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Connemara in FlamesTh e month of April saw vast areas of Con-

nemara go up in fl ames after a prolonged spell of dry weather left the ground dried out to a fi re hazard level. While the burning of gorse and scrub on land used for agricultural purposes is a commonplace and accepted practice in Connemara and indeed all over the country, the level and scale of damage caused by blazes outside of the permitted controlled burning period this year has not been seen in many years, or in living memory for many.

Between April 1st and 23rd the Galway Fire Service attended in the order of 150 fi res which can be included in the category of bog, gorse and forest fi res compared to a total of approximately 160 such fi res in the whole year of 2009. Th e majority of these fi res occurred in the western part of the county, particularly involving the areas of the Galway City and Clifden Fire Brigade, which have a fi re ground area in the region of 1000 kilometres each. Clifden Fire Bri-gade attended approximately 50 gorse, bog and forest fi res in the time period concerned. Lands around the outskirts of Moycullen, Oughterard, Roundstone, Moyard and Let-terfrack were among the areas worst aff ected.

In response to a letter from Th e Conne-mara View, Chief Fire Offi cer for Galway, Mr. Michael Raftery stated “It is very dif-fi cult to estimate the cost and impact of such fi res and the impact has been quite severe; in a lot of cases the Fire Brigade were deployed in conjunction with Coillte personnel and local volunteers to protect adjacent forestry and properties, particularly houses and water supplies. One of our main concerns was to maintain some level of fi re cover to attend

other serious incidents like road traffi c col-lisions or house fi res at the same time”. He also acknowledged the support of Coillte personnel and local volunteers during the ‘very diffi cult period’.

Under the Wildlife Act 1976 as amended in 2000, it is an off ence to light vegetation from March 1st to August 31st. Th e instances of successful prosecution for this off ence are rare however, as the burden of proof is often dif-fi cult to obtain in rural and remote locations.

Supt. Tony O’ Donnell of Clifden Garda Station explained to Th e Connemara View that there were no reports of deliberate lighting in the month of April. “Th ere are currently no evidence or reports of deliber-ate lighting. We understand the frustration that everybody feels at this time and the fear and terror that pervades the community during episodes like this, and would appeal to the public to come forward if they have information that they feel is relevant to the damage caused in recent weeks”.

In addition to the extremely high costs placed on the Galway Fire Services, enor-mous commercial damage also occurred. While many homes were in serious danger with some temporary evacuations, there was no loss of life or signifi cant domestic damage, due to the constant presence of the fi re services when homes were under threat. However, Coillte estimates losses of around 300 hectares of its forestry in Connemara, with a replacement cost of €2,500 per hectare. Tony Clarke of Coillte said “In total, about 1000 acres of forestry was severely damaged or lost in Connemara, between Coillte and privately owned forests. Th e cost of replacing that and all of the costs in-curred, including the hire of the helicopters

has been and will be extremely high”. Another serious cost has been incurred

by the animals and wildlife that inhabit the aff ected areas. District Conservation Offi cer at the Connemara National Park Ger O’ Donnell expressed his concern at the impact these fi res cause for wildlife. “Illegal burn-ing causes huge problems for wildlife, not just the burning of nests and eggs and young birds but also causing damage by wiping out valuable food for birds and mammals such as insects, frogs and lizards, snails and slugs etc. Valuable cover for birds and mammals has also been seriously damaged”. Th ere have also been reports in some localities at the need to destroy some sheep that were trapped in the raging fi res.

In the week ending April 24th, a welcome change in the weather conditions helped to get the still burning and smouldering areas under control. While the aff ected areas will gradually regenerate over the coming months, the cost of these fi res will be counted in many quarters for some time to come.

Who Pays?It appears that one of the main concerns

or reservations that the public have when it comes to reporting fi res are the poten-tial bills that they could be faced with. Th e charges for calling out the Fire Services are signifi cant, but the cost of not doing so when a situation requires their assistance is highly likely to be far greater. At present, a call out to a Bog/Commonage/Gorse Fire is €400 for the fi rst hour with a €400 fee per hour or part hour thereafter. Charges are per Fire Brigade Station in attendance. Th is fee will be charged to a landowner who calls out the service to deal with a fi re on his/her land. However, a member of the public that

witnesses a fi re, or a fi re being lit and reports it to the local Gardaí would not be liable for the cost of the call out.

With local authorities and their emergen-cy services under the same economic pres-sures and strains as other bodies, the costs of fi res like the ones in recent weeks will have a serious impact on public fi nances and impact on scarce resources that would otherwise be spent elsewhere. A full list of Fire Charges obtained from the Galway Fire Station can be seen at www.connemaraview.com.Catherine Pryce

Photo above: Th e fi re accelerates in Moyard. Photo by Shane Bisgood

Youth Café Open!Th e latest addition to the newly renovated

section of Clifden Town Hall is a state of the art Youth Café providing a much needed social venue for secondary school students. To begin with the café will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 7:30pm, with the potential for further opening hours and days in the future, dependent on availability of volunteers and demand. Users of the venue are required to register and pay a minor subscription towards the costs and mainte-

nance of the facility (€15 per year or €25 for families). At least two members of a panel of local volunteers who have undertaken training courses with Foróige will be on hand at all times supervising the café, which has a maximum capacity of thirty people at any time.

Youth café mem-

bers will also join the management commit-tee of the venture, ensuring that they will have a voice and infl uence on the way the café is run and develops going forward. Many lo-cal young people were already involved in the design of the café and how it should look and the feedback to date has been fantastic and extremely positive. Internet facilities, hot and cold refreshments and snacks, reading mate-rial, a notice board and a projection screen for movies and video games are just some of the features of the new café, as well as comfort-able seating and hang out areas.

Th e provision of this new and valuable youth facility was undertaken by a subcom-mittee of the Clifden Town Hall ARC Com-mittee, with support from Marie Feeney and the FORUM Adolescent Support Project, the FORUM Social Inclusion Programme, the Probation Services and the Regional Drugs Task Force. Th e support of many local sponsors who have donated to and supported the cafe is also greatly appreciated. Th e future success of the Youth Café will rely on the availability of volunteers- anyone interested in getting involved may contact Eily Vaughan on 087-644-9164.

Name Needed!While the Clifden Youth

Café is now up and running, a name has yet to be chosen by members. A dedicated Fa-cebook page has been created and is open for posts and suggestions-just type ‘Clifden Youth Café’ into the search option and make a sugges-tion, or drop in to the café on Tuesday or Friday afternoons from 4:30-7:30pm.

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REGIONALCredit Union Talent Competition

Th e Credit Unions of Co. Galway are seeking entertain-ers for their CU-Factor Talent Competition. All those who like to sing, dance, play music or make people laugh are invited to contact their local Credit Union and pick up an application form. Individuals and groups are welcome to take part and there’s no age limit. Contestants are expected to provide their own accompaniment or backing disc/tape. Judging criteria will be based on performance, stage pres-ence and entertainment value. Th e winning act will receive a cash prize at local and county fi nal level. Each Credit Union organises their own local competition and the winning two acts go forward to the Galway County Final in the Town Hall Th eatre in Galway on Sunday May 30th.Auditions will take place in the Cashel Community Centre on Saturday May 8th from 11am so come along and show off your talent-it just might be worth your while! Application forms and further details are available from the Cashel-Connemara Credit Union at 095-31128 and 095-31101.

CSI Cake SaleCSI Clifden are holding a cake sale on Sunday May 9th at

11.45am in Th e Station House Hotel, Clifden. All dona-tions of baking will be welcomed. Please leave your cakes/breads etc to Siobhán in King’s Hair Salon on Saturday 8th May or directly to the Station House before 11am on Sunday. Please support by attending this event and passing the word on.

Th e CSI Clifden public meeting took place in Ballycon-neely on April 26th last with thanks to Brendan Keogh for the use of his premises. Th e main news at the moment is that arrangements are being made for the Design Team to meet the planners in Galway Co. Co. for a pre planning submission consultation very soon. We understand that this meeting will go ahead with no delay once a date has been made. After this meeting takes place it is expected that the planning application will be lodged sometime during this month.

Th e next CSI Clifden public meeting will take place in Claddaghduff Community Hall on Monday 14th June at 8 pm.

See www.csiclifden.com for all the latest news. If you want to be included in any text alerts please text your name to 087-125-4208. Please include your email address to be included in our mailing list.

World MS Day A Coff ee Day will be held in Connemara Community

Radio on Wednesday 26th May from 10.30am to 6pm to help raise much needed funds. Every cent raised will be do-nated to the Western Branch of the Irish MS Society. If you would like to help out on the day by way of baking or mak-ing a donation please contact Colleen Curran on 095-41616 or 087-284-1006. World Multiple Sclerosis Day is a global movement uniting every person with and aff ected by MS worldwide. Together every individual, group and organisa-tion in the world can fi ght to improve the quality of life of all people with MS and many more people aff ected by it. To

learn more about the history and origins of World MS Day please visit the international site at www.worldmsday.org.

Animal Rescue SaleA fundraiser in aid of Renvyle Animal Rescue will be held

on Sunday June 6th at the Ellis hall, Letterfrack from 10am to 3pm. Books, bric-a brac, toys, plants, clothes, DVD’s, curios, home baking, and much more will be for sale on the day. Donations of items for sale are very welcome-phone 087-056-6302 to arrange collection or bring on the day. Our last sale at Easter was a great success thanks to all who sup-ported us. Judy Lawrence

Community Clean UpA general cleanup is to take place in the Streamstown /

Tempaill an Dearg Graveyard on Sunday May 9th at 2pm. Please take some garden tools along-rubbish bags and gloves will be provided. Th e FÁS team recently strimmed the graveyard and a good turnout should further help to improve the appearance of the area dramatically.

Heritage Society TalkTh e Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society will hold

their last indoor meeting for the season on Wednesday 12th May in the Station House Hotel and the starting time is 8pm. Th e main speaker on the night will be local archaeolo-gist Michael Gibbons and he will talk on, ‘Recent fi nds in the Connemara area’. As with all of Michael’s talks, there will be plenty of interest and a few surprises as well.

Th is talk will bring to an end a busy season with many in-teresting speakers, most of them from the area. Th e Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society will begin again in the autumn with a further series of fascinating talks. Th e society welcomes members at any time, but all of the talks are open to the public.Breandan O Scanaill

Padraig Ó Céidigh Addresses Connemara Tourism

Th e Annual General Meeting of the Connemara Tour-ism organisation which took place in Clifden on Monday, April 27th naturally focused on the diffi culties in tourism in current economic times but with a positive, solution-based tone. Th e guest speaker, Aer Arann’s Padraig Ó Céidigh, inspired the members with a mix of candid realities, encour-agement for CT programmes, and great humour.

Among the hurdles to be tackled for the organisation include a declining membership and the increased competi-tion for grant monies. Chairperson Josephine De Courcey spoke eloquently of these situations and the need for CT to continue to build the wonderful brand that is Conne-mara. As a volunteer group, the energies of all members are required.

Over the years, the www.connemara.ie website has devel-oped signifi cantly. Julian Matz of Netlink is the webmaster and he presented statistics that showed that the majority of web hits come from America and the UK while the conti-nental European market is growing. A fuller multi-lingual website that is more regularly updated was discussed.

Hill walking has become a major focus for CT. Th e or-ganisation has put an exciting new programme together in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, FORUM and Co. Galway

VEC. Th e fi rst year’s participants are now in the process of obtaining qualifi cations as Profes-sional Marine and Countryside Guides with

Hill Walking Specialisations. Th ere was a great uptake for the course which will position Connemara to profession-ally respond to the huge Hill Walking tourism market. CT Director Michael Laff ey is the primary force behind this programme. He stated that currently there are approxi-mately 200,000 individuals who come to Connemara for hill walking annually. Over 6 million go to the Lake District in the UK for this activity. Since getting to the West of Ireland is actually faster by fl ying to Galway or Knock airports from London, a goal of doubling the number coming here is very achievable.

Padraig Ó Céidigh, the founder and CEO of Aer Arann, is also the Chairman of the Board for Fáilte Ireland. A Connemara man, he bonded with the crowd quickly and responded to numerous queries on Fáilte’s style of market-ing the West. Th e number of tourism related organisations in Galway West was a concern to him. In Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, there are 34 organisations that are all seeking grants from the same sources. He recommended bringing regional organisations under cooperative umbrellas. He was particularly impressed with the new Hill Walking pro-gramme and envisioned it as an important future market for the region.Photo below: Pictured at the AGM of Connemara Tour-ism in Foyle’s Hotel in Clifden on April 27th were (l-r): PK Joyce, Aer Arann CEO Padraig Ó Céidigh, Greg Th ompson, Connemara Tourism Chairperson Josephine De Courcey, Joe Lynch, Carmel Murray, Julian Matz, Eileen Morris and Michael Laff ey.

Údarás Re-appointmentsTh e Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Af-

fairs, Mr. Pat Carey T.D., has announced the re-appoint-ment of three members of Údarás na Gaeltachta for a fur-ther three years. Th e appointees are Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, Director, Oideas Gael, Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal, Treasa Uí Lorcáin, Administrator, Acadamh na hOllsco-laíochta Gaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua, Co. Galway and Cathy Ní Ghoill, Manager, Comharchumann Árainn, Co. Galway.

“Th ese appointees have carried out their functions on be-half of Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Gaeltacht community in a committed and diligent manner during their current term of offi ce,” Minister Carey said. Th e Minister added that these appointments will provide stability and continuity for Údarás na Gaeltachta’s activities at this crucial time for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language, having regard in particular to the ongoing work on the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language.

42 New Jobs in ConnemaraA newly expanded manufacturing operation of HID

Global Ireland Teoranta at the Údarás na Gaeltachta Business Park in An Tulach is to create 42 new jobs in the Connemara region. HID Global, one of the world’s largest providers of secure identity solutions, announced last year that it was consolidating its eGovernment passport inlay production to its Connemara campus. Minister for Social and Family Aff airs, Éamon Ó Cuív offi cially opened the newly expanded operation, which is supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta, in late April, saying “HID Global Ireland Teoranta is a key contributor to the economy of the Con-nemara region and this development shows that the area can sustain and support the expansion of a high-tech industry, even in these testing economic times”.

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Computer Volunteers NeededVolunteers are needed to assist with the

running of one-to-one beginner computer classes for those over 55 in association with Age Action and the Clifden Library. Th e classes will go on for 8 weeks and will con-sist of approximately 2 hours per week on Tuesday and Th ursday mornings. Very basic computer skills will be taught in a fun and caring programme and induction and train-ing manuals will be provided. Classes are free and learners can contribute up to €10 towards the cost of the training manual.

Further details can be found on www.ageaction.ie/getting-started.htm or phone or email Justine Delaney, 087- 262-5517. jdelaney@ageaction.ie. Details can also be left with Paul at the Clifden Library.

Roads UpdateCllr. Eileen Mannion said more funding

is urgently needed to bring the roads up to a safe standard after further deterioration of the Connemara roads network. While much work has been carried out in recent months there are still major repairs required to being the roads up to an acceptable standard. Cllr. Mannion said that there are plans to resurface 1km of road at Cashleen, 1 km at Lettergesh, 2km of the Inagh Valley and 2 km stretch of the R341 (Canal Stage, Roundstone, Bally-conneely) in the next few weeks.

Galway County Council is also seeking funds to carry out major road resurfacing on the N59 Clifden to Leenane road.

Family History DayA successful genealogical seminar was

held at the Station House Hotel in Clifden on the 17th of April. Th e seminar was host-ed by the Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society and organised by Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill and Marie Mannion, Galway County Heritage Offi cer. It was partially funded by the Heritage Council. During the course of the day, those attending were introduced to a variety of sources to help them trace their family history. Many of the sources are available on the Internet and instructions were given on how to access documents such as Griffi th’s Valuation, the

Day Care Art ExhibitionOn the morning of Friday April 30th, members and

staff of the Clifden Day Care Centre gathered at the new premises of the Cashel-Connemara Credit Union in Clifden to mark the opening of an exhibition of art works by members of the centre. Local artist Cathal O’Malley gave classes over a six week period at the centre and the resulting creative and inspiring works are currently on display at the Credit Union offi ces where they will remain for the month of May during normal opening hours. Photo right: Mary Gavin and Barbara King with art teacher Cathal O’Malley. Photo below: Clifden Day Care members whose art is included in the exhibi-tion: (L-r): Frank Sullivan, Cathal O’Malley, Michael McDonagh, Th omas King, Bill Brown, Paddy Hoverty, Peggy King and Loretta Canavan of Clifden Day Care.

census forms and other Internet genealogi-cal aids. Th e seminar is one of a number of initiatives currently underway in prepara-tion for Clifden 2012, when the town will celebrate its bicentenary. Th e Society hopes that by facilitating people in their quest to trace their family roots, they will encourage a greater interest in family and local history. Photo above: Gregory O’Connor, archivist at the National Archives Dublin, local his-torian Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill, Tom Cuff e of the Western Family History Association, Marie Mannion, Galway County Heritage Offi cer, and Rob Goodbody, lecturer and historian.Photo courtesy of Kathleen Villiers Tuthill

FF Comhairle Ceantair AGMTh e West Connemara Comhairle Cean-

tair AGM was held in JC’s function room on Monday April 26th. Th ere was a great turnout with about 50 people in attendance including Minister Éamon Ó Cuív and Cllrs Seán Ó Tuairisg and Seamus Walsh. Th e outgoing chairperson Seán King was contested for the chair by Michael Gib-bons. Th e outcome of the voting was Seán King-20 votes, Michael Gibbons-5 votes. Th e outgoing secretary Mary Corbett-Joyce was contested by Patricia O’ Halloran. Th e outcome of the voting was Mary Corbett-Joyce-22 votes, Patricia O’ Halloran-3 votes.

Robert Mitchell of Ballyconneely and Mary Booth of Renvyle were elected trea-surers unopposed and Josie Conneely was elected P.R.O. Th e delegates elected to the Comhairle Dáil were Mary Corbett-Joyce,

Seán King, Liam Bartley-Allen, Raymond Conneely of Moyard, Daniel Sammon of Renvyle, Sharon Lee of Cashel and Josie Conneely. Youth offi cers are Sharon Lee and Martin Kearney of Renvyle. Daniel Sammon was elected vice chair.

Josie and Margaret Keaney of Cashel who recently cel-ebrated 50 years of marriage were presented with a framed

photo taken by photographer Carmel Lyden, by Minister Ó Cuív on the night. Th ere followed a very active meeting and amongst the many issues raised were: the new community school, Clifden sewerage and water, SAC’s and planning permission, destocking of sheep from the mountains, the recent gorse fi res, Roundstone marina, water meters, the importance of water con-servation with a possibility of grant aiding rainwater collection tanks and tourism.

National Heritage WeekEvent Registration is now open for

National Heritage Week, which takes place from August 21st -29th 2010. National Heritage Week off ers new ideas, enjoyment and an important educational opportunity. Th e week provides opportunities to pro-mote Ireland’s quirky hidden gems and also provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the natural and cultural heritage in your area. All events that relate to aspects of our heritage, including our evolving multi-cultural heritage are suitable for National Heritage Week.

All events must be registered by 31st May for inclusion in the Heritage Week Event

Guide. Th e guide is distributed in advance of the week throughout Ireland and Europe. For full details go to www.heritageweek.ie.

