened at the Station House Theatre on Friday November 7th and will be followed by a question and answer session with writer and co producer Alan Cooke. For more information go to www.homethemovie.com or contact the Station House Theatre for bookings on (095) 30303 or www.stationhousetheatre.com.

Letterfrack Film Society

Welcome to a new winter season of world cinema! This year we will start off the season with the beautifully atmospheric and deeply moving film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The 6 autumn films are scheduled every Thursday between November 6th and December 11th. The remaining 6 Spring films will be announced in our Spring leaflet and commence at the end of January. Join us to celebrate the launch of our new season on November 6th from 8:00pm onwards in the Old Monastery Hostel (behind Letterfrack Church) and to see our opening film at the Audio Visual Centre of the Connemara National Park. November Films 06 November: The Diving Bell & the Butterfly. Julian Schnabel/ France 2007/ 114 mins. This beautifully atmospheric and deeply moving film is based on the story of the editor of French Elle magazine who suffered a severe stroke which left him completely paralysed apart from one eyelid which he used to dictate his memoir. 13 November: You Kill Me. John Dahl/USA 2007/ 92 mins. In this wonderfully black comedy, Ben Kingsley plays an alcoholic Polish hit-man. Kicked out by his mobster family, he joins AA, finds a job in a funeral parlour and falls for a woman. Black humour at its best! 20 November: Garage. Lenny Abrahamson/ Ireland 2007/ 85mins. Garage features Pat Shortt as a simpleminded and kind-hearted garage mechanic in rural Tipperary. Pat Shortt’s superb performance is deeply affecting as he draws you into the world of this naive, lonely man. 27 November: The Counterfeiters. Roger Mitchell/ UK 2006/ 94mins. The Oscar-winning true story of the Jewish master counterfeiters in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, who were forced by the Nazis to produce forged foreign currency. A gripping, intelligent and moving film. Coming up in December, ‘The Violin’ by Fancisco Var-

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gas Quevedo and ‘The Kite Runner’ by Marc Foster. All films are shown in the Audio Visual Centre of the Connemara National Park in Letterfrack and shows start at 8.30pm sharp. Admission at the door per film is €6 (concession €5), all are welcome!

of the CD can be obtained from Gerry D’Arcy on 087 7598439. Photo of Ard: Dennis Geoghegan, Gerry D’Arcy, Matt Keane and Pat Conneely.

Recent Launches

Connemara: The Last Pool of Darkness

The latest oﬀering from acclaimed Roundstone based author Tim Robinson was launched to a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Station House Theatre on Saturday October 18th last as part of the annual Marconi Festival’s programme of events. “The Last Pool of Darkness” is the second instalment in a projected trilogy of works on Connemara by the accomplished

Video Releases Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark, the enigmatic

cartographer and much admired writer. The book focuses primarily on the North West area of Connemara, and takes its name from an expression used to describe the area by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who lived in a cottage in Rosroe in the 1940’s. The stories and tales in this book will surprise and entertain both locals and visitors alike, and national and international reviews have already hailed this book as a true classic. Tim’s knowledge and understanding of the Connemara region has transformed the way it is studied and regarded nationally and internationally and this latest work is a truly valuable resource for anyone with any interest in knowing the history and landscape of the area. In a glowing review by Joseph O’Connor in the Sunday Independent of October 12th, The Last Pool of Darkness is described as “a warm-hearted, wonderful, profoundly memorable book and its author is on course to complete a truly outstanding trilogy, the greatest literary testimony to Connemara and its remarkable people that we are ever likely to have”. The book is published by Penguin and is available at Clifden Bookshop and all bookstores nationwide in hardback and paperback now. Photo: Brendan Flynn, who launched the book with author Tim Robinson.

“Lakeshore Town”

Ardvarna, an Oughterard based musical trio launched their new second CD entitled Lakeshore Town at the Boat Inn, Oughterard on Bank Holiday Monday October 27th. The launch was a display of exquisite musicianship by the trio. Ardvarna are Dennis Geoghegan, Gerry D’Arcy and Pat Conneely. Matt Keane, brother of Sean and Dolores, introduced and launched the CD and commented that he has a copy in his car that you could listen to again and again without ever tiring of it. Fans supported the launch from as far away as Nobber in Co. Meath, and support musicians also jammed with the musicians at the launch. Amongst these were Garrett Small, Laoise Ni Corrai Sadbh Gavin, Aiden O’Flynn, Eide Ni Faolin and last but not least Michael Folan. The launch was a tremendous success and copies

November 2008

heir to the Stark Enterprises fortune. After being kidnapped by terrorists and forced to build a missile for them, Tony decides to build a suit of armor and turn it on his enemies, turning him into Iron Man. Unfortunately other people have more evil desires for his armor in this all out action extravaganza! Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeﬀ Bridges. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skulls. Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. Stars: Harrison Ford, Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett. Chronicles Of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian. The four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years has passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land. Stars: Ben Barnes and Liam Neeson. Wall-E. From the makers of “Finding Nemo”, Wall-E is set in the distant future, where a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. Stars: Ben Burrt, Sigourney Weaver. Mamma Mia! Donna, an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends, Rosie and Tanya, but Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own... On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past. Stars: Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. Monthly video courtesy of Video Vault, Main Street, Clifden.

Connemara ArtsView

Laughter and Fun Sea Week ‘08 Chess Championship

For the second year in a row, visiting chess player James Spencer swept the trophy in the Chess Championship which took place in Letterfrack NS as part of Conamara

Above: Canadian Clog Dancer Nathan Polowskie in action in Molly’s accompanied by Sharon Shannon, the Kane sisters and friends. Below: The Fiddlesticks Girls Jessica Ridge, Sarah Walsh, Bridget Heanue and Hannah Mamalis with teacher Liz Kane after the release of their ﬁrst CD.

Conamara Sea Week 2008 was an outstanding success with great crowds, great music, lots of fun and lots of laughter from all ages. David Keane’s art exhibition “Underumbra” at the National Park was a sell-out. The Mini Regatta, which also took place in the National Park, was also a magical occasion. Some 60 boats, created by children with help from their parents, sailed merrily on the day and knocked lots of talk from a very appreciative audience. Proud children and proud parents displayed their home made crafts, all less than 20cm’s in length and some people were obviously relieved that their boats managed to float after all their hard work. The annual music workshops and book fair were tremendously successful and much appreciated by the large numbers who attended. Another feature of the first weekend was the launch of the Connemara Mussel Pie in the Renvyle House Hotel. The whole event was surrounded by great traditional music from Mary Staunton, The Kane Sister, Edel Fox and ‘Fiddlesticks’ who launched a lovely new CD on the same day. Sean Nos dancer Emma O’Sullivan and clog dancer Nathan Poloskie added greatly to the occasion making it a uniquely Conamara event. A vibrant schools programme ran throughout the week with environmentalist/artist Gordon D’arcy and story tellers Rab Fulton and Clare Murphy visiting schools throughout North West Conamara. Sea Week Soccer was as exciting as always, see the report and winners in the Sports Section on page 18. The Thomas Burke Memorial Lecture was a lovely event. Cillian Rodden, eminent scientist, gave an outstanding lecture, which was very well appreciated by the large audience who attended Renvyle House Hotel on the night. The night was also a feature of a documentary made by Mary Ruddy for Connemara Community Radio and a publication is to follow. Cajun musicians Jimmy Fitz and Paul Gunning added greatly to the night. The main event of the final weekend was the Conamara

Sea Week 2008. He defeated Oisin Curran in a thrilling and evenly contested final of the U14’s competition. Evan Heanue, a previous champ, was on the losing end of a thrilling game with Ashling Sealy Phelan who was a most worthy champ in the U10’s. Paddy Joe Joyce was master of ceremonies and he congratulated all the young players on the valiant efforts and urged them to keep up the game of chess – a game for life. Photo above: U14’s Chess Competition – Winner James Spencer winner and runner up Oisin Curran. Sea Week Conference, the theme of which was ‘The Marine – an area still largely unknown’, six papers were presented by six very diverse speakers and collectively they spelt out the challenges and opportunities offered by the marine. As Owen Sweeney, who spoke about Ocean Energy, stated ‘if we are to save our oceans we must work very quickly and effectively as the challenges facing us are huge and, if we are to succeed, huge scale investment is needed in the marine area’. Conamara Sea Week was supported by Galway County Council, The Marine Institute, Failte Ireland and Renvyle House Hotel as well as friends of Sea Week.

Sea Week Darts

The Conamara Sea Week Darts Competition was held in Molly’s Bar and 16 teams took part in an exciting doubles competition. The standard of darts on the night was exceptionally high and great praise was given to the winning pair of Harry O’Toole and Eamon Mannion who defeated a gallant Mark Fitzpatrick and Aidan Flaherty. The winners were presented with their trophies and lavish praise was given to Sally and Gerry Lyons, the hosts on the night.

Send in your news, views & photos to news@connemaraview.com CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

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Make Recycling a Habit Recycling should be a major part of everyday life these days, and Ireland has made great strides in the recycling world. According to www.recyclemore.ie, Repak funded the recycling of over 643,000 tonnes (circa 60%) of used packaging in Ireland. The carbon savings created through this amount of recycling was equivalent to 250,000 tonnes, and would be on par with removing 56,000 cars from the road. Some ask, “what’s the big deal”, for most aren’t accustomed to regularly recycling. They are used to burning and/or throwing it in with the rest of the trash. However, practices are improving, and people are realising what a major impact they can have by recycling. In 1991 33.2 % of households in the west of Ireland recycled, a figure that has grown substantially. In 2005, 80.9% of the west of Ireland recycled, the largest increase in all of Ireland. Recycling alone can conserve our natural and material resources: energy, clean air, water, landfill space, money and creates jobs. One of the main hurdles in our recycling race is that many of us are unsure how to do so correctly. Recyclable materials are broken down into five different categories: glass, aluminium, metal, paper/cardboard, and plastic. All of these have a recycle space and all it takes is just getting into the habit of putting them in the right place. Glass is a product used everyday and it accounts for 8% of household waste, and recycled, it can be turned into concrete, fibreglass, ceramic tiles, picture frames and can be used in roadbeds, and of course, it can be turned into another jam jar. Using recycled glass to make products is 40% more efficient than starting from scratch. Ireland is not bad at recycling glass, but there is room for improvement, for just under 62% of all glass packaging is recycled. There’s little to no prep for the glass, all you have to do is rinse it out, for the labels will burn when the glass is melted back down. The tedious part of the glass process is the sorting of the colours, this is necessary for when glass is stained it will remain that colour forever. Colouring is used because the green and brown glass prevents the products from degrading in light. Not all glass can be recycled, light bulbs, ceramics, glass mirrors, windowpanes, and glass Pyrex dishes are not made from the same glass, so they should be kept out of the glass bins. Aluminium is made from a non-renewable resource called bauxite ore, which allows aluminium to last forever. By recycling aluminium you can save 95% of the energy used to produce aluminium. Amazingly, aluminium can be recycled within 60 days, and

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November 2008

it takes 670 aluminium cans to make a bike. Over 390 million aluminium-drinking cans are sold in Ireland each year. Metal is the only magnetic recyclable, which makes it easier to collect. Using scrap metal in the manufacturing of new metal results in 75% savings. Steel can also be used indefinitely, without suffering the slightest loss of quality, allowing energy savings of 70-85%. One can made from steel uses half the energy used to make an aluminium can. Keys are made from recycled steel, along with many other products. Every tonne of steel recycled saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, 5 tonnes of coal, and 40% of the water required for production. Taking up 25.6% of the household bin, paper has major benefits if it’s recycled. Using recycled paper uses 54% less energy and 58% less water than making it from scratch. Each ton of paper recycled can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. With paper products using over 35% of the world’s commercial wood harvest, and seeing that one tree can filter as much as 60 pounds of pollution per year, trees are our friends. One piece of paper can be recycled seven times, so don’t chuck it, recycle it. Plastic takes up 12.6% of the bin and it’s the second dearest recyclable. Plastic is made from a non-renewable resource called crude oil, and recycling saves 2/3 of the energy used to produce plastic. Plastic can keep you warm as well, it takes 27 plastic bottles to make a fleece jacket and it takes 150 to make a mat. A shocking fact is that a plastic bag buried in the ground will be there for 500 years, so recycling will prevent the history books from calling us the “plastic people”, for that’s all they will find in years to come if we don’t change our ways. Now that we know the effects of theses recyclable products, the other problem is which products are recyclable? In every room in the house there is recyclable materials, while some are obvious, others are a bit surprising. In the bathroom, products such as: shampoo and plastic shower bottles, aerosol cans (shaving cream, deodorant), cardboard from toilet tissue or toothpaste boxes, the only catch is to make sure all bottles or cans are empty, to ensure a easier recycling process. In the bedroom there are quite a few recyclables. Tissue boxes, cardboard labels and packaging, magazines, perfume/ cologne bottles, aerosol cans, plastic cleanser and toner bottles, and nail varnish bottles are all recyclable. In the living room, beer and drink cans, chocolate boxes, magazine and newspaper, tissue boxes, beer bottles, cardboard from packaging, and crisp packages are just a few on the list. In the kitchen, beverage cartons, food and sweet/biscuit tins, milk/yoghurt bottles, detergent and washing up liquid bottles, sauce and jam jars, vinegar/oil bottles, plastic detergent/window cleaner bottles, polish aerosol cans, are all recyclable. Last, but certainly not least is the office. We can recycle paper water/coffee cups, waste paper, photocopy paper boxes, beverage cartons, and beverage cans. Recycling can easily be done if people just allow it to become part of their everyday life. It is hugely beneficial to the environment, to humans and it’s a way to ensure that our offspring will have a nice environment to grow up in. So, instead of chucking everything into one bin, put recycling bins in and feel good about helping mankind, the environment, and the planet earth. You can also feel good about what you do with this very newspaper that you are reading. Recently, The Irish Times reported that 73.8% of all Irish newsprint is recycled, up 28% from 2002. That’s an average of 161,000 tonnes of Irish newsprint recycled yearly, and this year even greater strides have been made. The NNI (National Newspapers of Ireland) set a recycling goal for March 08’. This goal was to collect 50% of the unsold newspapers, that mark has been exceeded by 26%, well-done Ireland! There’s a fun little game on http://recyclemore.ie/game. html, that’s gives an idea of where certain products go. If the game doesn’t sway you towards the recycling side then maybe some facts about the recyclable materials will enlighten your actions. Connor McDonough-Flynn

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Petrol Piracy

REGIONAL EXTRA

Over $9 Million to FORUM

The largest ever Rural Development Funding Programme was announced by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Aﬀairs, Éamon Ó Cuív TD on Tuesday November 4th. FORUM Connemara was one of the 36 successful applicants for LEADER funding allocations and has received €9,668,965. As a Local Action Group, FORUM will distribute funding to community groups and individuals in rural areas for the range of activities to be funded under this Programme. Under the Programme, funding of €425.4 million has been provided, 55% from the European Union and 45% from the Exchequer. This is almost treble the amount available in the last Programme (2000-2006), and the largest ever package for rural development. The funding will be channelled through the new, integrated Local Action Groups, of which FORUM Connemara is one, to support and facilitate the continued development of rural communities all over Ireland. Projects will commence next month, November 2008.

Still no dentist for local Schools The HSE has admitted that dental services for children in the Connemara area are unsatisfactory. Under Section 66 of the Health Act 1970, preschool and national school children are eligible for dental care and relief of pain on demand. According to the HSE, 21 schools have no permanent dentist as a replacement has yet to be appointed for the Clifden and Carna area. “A dentist from another Galway clinic attends the Clifden and Carna area occasionally. This limited service cannot be expected to replace the services of a full-time dental team for this area,” the HSE conceded. Emergency patients also occasionally attend in Shantalla and in University Hospital Galway.” A spokesperson for the HSE West explained that last year two dentists retired and one resigned from their posts, and prior to this a principal dental surgeon resigned in the previous year. “This has presented challenges to servicing the population of Galway. This resulted in vacant posts in Merlin, Gort, Headford, and Shantalla, with vacancies remaining in Clifden and Carna. “We are engaged in a recruitment process to appoint a dental surgeon with Irish language skills. The principal dental surgeon post is due to be advertised,” the spokesperson said.

Connemara National Park The buildings of Connemara National Park have now closed for the winter. The grounds of the Park will remain open to the public throughout the winter and the buildings will re-open in March of 2009.

On Monday November 3rd, the National Consumer Agency released Local Service Stations Petrol Diesel figures indicating that fuel consumers in Ireland are paying up to 20% more 112.90 112.90 Cosgraves, Castlebar than other EU citizens. Figures from 119.90 119.90 the EU Commission show that before Sweeney ESSO Clifden tax, petrol is 11% more expensive in Clifden Service Station 119.90 119.90 Ireland than the EU average. Diesel is Actons, Moyard 119.90 119.90 20% more expensive, and home heating oil is 13% dearer. In spite of the Joyce's, Recess 119.90 119.90 8c added onto a litre of petrol in the recent Budget, petrol and diesel prices Ferrons, Roundstone 119.90 122.90 have decreased significantly in the 120.90 121.90 Maam Cross last few weeks due to the fluctuating prices of oil globally. 120.90 120.90 Kylemore Filling Station However the range of differences 120.90 120.90 Welbys, Oughterard in price throughout the country is vast, as can be seen from our usual Prices above based on phone survey on 04/11/08. local survey and a random nationwide Petrol Diesel sampling of filling stations. The NCA Nationwide Service Stations is currently conducting weekly surveys King Oil, Athy, Kildare 108.80 108.80 of all fuel retailers in Ireland and Topaz Ballyshannon, Donegal 115.90 115.90 plans to report to the Tanaiste on the matter before Christmas. The aim of Texaco, Ballinspittle, Cork 114.90 114.90 the survey is to investigate whether oil 107.90 108.90 companies are quickly passing on sav- Excol, Main Coach Rd, Sligo ings on oil prices internationally, and Esso, Tallaght Bypass, Dublin 113.90 116.90 if petrol and diesel pump operators are Petrogas, Nenagh, Tipperary 111.90 111.90 subsequently passing those savings on to consumers. The average Irish prices Topaz, Ennis Rd, Limerick 114.90 114.90 for the week ending Friday November Maxol, Cork Rd, Waterford 117.90 117.90 7th are 114.9 for petrol and 115.9 for diesel, so it appears that Connemara National Prices from pumps.ie prices as of 4/11/08 and Galway motorists are still paying higher prices than the rest of the country at present. 7,000 copies distributed monthly throughout Connemara Sources: www.nca.ie, www.pumps.ie. 095-22888/087-290-9351

Connemara View Newspaper

Peter Carroll - An Appreciation

Noreen Mahon-Mangan Irish Night

On the 9th of October last, Peter Carroll passed away. Peter was born in Mannin, Ballyconneely and he was the last survivor from a large family. Peter spent his early years working on farms, building stone walls and laying out gardens. He was an artist of sorts. Many of these walls are still evident today around Derrygimbla and Ballyconneely. Peter was also a very good 25 card player, champion half hundred thrower and gifted basket maker. My earliest memory of Peter is meeting him on Market Hill in his long black coat and wellingtons as he made his way between Mannion’s and Peadar O Toole’s. By this time Peter had moved to Dooneen where he lived with his brother Tom, and Tom’s wife Agnes. The Dooneen and Ardbear people had a particular fondness for Peter Carroll. It was after a fall on his way home to Dooneen that he found himself in hospital and eventually St Anne’s, 10 years ago. It was fitting that Tom also resided there and they were together again for 4 years. During his time there he was very popular with everyone who passed through St Anne’s. People in the community enquired about him on a regular basis, and he greeted the staff with “how’s my auld flower” as they attended to him. The fondness for Peter Carroll was evident in St Anne’s on a daily basis. Peter’s bed is now vacant but his spirit is there and his outstretched hand greeting us as we enter the room. Peter Carroll’s legacy will not be measured in monetary terms. However, he enjoyed life and people enjoyed his company and he has left us with some humorous memories, and I suppose there is a lesson there for us all. Sean Heanue

The husband and family of the late Noreen Mahon-Mangan of Sky Rd, Clifden, would like to thank most sincerely the hard working committee who organised the beautiful Irish Night tribute in memory of Noreen, which was held in the Town Hall on the 26th of August. We would also like to thank the musicians, singers, dancers and those who gave spot prizes, food and beverages, and last but not least, we would like to thank the people who turned out in such great numbers. The night was a huge success and was a ﬁtting tribute to Noreen.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Consumer Watchdog Petrol Survey

Death Notices Peter Carroll, Ballyconneely Thomas Conroy, Bayleek, Clifden Patrick D’Arcy, Oughterard John Flaherty, Renvyle and Galway City Mark Joyce, Chicago, USA, and Ballyconneely Michael Joyce, London and formerly of Clooncarton Vera Keane (nee Coyne), Dublin and formerly Roscrea, Moyard Erhart Lappe, Knockbrack, Cleggan Michael McHugh, Ballyconneely Mary Francis Mullen, Sheeauns, Cleggan Joey Murphy, Oughterard Eddie Nee, Canal Stage Nuala O’Sullivan, Shanakeela, Recess John O’Toole, Cleggan Peter Veldon, Letterfrack and Claremorris, Co. Mayo The Connemara View would like to extend sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. This list is compiled from various sources and we apologise for any errors or omissions.

November 2008

news@connemaraview.com www.connemaraview.com Editor-in-Chief/Publisher: Ellen McDonough News Editor: Catherine Pryce Feature Writer: Connor McDonough-Flynn Distribution Mgr: John Dunne Graphic Design/Layout: Marie-Noelle Biddulph Contributors: John Amenhauser, Gareth Anthony, Louise Borre,Tom Broderick, Mary Byrne, John Casey, John Claró, Breda Coneys,Marie Connaughton, Terri Conroy, Steven Coohill, Colleen Curran, Regina Daly, Richard de Stacpoole, Pricilla Diamond, Dr. Sophie Faherty, Marie Feeney, Siobhan Geoghegan Krone, Mary Gibbons, Mary Gough, Claire Griﬃn, Leo Hallissey, Rosemary Hanley, Eithne Hannigan, Padraic Heanue, Samantha Heanue, Sean Heanue, Michele Hehir, Aoife Herriot, John Holmes, Laurence Ingelbach, Bernie Jeﬀries, Peter Keane, Bernard Lee, Joachim Lydon, Joe Lynch, Declan Mannion, Marty Mannion, Peggy Mannion, Beatrice Mbogo, Paul McCarthy, Terry Minogue, Ann Mitchell, Michael Mullen, Kevin O’Connor, John O’Neill, Mary Pryce, Breandan O’Scanaill, Maurice O’Scanaill, Margaret Sheehan, Cepta Stephens, Michele Thierbach, Melissa Wallace, Declan Weir, Tricia Wilder plus many local schools, groups & organisations.

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PAGE 35

The budget last month has turned out to have been one of the most controversial and politically charged in almost 20 years. Not since the budgets of the 1980’s have such political storms whipped up around what are some of the most dramatic shifts in the public finances in many years. At the time of writing, many of the proposals are still being refined and it will be the New Year before all the changes will have been finalised. The general consensus now would appear to be that the government got the tone and direction of the budget drastically wrong, and rather than restoring stability and confidence to the public finances the furore around the proposals has in some respects made a bad situation worse. It is difficult to see how the current minister for finance could try to make the necessary sweeping changes to our public finances without being hounded at every turn by vested interests. Given the many u-turns on health, tax and probably education on his initial proposals, the question is whether Brian Lenihan can recover from this mauling to go on to be the effective minister for finance the country desperately needs at this crucial moment. Time will tell, but is time on his side? So what actually happens on budget day? The government announce their proposals in relation to taxation and spending for the coming fiscal year, in this case 2009. Most proposals do not take effect until January but a few, like the hike in petrol prices and the change to capital gains tax, take effect from midnight after the budget. However, many of the proposals need to be written specifically in law so the legislation needs to be prepared. This is why there is such fierce lobbying against some of the proposals.