Environmental Partnership FundMinister for the Environment, Heritage

and Local Government John Gormley T.D. announced details of this year’s Local Agen-da 21 Environmental Partnership Fund on April 24th-inviting applications from communities, individuals, not for profi t groups, or organisations off ering projects or initiatives that contribute to increasing local levels of environmental awareness; or those which promote building greener, more sustainable communities. Th e Department is making total grant assistance of €315,000 available for the 2010 scheme. Matching funding by local authorities will bring the Fund to €630,000. Th e Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small scale, non-profi t environmental projects at local level. A wide variety of projects and schemes have been supported under the Fund in previous years ranging from com-munity gardens,allotments and compost schemes to rainwater harvesting systems-from ecological educational initiatives to environmental exhibitions.

Projects should focus on environmental awareness and actions which comple-ment national environmental policies such as those on Waste, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Ap-plication forms and further information on the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Part-nership Fund and can be obtained from the Environmental Awareness Offi cer of your local authority and on the Department’s website www.environ.ie.

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ClifdenThomas Whelan Wreath Laying

of Th omas Whelan’s execution and that the Cumann would be marking the occasion in a manner befi tting the sacrifi ce he and so many others made. Minister Éamon Ó Cuív then said a decade of the rosary as the rain poured down and laid a wreath of lilies in green, white and gold at the memorial

cross. Liam Bartley Allen thanked everyone for their attendance and invited all for tea and coff ee afterwards which was much appreciated by the saturated crowds. Photo (L-r): Christy Canning, Mary Corbett-Joyce, Liam Bartley Allen, Tommy Whelan, Deputy Frank Fahey T.D., Mary Whelan Pryce, Minister Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., Seán King, Daniel Sammon, Josie Conneely, Cllr. Seamus Walsh, Oisin Conneely, Margaret Keaney and Josie Keaney. Photo courtesy of Mary Corbett-Joyce

Library NewsEaster Art Competition

Well done to everyone who took part in the library’s Easter Art competition. All the entries were wonderful and were proudly displayed in the library windows over the Easter Holidays for the community to see. Th ank you to everyone who supports our ongoing used book sale; the proceeds of which funds all our children’s activities in Clifden Library.

Summer Reading ChallengeTh e summer reading challenge is a reading initiative aimed

at primary school pupils. Its goal is to encourage children to visit the library regularly during the summer holidays and to keep up their reading outside of school. Studies have shown that children who take part in the reading chal-lenge over the summer maintain their reading level and sometimes can improve on it for their return to school in September. Th ere is a diff erent theme every year to make it more interesting and there are also lots of fun challenges and competitions (with prizes) along the way. It runs all through July and August and fi nishes with a party and presentation of certifi cates in early September. More details will be available in the library nearer the time. Photo: March reader of the month was Pat-rick Nevin of Clifden. Bernie Jeff ries

Local Lotto WinCongratulations to Eileen Coohill of Sky Road, Clifden

who won the Clifden Lotto jackpot of €7,800 on April 5th. She was presented with her winning cheque on April 12th by Dave Beecher and Siobhan Stoney of the Clifden Lotto Committee. Photo courtesy of Pat Casey

Tidy Towns NewsOur third Super Sunday clean up held on Sunday 18th

April was once again a great success! Th e 2 large industrial skips provided by Galway Co.Co. were full to capacity and near enough was left in bags to fi ll another. It was great to see all approach roads clean as a pin for the last few days due to the dedicated work carried out by all those that volun-teered their time. A fantastic day weather-wise also helped to create a great community spirit for this annual event. It was great to see so many age groups represented, especially our more senior citizens who give great guidance to the younger generations to help give great pride back to our town. At the end of the clean up, Joe Lynch and Supervalu staff once again provided a great spread that was greatly appreciated by all the days’ volunteers. On behalf of the Tidy Towns Group we wish to thank everybody that participated in this annual event, it is very encouraging to see so many sectors of our community give such dedicated time to such a great cause. At the end of the day, the satisfaction of seeing our town super clean was a great reward and we look forward to it staying that way over the coming year.

Ballyconneely Road Tree Project: One of our major projects this year was to do a tree planting project on the Ballycon-neely Road, from the Old Mill outwards. Th is project was completed last weekend and the results are fantastic as have been seen by those that have driven the road during the past few days. Th is is part of the 2012 Clifden Bicentennial Cel-ebration projects and whilst we are obviously a little bit ahead of schedule, this is only a part of the Tidy Towns group’s eff orts to get the town ship-shape for 2012. Th e group chose Mountain Ash, Silver Birch and White Hawthorn as the tree types best suited to enhance the drive into town from that side. We would like to acknowledge the invaluable contribu-tion of Supervalu Clifden, who sponsored the purchase of the trees as well as the support of Mary Margaret and John Reilly who stored all the trees before planting as well as al-lowing access to their water supply etc. Th e work and eff ort in putting the trees into place are another refl ection on the invaluable work carried out by the Clifden Tidy Towns group volunteers. Th e Group once again has shown how dedicated citizens within the town can take on such projects and en-hance their community and environment.

Old Jail Walk: Another of the Group’s projects is nearing completion with the fi nishing touches being put to the Old Jail walk. It is great to see so many of the secondary school students once again using this old right of way as a safer and easier route into the town centre. With just a bit of land-scaping left to complete as well as a few minor environmen-tal projects to fi nish off , this project once again is testament to the Group’s dedication to our town. We have one or two other projects that will be coming into the public domain shortly, one of which we will be completing shortly is the wild fl ower garden at the Social Welfare Offi ces. As always, to keep on top of all the garden tidy ups etc, we welcome any volunteers to join us on Th ursday mornings at 11 am to help keep us up to speed. You can keep an eye on the notice board in Supervalu or contact the secretary at cregghouse1@eircom.net or alternatively ring Sheila Griffi n, at 095-21441 or P.K. Joyce at 095-21688. PK Joyce

Photo below: A group of Super Sunday Tidy Towns volun-teers before undertaking a major clean up in Clifden on Sunday April 18th.

Despite the cold and rain there was a large turnout of approximately 100 people in Clifden on Easter Sunday for a wreath laying ceremony at the Th omas Whelan Memo-rial monument. Th e event was organised by the Th omas Whelan Fianna Fail Cumann and chairman Liam Bartley Allen began by welcoming the large crowd. Mary Whelan Pryce, niece of Th omas Whelan sang ‘Th e Shawl of Galway Grey’ which Th omas sang to his mother from his prison cell the night before his execution. Th is was followed by Daniel Sammon of Renvyle, author of the book ‘My Great Walk across Ireland’ who spoke at length and with great passion about the life of Th omas Whelan. Mary Corbett Joyce, secretary of the Cumann and National Executive member of Fianna Fáil sang the ballad ‘Kevin Barry’ accompanied by Aodán McGlynn on accordion and Deputy Frank Fahey then read out the Proclamation of Irish Freedom. Mary Corbett Joyce welcomed the Whelan family members present and acknowledged the attendance of Cllr. Seamus Walsh, former Cllr. Josie Conneely and a visitor from the birthplace of Kevin Barry who came to pay his respects. She went on to say that 2011 will be the 90th anniversary

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BallyconneelyBallyconneely N.S. News

Last month, a team from Ballyconneely NS school won fi rst prize in the junior section of the Credit Union table quiz. Th e team consisted of Cliona Gay, Rory

Conneely, PJ Nee and Emma Ridge. Th ey won a trophy for the school and each one of the team got a plaque and some prizes. We started our sean-nós dancing classes this term. Irene Cunningham will continue to teach us dancing for the term. Th anks to Galway Atlantaquaria for all their help with the fi sh project. Th e fi sh have now been safely returned to the sea as the weather was getting too warm for them in our tank.Photo courtesy of Bridie Duane

Mini Marathon VolunteersVeronica O’Malley and Lillian Little of Bal-lyconneely are to once again run the Flora’s Women’s Mini Marathon in Dublin on June Bank Holiday Monday. Th eir chosen charities are Ability West and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children. Anyone wishing to make donations of any amount are asked to contact Veronica (Our Lady’s Hospital) on 087-968-1590 or Lillian (Ability West) on 085-278-1435.

Active Age OutingMembers of the Ballyconneely Active

Age Group enjoyed a recent outing to Clifden where the group had lunch at EJ King’s. It was a great day with wonderful food and craic and was greatly enjoyed by all. New members are always welcome at

the coff ee morning in McWilliams Café in Ballyconneely on Friday mornings. For more information contact Carmel Lyden on 087-661-8419. Photo: (L-r): Ethel Keogh, Monica Con-neely, Matthias Conneely, Mamie Flaherty,

Majella Bourke, Mickey Joe Conneely, Carmel Lyden, Nonie Flaherty and Margaret King. Photo courtesy of Mary Corbett Joyce

Rural Transport?Minister Éamon Ó

Cuív initiated a meeting to discuss ‘rural trans-port’ which was held on Monday, April 26th at the Ballyconneely Com-

munity Centre. Josie Conneely chaired the meeting and the invited guests were repre-sentatives from Bealach (who operate rural transport systems in other regions), FO-RUM, and the Garda Superintendent, who sent two Gardaí in his place. Th e Minister did not present any specifi c plan on rural transport to the half fi lled room but did solicit opinions on the subject. He suggested that a hackney system could be coordinated.

However, discussions moved quickly away from that subject and for the better part of an hour the main statements and queries were regarding the activities of the Gardaí in Ballyconneely.

Various speakers queried the need for the constant traffi c checkpoints in a village of such a small population. In particular, the need to impound cars for expired motor tax caused signifi cant discussion. Th e point was made that in such dire economic times it makes little sense to hinder an individual’s ability to work by taking their vehicle, since back tax must be paid regardless, in any event. Publican Brendan Keogh stated that the constant checkpoints added severely to the already intense pressures in operating a pub in today’s economy. Others remarked that they had experienced a severe lack of

courtesy at the Garda Station. Th e two Gardaí present could not provide any of-fi cial comment on the night. Eventually, a three person delegation was formed to meet with the Superintendent to discuss the situation.

Just before the meeting wrapped up, the Minister sought a consensus on whether to move forward with developing a rural transport plan, which resulted in a fairly unanimous show of hands. Th e Bealach and FORUM representatives present were not called upon to speak at the meeting. Ellen McDonough

Cleggan/Claddaghduff First Confession & Communion

Congratulations to the children from Cleggan and Claddaghduff National Schools who made their First Confession in Claddaghduff Church on Th ursday, April 29th. Th e children; Catherine, Jen-nifer, James A., James O., Amy, Hilary, Leanne, Megan, Michelle, Brian, Bren-dan, Paddy and Ronan will celebrate the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 15th at 11 o’clock Mass in Claddaghduff Church. Th anks to all who have helped them prepare for their special day and best wishes for a happy day for the children and their families!

Claddaghduff Monster BingoTh ere will be a Monster Bingo in Cladd-

aghduff Hall on Sunday, May 23rd with €1,700 in prizes to be won. All welcome, so come along and try your luck. Bingo takes place every Sunday evening in Claddaghduff Hall at 8:30pm.

Best Wishes to Stevie King from Aughrismore from all at Claddaghduff Bingo. Stevie is recovering from surgery in Galway and we look forward to having him back with us very soon.

Th e winner of the fourth quarterly bonus draw for the Claddaghduff Hall Bonus Ball was Eddie O’Toole, Aughrismore. Congratulations Eddie and thanks to ev-erybody who has supported the Bonus Ball Fundraiser over the past year.

Carna Basket Making CourseA FETAC Course in Basket Making sponsored by FÁS in conjunction

with Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim took place in Carna recently. Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim is part of NUI Galway that promotes the Irish language and culture through third level courses as well as working with FÁS. Photo: Liz O’ Donnell, Sandra Uí Cheannabháin, Colm John Mac an Iomaire, Teagascóir, Mairín Uí Cheannabhain agus Antoine Ó Mainnín a d’fhreastal ar chúrsa caoladoireachta Fetac in Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim Carna le gairid. Photo courtesy of Seán Ó Guairim

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Cleggan/Claddaghduff Claddaghduff Hall Fundraising Triathlon

Th e 2nd Annual Claddaghduff Hall Fundraising Tri-athlon will take place on Saturday, June 26th at 3pm. As with last year, the starting point will be Acton’s Beach in Claddaghduff . Th ere will be a 4km tidal assisted swim to Doon followed by an 18km cycle from Doon to Sweeney’s in Claddaghduff via Tank Road, Emlough, Aughrisbeg and Aughrismore. Th en a 5km run starting and fi nishing at Sweeney’s via Larragan and Aughrismore. For entry details please contact Laurence Conneely at 086-853-0339 or by e-mail to info@cleggancladdaghduff .com

Community RemembranceHelen Cosgrove of Aughrismore passed away on Febru-

ary 7th last in the care of the staff at UCH, Galway. Helen was a very prominent member of the Cleggan Claddaghduff com-munity and whenever there was a bit of craic to be had, Helen would always be there to join in-she was even known to go travelling to Bal-lyconneely, Roundstone and Letterfrack for a good night out! Up to recent years, Helen could be seen (and heard) travelling the roads on her trusted Honda 50 motorbike; visiting with neigh-bours and going for her groceries. Helen was one of the founding members of the Claddaghduff Bingo. In 1970 or thereabouts, Helen and Gerry DeLappe carried out a door-to-door collection in the Aughris, Cleggan, Claddaghduff area to raise money for the fi rst ever Claddaghduff Bingo prize money with a view to putting the monies raised back into the community and to maintain Claddaghduff Hall for community use. She attended bingo religiously every Sun-day over the years and always enjoyed the chat and craic and maybe a little trip to the local afterwards (weather permit-ting!). Helen is greatly missed by many people; her family Jack, Margaret, Olivia and Brian and their extended family and by her neighbours and friends and of course all of the regular bingo goers. Th anks Helen for your great commu-nity work all through the 1970’s and I think it is safe to say that she left a great legacy. Dorothy & Laurence Conneely

Festival of the Sea 2010Plans are well underway for the 2010 Festival of the Sea

which takes place in Cleggan and Claddaghduff from Sat-urday July 24th through to the fi nale of the Claddaghduff Pony Show on Sunday August 8th. Th e aim of the festival is to provide entertainment and activities for all in the community and a vast array of sporting, musical and artistic events are already planned, including a community triathlon, badminton, beach rugby, golf, sea and fresh water fi shing, ceili’s, exhibitions, a seafood buff et banquet and much more. Anyone who wishes to enter teams in any of the sporting events is asked to contact Maura Nugent at mauranug@yahoo.ie. A full schedule of events will be available nearer the time.

Claddaghduff Hall EventsSunday 11-12: Kids badminton.12-2: Sunday Club-Senior

Badminton and Book Sales.8:30-10:30pm: Bingo.Monday: 8-9:30pm: Senior Indoor Soccer.Tuesday: 7-8pm: Junior Indoor Soccer. 8-11pm: Senior

Badminton.Wednesday: 8-11pm: Senior Badminton.Th ursday: 4-4:40pm. Senior Badminton.

Inishbofi nArts Festival

Th e popular Inishbofi n Arts Festival will take place on the island from Friday May 7th to Sunday May 9th. For a full line up of events see Pages 36 and 37 .

RNLI Dinner DanceTh e third annual fundraising dinner dance for Clifden

Lifeboat Station took place on Saturday 10th April in Inishbofi n House Hotel, Inishbofi n Island. Again, this year the event was well attended and Inishbofi n House Hotel served a fantastic meal, which was commented on by many who attended. We had the pleasure of having the company of Emma O’Sullivan and John O’Halloran who entertained us with their brilliant dancing and music after the meal.

Our raffl e, which always raises a lot of money, raised over €700, the prizes for which were gener-ously and kindly donated by businesses and individuals on the island and the mainland. We danced long into the night to great music from ‘Th e Amps’, who travelled from Clifden for the night and we thank Island Discovery for sponsoring their travel and Inishbofi n House Hotel for sponsoring their accommodation. Overall we raised just under €2,400 for the lifeboat station. Roll on 2011! Rita BurkePhoto: Pictured at the Inishbofi n RNLI Dinner Dance on April 10th were Olga Carey and Galway Harbour Master Brian Sheridan. Photo courtesy of Mary Day Lavelle

KillanninSchool Cake Sale

A cake and book sale will be held in the Killannin Community Centre on Sunday May 9th. All proceeds from the event will go towards the ongoing develop-ment taking place in St. Annin’s national school. Th e school is currently developing a tenth classroom, new road entrance and car park. Th e sale will take place after 11 o’clock Mass.

Community Support FundingTh e Killannin Collinamuck Commu-

nity Alert group has received funding of €2,808 under the Scheme of Community Support for Older People as part of a total allocation of €117,000 announced on April 9th. Announcing the funding Min-ister Carey said “Th e ethos of the Scheme of Community Support for Older People is centred on continued involvement with older people within our communities and I must thank local organisations in promoting and fostering community activity at local level”. Th e Scheme is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance. Funding is available towards the cost of installing monitored personal alarm systems, monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, external security lighting and other ancillary items of physical security equipment.

Easter DrawPictured below are the St Annin’s Retirement Group from

Killannin at their Easter Draw in the Killannin Community Centre. Back (l-r): Tess Connolly, Julia Cullinane, Vera Far-nan, Sally Kinneavy, Nora Lydon, Peggy Audley, Rose Davin,

Sally O’Connor, Mary O’Halleran, Geraldine Queally, Shei-la Th omas and Catherine Kelly. Front (l-r): Pattie O’Connor, Sarah Kay, Bridie Murray, Mary McDonagh, Bridie Con-nolly, Brigid O’Connor, Margaret McDonagh, Kathleen McEvilly and Lilly Ryan. Photo courtesy of Kay Diviney

KylemoreMay Retreat

A retreat day at Kylemore Abbey will take place on Sat-urday May 8th. Th is year we are discussing various aspects of Benedictine spirituality, always relating it to the needs of daily living and a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Th e guest speaker will be Abbot Patrick Hederman OSB, Abbot of Glenstal. Th e fi rst talk will begin at 11am and the day will end at about 3.30pm. All are welcome.

LeenaneWonderful Walking!

Th e third annual Leenane Walking Festival was once again a great success on the May Bank Holiday Weekend as walk-ers from all over the country converged on Leenane to join with local guides and organisers to explore the walking won-ders of Leenane and the Killary. Archaeologist and walking guide Michael Gibbons introduced walkers to the village and its history on Friday evening before walks of varying length and diffi culties were undertaken over the weekend, including Benbaun, Mweelrea, Glencroft Valley, Leenane Mountain, Aasleagh Falls and the Delphi Valley. Guides and walkers were also assisted and aided by local landowners, whose knowledge and contribution to the Walking Festival have ensured its success and feasibility since its inception

three years ago. Now a fi rm favourite on the calendar of events for walking enthusiasts, the Leenane Walking Festival continues to go from strength to strength due to the eff orts and hard work of all involved. Photo: A large group of walkers in action during the recent Leenane Walking Festival which took place in Leenane and the Killary on the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Photo courtesy of John Holmes

Library to ReopenLeenane Library is set to reopen in the near future, as a

new librarian has now been selected for the library. Cllr. Eileen Mannion said that it is very welcome news for the residents of Leenane as they have had no library service in recent times. Th e library will be open ten hours per week, two hours per day Tuesday to Saturday.