There is a window between the announcement of the intention to change some measure, and the enshrining of that change in the finance act (probably early in 2009) to get the government to change its mind. Irrespective of what is announced on budget day it is what is passed in legislation in the Finance Act 2009 that will eventually come to pass. So we can expect challenges to the budget proposals to continue right up to the framing of the legislation. So what are the major taxation changes announced last month and how are they likely to affect us in Connemara? The most significant taxation change was the Income levy- this will affect most people. The new tax of 1% on gross earnings up to around €100,000 (2% thereafter) will drag a lot of people back into the tax net. Unlike income tax, the proposed levy is on gross income so the traditional tax saving mechanisms like pension payments or section 23 type property tax shelters will not be of any use in sheltering income from this charge. The proposal does exclude social welfare pensions and other payments, but in one of the proposed changes from the measures announced on budget day, the levy will not affect people on the minimum wage. I suspect this new tax will become a permanent feature of our tax regime, and it may grow and grow in the coming years and will affect people more than any other proposed changes in the budget. Capital gains tax increased to 22% on the profits earned on the disposals of certain assets from budget night. Anyone selling land or other assets since budget night will be facing this new tax rate. The last time this tax changed was when Charlie McCreevy halved

the rate from 40% to 20% almost 10 years ago. Like the income levy, this rate is probably going up in the coming years, but the turmoil in the stock and property markets probably means that people will be more concerned about the capital losses they are facing rather than on the tax on capital profits. The tax on deposit interest earned in banks and other institutions (known as DIRT) increases to 23% from 1st January next. This measure will erode the net return to most savers (you may be exempt from DIRT if you are over 65) but it will possibly be viewed as the price being charged by the Department of Finance for the state guarantee of all deposits. There was a shift to indirect taxation by the Irish government in this budget. This move is in keeping with trends across the globe, as governments seek to shift the tax burden around and place an ever greater reliance on indirect taxes like VAT and Excise duties. The advantages of indirect taxes for the government are that they are collected immediately and reasonably efficiently, and are less easy to avoid or shelter. The main change on budget day was the increase in the standard rate of VAT to 21.5% from 1 December next. This will affect many day to day purchases like fuel, electronics, entertainment, telecommunications and adult clothing etc. For the moment, the reduced rate of VAT remains at 13.5%. Also increased was the excise duty on cigarettes, petrol and wine, although diesel was left alone this time. Indirect taxes are often seen as unfair as they can take a disproportionately greater amount from the less well off, but because of their drip-drip effect, people tend not to get out and march on the streets about a 1/2% increase in VAT. Another interesting change was the introduction of a tax of €200 on second homes.

What’s the deal…with disrespecting the elderly?

The most immediately controversial aspect of the recent budget was undoubtedly the proposal to remove automatic eligibility for a medical card to people over 70 years of age. In the ensuing rows, opposition attacks, and huge media coverage, a number of provocative and interesting debates occurred on the issue. The resulting furore resulted in a significant u-turn as lobby groups and pensioners all over the country sent the Government a clear message that they would not accept this measure. As a region, Connemara is above the national average when it comes to numbers of residents over 65 years of age. According to the Central Statistics Office, 17.3% of the population of Clifden town are over 65. In Oughterard, that figure is 12.5%, but it should be noted that these statistics reflect the town centres and not the surrounding rural areas, where the

Letter to the Editor

He should have listened to Dad Madam, Before the budget last month, Minister Brian Lenihan told us that his father always told him to look after the ordinary people of Ireland. When Budget Day arrived, Brian Jnr removed the automatic entitlement of all over-70’s to a medical card. I don’t think the Minister listened to Brian Snrperhaps he should have. Sincerely, Sean Heanue, Clifden. PAGE 36

elderly population is likely to be higher. This, the latest in a long line of snubs towards elderly people made me consider it as part of a much wider issue, that is, how we as a nation treat our older people in general. Personally, I have always been comfortable in the company of older people. I had fun, loving and admirable grandparents, one in particular that made me treasure the value of a strong relationship between a young and old person. As a child and teenager, given a choice between babysitting and sitting with an elderly person, I would choose the company of an older person every time. I found them to be fascinating and knowledgeable: they had seen and done interesting things and were sources of information that I could only have imagined. Tales of times past, the sheer enormity of a life time’s experience in love and life, a sense of perspective, and acknowledgement of how Irish life has changed so dramatically through the decades, were just some of the lessons I learned from my grandmother in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I realise that not everybody shares my affection and enthusiasm for the older generation. Leaving aside the family aspect, the attitude towards elderly people on the street is often truly appalling. I remember queuing for a bus on O’Connell St. in Dublin for a bus on a wet evening with a German friend a couple of years ago. As the bus pulled up, the queue surged forwards, people shouldering each other out of the way in a scramble to get on board. In the scuffle, about a half dozen elderly people eventually managed to get on the bus, where a couple of them were then forced to stand on the bottom deck. Meanwhile, expressionless passengers busied themselves texting or glaring out of the windows,

November 2008

Some of you will remember the controversy of the residential property tax introduced in the 90’s which met with huge opposition and was abolished after only a couple of years. This is another tax which I suspect will grow and grow in years to come. Whether it will be a return of sorts to the domestic rates abolished in 1977 we will have to wait and see. Holiday homes are all around us in Connemara and it will be interesting to see if this charge is just the beginning of a new attempt to reintroduce a more comprehensive property tax by the government in the coming years. There were many other proposals in the budget but we don’t have the space to cover them in this article. Once the finance act is passed, we will cover some of the personal tax changes in more detail. But we all need to understand that what has led us to this point was an unsustainable reliance on property and related taxes. The collapse in property has triggered a retail slump as consumer confidence has ebbed away. This has left us in a particularly precarious position and the growing realisation is that the measures announced last month might not be enough, and we will probably see another budget in spring next year. We as a people need to grasp that you cannot always have your cake and eat it. If you want services you must pay for them. Ireland has become a low tax economy during the boom but with a bulging public sector, a benchmarking deal (fiasco?) costing billions, and an aging population the taxpayers in Ireland might just have to endure an ever increasing tax burden for some years to come. Declan Mannion can be contacted at Mannion Lochrin & Co, Chartered Accountants, Clifden, Co. Galway. Tel: 095 30030 Fax 095 30031. E-mail declan@mannion-lochrin.com

studiously doing their utmost to ignore the “little old ladies” who had to cling to hand rails to try to stay standing. My friend and I sat upstairs, and he expressed his amazement at what he had just witnessed. He explained that in Berlin, you might be arrested for assault if you barged past an old person in a bus queue. Germany has a very low birth rate, and a large elderly population. Accordingly, he said, elders are treated with respect, and almost deference. The thought of neglecting them in their later years is very distasteful, particularly since many of them still bear the scars and experiences of wartime. Meanwhile, sectors of Irish society seem ever less concerned or bothered about the plight of older people. There is also an extreme and sinister hidden element Ireland today, the issue of elder abuse. The discovery of horrific abuse and neglect of the elderly inhabitants of the Leas Cross Nursing Home in Dublin a couple of years back made the country feel sickened and ashamed that this could happen in our society. The sad reality is that it happens every day, all over the country. Those most vulnerable and in need of care are often abused and neglected, most often by members of their own family. In 2007, the HSE revealed that its dedicated elder abuse officers dealt with 927 cases of abuse and Gardai were consulted in about 100 of the cases. Since these were only the reported cases, either by the victims themselves or concerned relatives, it is probably the tip of the iceberg. Elder abuse is not simply physical, it can be financial, psychological or through active or passive neglect. I would normally hesitate to use the RTE soap “Fair City” as a reference point, but a recent storyline involving the (continues page 37)

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Updating the deeds to the land

When someone wants to transfer, sell or mortgage their property or part of it, it will first be necessary to ensure that their title deeds are in order. In simple terms, this means checking that the title deeds are in the name of the owner of the property. It is very common to find out that, when they are examined, the title deeds are not registered in the name of the person who considers himself/herself the owner of the lands. The first time a person may become aware of this is when they attend their solicitor with a view to transferring a site or selling the property. This discovery can lead to delays, because before they can proceed with the sale or the transfer, they may first have to sort out the title. This might come as a surprise to some. In my experience, however, most people with title problems are aware (usually somewhere at the back of their minds) that their title may not be in order or fully up-to-date. They just simply have never thought that it would be of any major significance and thus put sorting it out “on the long finger”. In rural Ireland in the past, much of the land was transferred from one generation in a family to the nextoften by word of mouth only. People had a fear of going to solicitors. Most of the time, there was no need to go to the expense of sorting out the title where the property was going from one family member to another (let the next generation deal with it!). The title issues only became relevant when a person wanted to sell the land. In many families, land was never sold. Thus the title was never updated over the years. However changes have taken place in the last 20 years or so. Having proper title to one’s land is now crucial so as to obtain Government/EU farming payments.Thus in many cases it is not possible to postpone the rectification of title to the next generation. So what lies in store for someone who decides to take the plunge and sort out the title? What are the title deeds anyway? In rural Ireland, the title to a person’s property (i.e. the title deeds) is usually contained in what is called a Land Registry folio.This is a three-part document of about four pages long with a map at the end.The folio will have a number such as 1234 County Galway. If you have a folio as your title deed you are said to have a Land Registry title. What if I do not have a folio but a bundle of title deeds showing all the previous owners? In that case you are said to have an unregistered title i.e. it is not registered in the Land Registry. It is usually however registered in another Registry known as the Registry of Deeds. Properties in the centres of towns and cities are usually registered in the Registry of Deeds, while those in the suburbs and in the countryside will usually have folio titles. In some cases, it will be possible to apply to the Land Registry to have an unregistered title registered.This would simply title matters for future generations. How do I know if my title is up to date? You should check your folio. If your name is on the folio at Part 2 (under the Ownership Section) then your (Continued from p. 36) character of “Ursula” played by veteran Irish actress Anna Manahan is relevant here. Having been repeatedly ignored and treated as a nuisance in a bar and coffee shop, Ursula was feeling invisible and unimportant and decided to interact with the local newspaper to highlight the indifference and ignorance visited upon pensioners on a daily basis. Interestingly, the actress herself spoke to RTE News in the aftermath of the budget, condemning this latest perceived act of indifference towards the elderly of the nation. The soap storyline, the latest events in the budget and the decision of an older Irish actor to speak out on the issue must be worthy of note. Many other developments in recent years have served to further alienate older people

title is up to date. Check if there is any other person registered as owner with you. If you do own it with another, you might want to make sure that the ownership reflects the type of ownership that most appropriate. Joint Tenancy ownership will restrict your ability to deal with this property in a Will or indeed to sell it. It is however the usual and appropriate type of ownership for married couples. Joint tenancy ownership may not however be appropriate for business partnerships or farming operations between brothers and sisters when a Common ownership may be better. This type of ownership in Common is known as a Tenancy in Common. When examining your folio, you should also check that the map attached to your folio shows all your property (and no more!). Is the site on which your house is built contained within the boundary lines on the folio map? It was quite common in the 1950s for a replacement house to be built on lands across the road from the old house, often commonage lands. If an examination of the map reveals any irregularities, you should engage a solicitor to sort it out. If you have an unregistered title i.e. a Registry of Deeds title, the last title deed should include your name as owner. If there is no such document you will need to consult a solicitor to update it. Often there is no map with Registry of Deeds title. The Schedule to the Deed should describe clearly the property in question. The registered owner on my folio is my great grandfather who has long since died. What do I do? You will need to engage a solicitor to rectify this title. If you are the only family member in possession and have been there for many, many years you should be able to get the title updated either through an application to the Land Registry (called a Section 49 Application) or through a Circuit Court application. I built my house after I inherited my land. I never registered the house. Do I need to? Generally speaking, if the house is built on land that you already own, then you will also own the house and anything else on the land without having to do any specific registration. You may however need to check the situation regarding any septic tanks or percolation areas or wells serving the property, as these are often not registered on the title but on a neighbouring plot of ground. In summary then, you should examine your title deeds to see if they are up to date and in order. As a first step, you may have to ascertain the whereabouts of the title deeds i.e. are they in the local bank or are they held by a solicitor? Is that solicitor still practising? A Solicitor may be able to conduct searches on the Land Registry’s website and in the Registry of Deeds to ascertain the relevant details where you cannot locate any title documents. If you know that your title deeds are not up to date, then you should engage a solicitor, as it will take some time to sort out the title. In many cases titles problems cannot be rectified. However in most cases, title issues can be rectified. Doing so will ensure that any future dealings with the property will proceed smoothly and without delay. Sara Horan is a Solicitor based in Oughterard, Co. Galway. Telephone: 091 866 992 Email: sara@sarahoransolicitors.ie

from the rest of society. The smoking ban and complete decimation of drink driving limits has all but banished the elderly from bars in rural areas. Even if they do venture down to the pub, they can expect a loud TV showing Sky News and a possibly foreign bartender who has little or no interest in making conversation with them. Another option is to stay at home and run the gauntlet of daytime TV. I wonder how many Irish pensioners are interested in watching “reports” on Britney Spears and soap storylines on The Afternoon Show, or relationship psycho babble on Dr Phil. There is also little concern for the old fashioned values of old people nowadays. Many people are disrespectful in their speech and actions in the company of the elderly who