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Leenane Community Support Funding

Th e Leenane Day Care Centre has re-ceived funding of €400 under the Scheme of Community Support for Older People. Th e Scheme encourages and assists the com-munity’s support for older people by means of community-based grants to improve the safety and security of its older members. It is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance and funding is available towards the cost of installing mon-itored personal alarm systems, monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, external security lighting and other ancillary items of physical security equipment.

LetterfrackBog Week 2010

Th e 26th annual Conamara Bog Week 2010 starts on Friday May 28th and fi nishes on Bank Holiday Monday June 7th. On the previous weekend, May 22nd-23rd, there will be two cycle races, sponsored by Rogan’s Gala Stores of Tully and Renvyle House Hotel, which are being run in conjunction with Western Lakes Cycling Club; a 65km event, Th e Conamara Bog Week Grand Prix on Saturday 22nd at 3.30pm, and an 80km event, Th e Gogarty Cup, on Sunday 23rd at 12.30pm. Both of these races are open to all categories-sign in at Th e Marian Hall, Tullycross for each event.

It promises to be a great weekend of cy-cling with some fi ne riders taking part over a challenging and breathtakingly beautiful course. Th ese races put cycling on the map in the Conamara area and give support and encouragement to local riders such as John James Flaherty and John O’Halloran who have been wonderful advocates for cycling, a considerable sport in Conamara. Western Lakes Cycling Club in association with CEECC are organising the event. All the riders will be feed and watered at Th e Ren-vyle Inn after their day on the bike.

Conamara Bog Week will as usual be a celebration of landscape with many facets-an art exhibition; sean nos dance workshops; music workshops; walking events culminat-ing in the Conamara Walkabout featuring poets, musicians and scientists exploring landscape together. A school’s programme runs throughout the week and some of Ireland’s fi nest singers, musicians, poets and dancers will be on hand to make this a memorable week.

For information on the cycling events contact John James Flaherty on 087-912-0910 or go to www.westernlakescc.com.

For a full line up of Bog Week events go to www.ceecc.org or for more infor-mation e-mail lfrack@eircom.net or call 095-41034/43443 or 085-115-4629.

Citizens Information ServiceTh e Letterfrack Citizen’s Information

service will be available at Connemara West (Portacabin 4) on Tuesday May 11th and Tuesday May 25th from 1:30-4:30pm. If you have any questions about Social Wel-fare, pensions, housing, consumer aff airs, employment, education or any of your rights or entitlements call us on 087-130-1100 or just drop in. A wide range of application forms and booklets are also available. For more information call 095-22000 or 087-130-1100/ Email:clifden@citinfo.ie or go to www.citizensinformation.ie.

Funding for Water SchemeTh e Department of the Environment,

Heritage & Local Government has ap-

proved funding for the upgrade of the Letterfrack Water Supply Scheme. Cllr. Eileen Man-nion said “Th is is welcome news for the people of Letterfrack who have been subjected to a ‘Boil Water Notice’ for over a year. While the Boil Water Notice is still in place at least there is now an end in sight” said Cllr. Mannion. Th e estimated cost of the work to upgrade the Letterfrack Scheme is €425,300. Th e Department of the Environ-ment, Heritage & Local Government has approved €335,383.

MaamWomen’s Group

Members of Maam Women’s Group re-cently fi nished Art Classes in Ionad Pobail an Mháma. Th e course was very enjoyable and the participants hope to do another course later this year. Some members went for a weekend away to the Tullamore Court Hotel in Co. Off aly on April 16th. Lowry’s minibus collected the group in Maam on a lovely sunny day and the good weather lasted for the whole weekend. In Tullamore the Group hired a minibus and went on a tour of Off aly and Westmeath. Th ey visited Belvedere House near Mullingar, which was built in 1740 by Robert Rochfort, Lord Bel-fi eld. Since then it has been owned by vari-ous people. It is now owned by Westmeath Co. Council and has been developed into a major tourist attraction. Th e group enjoyed a great weekend. Th ey met 8 members of Tullamore Women’s Group who will visit Maam in the autumn.

RetirementBest wishes to Terry Keenan, Maam, who

has retired from An Garda Síochána. A retirement party was held in Pea-cocke’s, Maam Cross and was attended by family, friends and members of An Garda Síochána. We wish Terry a very happy retirement.

R. Hanley

Maam CrossSheep Shearing

Th e village of Maam Cross will be a hive of ac-tivity on Sunday May 23rd when the Connacht Sheep Shearing Championships roll into town once again. Shearing events will take place all day from 9am featuring Ireland’s top hand shearers, national and international machine shearers, and teams from the four provinces compet-ing for the honours.

Th ere will also be a special feature titled ‘From Sheep to Shawl in 10 hours’ run in association with the Leenane Sheep & Wool Centre, the Con-

nacht Welly Th rowing Championships, a Wool Fashion Show, and guests include sean nós Champion Emma O’ Sullivan, IFA Pres-ident John Bryan, the Queen of the Wool and the King of the Culchies! Trade stands and kid’s entertainment will also be present ensuring that there will something to occupy and entertain all age groups and interests.

Is Your Dog a Tramp?! If so, then he or she might win the title of Th e Tramp of the Connacht Dog Show. Th e Connacht Dog Show which will start at 1pm with a range of classes is looking for a lovable character of a dog, that you may well have at home but fail to bring him out for the day in case he starts a fi ght or piddles where he should not! He should be everybody’s friend but does not fi t the bill or any particular class at your average dog show. Further en-quiries on ‘the tramp’ may be directed to Roger Th omas at 087-632-5681.

For more information on the day or trade stands contact Paddy Rock on 087-243-9760 or Peter MacDonagh on 087-203-8294.

OughterardEaster Dawn Mass

Th e annual Easter Sunday dawn mass was once again celebrated on

the shores of Lough Corrib at Baurisheen Bay, Glann, Oughterard. Th e focal point of the ceremony was an altar fashioned from a fi shing boat. See photo above. Th e morning was cold but dry and the large crowd that attended appreciated the heat from the Pas-chal bonfi re. Th e mass was concelebrated by Fathers Jimmy Walsh, Seán Manning and John Mullen. Music was provided by the Oughterard choir under Dennis Geoghegan and solo fl ageolet by Gareth Small.

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OughterardOughterard Revives Old Tradition

Th ere was a time when markets were seen in every town and village right across the country long before the Celtic Tiger, but many fell away with either time or emigration. In 2006 the council changed legislation on market towns. Many of these market towns now no longer exist and many traditions have been lost. Th e village of Oughterard re-nowned for its location in Connemara or fi shing for trout

and salmon on Lough Corrib has now revived that age old tradition. Th anks to the Oughterard Business Association, ‘Th e Village Market’ is once again a reality. Traditionally the Market was held in the Square on the Main Street but that was a time long ago when a horse and cart were the main means of transport, however the Market will be held in a location that was around at the time-Keoghs Yard.

Th ere will be plenty of variety on off er with chickens, coops, traditional and artisan breads, cheeses, olives, pan-cakes, preserves, cakes, baskets, vegetables, fl owers, outdoor wear and much more.

Th e fi rst Market Day took place on Tuesday May 4th from 10am until 6pm and from now on it will take place ev-ery Tuesday throughout the year with it being held outdoors from May to September and inside from October to April. Keoghs Yard is located across from Supermacs in the village of Oughterard. Free car parking is also available. For further information email obavillagemarket@gmail.com, or visit http://www.oughterardbusiness.com/ or call 086-864-2204.Photo: An image of the old Oughterard fair in the 1920s. Photo courtesy of Jackie Lyons

Vintage Car RallyA vintage and classic car and vehicle rally took place in

Connemara on Saturday April 11th starting at the Con-nemara Gateway Hotel, and driving through Oughterard, Seanapheistín , Ballinahoun, Spiddal, Moycullen and back

to the Gateway. Pic-tured in their vehicles in the sunshine were: Sinead Waters with her 1967 Triumph Herald. Christy McEvilley with his 1963 vintage Massey Ferguson 35X multi-power tractor. Photos by Tom Broderick

Oughterard Show 2010Th e 48th Annual Oughterard Show takes place this

year on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August. As usual, Saturday’s events will involve the International Connemara Performance Championships. Th ese are now in their ninth year, having developed from small beginnings at Mount-bellew in 2002. Last year’s championships were the most successful to date with entries well up and approximately 80 ponies competing. Th e number of people attending also showed a marked increase on previous years.

At the Annual General Meeting held in the Boat Inn on Sunday 21st February 2010 offi cers elected for this year were as follows: Chairman: PJ Burke, Secretary: Maria

O’Neill, Vice Chairman: Leslie Ly-ons Treasurer: Serena Butler.

In this time of fi nancial crisis, when there is a serious down-turn in the economy, the Show Com-mittee recognises that sponsor-ship will be diffi cult to raise, but nevertheless is hopeful that the loyal sponsors of the past will again off er their support. Th e Committee is heartened by the fact that the two main sponsors-Power’s Quarry and the Boat Inn-have already committed to the cause. Th e Show Schedule will be available in early June and, as usual, there will be Connemara pony performance classes together with classes for cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, pets, ponies, donkeys, domestic arts.

For further information about the 2010 Oughterard Show please contact Secretary, Maria. O’Neill, Show Offi ce, Camp Street,Oughterard, Tel: 086-151-7289, Email: oughterard-show@gmail.com or check out the Show web-site: oughte-rardshow.com.

Water Services AllocationsTh e Oughterard Sewerage Action Group has welcomed

Minister Gormley’s announcement of the Water Ser-vices Investment Programme for 2010-2012. Th e Oughterard Sewerage Scheme Network has been allocated €2.8 million and the Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade has been allocated €3 million. Due to the fact that the Network has been allocated separately the Oughterard Sew-erage Action Group is urging Galway County Council to begin work on this part of the scheme as quickly as possible while the Treatment Plant goes through the necessary stages of approval. Th e construction of a new plant in Oughterard should contribute to the improvement in water quality in Lough Corrib.

RecessNew Speed Limit

Th e village of Recess has now obtained a speed limit of 60km per hour, after years of lobbying by the people of the area and the Recess community council to reduce the speed limit going through the village on the N59 between Galway and Clifden. Many visitors to the village must cross the road from the opposite car parking area and the speed of many vehicles passing through has been problematic for many years. Th e speed limit has been widely welcomed by the Recess community council and residents who have been persistently lobbying elected representatives and the roads authority for this amendment in order to reduce the risk of accidents to pedestrians and motorists alike.

Little Gems Community PlaygroupTh ere are currently 11 little gems in our playgroup. Six of

these will be going to school in September 2010 so we wish the very best of luck to Teegan Walsh, Cliona Dunne, Neasa Linnane, Ronan Mannion, Shane Lapierre and Grace Kelly. We will miss them all very much. Th e children come pre-dominately from the Ballinafad, Recess, Bun na gCnoc and Cashel areas but we are open to other areas availing of our

service subject to availability of places. Th e playgroup off ers the ECCE Scheme (free preschool year scheme) and the childcare subvention scheme. Th e playschool is dedicated to creating a warm, caring and educational venue delivered to the highest standards. Th e playgroup also has a wonderful playground and sensory garden attached.

Th e group is holding a sponsored walk and cycle on 13th June 2010 and all are welcome to participate. Th e event starts at 12 noon at the Lough Inagh Boat-house to St. Patrick’s Church Recess via Finisglen. If you wish to contact the playgroup please call Elizabeth at 087-976-1811.Photo above: Neasa Linnane, Shane Lapierre, Teegan Walsh and Ciarán Davitt. News & photos courtesy of Karen Mannion

RenvyleMussels and May Madness!

Th e Connemara Mussel Festival, which is now in its fi fth year on the Renvyle Peninsula, was once again a great suc-cess over the may Bank Holiday weekend, with the recently reopened Paddy Coyne’s playing centre stage for many of the festivities and mussel cooking and eating. Celebrity visitors included BBC TV explorer Monty Hall and his crew who are fi lming in Connemara for the next six months and the cast and crew of Single Handed, who have once again returned to Connemara for the fi lming of the latest installment of the popular drama. Copious amounts of fresh Killary mussels were cooked and eaten and the celebrity cook-off was once again one of the highlights of the festival

as well as plenty of lively music and dancing over the course of the weekend. Photos: Th e celebrities and their assistants who took part in the celebrity cooking competition. (L-r): Seán Coyne, Brian Cunningham (All Ireland sean nós dancing champion), Máirín Uí Chomáin (Chairperson of the Irish Food Writers Guild), Ed Daly (Munster Rugby), Connemara Councillor Th omas Welby, Owen McDonnell (Sgt. Jack Driscoll from the Single Handed series), Fidelma Healy-Eames, Gerard Coyne and Gerry Meade (Euro-Toques chef ). BBC’s Mon-ty Hall and crew fi lming some of the cooking action at the Connemara Mussel Festival. Photos courtesy of Aoife Herriot

To see more of the action and festivities of the 2010 Con-nemara Mussel Festival go to www.connemaramusselfestival.com where photos of this year’s events will soon be posted.

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RoundstoneMistle Thrushes

A rather lovely story here: Alan Keane Conneely and Eamon Mongan were monitoring a thrush’s nest over the last few weeks. To their sadness they saw a cat kill the mother bird, leaving three half feathered fl edglings. Martina brought them up to me with the kids and the nest. As I had an infra red lamp we duly started to warm them up and feed them, running around for worms, soaked small bits of bread and showed them how to feed these tiny birds. Having warned the kids they might not survive the night and not to over feed them, however the birds did survive the night. Th e next day after school the kids were up here like a shot and so glad to see them still alive. Th ey decided to take my infra red light and took them home to look after them. Sadly for the kids the birds died but what a great eff ort. It’s so good to see young people with a very genuine care for the wild life, considering the mass destruction around them of the fauna and wild life from these horrendous recent gorse fi res.

Gorse FiresWhile we are on the subject of fi res, another gorse fi re

broke out close to Roundstone on Th ursday the 22nd up by the quarry on Val Gorham’s and John King’s land heading towards Yvonne King’s house. Th ank God once again for the prompt action of the Clifden Fire Brigade; they had their work cut out, with fi res starting up all over Conne-mara over the last few weeks. What is even more disturbing I don’t suppose we will ever fi nd out how they are being started- is it just devilment, vindictive or just plain ac-cidental? Of course there is the possibility of jumping on the band wagon in the name of vandalism in the clearing for new grass. Whatever it is, it’s a cruel act. I have some photos of scorched sheep and the bog road bogs have all been scorched. It was pointed out to me on Facebook that a local person’s mother who was on holiday driving along the bog road saw two guys just after lighting a fi re right by the road. Th e following day she counted fi ve ewes along the road with all their wool scorched and could see patches of skin all blistered. How they were still walking around defeated her. It is just a pity this lady had no camera to take a shot of these two guys. Perhaps through this message it could be in-vestigated for some sort of identifi cation. It’s just a thought that some years ago we were given a fi re engine as back up for Clifden with a local working crew, but unfortunately the powers that be would not allow us to use the engine. It now makes me think that perhaps we should organise a Roundstone gorse fi re crew, with these special beaters at a central point should this ever happen again, God forbid. We now have had a bit of rain; what man has destroyed perhaps nature will recuperate.

Diocesan Youth Council Pilgimage

On Sunday May 9th a youth pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick will travel from Roundstone with mass being celebrated at the sum-mit of the mountain at 12 noon and the day will fi nish with a barbeque in Mur-risk. A bus has now been confi rmed to depart at 9am from Roundstone but we do need to confi rm number of persons who wish to do this climb and to avail of the bus. Last year 400 young people took part with about 12 from our parish. So just give me call 086-821-5153 and by the way, the climb is open to anybody, naturally weather permitting. But we do need to know who would like to go before a bus is ordered so get in touch!

BBC Production FilmingTh e BBC production of the series ‘Monty Hall’s Escape’

which will be the third episode fi lmed up and down the west coast of Connemara, will be based in Roundstone for the next six months.

A public meeting with Monty took place at Roundstone Community Hall on Tuesday May 4th. Monty is a marine biologist and a public speaker with tales of diving around the world and this was a chance for everybody to meet him, hear about the project and possibly have a brain storming evening.

BelarusLast Monday after Mass we had a visit from a sister from

the Convent of St Elizabeth in Belarus in Ukraine. Th e sister gave a presentation on the history and works of her community in Minsk which is aimed at helping the patients of the psychiatric hospital, also to help children without parental support and suf-ferers of drug and alcohol dependence. Th e sister had a small stall in the hall-way of the church selling various hand made products from her convent, such as icons, crucifi xes and other church items etc but also handmade toys for the kids.

She has travelled all over Ireland to sell these rather lovely items and the proceeds will help the convent’s construction and of course its charitable works.

Fish ShopAs from early June I am delighted to say that Denis

Keane will be opening a Fish Shop in the old Post Offi ce. No better man with his knowledge of fi sh-it certainly will enhance Roundstone as a fi shing village, so just to wish him the best of luck for his future project.

Roundstone Bingo ClubFriday April 23rd was the third time to hold bingo in

the Community Hall. Th ere was a great crowd with two of our regular visitors from Douglas in the Isle of Man. John and Fiona Ferguson won the full house-but get this-they gave the money back into the kitty. So this gesture plus the crowd-could it be a good omen for the future? So John and Fiona-the number 22, two little ducks was a lucky number for all of us. Our grateful thanks to you both, and to Oliver Coyne for hosting the Friday night when I was away. Richard De Stacpoole

Corncrake Alert Th e scheme to protect the country’s last

remaining Corncrakes is renewing its appeal for reports from anyone hearing the loud, rasping ‘crex crex’ call of this rare bird this summer. With the fi rst Corncrakes return-ing to Connemara from their South African wintering grounds early this month, anyone hearing one is asked to please report it to the Corncrake hotline on 095-44941.

In particular, anyone fi shing around or visiting uninhabited islands in north Galway Bay is asked to keep an ear open for these birds. Corncrakes nested on Illaunnac-roaghbeg, near Croaghnakeela (Deer Island) in recent years and can opportunistically establish new breeding grounds when, for instance, sheep are removed from an island. Th ey can also turn up in areas where they haven’t been heard for decades, as happened last year on the Renvyle Peninsula. Th e male Corncrake attracts a female and then pro-tects its territory with its machine-like call, most often heard at night. Th e sound can carry for a mile or more in calm conditions. Th e birds nest in hay meadows and silage fi elds, where mowing machines and earlier harvesting dates have progressively destroyed their nesting habitat.

Up until the 1940’s, there were still tens of thousands of Corncrakes in Ireland; their calls fi lling the night air throughout the countryside. Although they remain plentiful in countries like Poland and Russia, they are largely absent in Western Europe, for in-stance being extinct in England and Wales, as well absent from all but the western and northern fringes of Ireland. Conserva-tion eff orts in recent years have halted the decline in the few areas where they have survived, principally the North Connemara and Southwest Mayo coasts, Erris and in North Donegal. Last year there were eleven calling Corncrakes (i.e. pairs) in Connemara.

Th e scheme to encourage the Corn-crake’s return off ers grants to farmers for Corncrake-friendly farming measures in fi elds where the birds are confi rmed nest-ing. Funded and now managed directly by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, the scheme has seen Corncrake numbers in West Connacht steadily increase, from as low as 14 in the year 2000 to 48 last year, a total representing 40% of the species national population, which stood at just 128 calling (male) Corncrakes in 2009.

To report hearing a Corncrake, please phone 095-44941, or call the Connemara National Park on 095-41054.

P a g e 1 2 M a y 2 0 1 0 C o n n e m a r a S p o r t s V i e w

Th e victorious Oughterard West Under 21 ‘A’ Football Championship winning team defeated Salthill Knocknacarra in the fi nal in Spiddal on Saturday April 10th on a scoreline of 4-10 to 2-8.

Pictured above: (L-r): John Joe Reilly (Manager), Alan Mc-Quinn, Michael Gibbons, Conrad Clancy, Joe Joe Greaney, Donal Gibbons, Patrick Walsh, Mark Kavanagh, Damien O’ Reilly, Jordon Waller, Martin Coady, Paul Mulkerrins, Barry

Molloy, Aaron Coady, Shane Molloy, Ronan Molloy, Bob Naessens, Luke McConnell, Christopher O’ Toole, Michael Mayhew, Stuart Upton, Liam Moran. (Also pictured are selectors Joe Folan and Tom Dougher).Photo right: Oughterard’s Under 21 captain is hoisted with the cup in celebration of the team’s success in the champion-ship fi nal on April 10th. Photos by Tom Broderick

U 21 A Championship Title for Oughterard

Oughterard Boxing Club All-Ireland Title Win

All Ireland boxing champion Colm Molloy celebrated his win recently with trainers and members of Oughterard Boxing Club. Colm defeated the Ulster, Leinster and Munster champions to go on to win the All Ireland B3 (39 Kilo) Champion-ship in Dublin. (L-r): Tony McQuinn, Mathew Tierney, James Kelly, Stephen Molloy, Eddie Casey, Colm Molloy (Cham-pion), Raymond Lee, Martin Healy, Aaron Molloy, Sean Clancy, Marvin Lee and Peter Kelly. Full story on page 15.

Above: All Ireland Boxing Champion Colm Molloy with his parents Stephen and Sarah Molloy. Photos by Tom Broderick

Community Games Badminton SuccessTh e Conamara Th iar Th eas badminton team travelled

to Sligo on April 10th to take part in the Community Games Connaught Badminton Finals. Th e standard of badminton was very high on the day however the team did succeed in bringing home medals. We secured second place overall in the competition which was a fantastic ac-complishment considering the opposition were older and more experienced. Congratulations once again to every-body, a great day was had by all.

Back (l-r): Mairéad Uí Dhomhnaill (trainer), Mary Ellen Ní Fhatharta, Joan Bharry (trainer), Tadgh O’Lochnain, Cathal O’Griofa, Katie Ní Neachtain, Bríd Uí Lochnain. Seated (l-r): Marcus O’Domhnaill, Eoin MacDonnacha, Jennifer Ní Hanrachain, Roisin Ní Neachtain.News & photo courtesy of Mairéad Uí Dhomhnaill.

who was the offi cial sponsor of the County Division 6 League. In conclusion, he con-gratulated Ann Mer-rins, Oliver Heanue, Collette Gannon, Josephine Davitt and Pat Pryce on completing the Badminton Ireland Foundation Level Coaching Course and acknowledged the key role that some of the Ellis members continue to play in the ongoing development of Conamara Th iar’s junior players.

Ellis Badminton Club will be train-ing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Th ursdays in Ellis Hall, Letterfrack from 8-10pm throughout the summer months. New members are welcome. Th e cost of membership is €20 and new members will be registered with Badminton Ireland in Dublin.

Photo above: Galway County Bad-minton Board Chairperson Sheila Noone presents Letterfrack Captain Paul Gannon with his Winner’s medal after he defeated Oughterard’s Rich-ard O’Halloran in straight sets in the Men’s Singles Division 6 Champion-ship Final in Galway.Top Right: Competition Sponsor Helen Sheehan of FC Catering pres-ents Letterfrack club duo Niall Con-neely and Josephine Davitt with their Runners Up medals after they lost out

C o n n e m a r a S p o r t s V i e w M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 1 3

BadmintonPositive Refl ections on a Badminton Renaissance

Th e AGM of Ellis Badminton Club was held in Letterfrack on April 26th last. In his opening address, Chairperson Brendan Ridge commended the Divi-sion 6 squad on reaching the County League Semi Final. He highlighted the Division 6 championship achievements of Collette Gannon (Ladies Singles semi-fi nalist), Josephine Davitt and Niall Conneely (Mixed Doubles fi nalists) and Paul Gannon (Doubles semi fi nalist and Singles Winner). He thanked all the players both competitive and non-com-petitive for their tremendous dedication and commitment to the sport and he looked forward to more of the same in the year ahead. He acknowledged the outstanding contribution of outgoing Treasurer Barbara Joyce to the admin-istrative aff airs of the club and thanked Connemara West for their help and co-operation re Ellis Hall.

Th e Treasurers report followed and the Executive Committee was subsequently elected: Chairperson: Brendan Ridge, Vice Chairperson: Oliver Heanue, Secretary: Paul Gannon, Vice Secretary: Rosaleen Basteed, Treasurer: Collette Gannon, Vice Treasurer: Josephine Davitt. Under Any Other Business, in-coming Secretary Paul Gannon thanked Connemara Community Radio and Connemara View for their invaluable contribution to the revival of badminton in West Connemara and also Stephen Gannon of Th e Old Monastery Hostel

AnglingOughterard AnglingBartley McGauley Competition 2010

On Sunday April 18th the Oughterard Anglers & Boat-men’s Association held the annual Bartley McGauley Fly Fishing competition. 32 anglers entered the event with just 7 trout caught on the day. Lough Corrib has seen very poor fi shing since opening on February 15th last, so let’s hope the coming of the Mayfl y will see an improvement.

Th e results were: 1st Kevin Molloy / 2 trout / 1.74kg, 2nd Owen Kelly / 2 trout / 1.02kg / Heaviest Trout .66kg, 3rd Kenneth Ferguson / 0.54kg, 4th John Gibbons / 0.36kg, 5th Jim Glynn / 0.34kg.

Above left: Kevin Molloy receives the Bartley McGauley Cup from Joe McGauley.Above right: Owen Kelly receives the Baurisheen Cup for Heaviest Trout and prize for overall second place from Club Chairman John Gibbons.Oughterard River Clean Up

On Monday April 12th, members of the Oughterard Anglers & Boatmen’s Associa-tion organised a clean-up of the Owenriff River in Oughterard. Th is is an annual event that Club members take part in voluntarily to protect this Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is also under threat from the out-

dated town sewage system and a recent infestation of pike that prey on the salmon and trout spawning areas. Th e Club would like to acknowledge the support of John McDonagh of Galway Co. Council for his help in this work.Youth Coarse Fishing Demo

Th e Oughterard Angling Club held a Course Fishing Demonstration for their U16 members on Saturday, April 17th. Th e demonstration and talk was given by local man Mike Darcy, well know coarse angling champion. Mike showed the gathering how to set up their rod and reel, what were the most eff ective baits and the diff erent methods of course fi shing. Th e Oughterard Angling Club would like to thank Mike for his time and the Club will be holding a demonstration in Fly Casting in June. News & photos courtesy of Kevin Prunty

Clifden Trout AnglersHarley Cup

Th e annual Harley Cup Fishing Competition took place on Sunday April 25th. On the day, 19 anglers took part with one junior and the total catch was 77 fi sh. Th e heaviest fi sh of the day was 1lb 2oz caught by Danny Vaughan of Faul. Th e results were as follows:

1st: Mike Coyne with 6lbs 4oz of fi sh (13 fi sh in total). 2nd: Danny Vaughan with 4lbs 3oz of fi sh (7 in total). 3rd: Des Black with 3lbs 9oz of fi sh (10 in total). 4th: Ricky Cronnelly with 2lbs 7oz of fi sh (10 in total). 5th: Pat Cana-van with 2lbs 15oz of fi sh (7 in total). 6th: Eamon Mannion with 2lbs 10oz of fi sh (5 in total). Joe Acton

Ellis Badminton Club Letterfrack Division 6 Squad pictured in the im-mediate aftermath of their County Semi Final defeat to Loughrea in Galway. Th e match ended in a 3-3 draw and the sides were still inseparable at 6-6 after the set countback. Th e East Galway side eventu-ally prevailed by 208 to 196 on a subse-quent point countback. Back (l-r): Oliver Heanue, Eamon Lacey, Niall Conneely, Pat Pryce, Liam Murphy, and Paul Gannon. Front (l-r): Josephine Davitt, Lisa Walsh, Ann Merrin, Collette Gannon.

in three sets to the Loughrea pairing of Aoife Wynne and T.G. Lowry in the County Division 6 Mixed Doubles Championship Final. News & photos courtesy of Paul Gannon

Photo left: Th e group of anglers who took part in the river clean up who fi lled a car trailer with rubbish which was removed from the river.

Th e group of young anglers with instructor Mike Darcy and Oughterard Angling Club Youth Offi cer Tommy Tuck.

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DARTS

Grainne Mhaols Darts Administrative Committee 2009/2010 SeasonRoll of HonourCompetition, Winner, Runner Up• West Connemara Singles Cup: John Boisclair, Eamonn Mannion• West Connemara Singles Shield: Tommy Flaherty, John Joe

Donoghue• West Connemara Doubles Cup: Alan & James Flaherty, John

Boisclair/Tommy Flaherty• West Connemara Doubles Shield: Hazel Salmon/ Larry Keady,

Ros Salmon/ Mike Connolly• Canavan-Berry Doubles Cup, Tommy Flaherty/ John Boisclair,

Eamonn Mannion/ Th omas Conneely• Canavan-Berry Doubles Shield: Alan and James Flaherty, Sean

Coohill/ Michael Mullen• Mary Canning Singles Cup: Noírín Needham, Teresa Geary• Mary Canning Singles Shield: Cathy Coohill, Melissa Wallace• Peter Veldon Memorial Cup: Alan and James Flaherty, Dermot

Flaherty/John Joe Donoghue• Peter Veldon Memorial Shield: Jamie Flaherty/Gerry Aspell,

Eamonn Mannion/Peter Coneys• Peter Lydon Memorial Cup: Tommy Flaherty, Justin Murray• Peter Lydon Memorial Shield: James Flaherty, James Joyce• Oliver Coyne Memorial Cup: John Boisclair, Alan Flaherty• Oliver Coyne Memorial Shield: Justin Murray, Eoin Gannon

• Th e Atlantic Cup: Larry Keady/Hazel Salmon, Mike Connolly/Ros Salmon

• Th e Atlantic Shield: John Boisclair/Sandra O’Farrell, Sean Coo-hill/Teresa Geary

• Peter McMahon Memorial Cup: Mark Fitzpatrick, Justin Murray• Peter McMahon Memorial Shield: Peter Coneys, James Joyce• West Galway Singles Cup: James Flaherty, Eamonn Mannion• West Galway Singles Shield: Gerry Folan, Tommy Flaherty• West Galway Doubles Cup: Eamonn Mannion/Joachim

McHugh, Gerry Folan/Declan Ridge• West Galway Doubles Shield: James and Alan Flaherty, Michael

and Nathan Mullen• Hynes/Coyne Cup: James and Alan Flaherty, Mark Fitzpatrick/

John Roger Heanue• Hynes/Coyne Shield: Sean Coohill/Nathan Mullen, Eoin Gan-

non/Stephen Heanue• Connemara Division 1 League: Teach Daingean A, Keoghs A• Connemara Division 1 Championship: Teach Daingean A,

Keoghs A• Connemara Division 2 League: Sweeneys, Angler’s Rest• Connemara Division 3 League: Glynsk House, Tír na nÓg A• Connemara Division 3 Championship: Glynsk House, Tír na

nÓg A• Connemara Division 4 League: Teach Daingean B, Ros’s Bar• Connemara Division 4 Championship: Teach Daingean B, Ros’s

Bar• Connemara Youths Mikey Mullen Memorial Cup: Simon

Heanue Joyce, Sean Coohill• Connemara Youths Mikey Mullen Memorial Shield: Jack Shan-

non, Norman Leggett

Photo left: Teach Daingean A, 2010 Connemara Inter Pub Division 1 League and Championship Winners. Back (l-r): John Boisclair, Tom McDonagh, Máirtín Griffi n. Front (l-r): Michael Connolly, Larry Keady, Tommy Flaherty.

From Top Right: Glynsk House, 2010 Connemara Inter Pub Divi-sion 3 League and Championship Winners. Back (l-r): Matt Casey, Declan Ridge, Seamus Cloherty. Front (l-r): Gerry Folan, John Joe Donoghue, Hubert McGrath. Not pictured: Joseph Conroy.

Th e 2010 Mikey Mullen Memorial Connemara Youths Shield was won by Jack Shannon who defeated Norman Leggett in the fi nal.

Th e Mikey Mullen Memorial Connemara Youths Cup 2010 was organised by Michael Mullen in the Renvyle Inn. Simon Heanue Joyce defeated the defending champion Sean Coohill in the fi nal.

Participants in the 2010 Mikey Mullen Connemara Youths Me-morial Cup and Shield Competitions.

Below Left: Sweeneys Tigers 2010 Connemara Inter Pub Division 2 League and Championship Win-ners. Back (l-r) Jimmy Canavan, Paul Hayes, Michael Coohill, Leo Murray, Niall Conneely. Front: P.J. Coohill, Kenneth DeLappe.

Below Right: Keoghs, Ballyconneely, 2010 Connemara Inter Pub Divi-sion 1 League and Championship Runners Up. Back (l-r): Eamonn Mannion, Kenneth McGonigle, Marty Mullen, Martin Woods, Th omas Conneely, and John King. Front (l-r): Harry O’Toole, James Joyce, Michael Conroy, Justin Murray.

Photos & results courtesy of Paul Gannon

C o n n e m a r a S p o r t s V i e w M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 1 5

Oughterard GolfLady Captain of Oughterard Golf Club Peggie Blehein presents the Easter Hamper to Ruth Cunningham (photo above) at the Clubhouse recently. Th e Hampers for the Easter Competition were generously spon-sored by Probus Wine, Main St. Oughterard.

04/04/10 Easter Hampers Stableford. 1st Gearoid O Cualain (7) 37 pts, 2nd Rich-ard McNamara (9) 36 pts (20b9), Gross: Michael Darcy (4) 30, Gross points: 3rd Tom McDonagh (11) 36 pts (19b9), 4th Tony Dowd (18) 36 pts (17b9), 5th John Ruane (13) 36 pts (16b9).

05/04/10 Stableford. 1st Rob O’Brien (17) 37 pts, 2nd Luke Bohan (11) 34 pts, Gross: Michael Darcy (4) 25 Gross points, 3rd David Joyce (15) 32 points. 4th Eanna Malone (26) 31 pts. CSS 33 pts.

07/04/10 Mc Grath’s Limestone and Gravel 18 Hole Ladies Stableford. 1st Overall, Niamh O’Dwyer , 29, 38 pts, 2nd Overall, Teresa Butler, 22, 36 pts, Gross, Margue-rite Fallon, 14, 19 gross pts, 3rd Overall, Monique Bolger, 27, 34 pts bk 9, Cat-egory 0 – 20 1st , Isolde Claff ey, 15, 30 pts, 2nd , Rita Jordan, 14, 29 pts, Category 21 – 28, 1st , Mary Farrell, 21, 31 pts, 2nd , Ruth Cunningham, 22, 30 pts bk 9, Cat-egory 29 – 36 1st , Emily Stanley, 30, 34 pts, 2nd , Bernie Mc Tigue, 31, 33 pts.

11/04/10 18 Hole Stableford Competi-tion: Sponsor: Irish Turf Care. 1st Ollie Walsh (14) 39 pts (23B9), 2nd Gearoid O’Cualain (7) 39 pts (19b9), Gross: Mi-chael Darcy Snr. (5) 31 Gross Pts (17b9), 3rd Rory Murphy (13) 38 pts (20b9), 4th Andy King (21) 38 pts (18b9, 12b6), 5th Pat O’Sullivan (27) 38 PTS (18B9, 11B6). CSS 36 pts.

18/04/10 18 Hole Stableford Competition. 1st John Gillespie (13) 42 pts, 2nd David Joyce (15) 40 pts, Gross: Ger Cunningham (4) 33 Gross pts, 3rd John Colleran (26) 39 pts (20b9),

4th Cammie Gallagher (13) 39 pts (18b9), 5th Robert Monroe (10) 38 pts, CSS 36 pts.

20/04/10 Open Day Competition 18 Hole Stableford. 1st Peter Moore (17) 43pts, 2nd Niall Mannion (12) 41 pts, (21B9) 3rd Liam O’ Reil-ly (4) 41pts, (20B9), 4th Eanna Noone

(17) 40pts, (21B9), C.S.S 36 PTS21/04/2010 Ladies 18 Hole Stabl-

eford. Sponsor: Tom Lydon Carpets & Furniture. C.S.S. 72 1st Laura Gore (15) 40pts, 2nd Ann M. Byrne (36) 39pts, Gross: Niamh Keogh (15) 20 Gross pts, 3rd Alice Naughton (29) 38pts. Category 0-20: 1st Barbara Buckley

(20) 34pts, 2nd Mon-ica Power (20) 33pts. Category 21-28: 1st Peggie Blehein (28) 38pts, 2nd Mar-garet Fahy (26) 38pts, Category 29-36 1st Linda McDonagh (29) 38pts, 2nd Mary Loughman (29) 38pts.25/04/10 18 Hole Stroke Medal Compe-tition. Sponsor: Tom Lydon Carpets and Furniture. 1st Noel Cheevers (17) 64 Nett, 2nd Geoff Ginnetty (19) 65 Nett (33.5b9), Gross: Michael Darcy

Snr. (5) 75 Gross, 3rd Wally Russell (18) 65 Nett (36.0b9), 4th Jimmy Sheehan (15) 66 Nett (32.5b9), 5th Declan Davin (12) 66 Nett (35.0b9) CSS 70 Nett.

Connemara Golf Club07/04/10 Open Men’s.1st: Hugo Mays (18)

37pts, 2nd: Derek Joyce (9) 36pts,Gross: David Stapleton (1) 29pts, 3rd: Peter

Byrne (12) 34pts, CSS: 35pts. Ladies:1st: Ruth Shaw (28) 38pts, 2nd: Pauline

McCarthy (20) 37pts, CSS: 36pts.11/04/10 Stroke RNLI. 1st: Josephine

O’Neill (27) 70,2nd: Breda Barry (14) 71, 3rd: Maura O’Connor (28) 72. Mens: 1st: Fearghal O’ Rourke (14) 67, David Glynn (15) 69, 3rd: Fergal Moran (17) 70.

14/04/10 Open Stableford. Ladies: 1st: Helen Royliston (21) 33pts, 2nd: Evelyn King (20) 32pts, CSS: 33pts. Mens: 1st: Derek Joyce (9) 39pts, 2nd: Billy Reilly (10) 34pts, 3rd: J.F. O’ Malley (17) 33pts, CSS:33pts.