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Beware! Scareware” merchants are accused of tricking computer users into clicking on pop-up alerts that claim their device is “damaged and corrupted”. They are then persuaded to buy software that corrects the nonexistent issue by offering fake security fixes. Spyware alerts aim to scare users into buying unnecessary software. It is a blatant rip-off of consumers. Users are duped into downloading a fake scan (of the computer) and then duped into paying for software they don’t need. Microsoft and Washington state have filed a lawsuit against a Texas firm called Branch Software and Alpha Red and its owner.The suit alleged that the company “sent incessant pop-ups resembling system warnings to consumers’ personal computers. “The messages read “CRITICAL ERROR MESSAGE! -REGISTRY DAMAGED AND CORRUPTED.” The complaint goes on to claim that the ads “instructed users to visit a web site to download Registry Cleaner XP”at a cost of $39.95 (€30.00) The problem is a growing one. In the last six months we have seen an enormous increase in the number of people getting infected by these scareware or spyware agents. They are becoming a lot more prevalent and the ‘scare and scam’ is all about getting money out of the user. The organisers behind the scheme took advantage of a Windows operating system feature designed to let computer network administrators send notices to people using the machines. Meanwhile Microsoft has filed five new lawsuits and amended two previous complaints all relating to spyware attempts. The programmes listed include Scan & Repair, Antivirus 2009, MalwareCore, WinDefender, XPDefender and WinSpywareProtect. Most of the defendants are listed as “John Doe”because investigators do not yet know the identities of the people involved. Microsoft estimates that half of the computer crashes reported by callers to its customer support lines can be blamed on spyware messing up machines. A recent report from North Carolina State University showed that most internet users are unable to tell the difference between genuine and fake pop-up messages. Despite being told some of the messages were fake, people hit the OK button 63% of the time. So beware! Here in Connemara, Two Dog Computers has recently seen a local increase in scareware and similar scams; fortunately, virus detection and removal is one of their specialities. John Claro, Two Dog Computers & Business Services on The Square in Clifden. 095-22194.

cannot always adapt to the modern day openness of expression regarding sexuality or frankness. Respect for others sensibilities and sensitivities is just good manners. Let’s not forget the elderly who spend painful uncomfortable nights with no privacy or dignity in the corridors and emergency rooms of hospitals all over the country every night. The lucky ones have family members to stay with them, but many have no one at all and are at the mercy of the inadequate health service. In my years in Dublin, I often chatted to older people on the buses and trains, which was regularly met with surprise. A recurring theme was how neighbourhoods where people had lived their whole lives had become frightening and unsafe, at times terrifying, due to drugs and crime. I also often hoped,

November 2008

SCAREWARE

in a “country person” kind of way that older people in Connemara were happier and had a better quality of life than their urban counterparts. Local community organisations and groups like FORUM, Active Age and Clifden Day Care, and many dedicated carers help to make that happen here in Connemara. I may not be able to instill into others my feelings about and respect for elderly people, but it is slowly but surely becoming apparent that Ireland is not a hopeful or happy place to live for huge numbers of its older citizens these days. It is a problem that deserves and needs more attention, if any of us are to approach the ageing process with any degree of positivity. Catherine Pryce

PAGE 37

Connemara Properties Derrysillagh, Cashel This large 6 bed residence is in excellent condition throughout and has magniﬁcent views over Cloonisle bay,

Inish Nee and the Twelve Bens. There is also a large shed on the site that could easily be converted to additional accommodation. The sitting room features wooden flooring and an attractive marble fireplace. Oil fired central heating and local water supply. Price offers on: € 350,000. Matt O Sullivan Auctioneers, The Square, Clifden, (095) 21066 email property@mattosullivan.com www.mattosullivan.com.

from the roadside by a large hedge and trees. The land typical of the surrounding land is of a good quality which over the years has become over grown (by choice) with scrub and trees, which creates this wonderful wildlife habitat that exists there today. The land could easily be brought back in to its prime and be used for grazing land. Through the centre of the land there is a small stream which makes a nice feature of the property. It is rarely that such holdings present themselves to the market in the Oughterard area, therefore we are recommending immediate viewings. The property in the heart of the great outdoors with wonderful natural amenities on its doorstep which include the hills, lake activities, walking and cycling routes is only a 6 km drive from Oughterard and a mere 30 minute drive to the city. €450,000. Contact DNG Martin O Connor Auctioneers and Valuers on (091) 866708 or e-mail oughterard@dng.ie

Racecourse Road Clifden An excellent property on 1.205 acres in a great location, and just a 10 minute walk from Clifden. The property is

Racecourse Hill, Clifden Two bedroom semi detached house with high quality ﬁnish. The development is ideal for both owner occupiers

and buyers who want a holiday base in Clifden. The small exclusive nature of Racecourse Hill and the high standard of construction have proven to be a major attraction to the development. The property also features mains water and drainage and oil ﬁred central heating. Asking Price €215,000. Viewing by appointment. Sherry Fitzgerald Kavanagh, Main St, Clifden (095) 21888. clifden@sfkavanagh. com www.sherryﬁtz.ie.

Glann, Oughterard Situated along the Glann road this country residence stands on 4.50 Ha (11.11 acres) of land over looking Lough

ﬁnished to a very high speciﬁcation with stone clad front, gravelled street, natural stone walls and raised maintenance free gardens with feature lighting. Accommodation comprises: Entrance Porch, Hallway, Kitchen, Dining, Livingroom, Sittingroom, Study, 2 Bedrooms (1 Ensuite) Bathroom & Utility. (Note: Sitting room could be utilised as 3rd. bedroom.) Shed to rear of house. €495,000. Connemara Properties, Bridge St, Clifden (095) 21473, e-mail connprop@iol.ie www.connemaraproperties.com

17 Cregg View Oughterard A spacious detached family home finished to a high standard located within a quiet cul de sac and minutes of all amenities. The property is very well presented with a tastefully finished interior. The accommodation comprises sitting room, kitchen/dining room, cloakroom, 3 bedrooms (one en suite), office/bedroom 4, bathroom, and utility. There is ample off road parking to the front and access to the rear garden from both sides. Viewing of this residence is simply a must as prospective buyers are guaranteed to be impressed. €330,000. Spencer Auctioneers, Main St, Oughterard, (091) 552999 e-mail info@spencerauctioneers.com www.spencerauctioneers.com.

Corrib. The house originally designed as a two bedroom property with a large living room and kitchen /dining room oﬀers excellent living accommodation with the potential to convert the large utility back into a third bedroom while there is a lot of potential to extend the house further on this ﬁne holding. The views are exceptional, especially from the bedrooms and living room. The property has good road frontage along this country lane with good privacy shielded

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November 2008

October Planning Applications 082953 O Malley, Patrick, Aughrismore 02/10/08. For the construction of a dwelling house, sewerage treatment plant percolation area and ancillary services. 082979 Conroy, Eileen, Gortrommagh, 03/10/08. For retention of dwelling house as constructed on revised site boundaries. 082980 Welby, Michael, Roscahill, 03/10/08. To construct a dwellinghouse and private wastewater treatment system. 082981 Conroy, Peter, Kylemore, 03/10/08. To construct a sheep shed. 083002 O Neill, Joe & Christina, Aillebrack, 07/10/08. For the construction of a dwellinghouse, garage/fuel store, septic tank puraflo effluent treatment system and all ancillary site works and services. 083036 Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, The Minister for, Ros a Mhil Harbour, 10/10/08. For alterations to the boundary wall of the site for the Ferry Terminal so as to create a new pedestrian entrance. 083041 Conneely, Brendan, Lettermore, 10/10/08. Chun athchoiriu a dheanamh ar theach ata ann cheana, le dion nua a chur air, seomrai agus ait storala a chur thuas staighre, le dabhach searachais agus coras eisilte suiteain nua agus bealach isteach nua a thogail. 083045 O’ Suilleabhain, Padraic, Carraroe West, 10/10/08. Le meadu a chuir ar theach, le seomra folca, cistineach, agus seomra codalta ag an suiomh. 083062 Burke, Sharon, Rosroe, 13/10/08. To demolish existing house and outbuildings and construct new dwellinghouse and garage with new wastewater treatment system. 083067 McCarthy, Niall & Lisa, Ardbear, 14/10/08. For the construction of dwelling house, domestic garage/fuel store, septic tank, ‘puraflo’ effluent treatment system and all ancillary site works and services. 083077 Mag Oide, Sile, Roundstone, 15/10/08. Chun sineadh foirgnimh a thogail agus athchoiriu a dheanamh ar suiomh fiontraiochta ata site i lathair le gach obair riachtanach agus fosheirbhisi san aireamh. 083108 Worley, Mark, Derryad West, 16/10/08. To convert attic of existing dwelling house to living accommodation and retention permission is being sought for garage/shed as constructed. 083170 Conneely, Bernadette, Doonlaughan, 23/10/08. To construct a dwelling house, effluent treatment system and associated services. 083171 Cowgill, Harry, Clifden, 23/10/08. To construct a domestic garage with living accommodation overhead. 083205 McManus, T, Ballinahinch, 24/10/08. To construct a garage with storage area. 083207 Griffin, Mary Blaney, Bunowen Beg, 24/10/08. For the retention of a domestic garage. 083226 Ni Chonghaile, Aoife, Lettermore, 30/10/08. Chun teach conai maraon le coras eisilte, garaiste agus oibreacha gaolmhara ar an suiomh a thogail. 083234 Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, The Minister for, Ros a Mhil Harbour, 30/10/08. For alterations to the boundary wall of the site for the Ferry Terminal building. Source: www.galway.ie CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

four years.There is always a debate about what you should do with them when they have finished flowering. Some people suggest that you

Time for Trees It’s time to plant trees-the more the merrier as far as I am concerned. I love all aspects of them, their shape, colour, shade and power. On top of that, they do so much for us helping to clean up our air, and adding beauty to often very drab situations. As I have said before, there is a tree for every occasion. I recently received a great gift of a Blue Cedar, this wonderful tree came from a friend’s house in Dublin. It was growing too big for the small back garden, and the transfer to Connemara seems to have gone well. It looks healthy and hopefully it will thrive. I suppose that shelter is one of the most important things for trees. If exposed to the elements they can suffer very badly. We should all strive to build up the shelter around our gardens. Hawthorn and holly are fairly tough and weather the storms. Sycamore is a good tree for a seaside location; although not my favourite, it has its part to play. There are a number of pine trees which also help in this respect. The special trees that you want to plant within that shelter is up to you, but you will need to take into consideration things like soil type, aspect (whether sunny or shaded) and amount of space which is available-small trees have a habit of becoming very large. Budget can also be a consideration as some trees can be very expensive, and you often take a gamble. Some trees which seem to be perfect, can fail spectacularly. I know, I have had a few do that to me, thankfully not many. Preparation of the site is half the battle. I try to dig a good deep hole, twice the size and depth that will be needed for the tree. Remove

the bigger stones or rocks from the soil at this stage, then add plenty of compost and mix the soil together. If you need to put in a stake, now is the time to do this. I tend not to stake the tree as I don’t like the look of the stake, and I also feel that if the only way that the tree is going to stay in the ground is by tying it down, then perhaps you should not be planting it at all.Then plant your tree. It is important to look at the shape and which is the best side of it, before planting fully; move it around until you are sure that you have it looking its best. Plant it so that the soil level is the same as it was in the pot, or in the ground. If bare rooted, firm in well. It is also a good idea to plant spring bulbs around the tree at this stage, especially if it is going to be a big tree.They might look a little strange for a few years as the flowers can be almost as tall as the tree. Later they will take on the correct proportion. If you have space, it is interesting to plant a selection of trees of the same species, oaks or acers, sorbus or pines, or whatever takes your fancy. I like the contrasts which you can get; they will also be a talking point. Another idea would be to plant a grove of trees, possibly an expensive exercise, but some smaller trees bought from less well known nurseries might not be that expensive. Cutting Roots from Climbers I have been asked about propagating climbers, and when is the best time to take root cuttings. Well this is the best time to take root cuttings. Taking care, work a few feet away from the parent plant, expose the roots by digging the soil, cut pieces of the root which look strong and healthy. Wash them and divide them into small pieces,

Little Heron makes Big News

Hordes of birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts descended on Barnaderg bay just outside of Letterfrack in early October when the first ever confirmed sighting of a Little Blue Heron in Europe took place. e bay was a hive of activity as photographers, experts and curious passers-by stopped to observe the juvenile visitor. It is understood that the bird’s plumage turns blue in adulthood. e bird was identified by Dermot Breen and NPWS wildlife ranger Aonghus O Domhnaill and received extensive media coverage nationally and internationally. Photo by Aoife Herriot

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

plant into a pot with potting compost and sand, water well and put in a cold frame or someplace sheltered, keep them watered but don’t let them get waterlogged. In spring you should see buds forming and it is the time to pot on, put them in individual pots until they have developed then plant out. This is also a good time to pot on plants which have self rooted. Often climbers will self layer, and if you see where the new plants have established themselves, it simply a matter of digging up the new plant, and cutting it away from the parent plant. The new cuttings can be planted straight into a new location or if you have nowhere ready they can be transferred into pots. I prefer to put one per pot. It is also possible to encourage growth of new plants by layering pieces of the climber, working with a low growing piece of the plant, clear away the leaves from a long piece and digging a small hole bend the cleared portion into this, pin down with a piece of twisted wire or small stone, cover over with soil and leave until new roots form, you can also put a small nick in the stem to encourage growth, but I find most plants grow well without this. A number of questions have come in about house plants, and although these are slightly beyond my normal column I will do my best to answer the questions. Q: Amaryllis seems so exotic, is it difficult to grow? This spectacular flower is very popular and comes in a wide range of colours; it is generally easy to grow. Correctly called Hippeastrum, it is usually bought as a fairly large bulb, often nowadays in a pack with a pot and compost. If not, plant it in good compost in a smallish pot. It seems to grow best if the roots are constrained, leave just under half the bulb exposed. You are best not to give it too much water until the growth has begun, then water regularly. The flowers can grow fairly tall so sometimes they need staking. After flowering, cut away the flower stem. Re pot every three or

November 2008

let them dry out completely, others suggest to keep watering them. I put mine outside in the garden where they get watered by the rain, then move them inside again this month.They seem to be happy, and often flower twice during the year. When re-potting, look for new bulbs which can form, these can be potted on for a bigger display. Dull Houseplant Ivy The second question concerns a variegated ivy which has been growing in the bathroom

for a number of years.The leaves are all going green and becoming dull looking. Plants which are variegated often revert to green if there is little light.This should not be a problem if the plant has been here for a few years unless the place is being shaded, perhaps by trees which have grown outside. If there is a lack of light, it might be a good idea to move the plant. Another possibility is that the plant is pot bound and needs re-potting. Lift the plant out of the pot and see if the roots are growing through the drainage holes or are tightly packed. If so, plant the ivy in a slightly larger pot with good fresh compost. Don’t forget to tease out the roots a little before filling with the new compost. Happy gardening. Breandan O Scanaill

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Forum Family and Adolescent Support Project After Schools Activity Programmes The Forum Family and Adolescent Support project has delivered ten 9-week after-school activity clubs to Cleggan, Aillebrack, Kingstown, Claddaghduff, Ballyconneely, Cashel, Tully, Maam, and two programmes were delivered to Clifden National School due to numbers. The main emphasis of these programmes is to enhance the participants self esteem through positive group work, and to offer alternative experiences and develop new skills around outdoor education. Activities included which are very important are group games at the start of each session. These are designed to help to develop many desirable characteristics in people of all ages. The games that are played by the children help increase concentration, observation, awareness, quick thinking, alertness, strategy, teamwork, trust, laughter, group cohesion, confidence, self-awareness, co-operation and most importantly fun. The projects and other activities within these after school clubs included such projects as stain glass painting, woodwork project, textile design, card making and orienteering. At the end of each 9 week programme also all these groups went on an outing to Galway to the new Hip Kidz Gym/ Sports arena in Galway. In total, 114 young people took part in these programmes.

Junior Schools Programmes Five 8-week Junior arts programmes have been delivered to 42 children during school time in Kingstown, Aillebrack, Claddaghduﬀ, Cashel and Ballyconneely National Schools. Some students of Claddaghduﬀ N.S. who took part in the Junior programme last summer, are pictured here.

SeanNos and Brush Dancing Workshops and Galway World Cup Day

show their solidarity with young people living in much more diﬃcult circumstances.

Adventure Club Programme Due to the success last May of a 12-week programme in canoeing and rock climbing by 16 young people in the Kil-

the family and adolescent support workers of the project attending and helping with supervision and the running of arts and sports activities for the young people. Some members of the Youth Representative Group and older teenagers of the Adolescent Support project also gave support to these camps in assisting workers. These camps catered for approximately 170 children in the following areas: Claddaghduﬀ, Clifden, Tullycross, Roundstone, Ballyconneely and Cashel.

Arch Club Programme

lary Adventure Centre, a similar programme was organisedfrom the period October to December. The young people that attended were from the ages of 12 to 17 and from diﬀerent areas of North West Connemara. The programme ended with a celebration day where the young people’s parents attended to see their sons/daughters receive their accredited certiﬁcation from the Canoeing Union of Ireland and introduction in Rock Climbing from the Killary Adventure Centre. Pictured above: Lazer Combatting at Killary Adventure Centre.

Residents of Dun Gibbons Summer Camp Programme Three meetings were held with members of the Dun Gibbons Asylum Seekers group during the month of July. These meetings were held to facilitate the children of the centre to take part in the 7+ and 13+ summer camp programmes organised by the project. In addition a week-long camp was organised for the ﬁrst week of August in the centre for children between the ages of 2 and 6 years. In total, over 34 young children have participated in these camps.

13+ Summer Camp Programme Summer camps for the 13+ age group were organised over a 4-week period in July with the support of the North and West School Completion programme. Due to demands two camps were held, one in Clifden and one in Letter-

Three Sean Nos and brush dancing workshops were held with 18 young people in Clifden during the past few months.

Arch clubs have been in existence for 30 years and provide a secure and social environment for people with special needs, their siblings and friends. The club is all about inclusion and integration using the media of arts, sports and outings for the families. This programme has been in existence in Clifden for the past two years with the support of this project. A meeting has been held with the committee members of the programme to restart this initiative again. If you wish for your child or family members to attend this programme please contact Kim O’ Donoghue, Family Support Worker who is currently seeking new members for the programme.

Rainbows Programme Rainbows is a peer-support programme to assist children who are grieving a death, separation or painful transition in their family. This programme helps by providing a safe setting in which participants can talk through their feelings with others who are experiencing similar situations. They are helped to articulate their feelings by facilitator or listener. The media used, help the children facilitate their feelings gently through the grieving process are games, activities, journals and story books. Rainbows helps by: Supporting the children to rebuild their self-esteem, in a small group setting; enabling the children to name, understand, and come to terms with the many emotions their experience; reassuring those who have anxieties or feelings of guilt; encouraging the children to move towards forgiving those people whom they feel have caused their pain; sharing and listening to similar experiences from other group members. The Forum Family and Adolescent Support Project is planning to commence a group in January 2009 for the age group 6-12 years. If you wish for your child to get involved in this group Conﬁdential and Free please book your place with the project on (095) 22175.

County Galway Sports Partnership The Team Leader has attended the County Galway Sports Partnerships meetings and an oﬃcial launch which was held on Monday the 29th of September. The involvement of this project on the committee will enhance and help develop new initiatives in sports in the Connemara area into the future for young people and their families.

Above: Sean Nos dancers at World Cup Galway with Army Piper Pte. James O Loughlin. The young people from these workshops were preparing for the Galway World Cup which was held on the 27th of June in Drom East, Rahoon. The young people of the project opened the ceremony with their skills in Sean Nos and Brush Dancing. This World Cup is a time when young people from all around Ireland come together to raise funds for GOAL’s Street Children’s Programmes in Nairobi and Kenya. A total of 32 teams (youth projects) representing diﬀerent nations around the world will descend upon the sports centre in Drom. The event this year was opened by the Galway City Lord Mayor. It has to be noted while this is a fun event over the past ﬁve years the young people that have taken part have raised in excess of €30,000 for the GOAL Street Children’s Project, thus giving these young people an opportunity to

PAGE 40

frack. These camps catered for 45 young people. Workshops included Jive dancing, African drumming, and a day’s outing to the Killary Outdoor Education Centre, where the young people engaged in activities such as canoeing and combat laser games. On the fourth week of camp all the summer camps participants came together for an archaeology walk on Omey Island and lunch in Cleggan village.

Assistance to the Maam Summer Camp Play Scheme Two workers of the Forum Family and Adolescent Support Project assisted the Maam Summer Camp Play scheme with the organising of art projects for the children of their camp during the month of July. In addition, a one day workshop was also held in Archery for the older teenagers who were helpers on the camp.

The VEC Quality Standards Framework Initiative for Youth Work (QSF) This project is engaging in the pilot stage of the QSF which will be rolled out nationally in 2009. The QSF is intended to help organisations and projects identify strengths and areas for development, and benchmark progress accordingly. The Project Co-ordinator of the Adolescent Support Project and the assistant Director with the Youth in Action CE Supervisor have completed the ﬁrst stage of this national initiative. For more information regarding this article or projects or activities please feel free to contact Marie Feeney, Team Leader, The Boys Old School, Clifden, (095) 22175.

Support to the Youth in Action Summer Camps Support was given to the Youth in Action summer camps through Right: The 13+Archaeology Walk on Omey Island.

November 2008

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

The Cr ystal Ball By John Amenhauser The Moon The Moon was New on Tuesday October 28th. During the first week of November, the crescent Moon should be visible in the SW after sunset; it stays up later each evening. The Moon is Full on Thursday November 13th, in Aries. The Moon is New on Thursday 27th. We may see the waning “crescent” just rising in the SE at dawn, any morning up to Tuesday 25th; but after New Moon, the new crescent won’t be visible in the south-west at sunset until Sunday 30th. Mercury Mercury is at “superior conjunction” (behind the Sun) on November 25th. We’re unlikely to see this elusive little planet at all this month. Venus Venus is gradually getting into the role of “Evening Star”. Look for it low in the SW, just after sunset. Even though the sky is still bright, Venus is such a brilliant object that it should show up clearly. At the start of November, it sets about 5:30 pm, but it stays up a minute or two later each evening. Relative to the stars, Venus is moving rapidly eastwards. Unfortunately, this is where the Sun is in midwinter, so, like the midwinter Sun, Venus is only above the horizon for a few hours. But as Venus continues eastwards, it will get higher in the sky, and we will get better views of it from next month onwards. Don’t confuse Venus with Jupiter. Jupiter is certainly bright, but it’s not as brilliant as Venus. At the start of November, Jupiter is further left and higher up; the two planets are over 30 degrees apart. The gap shrinks quickly; by the end of the month, Venus will be directly below Jupiter, just 2 degrees away! Mars Mars is almost directly behind the Sun (conjunction is on December 5th). So we won’t be able to see the “Red Planet” at all this month.

Jupiter The giant planet Jupiter is the only one we can see easily in the evening sky this month. It’s low in the SW at dusk, and sets about three hours after sunset. Jupiter looks like a very bright, steady star, brighter than any of the genuine stars, though not as brilliant as Venus, which is steadily approaching Jupiter from the lower right. Being so low down, it won’t be well placed for making detailed observations. On the evening of Monday November 3rd, the crescent Moon will appear almost directly below Jupiter; the two objects will be about 4 degrees apart. Saturn Saturn is rising in the early hours of the morning, and is well up in the south-eastern sky by dawn. It’s moving very slowly south-eastwards in Leo. Saturn is to well to the right of Arcturus, the brightest star in Boötes; it appears a little dimmer than Arcturus, but it shines with a steadier light. Before dawn on Friday November 21st, the waning Moon will be to the right of Saturn, about 7 degrees away. The following morning, the Moon will be directly below Saturn, about 11 degrees away. Meteors The Leonid meteor shower is generally active between November 15th and 20th; this year it will probably peak around midday on Monday 17th, so the best time to look would be shortly before dawn that day. Shower meteors all seem to spread out from a single radiant point; for the Leonids, this point is within the “Sickle” of Leo, about midway between the planet Saturn and the waning gibbous Moon on the 17th. Unfortunately, the light from the Moon will drown out all but the brightest meteors. John Claro

What Do You Know? Quiz 3

There is still no Connemara View Quiz Winner so the prize money is up to €30 for a correct set of November Quiz answers. Send entries to Connemara View, Clifden, Co. Galway or drop into the View Box at the Paper Shop.