16/04/10 Mens Seniors Open. 1st: Michael Keyes (17) 38pts (b9), 2nd: John McBride (20) 38pts, Gross: Gilbert McCarthy (10)27pts, 3rd: Jack Cosgrove (13) 37pts, 4th: Vivian Cotter (18) 36pts, CSS: 35pts. Cat A: 1st: Chris McCormack (24) 32pts, 2nd: Ciaran McNamara (11) 29pts (b9), Cat B: 1st: Tim Hickey (15) 34pts, 2nd: Martin Lally (17) 33pts, Cat C: 1st: Tomas Treacy (16) 35pts, 2nd: Geoff Tucker (23) 31pts, Cat D: 1st: Pat Quinn (15) 31pts (b9), 2nd: Sean Birmingham (18) 31pts.

17/04/10 Open Stableford. Sponsor: Joyce’s Grocery. Ladies: 1st: Margaret Lavelle (11) Maureen Brennan (20) 40pts. Mens: 1st: Joe Lavelle (18) PJ Brennan (16) 42pts (b6), 2nd: Bartly Fahy (24) Mattie Connor (15) 42pts (b9), 3rd: Tar Higgins (11) Des Griffi th (11) 42pts.

18/04/10 Open Stableford. Ladies: 1st: Helen Stapleton (31) 40pts, 2nd: Car-mel Gaughan (25) 38pts, Gross: Sheila Richardson (9) 26pts, 3rd: Deirdre Murphy (15) 36pts, CSS: 36pts. Mens: 1st: Brendan Commins (17) 40pts, 2nd: Dave Beecher (15) 38pts, Gross: Joe Lyons (0)37pts, 3rd: JR King (17) 38pts, CSS: 35pts.

19/04/10 Open Stableford. 1st: Mary Geoghegan (24) 36pts,CSS: 36pts, 1st: Billy Burgoyne (19) 40pts, 2nd: Bill For-tune (15) 35pts, CSS: 35pts.

20/04/10 AM AM, Sponsor: Renvyle House Hotel. 1st: Noel Cheevers (17),Christy Higgins (19), Des Cheevers (15), Martin O’Connor (20) 92pts, 2nd: Billy Reilly (10), Kenneth Coyne (19), Pad-raic Malone (9), Michael King (14) 89pts, 3rd: Carmel Gaughan (24), Josephine O’Neill (26), Siobhan Forde (17), Kathleen Burke (24) 88pts, 4th: Jimmy Hayden (15), Frank Clarke (10), Peggy Clarke (18), Geoff Tucker (23) 86pts (b9).

21/04/10 Open Stableford. Sponsor: Faller’s Sweaters, Galway. Ladies: 1st: Nuala Brangan (30) 42pts, 2nd: Ciara Ryan (21) 38pts, Gross: Marion Duff y (14) 34pts, 3rd: Deirdre Murphy (15) 34pts, CSS: 36pts.Mens: 1st Derek Joyce (8) 40pts, 2nd Billy Burgoyne (17) 36pts, Gross: Frank Clarke (10) 32pts, 3rd: F W Fortune (15) 35pts, CSS: 35pts.

22/04/10 Open Rumble. 1st Mary Geoghegan, Mary Howley & Helen McCor-mack 81pts, 2nd James De-Courcey, Michael Gaughan & Carmel Gaughan 80pts, 3rd Frank Clarke, Peggy Clarke & Deirdre Murphy 78pts, 4th Christy Niland, Declan O’Toole & Michael Naughton77pts.

23/04/10 Open Stableford. Ladies: 1st Kathleen Burke (24) 35pts, 2nd Bernie Grady (27) 32pts, 3rd Bridie Colleran (28) 32pts.Mens: 1st James Shivnan (7) 35pts, 2nd Joe King (11) 32pts.

24/04/10 Open Fourball. Ladies: 1st Geral-dine McGettigan (18)/Mary Mooney (23) 40pts, 2nd Maureen Brennan (18)/Detta Doyle (21) 38pts (b9). Mens: 1st PJ Brennan (16)/Joe Lavelle (18) 45pts, 2nd Feichin McDonagh (14)/Sean Birmingham (18) 40pts (b9).

Continued from page 12.As the boxing season fi nishes we look

back on a fantastic year overall for the club. Th ere has been a great increase in numbers attending training and there are now up to forty members attending twice weekly. Last season also saw the welcome addition of girls joining the club.

Th e club entered three boys, Gareth Small, Colm Molloy and Kieran Molloy to the Connacht Schoolboys Championship in November 2009. Th ey each won Connacht Schoolboy Titles with Colm defeating the Irish Champion in the fi nal. Kieran Molloy and Gareth Small won County Titles for the club. Gareth Small and Colm Molloy had great Connacht Championship wins and went forward to represent the club in the All-Ireland Finals. Both boys had put in great eff ort and determination to reach this level. Gareth was defeated by a boxer who went on to win the title.

Colm’s fi rst opponent was the Antrim Champion in the Quarter Final whom he beat 4-2. In the semi-fi nal he defeated the Dublin champion 3-0. In the fi nal he faced the Munster Champion who proved a very tough opponent. Colm boxed extremely well,

Oughterard Boxing Club All-Ireland Title Winheld a steady nerve and went on to win the Irish Title. Th is is the fi rst All-Ireland Title for the club in seven years; the last winner was Peter Lee. Colm was welcomed home to Oughterard with bonfi res and great cheers from wonderful neighbours, friends and fel-low club members.

Th e club has also just been informed that Colm has been selected to represent Ireland against Scotland at end of May. Th ese are very exciting times for the club and this suc-cess is down to the remarkable dedication of the club coaches who commit so much time on a weekly basis to support our young box-ers. It is great to see the increased attendance over the past season and the eff ort being put in by all the boxers to promote the sport and make the club a success. As the season fi nishes we extend a very sincere thanks to all who have supported us over the year, the staff of the Community Centre, parents who travelled to the tournaments and all who volunteered at local tournaments. A special word of thanks to the following coaches and mentors: Raymond Lee, Marvin Lee, James Kelly, Sean Clancy, Martin Healy, Peter Kelly, Ronan Molloy, Keith Joyce, Eddie Casey and Matthew Tierney.

25/04/10 Open Stableford. Ladies: 1st Ev-elyn King (20) 37pts, 2nd: Mary Howley (24) 37pts, 3rd: Marie Bourke (28) 36pts, CSS: 37pts. Mens: 1st Adrian Glynn (14) 39pts, 2nd Killian Riddell (11) 38pts, 3rd Padraic Malone (9) 37pts, CSS: 35pts.

01/05/10 4 Ball. Ladies: 1st: D Murphy (15)/ M Brennan (19) 42pts, 2nd: R Hur-son (22)/A Neary (23) 40pts. Mens: 1st: D Geraghty (20)/ M Bradley (10) 42pts, 2nd: B Jackson (12)/D O’Buachalla (14) 41pts (b9).

02/05/10 Ladies: 1st C Gaughan (24) 39pts, 2nd: R Hurson (22) 36pts, 3rd: C Murphy (21) 35pts. Mens:1st: P O’Donoghue (18) 36pts, 2nd: D McDonnell (20) 34pts, 3rd: J Mahon (13) 34pts.

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CYCLING

EquestrianJumping and Dressage Leagues

Th e Cleggan Beach Spring Jumping and Dressage leagues are in full swing at the moment. Leading in the turn out class is Joanne O’Toole on Ojo and in the lead rein turn out section the leader is Maeve O’Neill and she is also leading in the lead rein class. Sarah Dickenson from Cleggan is leading in the intro class with 26 points.

After week 3, Alison King is just 2 points ahead of Alwyn Moran in the prelim. section with 27 points and Alana Cazabon Sullivan is in the lead in the novice section closely followed again by Alwyn.

Th e jumping league started on Sat 24th April. Peter Cazabon holds jump-ing lessons on Wednesday evenings and both events are gaining popularity by the week.

Th e next Dressage show will be held in Cleggan at 2pm on Sat 8th May and check our Facebook page Cleggan Beach Riding Centre for dates, times and the venue for the next jumping show.Photo Right: Pat O’ Neill goes double clear on his fi rst outing.Far Right: Siobhan Cazabon Sullivan warms up before her test. Th is com-

bination got 1st and 3rd in Advanced Medium at the Cavan Dressage Festival on Sat May 1st.

News and photos courtesy of Judy Cazabon

Rás Chonamara 2010 Easter weekend saw the 5th installment of the Gerry

Clancy Memorial Cup, with its fi rst as a Stage Race. Th is began on Saturday April 3rd with a charity cycle through beautiful Joyce Country, although conditions were far from perfect. Cyclists cycled a testing course rolling out from Oughterard to Leenane via Maam, on through the Inagh

Valley and back to Maam Cross where they stopped for re-freshments kindly sponsored by Peacocke’s Hotel. Th e more daring then completed the second more testing loop, which brought them to Cashla and over Seanaféistín of FBD Rás fame and fi nished back in Race HQ at the Connemara Gateway Hotel. Despite the cold and wet conditions, feed-back from the participants was positive. All proceeds went to the Galway Hospice and the Oughterard Business Associa-tion sponsored two bikes for a draw with proceeds also going to the Galway Hospice.

Stage 1 of the 2 Day Race saw 61 riders comprising of Juniors, A2, A3, A4’S and Vets and one lady who headed out

from Oughterard on a windy Sunday to Leenane. Th e bunch stayed together until Maam Cross where much of the racing began. Th ere was fi erce activity between there and Maam with John Dempsey of Carrick Wheelers eventually victori-ous. Conditions deteriorated overnight and Monday morn-

ing revealed conditions unsuitable for anything other than a high stool or a remote control! Gusts of wind made the 10km TT very diffi cult for all - including spectators - was won by Vet, Chris Troy of Castlebar CC in a time of 13’33”. Nearest to Troy was another Galway rider Brian O’ Donnell, West Coast Wheelers in a time of 13’54” and Castlebar CC rider, Paul Dunne in 3rd position with 14’05,” with the top 6 riders on GC fi nishing within 30 seconds of each other and Dempsey managing to extend his lead on his nearest rivals.

After much discussion and feedback from the riders themselves, Stage 3 was left at its original length of 80km, the bunch again headed out towards Maam Cross with the daunting prospect of the second cat climb at Seanaféistín ahead of them. Th e riders had a rolling start after being neutralised through Oughterard and it is safe to say that the neutralised fl ag was no sooner lowered, than local rider and main race sponsor Nigel Forde of Nigel’s Cycle Store went for broke and attacked in what can only be described as an all-in move in abysmal conditions. In the end after a gruel-ling race, Jarlath Hassett took the stage from Dempsey, who took overall honours with the chasers fi nishing 1’04” down and the unfortunate Rigby fi nishing 1’56” down. Many riders failed to fi nish but hats off to the forty riders who stayed in the saddle in what was one of the more diffi cult days racing. Th en it was back to the Connemara Gateway Hotel who kindly provided warm showers for all who wished to avail, followed by a slap up spread in Faherty’s Bar, Oughterard for the prize giving. Overall hon-ours went to Dempsey, fol-lowed by Hassett and Hack with the team prize going to West Clare C.C. Th anks to all involved especially the local marshals and Gárdai, who off ered their time and assistance before they read the weather forecast!Cliodhna RuanePhoto left top: Rás Cho-

namara winner John

Olympic Handball Connacht FinalsTh e Connacht fi nals of the Secondary Schools Olympic

Handball took place in Killannin hall recently. After a keenly fought competition the titles went to Sacred Heart Westport at U14 girls, Galway Community College won U14 boys and senior boys and Gairmscoil na Piarsagh, Rosmuc won titles at U16 boys, U16 girls and senior girls.

Th e score lines were: U14 girls Sacred Heart 1-Gairms-coil na Piarsagh 0, U14 boys Galway Community College defeated Gairmscoil na Piarsagh 1-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, U-16 girls Gairmscoil na Piarsagh 3-Sacred Heart 1, U16 boys Gairmscoil na Piarsagh 11-Galway Com-

Dempsey (centre in yellow jersey), Jarlath Hassett (left, who came 2nd overall) Joe Kelly of the Rás committee, Nigel Ford (main sponsor) John Dempsey, Sean Clancy (committee) and Gerhard Hack of Western Lakes CC, who came third.

Photo left bottom: Winner of the Rás Chonamara Stage on Day 1 on Sunday April 4th, John Dempsey of Carrick Wheelers. Photos courtesy of Tom Broderick

Jigsaw Community CycleTh e Jigsaw Galway Community Cycle took place on April

10th. Individuals and teams of four cycled to the heart of the Galway city, starting from four diff erent points across the county and uniting in Eyre Square. Jigsaw is a free and confi dential (private) support service for young people, aged 15-25, in Galway City and County. Jigsaw support is about listening to you, to fi nd out where you’re at and fi gure out where you want to be. Th e Clifden representatives raised €550 in sponsorship and wish to thank everyone for their support for this very important Community Support group. Photo below: Pictured at Eyre square after participating in the

Jigsaw Community Cycle were (l-r): Brian O’ Donoghue, Brendan Madden, Frank Brady and Damien Stoney.

Photo courtesy of Brendan Madden

munity College 6, Senior Girls Gairmscoil na Piarsagh 4-Sacred Heart 0, Senior Boys Galway Community College 16-Gairmscoil na Piarsagh 14. Th e All Ireland fi nals will take place in May. Bernard Lee

Gráinne Mhaols Registration DayA Registration Day for Gráinne Mhaols Ladies Gaelic

Club will take place on Sunday 16th May 2010. Th e venues are Clifden Town Hall from 3-4pm and Connemara Com-munity Radio from 5-6pm. If you cannot attend or require any further information please contact Club Registrar Colleen Curran on 087-284-1006 or Paul Gannon on 086-384-7499.

C o n n e m a r a S p o r t s V i e w M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 1 7

RUGBYConnemara Rugby

Th e Connemara senior rugby team wound up this year’s AIB league campaign on Saturday April 10th against a keen Naas side, who were fi ghting to win the match to stay in Division 3. Connemara went into the last game safe in the knowledge that they were out of the drop zone, after a diffi cult year which saw the side winning just a third of their matches and they eventually fi nished in 14th position in the league. Naas held out for a 23-13 win with both sides places secured for next year.

Photo above: Connemara’s David McDonagh runs into a Naas player in the fi nal match of the season.

Photo above: In the pre match warm up at Griffi ns Bar before the fi nal game of the season a presentation of a Connemara RFC club tie was made to Pat Mannion of Moycullen by President Aidan O’ Halloran in recognition of his logstanding support of the club. Gabriel Keady was also honoured but was unable to attend to receive his presenta-tion on the day.

RugbyHeartbreak in U15 Plate Final

Th e April Bank Holiday Monday saw the Connemara U 15’s travel to Galway to take part in the Connacht U15 Plate Final. It was to be the last game of the season and it produced a roller coaster of a match against Ballinasloe RFC. Both teams had beaten strong opposition to get to the last two but on the strength of their league games and their performances in the semis, Ballinasloe were slight favourites.

Connemara won their place in the fi nal by beating Gal-wegians in Cawley Park in a tight, hard fought semi-fi nal which both sides of supporters agreed was the best match both sides had played all year.

Th e weather could not have been worse for the game with a gale force wind blowing down the length of the pitch. Th e ground was also heavy and the threat of rain loomed on the horizon. After a good warm up and pre match instructions,

Connemara elected to play with the wind in the fi rst half. Th e opening exchanges were nervous and tense and both sides began to test each other. Both Ballinasloe centres ran hard and fast at Connemara 12 and Captain Jack Shannon and both received heavy hits for their eff orts. Th e resulting turnovers saw Connemara on the attack. Big carries from No. 3 James O’ Toole and No. 8 John Joyce saw us inside their ‘22. Quick rucking from our pack got us an opening and Hooker Stephen McDonagh was away. Crashing over the line between two tacklers, it looked like the opening score. Not to be however, as the ref judged it to be held up. From the restart Ballinasloe attacked hard and several phases of play saw them reach our 5 metre line. It was a real team eff ort to keep them out but Connemara held the line. A fi ne clearing kick from Out-half Peter Brittain was followed up by No. 8 Joyce, the resulting tackling and rucking saw a great ball for lock Patrick King to break through the cover. Centre Oisin Heff ernan was away, inside and over for the fi rst try. Th e conversion was good and Connemara had a lead.

Playing with the wind, we needed more points and fast. Ballinasloe tried to vary their attack and both Wingers James O’ Toole (Claddaghduff ) and Brian Holmes were well tested. Both stood up to the test and soon, quick think-ing by Fly half John Prendergast had us on the attack. His quick pick and go from a ruck got a few vital yards and great handling through the back line released winger Holmes who crossed in the corner for the try. No extra points were added due to the wind.

Th e day was shaping into a real forwards battle and as the wind worsened both teams were keeping the ball tight and not risking any long passes or loose play. Th e set piece began to play a bigger part in the match, as both sides tried to cope with the conditions and gain possession. Our scrum, nor-mally a strong point, began to creak and it took a huge eff ort from props Matthew Gavin and James O’ Toole to hold and steady the scrum. Not to be outdone, our other forwards were also rising to the task.

No. 4 Daniel Hannon was superb in the lineout, winning two of our line outs and one of Ballinasloe’s in a row. With the clock running down to half time, a huge booming kick from the Ballinasloe No. 10 spun and fell deep into Con-nemara territory. It was very well fi elded by full back Th omas Joyce who quickly countered and brought play back up to half way. Quick support by Flanker Darren Burke fed ball to Matthew Gavin who brought play to the ’22. A great offl oad in the tackle followed to No. 6 Mark Staunton who pulled in the cover and Winger Holmes was over. However it was not to be yet again; he was smothered by a retreating and improvised Ballinasloe defence and the referee felt he hadn’t touched it down.

Th e feeling at half time was that we were far from safe and needed to keep up the pressure in the second half. It was set to be a tense fi nale. After the restart and a few loose exchanges, Connemara were quickest to fi nd their rhythm. Quick handling from Flanker Mark Staunton and Winger James O’ Toole (Claddaghduff ) got us nice position on the 10 metre line. A couple of great ‘pick and go’s ‘ had pulled in the Ballinasloe defence and a short pass from a ruck went perfectly to the hands of No. 8 John Joyce.With lighting speed he cut inside through two defenders and handed off the next two before striking for the line, trying to avoid the remains of the drifting Ballinasloe defence. He touched down for a spectacular try between the full back and cover-

ing Ballinasloe winger.From a desperately diffi cult angle, Jack Shannon struck the

conversion and as the ball arched into the wind it fell nar-rowly wide. It was now 17-0.

Ballinasloe were not for giving up. Th ey continued to play with determination and structure. With the advantage of a full bench, wholesale changes were made. Connemara went for the knockout blow knowing that with such a strong wind they were in danger of getting pinned back with deep kicks to touch. Th e heads on the Ballinasloe teams were not going down; we needed another score to be safe.

As in life, there are instant moments that can change everything or any game, Connemara were now on the receiving end. Th e three Ballinasloe substitutions began to click, with blistering turns of speed their replacement winger cut through the Connemara defence and touched down under the posts. It was now 17-7. Loose head Matthew Gavin was substituted for a blood injury by Chris Joyce and the constant pressure at the breakdown led Connemara to move Oisin Heff ernan to No. 7 to shore up the pack. Once patched up, Gavin came back on and Flanker Darren Burke was called ashore.