November Quiz

Geography: This country has the fourth largest lake in Europe? History: Which Roman emperor competed at Olympia in a tenhorse chariot race? Local Interest: This name means brave warrior in Gaelic? Sports: What was the score of the first All-Ireland Hurling Final? Science: What is the only rock that floats in water? Cooking: What is the most widely eaten fish in the world? General Knowledge: What 19th century poets daughter made her own mark on history through computer programming? Politics: What famous philosopher said “Good government consists in the ruler being a ruler, the minister

being a minister, the father being a father, and the son being a son.”? Music: What is the oldest woman with a #1 hit on Billboards top 100? Art: Who was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great? Entertainment: What is the first movie to have its sequel come out in the same year? Literature: When and where was the first illustrated book for children published?

Answers to October Quiz Geography:: What is the poorest country in Europe? Moldova. History: In Co Mayo in 1798, who landed 1,000 men at Killala? General Humbert, of France. Local Interest:: What ancient tribal group were located in west Connemara during the early medieval times? Conmhaicne Mara Sports: What Republic of Ireland striker played for Liverpool and Tranmere? John Aldridge Science:: This activity occurs when underground water is heated by rising magma. Hydrothermal Activity.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

General Knowledge: This person is the first person ever, whose voice was heard after his death. Robert Browning, poet. Politics: What country holds the highest turnover of governments? Bolivia, with almost 200. Music: Who was the first jazz musician inducted into the hall of fame? Miles Davis Art: What late 19th-century French painter was known for his pictures of ballet dancers? Edgar Degas. Entertainment: What film was the last Best Picture winner to be shot in black and white until Schindler’s List in 1993? The Apartment (1960). Literature: Who wrote ‘Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone / It’s with O’Leary in the grave’? W B Yeats. Cooking: What is the other main ingredient of champ with potatoes? Scallions (spring onions).

November 2008

N OV E M B E R TA RO T R E A D I N G

Past The Chariot

Present The Devil

Future 7 of Cups

In the past the Chariot reversed lets you know that you went a wrong direction or chose to do something that you should not have done. The Devil reversed in the present alerts to the fact that you are now suffering the results of that choice.The 7 of Cups reversed for the future is saying to dare to dream that you can and will find the way back to where you should be in your life.

NOVEMBER RUNES READING

Algiz, Sedge or Rushes, the Elk as the Action is letting you know that now is the time to speed thing up in your life, through right actions. But be mindful of your health. Wholeness, life force, the Sun’s energy as the challenge it is reminding you that need to dwell on the core of your individuality, not on the outside influences. The Overview, Constraint, Necessity, Pain tells you that there is no growth without Action Challenge Overview pain. The obstacles you enProtection Wholeness Constraint counter will be difficult to (Algiz) (Sowelu) (Nauthiz) face, but you are capable.

NOVEMBER HOROSCOPES “Rectif ication Comes Before Progress”

Aries (Mar 21 Apr 20) Don’t worry so much about all those things that you think are important. You will find that there are much more valuable things in your life. Taurus (Apr 21 – May 20) Start planning a trip away with your family or friends. This is the perfect month for you to get away from it all. Gemini (May 21 – Jun 21) Having trouble making up your mind about something this month Gemini? Don’t put so much effort into it, the more you think about it the more you will just confuse yourself. Cancer ( Jun 22 – Jul 22) Do something completely outrageous and out of character this month. Have some fun and take a few risks along the way, you never now what you may find. Leo ( Jul 23 – Aug 23) Someone has it in for you this month. Make sure you keep your back to the wall and your nose clean at all times. Don’t add fuel to any fires. Virgo (Aug 24 – Sep 22) Try your hand at a few new things this month just to see what happens. There are some exciting new opportunities on your horizon. Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 23) Pay attention to the advice of someone you trust, it will be the start of something very good for you. Scorpio (Oct 24 – Nov 22) Happy Birthday! You could not have a better month coming up if you tried. Love is in the air and romance abounds for you, enjoy it all. Sagittarius (Nov 23 – Dec 21) Feeling caught between two opposing forces? Trust your instincts and listen to your subconscious to be the guides you very much need this month. Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 20) Judge not less ye be judged. This is valid advice and you need to listen to it this month. Do not be to quick to jump on the bandwagon about things you don’t know all the facts about. Aquarius ( Jan 21 – Feb 19) The Moon is a strong influence for you this month. Its path across the heavens will dictate a great deal of what will be happening for you, so pay attention. Pisces (Feb 20 – Mar 20) Just because you don’t get everything you want or if things don’t go your way, don’t get down, this too will pass.

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2009-2015 Draft Clifden Local Area Plan continued

opment and as an integral element of their proposals. A special development contribution may be required Energy Objectives to enable the development of appropriate amenity arE1 Provide information on cost-effective energy conservation eas off site under powers set out in the Development measures and renewable energy technologies, including the use Contribution Scheme. of passive solar design principles, solar panels, and geothermal TC7 Facilitate the redevelopment of buildings in a poor heat pumps. state of repair or derelict so as to contribute positively E2 Encourage and actively promote innovative housing design and to the Clifden streetscape. layout solutions that address concerns of environmental sustainTC8 Enhance local and visitor experience of the town ability with regard to matters such as energy efficiency and use centre through improvement of public spaces includof materials ing suitable town centre tree planting and improved E3 Actively encourage the integration of micro renewable energy street lighting and street furniture, and upgrading of sources into the design and construction of single and multiple all surfaces. housing development TC9 Investigate the appropriate use of night lighting E4 The Planning Authority will have regard to the DoEHLG whilst respecting the issues of light pollution, safety, Guidelines on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban amenity, historic fabric etc. to enhance the off season Areas, 2008 in the assessment of any proposals for residential attractiveness of Clifden. development, including inter alia those in respect of energy efTC 10 Promote an appropriate landscaping policy for ficiency, passive solar design and renewable energy sources. the town centre. Litter and Waste Management Objectives TC 11 Work with the Per Cent for Art Scheme to LW1 Provide information to the public on prevention, reduction, deliver an Arts element to Town Renewal projects reuse, recycling and collection methods for all types of waste. through the use of the scheme in all available public LW2 Ensure that waste infrastructure is developed to serve the capital investment. area. Residential Objectives LW3 Facilitate the provision of waste facilities for the collection R1 Require developers to carry out a professional and recycling of waste, including recycling centres and bring assessment of the natural features that define the banks in locations which will have adequate supervision but not character of sites in the context of their surrounding adversely affect residential amenities. environment (including topography, aspect, habitats, LW4 Facilitate the provision of separate collection systems for flora, fauna, foliage, geological features) and integrate segregated waste. these features into development proposals. LW5 Continue to develop the Green Schools Programme. R2 Require developers to make appropriate provision LW6 Provide for innovative litter bin design to be included in for recreation and amenity infrastructure equal to the street furniture provision. Consider recycling at street level, and needs of the development and as an integral element design for vandal proofing and ease of maintenance. of their proposals. A special development contribuTown Centre Objectives tion may be required to enable the development of TC1 Promote in-fill development, while maintaining the building appropriate amenity areas off site under powers set line, throughout the Plan area thereby consolidating the town out in the Development Contribution Scheme. structure and creating a sense of enclosure along Clifden’s main R3 Identify and acquire appropriate lands for Social thoroughfare in order to strengthen the streetscape in the town. and Affordable housing as necessary. TC2 Take cognisance of the principles in the Urban Design R4 Provide Social and Affordable housing in accorFramework outlined in Section 4. dance with substantiated eligible need. TC3 Provide where funds permit, environmental improvements, R5 Implement the provisions of Part V of the Planimproved accessibility and car parking provision. ning and Development Acts and Housing Strategy TC4 Consider the preparation of Action Plans for development on lands designated for residential development of backlands and in the area to the north of Main Street, as the and mixed development (town centre zoning). The need arises and resources permit. County Housing Strategy forms part of, and is to be TC5 Require developers to take cognisance of the natural features read in conjunction with this Plan. that define the character of site in the context of its surrounding R6 Encourage residential development in town centre environment (including topography, aspect, foliage, geological zones and residential land having regard to the town features). ethos and without being unreasonably inconsistent TC6 Require developers to make appropriate provision for recrewith the County Development Plan. ation and amenity infrastructure equal to the needs of the devel- R7 Encourage a mix of house types in proposed developments to meet the needs of social integration and life time change.

the town including the section of the old Railway line (see Urban Design Framework), to be accompanied by clear artistic innovative minimalist signage and accompanying booklet/guide. Improve popular walking from an amenity and safety point-of-view, and provide new routes along agreed lines of choice. EIT8 Include information in the tourist oﬃce that will explain the uniqueness of Clifden’s rich heritage. EIT9 Aim to promote industry which relies less heavily on transport of bulky goods. EIT10 In conjunction with 3.13.10 below, promote educational function in the full or part-time use of new and existing land/buildings for training in appropriate skills and relevant studies. EIT11 Plan for and towards the sustainable usage of Clifden Bay for sustainable tourism uses, to include boating, sailing, angling and swimming. Facilitate land based community developments servicing public usage of the Bay EIT12 Recognise and protect the intrinsic attractiveness of the town as a major element in its attractiveness as a tourism destination – the mix of independent retailers, built fabric and cultural traditions, including its equine, aviation, railway, and telecommunications heritage and associations.

Education & Community Facilities Objectives

EC1 Reserve lands for the expansion and provision of additional community and education facilities. EC2 Provide insofar as is feasible for continuing road widening/improvements on the Ballyconneely Road in the vicinity of the Community school. Recreation & Amenity Objectives RA1 Seek to develop amenity walkways and cycle routes with links to the town centre. RA2 Reserve land along the Owenglin River for an amenity pathway or an ecological corridor in an environmentally sensitive manner that is safe and assimilated into the landscape in consultation with all stakeholders. RA3 Encourage and facilitate suitable facilities for teenagers at appropriate locations. RA4 Develop, where funds permit, recreation and tourism facilities such as footpaths, picnic sites, viewing sites in special amenity areas and amenity walks. RA5 Facilitate the development of recreation and amenity infrastructure, for example, playing pitches that are linked with educational facilities. RA6 Plan for the provision of an amenity Area in the vicinity of the Ball Alley area subject to the necessary ownership issues being put in place. RA7 Improve the amenity value of the Quay and Harbour area by limiting development in the area to small scale projects to service and enhance its use as a public amenity area, and by upgrading and designing for good renewal works. RA8 Plan for the upgrading of the Beach area RA9 Continue to investigate the potential for walkway development and walkway improvement from an amenity Enterprise, Industry & Tourism Objectives and public health perspective EIT1 Encourage the development of sustainable RA10 Provide for consideration of all Biodiversity issues in industry using local resources and enterprise and to accordance with County Biodiversity Plan where amenity promote broad based technologically advanced indusdevelopment is at stake. try and enterprise. RA11 Plan for the future conservation of St. Mary’s CemEIT2 Support the development of broadband technoloetery with a public usage element subject to legal requiregies within the Plan area. ments. EIT3 Encourage and assist the development of the tourist potential of Clifden in a manner that respects RA12 Prepare a comprehensive Landscaping Plan for the Galway Road approach West of Waterloo Bridge. Prepare its architectural, archaeological, heritage and cultural also a Landscaping Plan for the town area visible from the significance. Ballyconneely approach road, and a similar plan for the EIT4 Service and assist, within the limits of available Westport Road approach. finance, land identified for local enterprise centres RA13 Provide for the development of the Waterfall and within Clifden so as to facilitate affordable workspace Bridge area on the Ballyconneely Road area as a small for new business start-ups. Town Park with especial emphasis on passive amenity/ EIT5 Support the development of water-based recremeditation garden/facility for the elderly ational facilities that will benefit the local community RA14 Provide for the optimum conservation, management and visitors to the area and enhance the tourism and sustainable use of Clifden Bay, developing proposals infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable manfor its sustainable usage by land and sea user populations. ner. RA15 Provide for the optimum conservation, management EIT6 Seek to develop an innovative strategy for inand sustainable use of Salt Lake and Lough Alphreaghaun. formation signage for Clifden. The Strategy should RA16 Work towards the attainment of Blue Flag status for include appropriate information signage at the main Clifden Beach Square and the approach roads. The signage will conRA17 Work towards the greater but sustainable usage of the sider Failte Ireland National Policy presently under Bay area for water borne and water based recreation and consideration nationally angling. EIT7 Provide good clearly defined walkways around

PAGE 42

November 2008

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

2001-2006 Clifden Local Area Plan Residential Development Objectives RD1 To identify further sites for infill housing in the town centre as per Appendix 2: Specific Objectives map. There is a significant amount of land available for infill development within the town centre. The Council will encourage the development of these sites in order to consolidate the streetscape of the town. RD2 To identify access points and ensure necessary laneways and access points are reserved to permit the further development of residential land RD3 To acquire land in the interests of providing additional public sector housing and to assist local initiatives providing community housing, shared housing and social housing. RD4 To protect the general landscape and coastline of the town and particularly the hillside and the elevated ridgelines of the surrounding environment from inappropriate development and to confine development to the foothills of ridgelines. Selective planting is encouraged between new and existing residential developments. RD5 The Residentially zoned lands to the north of Racecourse road shall be developed on the basis of an Action Area Plan. RD6 The Residentially zoned lands to the north and east of the Hospital lands shall be developed on the basis of an Action Area Plan. RD7 All proposed housing developments located in areas with views listed for preservation and protection must provide a Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) to ensure that the proposal does not negatively effect the visual amenities of the area. VIA’s may also be used to prove that the siting, design and materials used are sensitive to the context of the development. RD8 All Holiday Home development must be of a high quality traditional design and use vernacular materials, and shall demonstrate that it will not conflict with commercial viability of the town and shall include a mix of tourist accommodation types. RD9 To ensure that all new residential developments incorporate a detailed landscape plan so that new developments are assimilated into the surrounding environment. Selective native tree planting (including the provision of semi-mature trees) will be encouraged.