Ballinasloe used the wind well; a huge kick down fi eld fell perfectly for their winger to run on to and for the second time in 10 minutes he touched down under the posts. Th e alarm bells were now well and truly ringing with the score at 17 to 14. With ten minutes to go, a very tight match got decidedly tighter when Connemara gave up a silly penalty, quickly taken, the east Galway lads chipped a good ball up to the Connemara ‘22. Th ey spread the ball wide and exploited the space going over for a try, a fi ne conversion followed and the game had turned in favour of Ballinasloe.

Th ere were still 6 minutes to go and it was all to play for. Connemara attacked for all they were worth but to no avail. Each turnover or spilt pass was met with a huge clearing kick by Ballinasloe. One last throw of the dice saw Con-nemara attack through the forwards. Huge carries and breaks by No’s 8 Joyce, 12 Shannon, 4 Paddy King and prop O’Toole put the Ballinasloe defence under pressure. A scrum on the Ballinasloe ‘22 was won against the head by Conne-mara as scrum half John Prendergast picked the ball for the backs. Th e ref blew the whistle and signalled the end.

Th e scene was one of sorrow and heartbreak in the mo-ments after the fi nal whistle for the Connemara squad; the scenes and emotions in the dressing room afterwards worse again.

No small words or platitudes can do anything in moments like these. In all sport, to appreciate the highs of winning you have to know the lows of losing. With such talented and dedicated young players, there will surely be another day and fi nals ahead.

Well done lads; you did yourselves proud, your parents, your coaches and your club proud and special thanks to subs on the day, Cian Laff ey and Jack Moran. Th ere are ten players who will be eligible to play U15’s next season. Our player’s player of the year was a joint win between Patrick King (Lock) and No. 8 John Joyce. John Joyce was also the leading try scorer on 8 tries. Th anks lads! John O’Halloran

Photo above: Th e Connemara U15 side with coaches John O’ Halloran and Nigel Murray.Photo courtesy of Irene King

P a g e 1 8 M a y 2 0 1 0 C o n n e m a r a S p o r t s V i e w

West Coast Capture League Title

West Coast Utd are Galway 4th Division champions fol-lowing a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over Cois Farraige on Monday April 19th in Drum. An unusual evening to play a league play-off it may have been, but it delivered one of the games of the season; two good teams going head to head with a winner takes all outcome. West Coast should have been red-hot favourites, but most independent observers seemed to expect a victory for the South Connemara men. Being successful all through their underage careers gave the

West Coast lads the edge, and the ability to stay cool when the game seems to be slipping away can only be gained by competing in big games and winning.

On a perfect night for football the pitch in Drum (Salthill Devon) was im-maculate, so there was no excuse for either side not to perform to their best. Cois Farraige started really well and looked a fi t, well

drilled side, a big team playing very direct football. A great contest was in store as West Coast had vastly superior ball players sometimes struggling to compete in the physical side of the game. Th e game came alive after 25 minutes, when to the delight of their huge support, Cois Farraige took the lead from a corner their centre back headed powerfully into the net. Th e back four of Aiden Flaherty, Tommy Walsh, Finian Sheridan, Brendan Kane and keeper Peter Wallace were keeping West Coast alive, until suddenly the whole team woke up. Having not played well, we were not too unhappy to reach the break only one in arrears.

Th e second half was all West Coast and amazingly, it took until the 86th minute to equalize. Th ankfully all three substitutes worked on the night and the value of a really strong panel was probably the diff erence in the end. Eoin Gannon and Stephen Heanue dominated the centre of the park and Mark Gannon and Niall Black provided pace out wide. Black, a second half sub for Neil Lydon was creating all kinds of problems for a Cois Farraige side that showed obvious signs of tiring. Danny Sammon was introduced for Cathal O’ Neill to add a bit of strength as the tackles kept fl ying in. We had three good penalty shouts turned down and lady luck seemed to have deserted us in our fi nal game of the season. Despite being totally dominant at this stage, West Coast weren’t creating too many chances, so a change was needed to get a bit of power up front to help captain and leading goalscorer Shane Lydon. With 15 minutes left Lorcan Conneely came on in goal with keeper Peter Wal-lace going to partner Lydon in attack. Th e move worked and the overworked Cois Farraige defence had no answer to Wallace’s direct play and pace. To the astonishment of all watching, the referee and linesman failed to spot a blatant trip on him as he bore down on goal, but moments later the same player beat two defenders before crossing for Shane Lydon to head home a deserved equaliser. West Coast were rampant now and attacked in search of a winner but the fi nal whistle saved the South Connemara men.

10 minutes a side extra time was played, but neither side could fi nd a goal to win the contest. Th e fi tness of both sets of players was well tested and the Tullycross based side in particular were not found wanting. With no goals, the game had to be decided by the dreaded penalty shoot-out and this turned into a marathon aff air as well. Tommy Walsh, Mark Gannon, Shane Lydon and Niall Black all scored, while ef-forts from Peter Wallace, Stephen Heanue and Danny Sam-mon were saved or off target. Th e contest was tied 4-4 and Lorcan Conneely saved Cois Farraige’s 8th penalty. He then wrote himself into West Coast history by smashing home the next and last penalty himself. To the victors the spoils, and total despair for Cois Farraige, who had given their all and face another season in Division 4.

Chairman of the Galway and District league Jim McS-padden presented the cup to Shane Lydon acknowledging

the contribution West Coast Utd. has made to the league over the last 26 years. He looks forward to seeing us com-peting in even higher divisions soon. It was a fantastic night for all involved in the club and a special mention to the subs who didn’t get to play on the night, but their contribution over the season was immense; Dermot Clancy, Cal Gray, Si-mon Heanue Joyce, Shane Kerrigan and Danny King who was unavailable for this game. Th e league win gave great sat-isfaction to the management team of Joachim Lydon, Kurt Lydon and Danny Coyne who know that this is a small step on the road to compete in Galway’s premier division.Photo left: West Coast Utd. Captain Shane Lydon with the Division 4 League Cup.

West Coast UnderageTh e u13’s need one win from their last two games to

clinch the league title. Th ey recently beat Colga 3-1 to keep control of their division. Th e goalscorers were Colm Coneys, Fechin Mitchell and James Salmon. Goalkeeper Matthew McCarty is becoming a real star of this team with a string of fi ne performances and centre back Nathan Staunton is

On Tour in U.K. Clifden Community School and West Coast Utd. combined forces in April to bring the under 14 soccer team to Manchester for a four day trip. Th e tour included taking part in the Bobby Charlton School of Football, attending the Man Utd. v Spurs game in Old Traff ord, playing two games, a full day in Alton Towers, shopping, and the highlight-a tour of Anfi eld, home of Liverpool FC. Needless to say a fantastic time was had by all and it was really a trip to remember for all involved.

looking like a real fi nd.Th e u14s were narrowly beaten 2-0 in the Connacht

Shield semi-fi nal but overall had a good season and have lots to build on for 2010/11.

Th e u16s played a friendly against touring US team Galway Rovers from Boston. Galway Rovers were founded by Martin Faherty from Recess thirty years ago and have been regular visitors to Galway and Connemara in recent years. Th e standard of football was very good with our American visitors very impressed with the skill levels of the West Coast boys. For the record the Connemara lads won 3-2. We are delighted to accept their invitation to visit Bos-ton with a team in the future.

All 6-14 year olds are reminded that booking is now open for west coast/ FAI summer camp in Letterfrack from August 16th-20th at http://www.fai.ie/ or calling 1890 653 653. For further information, contact local co-ordinator Joachim Lydon at 086-409-8814. To avail of special prices book early and avoid disappointment.News & photos courtesy of Joachim Lydon

Photo above: West Coast Utd. at league game v Oughterard. Back (l-r): Danny Coyne, Mark Gannon, Cal Gray, Eoin Gannon, Neil Lydon, Peter Wallace, Finian Sheridan, Tommy Walsh, Stephen Heanue. Front (l-r): Dermot Clancy, Shane Lydon, Danny King, Simon Heanue Joyce, Niall Black, Aidan Flaherty, Danny Sammon. Photo below: West Coast Utd and Galway Rovers from Boston mix before their recent friendly.

Advertise in the newspaper and online directories for €75+vat per year. Call 095-22888

or go to www.connemaraview.com.

C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 1 9

Art & AntiquesRoundstone Ceramics in Michael Killeen Park, Roundstone

is open daily 10am-5pm. We make a wide range of func-tional stoneware and unique hand decorated porcelain.We also make porcelain jewellery, all sold exclusively from our workshop. We welcome individual orders for com-memorative pieces, house signs & original commissions. 095-35874. roundstonepottery@eircom.net

Prendergast Antiques. Lower Market St., Clifden. For that unique gift or special piece for your home why not peruse our extensive collection of antique furniture, silver, ceramics, collectibles, antique and reproduction glassware, prints, mirrors. Best prices, 32 county delivery, world-wide shipping, trade welcome. www.clifden.biz. Phone 087-629-6195 anytime.

Clifden Antiques & Irish Art. Station House Courtyard. 095-22230. 087-664-9845. clifdenantiques@eircom.net. Make your home beautiful by investing in wonderful Antiques & Art. It’s a great time to buy as prices have decreased considerably. Come in – you may be pleasantly surprised, it’s a chance to invest your money wisely.

Books, Periodicals & CardsKing’s Paper Shop. Main St, Clifden. 095-21119. News-

papers. Magazines. Lotto. Huge Card Gallery. Gifts. Sweets. Cigarettes. Colour photocopying and faxing. Our New Angelito Ice Cream Machine has arrived!

Clifden Bookshop. Main St., Clifden. Off ering a compre-hensive range of titles with particular emphasis on local Connemara history, Irish literature, guide books, maps, memoirs and book tokens. Extensive range of books cur-rently selling at parity. Best sellers/thrillers/biographies. Also stockists of artist’s materials, cards and stationery. Provides ordering and mail order service. theclifdenbook-shop@eircom.net. 095-22020. Open Mon -Sat 10-5.30pm.

CateringA la Carty Catering: For all your home catering needs

contact Joe and Olive Carty. 095-22842. 087-260-5961. alacartycatering@gmail.com.

Children’s ProductsBrats of All Ages. Unit 1, Market St, Clifden. 095-22952.

Berg Go Carts. Didi Cars. Games Workshop Agents. Childrens clothes, accessories, toys, communion and Irish dancing tiaras. Also pet baskets and accessories. Party decorations etc... only €1 per pack.

CleaningCleaning Service: Cleaner available for holiday homes on

Saturdays. Call or text for details. 087-064-5030.

Computers & IT

Education & CoursesDo you need help writing or comprehending English?

Confi dential, Tailored Tutoring and Editing Services Available. Very Reasonable Rates. Will suit your schedule. Contact Patricia O’Toole (B.A., M.A.) on 087-771-7563.

“Dusty Banjos” Trad session for beginners/improvers (adults). Learn tunes, play music with other people. Friendly relaxed atmosphere, slow pace. Suit all melody instruments. €5/night. Tuesdays 7.30pm – Th e Bens Music Shop, Clifden. Info – Heather: 095-44845. New faces always welcome!

Martial Art classes at the Connemara Judo Academy in the West Connemara Leisure Center on Sundays. We cater for children from 7yrs to 14yrs, youth and adults 15yrs to 60yrs, Contact Paraic on 086-356-5590 or enrol on Sun-days at 1pm.

Yellow Door Expressive Arts Summer 8 week term starts May 10th one on one piano lessons €100; primary and standard one ballet €50; Standard two ballet €60; Junior Stage Door €60 and Stage Door Class €80. Hip Hop classes also available €50/€60.. Summer Term Production ‘Hoodwinked’, a comical fun version of Robin Hood to be performed in June. Call Elaine for more details 085-154-4664

Special Saturday Art Workshop on Saturday 29th of May with Catherine Ryan. Exhibition of both her work and Emmelina Wallace’s. Launch on Friday 28th of May at 7pm. Pots of tea and live classical music from Arco Trio on the launch evening, all ages welcome, exhibition will be hung in the Yellow Door Studio until the end of June. Call Elaine for details on 085-154-4664.

Shooting Lessons: From the complete novice to the most experienced gun with Shane Bisgood. Coaching for over 30 years in Ireland & the Americas. Call 086-279-5118 or email: shanebisgood@eircom.net.

Art Classes. Would you like to learn watercolour paint-ing? One to one and small group classes available. Take a one off class or several. I can also come to your small group. Patricia Morrison. Derrigimlagh, Ballyconneely. 087-656-9255.

Employment & OpportunitiesWant to Join Avon as an Independent Sales Rep. Unlimited

earning potential. No Costs involved to Start. Free Orga-nizer gift with 1st order of €250.00 or more. Please con-tact either Maria Smyth on 087-263-8414 or Margaret Daniels on 086-816-1910.

FarmingCalf Dehorning and Tagging Service Available - Portable

Gas Burner for calves aged 3 weeks - 3 months. Larger cattle also done under local anaesthetic with no pain or blood loss to the animal. Call Donal Staunton on 087-992-2301.

An extensive range of animal feeds including the Red Mills and Gain brands now on sale at Clifden Fruit & Veg. Main Street, Clifden. 086-836-5864.

Diamonds. Renvyle. 095-43486. For all your farming, build-ing supplies & home heating needs. Hay, straw, bedding, cement, steel, blocks, stakes, fencing, animal feedstuff s, gates, posts, coal, briquettes, Eco-Logs, wood pellets, fer-tilizers and much more. May Specials: 18% E&L Ration €235. Beef Ration €220. Polish coal “Champion” €325/tonne (25 x 40kg Bags). Briquettes €418/pallet (128 bales). Fertilizer now in stock. For the best prices & free delivery throughout Connemara call us today on 095-43486.

P a g e 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 0 C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r

Farming

Fashion, Shoes & AccessoriesCottage Handcrafts. Moyard Connemara. 095-41029.

Wrap yourself up in our traditional yet contemporary knitwear and jewelry collections, inspired by the local landscape, with a variety of subtle styles, textures and colours that refl ect the ever-changing seasons.

Stanley’s, Lower Market Street, Clifden. 095-21039. Stan-ley’s ½ Price Sale Room. Massive sale continues throughout May – Any 3 items €50 and our new 5 items for €50 sale rail.

Belle Blu, Market Street, Clifden. 095-21321, sales@belle-blu.com. Just arrived…”Th e Makeup Miser”, get 20% more out of your makeup with this ingenious new product! Exclusive in Ireland to Belle Blu. Loads of NEW costume jewellery and accessories in store! Beginners, Basic Jewel-lery Making Classes for all girls age 7 and up, €8 per class, Dates: May 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th at 10am in Belle Blu. Please call Lee at 087-410-4492 to book your place, each class is limited to 10. See in store for project list. Opening Hours: Weds. – Sat, 11-6 (closed for lunch 2-3) Remember you can always shop online at www.belleblu.com!

Hehir’s Woolen Store, Market St, Clifden. 095-21282. Stocking an eclectic range of ladies & gents fashion & footwear- style and comfort at aff ordable prices. A per-sonal service is guaranteed and a layaway service is on off er. Our range is updated every two weeks- all you need for Summer is now in stock - Join us on Facebook “He-hirs, Clifden” .

La Femme Bleue. Th e Square. 086-129-5548. Jtmchantal@hotmail.com. 3rd Anniversary stock clearance sale - Sat-urday 8th May from 10am to 6pm – Felt bags, hats, sum-mer dresses, scarves and much more… reduced to clear from only €10, €5 and €2. Anniversary off ers throughout May, drop in and complete your outfi t with some of our unique products!

Ohh! By Gum. Station House Courtyard. 095-21334. 086-025-9568. ohhbygum@gmail.com. ‘Ohh! By Gum has colour in abundance for this Spring/Summer. Call in and check out the new deliveries of fashion and childrens-wear, plus the exciting new Debbie Bliss knitting yarns and pattern books. A free bag of sweets with every wool purchase this May!’

Financial / LegalRecession Busting Review: Why not avail of our Free fi -

nancial review to see if we can save you money on all your insurances. Th en you will know for sure you are getting the best deal. Call Hennelly Finance on 091-586-500

or call Helena on 086-809-5607. Hennelly Financial Services Ltd. T/A Hennelly Finance is regulated by the Financial Regulator.

Bookkeeping & Accounts service for self employed and small businesses. Very experienced fi nancial administrator is available for all your bookkeeping requirements. VAT/PAYE/PRSI returns, payroll, monthly accounts etc. Con-tact: Marian Herriott 087-647-8303. email: mherriott4@gmail.com.

Cashel-Connemara Credit Union. Clifden Offi ce reloca-tion new premises beside Bank of Ireland from March 25. 095-21101. Cashel Offi ce 095-31128.

Th erese Th ornton, Solicitor, Clifden, Co. Galway. Profes-sional, comprehensive legal service at reasonable rates. Call 087-262-5385 or email Th ereseTh ornton@gmail.com for advice or a quote with no obligation.

FlowersConnemara Florist. Main St., Clifden. Monday -Saturday

10am-5.30pm - 095-21565 connemarafl orist@gmail.com - www.connemarafl orist.net. Fresh fl owers for all oc-casions: birthdays, anniversaries, births, funerals and wed-dings. Great gift ideas - whatever your budget! Delivery throughout Connemara. We cater for all budgets!

Food, Wine & Country MarketsTh e Roundstone Country Market started on Sunday

May 2nd. All local artisans and craftspeople. Ten stall holders selling cheese, breads, eggs, veg, pastries, crafts and jewellery. Th e future dates for the market are May 16th, June 6 and 20. Every Sunday in July and August. September 5. Hours 10am-3pm. Held at the Roundstone Community Centre carpark in the centre of Roundstone. For more info contact John Walsh on 095-41243.

Connemara Hamper. Lower Market St., Clifden. Large se-lection of Irish and European farmhouse cheeses. Organic wines, fruit and vegetables. Freshly baked breads and ba-guettes. Gourmet lunches and Illy coff ee to go. Open all year. Mon-Sat 10-5pm. 095-21054.

Des Moran Family Butchers. Main Street, Clifden. 095-21232. Home of the national award winning sau-sages, white pudding and black pudding. Catering to all of your meat and poultry needs.

Clifden Fruit & Veg. Main St., Clifden. 086-836-5864. Full selection of fruit and vegetable at great prices. Now

selling an extensive range of animal feeds. SuperValu Clifden. Th e Square, Clifden. 095-21182. Open-

ing hours: Monday-Th ursday/Saturday 8am-9pm. Fri 8am-10pm. Sunday & Bank Holidays 8.30am-7pm.

An Bhean Feasa Health Store. Market St., organic whole-foods, nutritional supplements, herbs, natural remedies, organic face and body care. 095-30671.

Home FurnishingsGifts by Grace. Courthouse Square, Clifden. 095-22101.

25% off YANKEE candles fragrance of the month. Newgrange glasses [6] were €39.99 now €29.99. Lamps were €89.99 now €59.99. Canvas prints were €29.99 now €14.99. Newgrange Candle holders, set of 3, were €39.99 now €29.99. Garden table w/2 chairs now €149.99.

Whistlestop “Gifts & Interiors”. Station House. 095-21532. 086-230-4210. whistlestop@eircom.net www.whistlestop.ie. Design-led home accessories at aff ordable prices. Lamps, mirrors, throws, glassware sourced world-wide. Baby gifts including award winning Organics for Kids babygros and an eclectic range of jewellery & silverware. Wedding list & personal shopping source available.