Transport Objectives

PT4 To provide for traﬃc calming measures along the Ballyconneely road within the 30mph speed limit zone. PT5 To provide for a pavement along the Ballyconneely road linking the Old Ardbear bridge to the Ardbear Community school to the south. PT6 To provide for Bus cages on Market Street. PT7 To provide adequate cycle parking in the Clifden Town Centre Area.

Water & Sanitary Services Objectives WS1 Continue to provide for the ducting of existing and future service cables in public areas as funds are available. WS2 Continue to carry out improvements to the existing infrastructure of the town’s sewerage system. WS3 Continue to carry out improvements to the existing infrastructure and quality of the town’s water supply system. WS4 Continue to provide or assist in the provision of adequate water and drainage facilities throughout the town. Town Centre Objectives TC1 To co-operate with the Tidy Town Committee and others in deﬁning Clifden’s distinctiveness with a view towards achieving a visually attractive town. TC2 To conduct a study of the streetscape of the commercial areas of the town, including shopfronts, with a view to implementing a scheme for their conservation. TC3 To facilitate development through environment improvements. TC4 Continue to provide for the ducting of existing and future cables in public areas, as funds become available. TC5 To develop a public toilet facility for use by tourists. TC6 To improve the quality of town signage, street furniture etc. as part of a town centre improvement scheme. TC7 To provide for a uniform design of litter bins at speciﬁc locations throughout the town centre. TC8 To improve the signposting of heritage buildings and walking routes through the development of integrated singsong system in and around the Clifden area. TC9 To encourage provision of street trees in the town centre area. TC10 To designate an Architectural Conservation Area within the historic town

Industry & Employment Objectives

TR1 To widen or realign the Ballyconneely road from Ardbear Old Bridge to the Plan Boundary at Salt Lake, and to provide a footpath from Ardbear Old Bridge as far as the Clifden Community School. TR2 To widen Hospital Road to serve the National School, Health Centre and GAA pitch and the development lands to the north. TR3 To define clearly the edges of the N59 with private property, on the approach to Clifden town through the use of natural stone walls, tree planting of native species and the creation of entrance features on the approach to the town on this road. This is vital to the visual amenity of the approach road from Galway, particularly from the Mart to the Station House Hotel. TR4 To identify a distributor road from the N59 to lands north of the town TR5 To introduce shared surfaces at selected locations to facilitate traffic calming and the development of a more pedestrian friendly environment. This shall be pursued in harmony with the objectives of the Clifden Visitor and Traffic Management Study 2000. TR6 To improve the definition between pedestrian and vehicular circulation areas in harmony with the objectives of the Clifden Visitor and Traffic Management Study 2000. TR7 To provide for traffic calming measures along the Ballyconneely road within the 30mph speed limit zone.

IE1 To service and assist, within the limits of available ﬁnance, suitable sites, as identiﬁed by the service industry.

Pedestrian & Cyclist Links Objectives

Amenity, Open Space & the Natural Environment Objectives

CP1 To upgrade and improve existing footpaths links to the town centre and residential estates for easy usage by both the disabled, parents of young children, the elderly and cyclists. CP2 To develop a pedestrian walkway / cycle link along the Owenglin and Great Western Railway embankment linking the amenity zoning which stretches eastwards from Clifden town centre. CP3 To improve / upgrade the pedestrian route linking the new Library on Market street via the Old Gaol to the Old Sawmill. CP4 To provide a footpath along the Beach Road, or shared surfaces where appropriate, and to examine the feasibility of continuing the Walkway / promenade to the Square. CP5 To provide a footpath from Clifden Glen to the town centre. CP6 To provide a footpath along the Ballyconneely road linking the Old Ardbear bridge to the Clifden Community School to the south. CP7 To assist in the implementation of the objectives of the Clifden Visitor and Traﬃc Management Study.

Traffic & Parking Objectives PT1 To implement traffic management measures, and assist in the implementation of the objectives of the Clifden Visitor and Traffic Management Study. PT2 To provide for new and enlarged car parks at locations which are Convenient for the town, the following areas are being considered: • The area of land which is located to the south bank of the Owenglin river, west of the new Ardbear bridge and north of the Ballyconneely road. • Existing public car park on the Galway road. PT3 To examine the feasibility of providing for Bus/Coach parking on a site located directly to the south of St. Joseph’s Convent or at a site which is equally convenient to the town centre.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Urban Renewal Objectives UR1 To assist in the implementation the Market Hill Rejuvenation Plan 1998. UR2 To facilitate the conservation of the Gaol, by the development of a Conservation Plan for the structure in consultation with the local landowner, as encouraged by the Heritage Council. UR3 To encourage high standards in the implementation of future urban and village renewal projects. The Urban and Village Renewal Millennium Project should act as a standard bearer in terms of design and finishes used. For example paving, lighting, litter bins and other street furniture etc. UR4 To improve building frontage overlooking the Owenglen river. UR5 To promote and facilitate the objectives detailed in Appendix 2:Specific Objectives Map 2 (Town Centre). UR6 To assist in the implementation of the Clifden Town Renewal Scheme 2000. UR7 To improve the sign posting of heritage buildings and walking routes through the development of an integrated signposting system in and around the Clifden area. A1 To upgrade the visual amenity of the N59 on the approach to the town through the use of natural stone walls, tree planting of native species and the creation of entrance features on the approach to the town on this road. This is vital to the approach road from Galway from the Mart to the Station House Hotel. A2 To preserve and improve the condition of the public right-of-way to the former Roman Catholic Graveyard. A3 To provide a footpath along the Beach Road, or shared surfaces where appropriate, and to examine the feasibility of continuing the walkway / promenade to the Square. A4 To develop a pedestrian walkway / cycle link along the Owenglin and Great Western Railway embankment linking the amenity zoning from the east of Clifden to the town centre. A5 To protect views of visual amenity as identified on the Appendix 2:Specific Objectives Maps. A6 To identify trees and stands of trees for Tree Preservation Orders, and where possible hedgerows to be protected. A7 To encourage tree planting / roadside screening at appropriate locations in the town centre, and to pursue the planting of semimature native tree species on kerb build-outs on Market street and Main street. A8 To upgrade / improve the condition of all lands zoned Amenity in the plan, in order to facilitate recreational and amenity functions. A9 To co-operate with local residents in maintaining public open spaces within housing estate developments in partnership with the local residents or to seek management agreements from developers where appropriate. A10 To implement a tree planting scheme between residential clusters. Where it is appropriate, landscaping management agreements shall

November 2008

be agreed with the planning authority prior to the commencement of development. A11 Erect walking route signage around the town and to route such as Creggs Mountain and the Twelve Bens as part of a co-ordinated walkway programme of public signage; subject to landownership agreements and due regard to the environmental sensitivity of the area. A12 To support the protection / conservation of SAC’s and NHA’s through consultation with Duchas and the requirement of an environmental report for certain developments in these areas.

Tourism Objectives T1 To improve sign posting of heritage buildings and walking routes through the development of an integrated signposting system to allow for a uniform design approach to signposting, public litter bins, street name plates and street furniture. T2 To prepare a Detailed Amenity Action Plan for the development of natural and built amenities in the area from the Owenglin Estuary to the west to the amenity zoning to the east. T3 To assist the new tourist / information centre in the promotion of tourism in the Clifden area. T4 To evaluate the potential of developing a Marina type development within the Owenglin estuary area. Such an evaluation would have regard to the physical, environmental and commercial feasibility of any such proposal and would have to take cognisance of the proposed and existing sewage treatment schemes and the existing salmon run. T5 To investigate the feasibility of developing a river walk along the northern side to the Owenglin River linking it to the Beach road. T6 To assist local initiatives to promote the variety and range of tourist accommodation on properties where existing tourist facilities will assist in extending the tourist season and reducing the demand for one- oﬀ, tourist generated housing in the countryside. T7 To provide for the business expansion of the Rock Glen House Hotel. T8 To encourage awareness of structures of special heritage interest.

Community and Educational Facilities Objectives CF1 Provide disabled driver bays at car parking facilities in the town centre on Main Street, Bridge Street and Main Street. CF2 Align street furniture so as to minimise obstruction to the visually impaired. CF3 Introduce kerb dishing and tactile crossings at appropriate locations. CF4 Location of a bus terminus/ bus cages which is convenient to the town. CF5 Upgrade facilities in the Court House to accommodate a youth centre or alternatively make it available for a tourist oﬃce or educational facility in association with either NUIG or the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. CF6 To provide a Civic Recycling Centre and to increase the number of bring banks to serve Clifden and surrounding areas.

Urban Design and Conservation Objectives UC1 To protect structures and sites included in the Proposed Record of Protected Structures. UC2 To review the Proposed Record of Protected Structures, and to have regard to recommendations to be issued by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. The adoption of a Record of Protected Structures is a reserved function. UC3 As part of a review of the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) consideration will be given, that more appropriate protection may be aﬀorded to some structures in the context of an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA.)3 UC4 To ensure that any interventions to Proposed Protected Structures are undertaken in accordance with best Conservation practice, the planning authority endorses the “Architectural Survey and Assessment Draft Best Practice Guide”, as prepared by Duchas the Heritage Service, as minimum requirements to be submitted with applications for works to Protected Structures. The planning authority also endorses the Conservation Guidelines issued by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.

Environmental Services Objectives ES1 To provide a civic recycling centre to serve Clifden and surrounding areas. ES2 To increase the number of bring banks provided in Clifden.