Broderick’s Electrical Centres. For the BIGGEST selec-tion of electrical appliances and LCD TVs in the West. Lodge Road, Westport 098-28130. Moneen, Castlebar. 094-904-4735. Free Delivery to anywhere in Connemara.

Information Services & MediaDoes 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, confi dential advice and support call D.V.R. 091-866-740.

Connemara AA. Tuesdays, Old School, Recess, 8.30 pm. Wednesdays, Clifden Day Centre, (behind the hospital) 8.30pm. Th ursdays, Clifden Day Centre, 8.30pm. Fridays, Ellis Hall, Letterfrack, 9pm. Saturdays and Sundays, Clifden Day Centre 12 noon.

Clifden Citizens Information Centre. Free and confi dential service to the public. Galway Rd, Clifden. 095-22000 and 087-130-1100. Th urs 7pm-8pm. Friday 10.30am- 3.30pm.

Connemara Community Radio. Letterfrack. 095-41616.Connemara View Newspaper. Clifden. 095-22888.AWARE Depression Support Group meetings take place at

the FORUM Offi ce (upstairs), Ellis Hall, Letterfrack on the 1st Th ursday of every month at 8pm. Contact Marga-ret 095-21741 afternoons except Tuesday for more details.

Items for Sale or RentFor sale – 24ft Cruiser/racer yacht, GRP hull, fi n keel. 10hp

yanmar diesel inboard, 5 sails plus spinnaker. €6,750.00. Contact 086-166-5278.

Land Rover Discovery TD 5 SE. 2.5 diesel. Manual. 2004; Metallic Silver. Mileage: 100,000. One owner. 5 door. ABS. Leather upholstery etc. €8,000. Interested? Contact Eugene: 087-235-9129.

Opel Astra Hatchback (00). Maroon, 98,000 miles, sun-roof, cd player, electric windows, alloys. Fully serviced, 4 new tyres. €1,200. Contact 087-230-1022.

Connemara Bouncing Castles for hire for all occasions, supplied with rain covers, delivered, erected and collected. 095-21219.

Diamonds. Renvyle. 095-43486. Coal, briquettes, pellets, Eco Logs, sand, gravel. For coal & briquettes - Nobody beats our prices. Call today for a quote. Free delivery.

Baby items for sale. Baby cot, baby changing unit, buggy with car seat, travel cot, toddler car seat. Everything in excellent condition. Contact Eileen on 087-653-2115.

Top quality showroom kitchens for sale. Excellent condi-tion. Electrical appliances included. Timber and corian worktops. For details contact Paul on 086-293-1819.

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Marine

Offi ce Supplies & PhotocopyingVideo Vault, Main Street, 095-22033. More than just mov-

ies – Now available A4 and A3 colour photocopying. Also available - Internet access, VHS / camcorder transfer to DVD, faxing, laminating and disc repair. Open 7 days until late.

King’s Paper Shop. Main St, Clifden. 095-21119. A4 and A3 colour photocopying. Faxing. Laminating.

Homeware Plus. Th e Square, Clifden. Offi ce supplies at dis-count prices! 095-21348.

Organic Fruit & VegJagur Organic. Get your Organic Fruit and Vegetables from

your local Organic Grower. Our produce is available in the Countryshop Letterfrack, Connemara Hamper and Duanes Fishmonger in Clifden. Look for our stall at the Clifden Market on Fridays. 095-44855.

Pets, Animals & Ponies

Connolly’s Boarding Cattery near Rossaveal. Open all year for long or short stays. Designed for safety and comfort of cats following FAB guidelines. All cats must be vacci-nated and males neutered. Tel. Maureen on 086-398-8179 or 091-572-000 or visit www.purr.ie.

Photography & DVD ServicesProfessional Connemara based photographer available for

all occasions. Weddings, family portraits, functions and corporate events. Ideal packages for wedding couples on a budget. Also specialises in pet photography. Text or call 086-046-5542 for rates and to view portfolio samples.

Video Vault. Main St, Clifden. Call 095-22033. VHS to DVD transfer. Disc repair: 5 discs repaired for €10. Photos restored, rescued & reprinted. Have your photos digitally scanned, burned to CD, ready for print. Open 7 days unitl late.

Pony Riding

PropertiesApartment for rent in Moyard. 2 bedrooms with en suite,

kitchen and dining area, living room, warm. All utilities included, reasonable rent, private separate entrance and parking. Call 087-770-2460 or 095-41082.

Clifden: 2-bedroomed apartment to let. Town centre. All mod cons. Spacious and refurbished to a high standard. Responsible tenants sought. Minimum one-year lease. Available immediately. Contact 095-21066 (quote ref. K1).

House for rent long-term on the scenic Sky Rd. Ocean view. Close to Clifden town. Private parking. 4 bed-rooms (3 ensuite). Central oil heating. 2 open fi res. 086-354-7513.

Rooms to rent in town centre. New house, all mod cons. 086-837-7120.

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.

Properties - BERSelling your house or renting long-term? Th en you must

have a Building Energy Rating. Contact Oliver Coyne today! 095-35813. 086-238-4195. olivercoyne@gmail.com. Listed on the SEI Register of BER assessors.

Book now for your Building Energy Rating certifi cate which is compulsory for all homes for sale or rent from January 1st 2009. If you are buying or renting a new house or apartment now, you are entitled to a BER. BERs will be carried out by specially trained BER assessors, regis-tered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI). Call Sinead at Matt O’Sullivan Estate Agents on 095-21066 or e-mail property@mattosullivan.com www.mattosullivan.com. Listing properties for long term rental.

Quads

RestorationsChurch-Castle and Monument. Architectural and ecclesi-

astical restoration and conservation. Our service: statues repair and repainting. Marble altar works. Stained glass windows. Outdoor statues. Towerbells and clocks. Foun-tains. Crypts. Church furniture. Stations of the Cross. Vestments. Chalices and monstrances. Grotto statues. Also sandblasting and metal engineering works etc. Na-tionwide service. Purchasing-Statue showroom. Michele Th ierbach G.R.A.D. www.studio-michele.com. www.nicholas-antiques.com. 091-556-735.

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SignsTraditional Irish sign writing by ‘Studio Nicholas Conne-

mara’. Moycullen-Tullokyne. 091-556-735. 087-220-3898.

Taxi Service

Trade Supplies & ServicesAlternative Energy & PlumbingAirfl ow Renewable Energy Solutions, Ballybrit, Galway.

091-764-761.www.airfl owireland.ie. Daikin air to water heat pumps. Ground source geothermal heat pumps. IVT heat recovery ventilation. Solar panels. System design & project support. Domestic & commercial. SEI approved.

Cut your oil bill by two-thirds with solar powered water heating. Call Michael Carey for a free no obligation quote. Testimonials from satisfi ed customers available. SEI grants available. Carey Solar Powered Systems. Sky Rd. Clifden. 086-603-9299. www.careysolar.com.

Liam Shannon Plumbing & Heating Contractor. SEI Registered contractor for Home Energy Savings Scheme. Specialists in Oil, Gas & Renewable Energy Heating Sys-tems. Solar Panels. Boiler Maintenance/Service.Sheeauns, Cleggan 086-248-8853. liamshannon@eircom.net.

Building Contractors & SuppliesDiamonds. Renvyle. 095-43486. For all your farming,

building supplies & home heating needs. Hay, straw, bedding, cement, steel, blocks, stakes, fencing, animal feedstuff s, gates, posts, coal, briquettes, Eco-Logs, wood pellets, fertilizers and much more. See ad on page 15 for specials.

CarpentryNewman Carpentry Services. All carpentry work under-

taken by experienced tradesman. Fitted doors, kitchens, stairs, decking, built in wardrobes, PVC fascia and sof-fi t, wooden fl oors, 2nd Fixing and general maintenance. Competitive rates – Display units made to order. Contact Paddy Newman on 086-316-5978 or 095-44931.

Gardening & LandscapingDecorative garden stones and bark mulch delivered.

Stonetech, Clifden. Call Seamus on 087-668-7437.Neighbourhood Gardening. Lawns mowed. Tidy beds and

borders. Hoeing and weeding. Hedge planting and clipping. Lawns raked and seeded. Tree holes dug. Light pruning duties.Garden labour assist. Kerbing around lawn. Sleep-ers laid. Base for garden sheds. Compost areas created. Raised bed built. Fence posts replaced. Broken paving fi xed. Stone pointing. Servicing all of Connemara. Contact Peter 087-147-3308. NeighbourhoodGardening@gmail.com.

Homeware Plus. Th e Square, Clifden. Everything at discount prices! 095-21348. Gardening Pots, Boxes, Gloves, Tools & more from €1.

Tree pruning, crown reductions, crown thinning, deadwood removal, tree removal, hedge cutting & chipping, est 1998. Alan Linnane. West Coast Tree Surgery. 086-284-8340.

3 for €15 Sale on Garden & Planting Products. Multi-purpose Compost 75 litre bag. Moss Peat 100 litre bag. Mini Bark Chips 75 litre bag. John Innes Compost 75 litre bag. Brown Gold 75 litre bag. All products listed- 3 bags for €15. Clifden Fruit & Veg. Main St., Clifden. 086-836-5864. Open Mon-Sat 8:30am-6pm.

GatesConnacht Gates Moycullen. Manufacturer of wrought iron

gates domestic and commercial. Side gate, railings, balco-nies, stainless steel handrails, glass balustrades, customised stairs, fi re escapes. Registered contractor. 091-868-803. 087-261-6947. Email: conncoatfab@eircom.net.

GuttersConnemara Seamless Gutters. Suppliers of roof line clad-

ding and guttering systems. Over 17 years experience. Aluminum, UPvc. Wide range of colours. Free quotations. 095-41180. Gerry: 086-103-1053. Peter: 085-760-4130.

InsulationWest Coast Insulation. Your local cavity wall and attic

insulation specialists. Eco bead Platinum. Th e ONLY

SEI Grant Approved Installer in Connemara. Call us on 087 14 2 14 14. Patrick & John Folan, Letterfrack. westcoastinsulations@gmail.com.

Kitchens

Memorials/HeadstonesHeadstones. Surrounds, cleaning, inscriptions. Mongan’s

Stonecraft. Memorials-fi replaces-fl agstone-signage. Der-ryinver, Letterfrack. 095-43473. 086-199-1988.

PaintingPainting and Decorating: Interior and exterior, timber fl oors

sanded and varnished. Neat and tidy job guaranteed. Also off ering garden and lawn maintenance service. Competi-tive rates. References available. Contact Johnny Coyne, Renvyle, 086-857-0302.

Plant HireNoel Connolly Plant Hire. Site work & land drainage.

Top quality graded topsoil. Large volume of material available at €70 per load. Prices on extensions and reno-vations. Keenest prices around. C2 Reg. 095-23781. 086-247-6610.

Tender NoticesInvitation to Tender -Modifi cations to Letterfrack Na-

tional School – Project involves replacement of win-dows, doors and associated works. Closing date for applications Monday May 10th 2010. ASK Solutions. 095-43575/087-970-5348. See ad on page 4.

Invitation to Tender -Modifi cations to Roundstone Na-tional School – Project involves modifi cations to toilets and replacement central heating. Closing date for ap-plications Monday May 10th 2010. ASK Solutions. 095-43575/087-970-5348. See ad on page 4.

TyresOmey Tyres. Connemara’s 1st complete mobile tyre fi t-

ting centre. Recession Beater: Wholesale prices on new tyres. Best prices guaranteed. 24 Hour - 7 Days. Service throughout Connemara. Now stocking Wipers, Bulbs, Batteries and Oil. Contact Daniel Ryan on 095-44979 / 086-831-3462 or omeytyres@hotmail.com.

TV/Satellite/BroadbandTh e National Broadband scheme is rolling out in your area

soon, for more info contact Frank 083-408-2480.Free to to air satellite service from Harrington Electri-

cal Connemara. Full standard installation with box and dish €160. Hundreds of free to air channels. Call Paul on 087-144-1118.

Wireless broadband. Aerial and satellite installation and repair. Peter Keane, Clifden. 095-21827. 087-668-7468.

UpholsteryUpholstery Service. Loose cover. Curtains. Blinds. Materials

and swatchbooks available. Custom projects. Call Maurice or Agnes. 095-44902. 085-723-1774. 087-762-4983.

WalksConnemara National Park, Letterfrack. Park Centre

095-41323, offi ce, 095-41054. Guided nature walks. Connemara Pony information. Fun with nature for kids – strictly 5-10 year olds. Walks can cover rough, wet ter-rain – It is essential visitors have appropriate footwear and rainwear.

WebsitesWebsite Design: Creative, professional and aff ordable web-

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 086-079-1918 or email caroline@cuanmaradesign.com.

Two Dog Computer & Business Solutions. Visit our new retail offi ce on Bridge Street. 095-22194. 086-404-3125. Website design and development.

Wedding ServicesVintage and modern cars available for weddings, so-

cial or corporate travel and airport transfers. Our rare and unique cars are fully PSV licensed and insured. Special midweek rates. Visit our website or call us on 091-506-896 or 087-990-2294. www.getawaylimos.com.

Wedding Videography by Pat Coyne. Professional, friendly service. Two camera operators digitally capture your big day while blending into the background. Portfolio of vid-eos available for review. References available. Package in-cludes 4 copies of the edited video. Packages to suit every budget. Renvyle, Connemara. 095-43756. 086-406-2394. email: fi ddisco@mac.com www.fi ddisco.com.

Connemara Weddings. Music for your perfect day. Call Eithne on 095-43928 or 087-768-4921. ehannigan@eir-com.net.

Plastering & TilingTiler specialising in all types of fl oors & walls; Ceramic,

mosaic, marble, terracotta, porcelain, slate, paving. Call for FREE quote & advice. Commercial & residential. Com-petitive rates, professional throughout. Paul Davis. Tel: 095-23803 Mob: 085-110-3035.

Sand, Gravel & StoneStonetech, Clifden. Call Seamus on 087-668-7437. Th e

Original Bagged Sand Supplier. Soft & sharp sand, washed gravel & decorative chippings, Bark mulch.

Corbett Stone. Natural Connemara Building Stone. 095-21744. 086-247-5619. www.corbettstone.com. Cut stone by the bag or hand picked at rock bottom prices. Any quantity. Flag stones for paving. Unusual shaped stones for your garden. Good quality topsoil by the truck load or 1 ton bags. Delivered promptly. Our prices won’t be beaten.

Washed and graded sand and gravel. Decorative stone chippings in a variety of colours for pathways, driveways and patios. Choice gardener’s bark mulch. Free delivery to your door. See details in ad on page 13. Mongan’s Stone-craft. Derryinver, Letterfrack. 095-43473. 087-130-7752. 086-199-1988.

Windows

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Errislannan Explorations RecordedTh e Errislannan peninsula is the site of a number

of interesting recent archaeological recordings by Connemara archaeologist Michael Gibbons and fellow like minded colleagues and locals. While there is a cill or monastery near Errislanan manor, built by followers of St Flannan in early Christian times, to date, there have not been many archaeological monuments recorded in Errislannan, despite the area being relatively densely populated in recent centuries.

Michael and friends had been recently scouring the landscape at low tide and exploring the lands around the ‘crumpaun’, a beautiful and sheltered inlet lagoon with a narrow mouth. In the grounds of Brooks’ Errislannan Manor house there is an old road running down the western end of the crumpaun which has two small quays and a nearby ruined house, sometimes called the poitín house.

Along the shore an inter-tidal zone edges the tide, creating a small cove that can be seen from Clifden beach. Th e cove has been completely cleared of large boulders and the remains of a large quay between 30-40 metres in length and 3-4 metres in width can be seen at low tide.

Describing the quay, Michael said “It is more than likely that it was the quay for the initial builders of the manor house which would have been replaced by the boat harbour or the new roads running into Clifden. It also probably went out of use fairly quickly as it would not have been used by other locals. At high tide the upper part of it is quite broken up, but at low tide it’s very visible and typically has a slipway on the sheltered eastern side with a shingle beach behind it. Once we saw it clearly, it’s as obvious as the nose on your face”. According to Michael, it was either built in the mid 19th century by the predecessors of the Heather family or possibly even before that in the late 18th to early 19th century.

To the east there is a bathing house, another little 19th century ruin used by the Heather family, with the remains of an oyster midden just below it. A midden is where domestic refuse was disposed of at the shoreline and built up over a period of time. “While there was an oyster fi shery there in the 19th century, what’s interesting about this one is that it probably predates that, as it’s quite well buried and sealed”, Michael explained. While there are a couple of small ones of these around Clifden Bay, they are

quite rare in Connemara and so are of great interest to archaeologists. Th e earliest dated midden in the area is at Dunlochan, at Truskagh Bay on the far side of Mannin Bay which dates from around 1800 to 2000 BC. On walking further east along the shore heading towards the quay towards the end of Errislannan, there is a deserted landscape and a 19th century cleared landscape, with the remains of the ruined houses of possible evictees. On a pony path, also near the shore, there is also a small well and the pony trail cuts straight through the remains of a bronze age ‘fulacht fi a’, a kidney or horse-shoe shaped mound of discarded burnt stone on top of a large trough. “It’s a classic fulacht fi a about 10 yards above the shore. Th e eastern arc of the half of the trough still survives and is visible and this is the fi rst defi nite prehistoric monument recorded on Errislannan”. Also visible at

the crumpaun at low tide is an intertidal peat bog containing an interesting example of a 400 year old forest with the tree stumps still visible in the peat. Th ere are also a large number of vernacular 19th century quays in the area which would have been used by the people of the area in the 19th century including the residents of Drinagh House overlooking the crumpaun. “While many monuments have been discovered and recorded on the Sky Road on the opposite side of the bay over the years, this is the fi rst time that the archaeological history and potential of the Errislannan peninsula has opened up in such a way, and it is exciting and fascinating to think of all the locations and discoveries out there still waiting to be mapped”, Michael concluded.

Michael Gibbons, John Conneely and John Brittain at the recently recorded quay in Errislannan.Photo courtesy of Joe O Shaughnessy

Fundraising Extravaganza Michael Kealy, a producer on Th e Late Late Show, held

a monster fundraising concert for Irish charity Habitat for Humanity in the Abbeyglen Hotel in Clifden on Wednesday April 28th, showcasing the ever generous nature of Irish musicians and performers to get involved in fundraising for a good cause. Guest of honour on the night was Th e Late Late Show host himself Ryan Tubridy, who was happy to mingle for photos and chat with the large crowd in attendance. Frankie Gavin and Michelle Lally, Matt and Seán Keane and John O’ Halloran were among the many musicians who performed on the night

while superb dancing was provided by All Ireland sean nós champions Emma O’ Sullivan and Brian Cunningham, Steven Coohill and clog dancer Nathan Polowskie.