Have an Opinion on the Draft Clifden Local Plan? We welcome your comments! Email them to news@connemaraview.com or post to Connemara View, Clifden, Co. Galway or drop them in the Viewbox at the Paper Shop, Main St., Clifden. PAGE 43

The Connemara View Crossword No. 50

Across

Down

8. Luggage Item (8) 9. Entertained, Diverted (6) 10. Foreign Child/House Minder 11. Much loved precipitation this summer (8) 12. Declares (6) 13. Sales for this product are down this summer (3, 5) 15. Milky Stone (4) 17. Foodstuffs (7) 19. Evangelist (7) 22. Citrus fruit is a mile away (4) 24. Soaked up (8) 27. Doubting this man’s name (6) 29. Non drinking (8) 30. This porter should be taken to account (6) 31.Juneau is capital of this US state (6) 32. Seashore to produce delightful swimmer (3, 5)

5. Dignified month (6) 2. Fabled lost continent (8) 3. Military force or Co. Fermanagh town (8) 4. U.S. State, capital city Atlanta (7) 5. Starvation of masses (6) 6. Feel pain (6) 7. Old, barbaric naval punishment (8) 14. Shellfish (4) 16.World’s second best footballer (4) 18.Muchemployeddevicethissummer(8) 20.Youthful or immature man (5,3) 21. Small stinging creature (8) 23. Hero worship (7) 25. Greater than right angle (6) 26.The caped crusader,Robin’s buddy (6) 28. Take into custody (6)

ACROSS Bogman 44 1 Be at pains to be as a revolutionary inside? (5) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4 Expose illegal practice by including bone hospital series on TV. (7) 8 Half of the previous number, and all of the following one? (4) 8 9 9 Is liar’s act designed to be against all outsiders, whoever they are. (10) 10 Change of prenatal responsibility once the baby is born. (8) 11 Agreement that will attempt to include what the consumers actu10 11 12 ally do. (6) 13 Complex Court 1porn case changes to different crime, usually 13 14 15 16 linked with 4A. (10) 16 What about the effect of global-warming on the ice caps? (4) 17 The man from Westminster is on the grass. (4) 17 18 19 18 Cadetships arranged, hopefully to be mentioned honourably in them later. (10) 20 21 22 23 20 Alternatively, supporter can be vocal only. (6) 22 Give lesson on wriggling out in test case? (8) 24 Named holy figure, need change. (10) 24 25 26 26 Exercise the biceps between the machine and the power source. (4) 27 Reckoned to sound like a visitor? (7) 28 Sounds like a fair price for cheap perfume. (5) 27 28 DOWN 1 Wicklow vale party fruit? (7,4) Enter answers into draw of correct anwers for a voucher 2 Vets patient for alternative implant in medical for Homeware Plus in Clifden by November 26th. organisation? (5) Winner Bogman43 : Barbara Davies,Cashel.ConnemaraView49 : Mary Gough,Clifden 3 Though upset, Rose wrote on a machine that identified 4 Down. (9) Answers to Bogman 43 & Connemara View 49 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4 The account in the bill I get really bugs. (7) A B A C U S S C O T L A C S F A B S F 8 9 S L O O L 5 Mixing paint is not a suitable pursuit. (5) B U S T R E C R E A T I O N B E X C I T E D W E L L I 6 Is ite fitting to clip pet, i.e. when dishevelled? (9) R R A H E R I 10 11 E I A E E G P A R A D I S E F A I R L Y R 7 Is it still part of heavenly eternity? (3) D E N I M P E N I T E N T L E D 12 Go before a man responsible for booking you? (6,5) 12 T 13 14 15 16 D A G A M S R E N A L R O T A E A S T E 17 14 Super evil, twisted and disgusting. (9) E L E C T C O P P E R S G V T N U 20 15 They might give disturbed teens a dip at the 18P E D 19D L E D U H L A W W I E X T E N T N A M P E R E R H I seaside, but not during springtime. (4,5) G I S N R G 21 22 23 24 R I A I L L 19 Though badly stained, material was finished A G E S T H E W S T A L L B 25 E D E L W E I S S Y O D A A S I A smoothly. (7) 26 27 28 P A R E D L W O M B A T P O L A R I S E R 21 Are they as mythical as 7Down is? (5) T H U R S D A Y L A Y I N L I A E I S 30 23 Rummage through the magazine holder. (5) 29 T T T Y F B L U E B O T T L E N E E D I 25 Ruffian loses the head over sign of affection. (3) E B E N E Z E R A S T E Y D N E P G S

N D A N G G C E R H N O O E L I N G A R N

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Repeat of previous evening: Noon-4 pm.Weather Forecast (*Broderick Electrics; Sweeney Oil) & Community Notices: 3pm/4pm/8pm (*Gannon Sports) *Sponsors

11am – 12 Noon

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SUNDAY

MAGAZINE PROGRAMME

The Friday Fix

Monkeying Around

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Mary Roe

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Heather Kearney

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Heather Heanue

Various Presenters

4 - 5 pm

Pirates of the Airwaves

Gateway Hour

David (Poland) 5:05 - 6 pm Hooked on Music John Duane * Clifden

Rory Tangrey 5:05 - 6 pm Jack's Spot

Mickey Mac 5:05 - 6 pm Inishbofin Live

Kathleen O'Brien 5:05 - 6 pm Failte

Jack Tomlinson

Paul Kehoe

Mary Corbett Joyce

Margaret Sheehan

Sean Halpenny

Dave 5:05 - 6 pm Lyrical Allsorts Linda O'Malley

6 - 7pm As Gaeilge Caitriona Nic Ghiollaphadraig 7 - 8pm

6 - 7pm An Hour with

6 - 7pm My Kind of Music

6 - 7pm Take It Easy

6 - 7pm It's the Weekend

6 - 7pm Blues Highway

6 - 7pm Footappin' Time

John Dunne

Martin Conroy *Clifden

Michael O'Toole

Liam Joyce

Lol Hardiman

Tom Mongan

7 - 8pm

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Talk Sport

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Injury Time

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Senior Side of the Street

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Pat O'Toole *Tullycross and Michael O'Neill & Helen Breandan O'Scanaill Cashel Credit Unions *Acton Construction King 8pm 8pm 8pm Cleggan/Claddaghduff Cashel Report Clifden Report

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*Mulcrone Bros

*Mannin Bay Hotel

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Richard de Stacpoole Anne Conneely

Bernard Lee

Breandan O'Scanaill

Mary Gordon O'Toole

John O'Malley

Dave O'Halloran

Paddy Gannon

8:15 - 9pm Ann's Mixed Bag

8:15 - 8:15pm Comm. Matters cont. 8:30 - 9pm Pat O'Toole

8:15 - 9pm Music with Pat

8:15 - 9pm 2 Man Show

8:15 - 9pm American Country

Coast to Coast Paul Phelan

8:10 - 9pm Decades of Hits

Pat Keaney Matty McHugh

African Scene Sam & Beatrice

Ann Conneely

PAGE 4 4

November 2008

Brendan Ridge

*Mayo Furniture

Michael Coyne

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

Humans of all ages and sizes were transformed into ghosts, ghouls and strange ﬁgures on Halloween night all over Connemara! Oughterard had its ﬁrst ever Halloween parade (photos bottom left) while kids in Clifden enjoyed a Halloween disco at the Town Hall (photos bottom right). Later on the grown-ups got up to the usual madness at the annual Mullarkey’s Fancy Dress (photos top).

A Spooktacular Halloween Fright-Fest! Kids Disco photos by Stephen Coohill. Oughterard photos by Tom Broderick. Mullarkeys photos by Staﬀ.

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

November 2008

PAGE 45

HOUSEHOLD

ACCOUNTANTS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

PLANT HIRE AUTOMOTIVE

ECOLOGICAL SERVICES

PETS

CATERING WINDOWS

Advertise in the Classifeds & Business Directory Now with a FREE on-line listing!

For more info CALL 095-22888 or go to

www.connemaraview.com PAGE 46

November 2008

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

CLASSIFIED ADS

SAND & STONE

WEDDING SERVICES

Properties 5 bedroomed house to let from October ‘08 to June ‘09. Rooms en suite, all mod cons. Phone 095-44618 for details. One bedroom apartment to let. 5 mins from Clifden town centre.Washer/dryer and all modern conveniences. Private location, not in complex. 087 – 7450193. Spacious 2-bedroomed apartment to let in Clifden town. Recently refurbished to a high standard. Responsible tenants required. Available immediately. Contact 086-805-3760 . Attractive 2-bedroomed modern cottage to let in Clifden, ﬁve minutes from town centre. OFCH. Available immediately. Contact 086-8053760. For Rent: 3 bedroomed semi, 10 minute walk from Clifden town. Close to school, fully ﬁnished, central heating. Electric shower, bath tv and all mod cons. Private Parking and patio/garden. Contact 095-22711 or 087-7626917 day or night except from Nov 10th-17th. For Rent: 2 & 3 bedroom apartments and rooms to let, 5 minutes walk from Clifden town centre, fully furnished. 095 44924 or 087-249-8097.

Items for Sale or Rent 24 ft cruiser/racing sailing boat for sale. In good condition, good sails, recently re-wired, many new parts, €7000 o.n.o. 086-293-1819. For Sale: Plastimo inﬂatable dinghy and 4hp mariner outboard engine for sale. All in good condition, €750. 086-293-1819. For sale: ELU Radial Arm Saw for sale with table 220v. Good condition, €750. 086-293-1819. For Sale: Double Room Suite of furniture for sale, bed and mattress, 2 lockers and wardrobe. Practically new! Interested? Please call 087-653-9184. Connemara Bouncing Castles for hire for all occasions, supplied with rain covers, delivered, erected and collected. 095 21219. Prefab Horse Stables for sale or rent (see photo): Delivered to your door. Two or four horse stables available. Call for appt to see on site. 086-346-9372.

Animals/Pets Airedale Terrier Pups for sale. Vaccinated, wormed and microchipped. Excellent pedigree and temperament, ready to go to good homes now, well priced. Call 086-063-4084 for details. Pure Bred Pedigree Jack Russell Puppies for sale, tan and white, 3 female, 1 male, beautiful markings, mother and father can be seen. For further info, contact Deirdre Holmes, Clifden on 086-316-7743. 9 month old white Gander. Home-bred, domesticated and free range. Better for breeding than eating, no charge and can deliver. Contact 086 400 6666. Animal Rescue: Homes required for black cats and kittens. All cats neutered and vacinated. Please contact 087-249-9849. Wide selection of dog/cat accessories, premium pet foods, professional advice on nutrition, pet maintenance, radio fence pet containment systems, micro-chipping, cat boarding service, grooming and lots more at Western Veterinary clinic, Galway Road, Clifden. Tel 095 22209. Veterinary emergencies only, call 087-917-9248. Mare Scanning service now available at Western Veterinary Clinic. Ring the office on 095 22209 for an appointment. It’s Better To Neuter! Neutering is far better for your pet’s health, whether male or female. The good news is that you could be eligible to have your dog or bitch neutered for only €20.00! Phone Dog’s Trust Ltd on 1890 946 336. Are you feeding stray cats? Feeding is not enough! Cats are very successful breeders, and one or two cats can soon turn into a whole colony. So, don’t delay! Help fight the problem of stray cats: phone 01 4163030 to find out if you are eligible for a ‘Blue Cross’ Cat Neutering Voucher. Is your cat or dog overweight? Did you know that obesity in pets can cause serious health problems? Western Veterinary Clinic, Clifden, offers a FREE ‘weight-watcher’s’ programme for pets. Ring WestVet on 095 22209 for an appointment.

Services Website Design: Creative, professional and aﬀordable web-

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER

sites by Cuán Mara Design, Letterfrack, Co. Galway. For pricing and to view portfolio visit www.cuanmaradesign. com. For a competitive quote phone Caroline Herriott on 086-0791918 or email caroline@cuanmaradesign.com. Personalised Candles for weddings, christenings, memorials and anniversaries. Allow 3 weeks for personalisation and delivery. For details call (095) 22101.

Employment Nanny/Mother’s Help required from January 2009. Approximately 20+ hours per week with option for additional hours. Three children aged 7, 4 and 2 with school and part-time creche commitments. References essential. Own car preferable. Clifden area. Excellent pay. Family relocating from Dublin. Contact Sinead on 087-963-0968 or smhconroy@gmail.com. Cleaners/Caretakers required for holiday home rental agency. Good rates of pay. Flexible hours. For more info please call 095 41844. Part Time Barber required. Experience necessary. Turk’s Barber Shop, Oughterard. Contact Remzi at 091-866-669. Pub staﬀ required for busy Irish pub in Naples, Florida, U.S.A. For details call 086-346-9372.

HEADSTONES

Health Reiki/Seichem. Experience the calm and healing energies of this treatment, which is drug free and non-invasive. These powerful energies can heal on a mental, emotional, spiritual and physical level. Qualiﬁed Reiki/Seichem Master Practitioner, call Yvonne on 086-365-3266.

Cars 2000 Opel Astra. NCT to March 2010. 2 lady owners, owner emigratinggenuine reason for selling €2,000. 0872948175.

Information Services Does your partner? Call you names, constantly criticise you? Control your access to money/phone/ car etc? Monitor your time, threaten you and the children? If so you may be in an abusive relationship. For free, friendly, confidential advice and support call D.V.R. @ 091-866-740. Clifden Citizens Information Centre provides a free and confidential service to the public. We are in the VEC offices above the Statoil Garage, Galway Rd, Clifden, and can be contacted on 095 22000 and 087-130-1100. Thursday 7pm-8pm and Friday 10:30am- 3:30pm.

November 2008

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November 2008

CONNEMARA VIEW NEWSPAPER