Michael will travel to Northern Zambia in June to take part in a building project coordinated by Habitat for Humanity and said on the night “I am extremely grateful to the Abbeyglen for hosting the event and to all the fantastic musicians and guests for supporting the concert so generously”. For more information on Habitat for Humanity go to www.habitatireland.ie.Photo below: Pictured at the habitat for Humanity Fundraising

Concert in the Abbeyglen Hotel on April 28th were (l-r): Tim O’ Sullivan, Paul Hughes, John O’ Halloran, Emma O’ Sullivan, Paddy Reilly, Michelle Barry, Matt Keane, Brian Hughes and Carmel O’ Sullivan. Photo top right: (L-r): Fundraiser and organiser of the night, Michael Kealy with his brother John.Photo bottom right: Ryan Tubridy was delighted to have his photo taken with Steven Coohill who gave great dance performances during the night along with his fellow dancers and teacher Emma O’ Sullivan.

However, one of my boatbuilding mentors was an avid fan of Herreshoff , one of the greatest classic yacht designers, who happened to come from Rhode Island. So I ‘Googled’ Paul Fisher’s idea to see what kind of boats came up and that was it- the ‘Grand Banks Dory’.

Th e Grand Banks Dory mainly originated in Gloucester, Massachusetts, fi rst used for fi shing in and around the 1850’s. Sadly, the town of Gloucester is now remembered as the home port of the ‘Andrea Gail’ that foundered on

that night of ‘Th e Perfect Storm’ in October 1991. Th e Gloucester men knew the sea and knew the potential weather they were getting into and so their designs followed suit; fl at bottomed and slab sided, the Dory had a signature steeply raked tombstone shaped transom. Th e Dories ranged from 16 to 30ft or more LOA, with the larger ones carrying sail and lee boards. It was one of larger that made a cameo appearance under the helm of Captain Jack Sparrow ( Johnny Depp) as he sailed into Port Royal on the opening scenes of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl’.

Hollywood aside, the boats were light, portable and easy to build. More importantly, they were very

stable in rough weather and due to the raked transom, could handle a following sea very well. Th e boats were designed to be stacked inside each other like fi sh boxes and then loaded on a fi shing schooner which acted as a mother ship that made its way to the rich cod fi shing grounds of the Grand Banks. Once at the Grand Banks, the dories were manned and lowered over the side and each Dory would brave the weather and the swells. Due to the Dories’ slab sided design, they could carry weight very well, and became even more stable under a load of anything up to a half a ton.

Th e Grand Banks Dory became notorious for its seaworthiness and many stories came back of great feats of survival from fi shermen who got separated from their mother ships in adverse weather. One of the more famous stories was of a man named Howard Blackburn. After getting separated from his mother ship in a January storm in 1883, he immediately made for shore, fi ghting high winds and freezing conditions. With no food or water and bad frostbite, Blackburn battled on and made it into

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A Slice of Old AmericaEvery year at about this time I get asked the same

question, “Any boats?”, and the criteria is always the same; something seaworthy, easy to transport and most of all aff ordable. Often too busy working on other people’s boats and not being able to aff ord any time, ‘No’ was the reply. Th at was of course, until this year. After the Volvo Ocean Race, things got very quiet, very quick, so I looked at my options

and decided to take on a FÁS Business Appraisal and Start Up programme to check the feasibility of a Small Craft Production Company.

I had to look at my potential customer needs and come up with a suitable product range. Th e Canoes, Kayaks, Yacht Tenders and Paddle Boards were all pretty straightforward and would always have their enthusiasts, but what about the average Joe, who’s not into any of the above and just wants to head out on the water and drop a line over the side? Th ere the search began. I went through the design books slowly, combing the small craft that would fi t the above criteria. I was asking a lot and I couldn’t fi nd anything suitable so I decided to give the design books a miss and talk to marine architect Paul Fisher. I told him what I was looking for, and he said I’d be best looking at something like an ‘Old American Banks Dory’.

Old American? I remember arguing the principles of boat design in pubs that were older then the country, but I never really put ‘old’ and ‘American’ into the same sentence.

Monastery Hostel, LetterfrackTh e village of Letterfrack on the N59

between Clifden and Westport has an interesting history. No doubt there would always have been some settlement in the area, but the founding of the present village goes back to the Famine and the pioneering

work of a Quaker couple, James and Mary Ellis from Bradford in England.

Th e Quakers or Society of Friends had been very involved in famine relief and the reports of the various visiting Quakers, in particular that of James Hack Tuke would have aff ected many right minded people. James and Mary Ellis decided to do something about it and so, selling up in Bradford they moved to Letterfrack and leased close to 1000 acres of land from

Robert Graham from Keelkyle. Th ey began the task of bringing the land

into cultivation and creating work for the people of the area. Th eir house, which is now the Monastery Hostel, is described as a detached 7 bay single storey house above a raised basement, built in 1849. Th e building has an H-plan layout, with gables and limestone ashlar facade. It retains some original joinery and ceiling cornices and is set on an elevated site. Th e house was built within a couple of months of their arrival

and everyone was amazed at how quickly it was constructed. Although it was built on a hillside, James managed to clear the site using gunpowder. Th e house measured 49 ft long, 24 ft wide and 13 ft high and was built over a basement or semi-basement.

Th ey also built a shop, dispensary, meeting house, and temperance hotel. With these buildings and probably a number of houses, the village took its present form. Th e people of the area fl ocked to

Letterfrack as there was plenty of work with a steady income and a fair landlord. Th e land was drained and fertilised and trees and gardens planted.

You can well imagine the hardships which had been part of daily life in the West of Ireland going back many years, never mind the added hardships caused by the Famine. Th e conditions were bleak and many people had left the area, but now there was a ray of hope and people would cling to any hope in

order to stay in their own place. Th e Ellis’s off ered this hope but it must also have been fairly bleak for James and Mary Ellis and the family themselves. Try and put yourself in their place; they swapped a comfortable life in an English city for life in one of the most remote areas you could fi nd. Th ey had little if any knowledge of farming, particularly in the harsh conditions of Connemara, but they had an interest in people and helping in any way they could. No doubt they got much help from other Quakers who would visit the area on a regular basis. Th ese visiting friends would report back to the Society and any shortcomings in expertise or materials could be forwarded to them.

Th ey were also living in an area of established landlords and their arrival and social attitudes might have been looked upon with some suspicion in the big houses of the area. Th eir religious beliefs would have been at odds with both Catholic and Protestant landlords and clergy. It appears that they had no problems with any of the churches or landlords, on the surface at any rate.

What might have happened if the Ellis family had stayed is an intriguing question, but unfortunately due to ill health James sold up and the family moved back to England in 1857. Th e short few years which James and Mary Ellis spent in Letterfrack had taken its toll on the family, but it had given something special to Letterfrack, something which carries on to this day.

Th e property was bought by John Hall, a supporter of the Irish Church Missions. In 1882, the property was purchased by the Archbishop of Tuam who invited the Christian Brothers to establish St Joseph’s

Industrial School for Boys and the school was opened in 1886. Th e Ellis house then became the Monastery for the Brothers. It was to remain in this role until the reformatory closed in 1973.

At fi rst the school, although tough was giving opportunities for the boys to learn trades and skills. Th e workshops which the Ellis’s had built were used to teach ironwork, leatherwork, tailoring, carpentry and many other crafts. A bakery and farm was also part of the establishment and off ered work for the local community as well as further training for the boys. Unfortunately the system also allowed for cruelty and abuse and only now, many years after the closing of the school is this abuse coming into the open.

In 1978 the complex was bought by Connemara West, a local Community Development Group and a new chapter was opened for the old buildings. Th e School buildings became the Connemara West Centre and contained the offi ces of the company and many other local groups,and eventually the renowned Furniture College, which is run in partnership with GMIT. Th e farm buildings and lands are now part of Connemara National Park. Th e Monastery itself is now a popular tourist hostel. It also plays a role in the community as a venue for music sessions during the many arts and environmental festivals which take place in the area.

Th e many uses to which the building was put are evident to this day, but it is lovely to stand outside and look at the wonderful scenery in front and out over the now fully mature trees of Ellis Wood.Breandan O Scanaill

Newfoundland fi ve days later. Today he’s remembered in the Blackburn Challenge, a twenty mile rowing race through open water around Cape Ann.

Th is is the role the infamous Grand Banks Dory fi lls today; recreational rowing and fi shing. Th e last of the Dory Schooners made its fi nal commercial fi shing voyage in 1969.

Over time the design of the Dories has never changed but the construction materials of caulked planking on frame has been upgraded to Ply/ Epoxy, which reduces the building time even further and reduces the annual maintenance.

I bought the lofting plans in a Jim Bolger publication off the internet and set to work on the prototype. Th e build was un-complicated and painless with no hang-ups or errors and after forty hours the boat was done. Averaging the cost of the materials and the construction time I could retail these very inexpensively.

On the clear crisp evening of Christmas Eve the 16ft Gloucester Banks Dory was lifted onto the roof rack of the car and taken to the slipway at Clifden Pier. On a low tide, the Banks Dory was launched in nine inches of water and drew next to nothing. It wasn’t until I reached the fi rst marker that I could let the oars dip long and deep and feel the hull glide over the winter calm. It rowed beautifully. Th ree days later I had the rowing and the stability technique down and venturing further and further I rowed it out past the White Lady to see if it handled the swells as well as it was documented. Somewhere out past Errislannan and Mannin Bay, between that and the rocks of Carrigaroon, in the slow rolling swell of the East Atlantic, I was not disappointed. In the silence my thoughts went to the likes of Howard Blackburn and I wondered how many currach men of Connemara made the trip across the pond and found themselves earning a living rowing one of these “currachs” of the eastern American seaboard.

Now as Summer edges closer I often head out packing a fi shing rod and as the occasional high powered boat blasts by, I wonder how fast do you have to be going to miss the point altogether? Th e Dory handles the wake and the intrusion well and settles back down to the calm. Kicking back and taking in the quiet, I think of the journey that got me here. Hmmm….recession, what recession? Mark O’ Hara

“You must go within to learn more about YOU ”

Tarot

runes

MAY Horoscopes

May DVD Releases

Aries (Mar 21 Apr 20): Get ready for action this month. Th ings will get under way and you need to be ready.

Taurus (Apr 21 – May 20): HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It’s a month for celebrating so do your birthday up with style and enjoy the fun.

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 21): HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It’s time for you to step into the role that you have been preparing yourself for.

Cancer ( Jun 22 – Jul 22): Patience is a virtue and you have been patient, but you will have to wait a bit longer.

Leo ( Jul 23 – Aug 23): Good things are coming your way this month Leo, just sit back and see what happens.

Virgo (Aug 24 – Sep 22): You can and will achieve all that you put yourself towards this month so make the most of it.

Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 23): Take stock of all the good things that you have in your life and don’t worry about the things you don’t have.

Scorpio (Oct 24 – Nov 22): Trust in yourself to be your best guide this month. Whatever the old gut says, trust it.

Sagittarius (Nov 23 – Dec 21): Don’t let the talk of others aff ect you. What they have to say does not matter in the long run.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 20): It’s time for you to strike a balance in your life. Don’t lean too heavily on any one area.

Aquarius ( Jan 21 – Feb 19): Not sure what to do next, go back to the basics and ask yourself is it “right” or “wrong”.

Pisces (Feb 20 – Mar 20): Spend this month with family and loved ones; keep those closest to you by your side.

C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 2 5

Full Moon was on Wednesday April 28th. In early May, as it wanes to gibbous, it rises later every evening and sets just after sunrise.

New Moon is at 01:04 UT on Friday May 14th. Th e new crescent could be visible in the north-western sky at sunset that same day, or any evening onwards. It stays up later each evening.

Full Moon occurs at 23:07 UT on Th ursday May 27th, in Scorpius, just to the right of the bright star Antares. At this phase, the Moon is on the opposite side of the sky to the Sun; so it rises at sunset, shines all night and sets at sunrise the following morning. Th en, as it wanes to gibbous again, it goes on rising later every evening and setting later every morning.

Mercury is at its greatest distance west of the Sun in late May. But it rises only minutes before the Sun; we’re unlikely to see this little guy all month.

Venus is visible in the W sky as soon as it starts to get dark and doesn’t set in the NW until late in the evening. Th e “Evening Star” is so brilliant, it can be seen even against a bright twilight sky.Relative to the stars, Venus is moving rapidly eastwards. It leaves Taurus and crosses into Gemini on May 19th, heading a little below the “Twin” stars of Gemini. But Venus far outshines any stars. On the evening of Saturday May 15th, the narrow crescent Moon will appear to the lower right of Venus, about 7 degrees away. Th e following evening, the Moon will be a similar distance to the left of Venus.

Mars is high in the SW sky at dusk, and it doesn’t set in the NW until the sky starts to brighten towards dawn. Relative to the stars, Mars is moving steadily south-eastwards out of the constellation of Cancer into Leo, heading directly towards Regulus (the brightest star in Leo). Th e “Red Planet” actually shines with a steady orange glow and it appears brighter than most of the nearby stars. On the evening of Wednesday May 19th, the wide crescent Moon will be to the lower right of Mars, about 8 degrees away.

Jupiter is rising at dawn and we may glimpse it very low in the SW just before the Sun rises. Th e giant planet is less brilliant than Venus, but can still be seen even against a brightening sky. Relative to the stars, Jupiter is moving slowly NE out of Aquarius and into Pisces. Early on the morning of Sunday May 9th, the waning Moon will appear to the upper right of

Jupiter, about 7 degrees away.Saturn is well up in the southern sky at dusk

and doesn’t set until just before sunrise. At dusk, it’s about the same height above the horizon as Mars and about the same brightness; but Saturn is some 40 degrees further left and shines with a whiter light. Relative to the stars, Saturn is almost stationary this month, at the western end of Virgo, midway between the stars Regulus and Spica and slightly brighter than either of them. In the telescope, Saturn’s rings form a very narrow oval, 43 arc-seconds wide but less than 2 arc-seconds high, since we are viewing them nearly edge-on. Th e disc of the planet itself is about 19 arc-seconds across and may show some faint banding. Many of Saturn’s moons may also show up; the largest and brightest one is Titan. Titan will be immediately south of Saturn around May 1st and 17th, 3 arc-minutes to the east around May 5th and 21st, immediately north of the planet around May 9th and 25th and about 200 arc-seconds to the west around May 13th and 29th. On the evening of Saturday May 22nd, our own gibbous Moon will appear immediately below Saturn, eight degrees away.

Meteors: On any clear night, we can see the occasional random meteor, as tiny specks of interplanetary débris burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. At certain times of the year, the Earth travels through a cloud of this dust and we get a meteor-shower. However, there are no signifi cant meteor-showers for northern-hemisphere observers in May.

Noctilucent Clouds: Late May is the time to start looking out for Noctilucent (“Night-Shining”) Clouds. Th ese are beautiful, high-altitude clouds that form only occasionally and only for a few weeks around midsummer. Being so high up (over 80 km above the ground), NLCs are still in sunlight, even in the middle of the night. When ordinary clouds appear dark, or at best have a pink sunset glow, NLCs shine with a clear, blue-white light. Th ey are formed of tiny ice-crystals and they have a sharply-defi ned structure, quite unlike the fl uff y texture of most low-altitude clouds which are made of water droplets. NLCs often exhibit a rippled pattern, like the marks left by waves on the beach. Th ey are usually seen low in the northern sky. In late May, the best time to look for them is around 11:30 to midnight.

John Claro

Th e Hanged Man represents a lack of control that is necessary in order to achieve what you wish. Th e 5 of Swords indicates that a battle will be fought and you will win but at an unexpected price that you do not want to pay.Th e 10 of Wands indicates that the work will be completed and you will reap the rewards in the end for all of your eff orts.

Th e blank rune is all about trust so at this time you must take no action and trust that everything will be ok.

Th e challenge comes from a new beginning without any clear path to follow.

Standstill is the rune of withdrawal.

Avatar tells of a future confl ict between resource-guzzling humans and the indigenous inhabitants of the planet Pandora: the Na’vi. Paraplegic marine Jake volunteers to become an Avatar who then falls for the Na’vi princess, Neytir, forcing him to choose sides when the confl ict escalates into full-blown war.

Sherlock Holmes: On a quest to solve a string of mysterious and brutal murders, Sherlock Holmes and his trusted ally Watson plunge into a world of dark arts and startling new technologies, where logic and a good right hook, are the best crime fi ghting weapons.

Tenderness: Lori is an audacious teen who’s endured years of abuse from her mother’s conveyor belt of boyfriends. She’s developed an unhealthy obsession with Eric Poole, a high school student

who was sent to prison for killing his parents and after hearing that the murderer is to be released, Lori runs away to fi nd him.

St. Trinians 2 - Th e Legend of Fritton’s Gold: A rollercoaster-style treasure hunt for the legendary Fritton’s Gold ensues as they face their most fearsome establishment rivals yet, but the feisty and ever-resourceful girls of St Trinians are undeterred in their mission to outwit the villainous Pomfrey and his sidekicks.

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll: A biography of Ian Dury who was stricken with polio at a young age and defi ed expectations by becoming one of the founders of the punk-rock scene in 1970s Britain.

Video release report courtesy of Video Vault. Main Street, Clifden. 095-22033.

Rented Property Tax DueTh e Irish Property Owners Association

(IPOA) has had numerous enquiries in recent weeks about the Non Principal Pri-vate Residence liability. Owners who have a property let in the private rental market are liable for the charge, unless the letting is under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. As a self assessment tax, it is up to owners to pay the tax and not wait for a bill. Th e consequences of non-payment of this tax are horrendous -an owner with one property who was unaware of the tax and had not paid their liability would have to pay over €13,000 in penalties after a 10 year period, not to mention the original €2,000 which would still have to be paid.

Currently, this €200 charge is not allow-able against tax as an expense and the IPOA

have made representation to Government for this to be allowable. Stephen Faughnan, the Chairman of the IPOA said that “Th ere are issues that need to be addressed to bring balance to this legislation; the charge should be allowable as an expense and there should be a cap of €400 for houses in bed-sit/studio accommodation.”

Currently, a typical house in 6 single units has to pay a total of €1,200 compared to a similar house let on a sharing basis to 6 people where the charge is €200. Th e fi rst payment of the charge was due last Septem-ber and it was due again on the 31st March last. Th e latest date for payment is the 30th June. It can be paid on line at www.nppr.ie or paid to the local authority in the location of the rental property. For further informa-tion please contact Margaret McCormick on (01) 827 6000 or email info@ipoa.ie.

May Bogman 60

Enter crossword answers into a draw of correct answers for a voucher for Homeware Plus in

Clifden by May 28th.

What Do You Know? Quiz 19No winner of Quiz 18, prize money is now €60.

Connemara Crossword 66

Winner of April Bogman 59: Colleen Gilmore, Maam Valley.Winner Connemara Crossword 65: Mary Joyce, Clifden.

Send in your Crossword and Quiz answers!

Drop to the Connemara View Drop Box at King’s Paper Shop, Main St, Clifden, post to Connemara View, Clifden, Co.Galway or e-mail to news@connemaraview.com.

P a g e 2 6 M a y 2 0 1 0 C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r

I am a farmer but my income from farming has reduced a good deal over the past year. Can I get any help?

You may qualify for Farm Assist. Farm Assist is a means-tested social welfare payment for farmers paid by the Department of Social and Family Aff airs. It is similar to Jobseeker’s Allowance, but has a diff erent means test. In addition, you do not need to be available for work to qualify.

To qualify you must be a farmer, farming land in the State, aged between 18 and 66 and satisfy a means test. Th e means test takes account of virtually every form of income but assesses it in diff erent ways and disregards various amounts. Diff erent rules apply to income from farming; other forms of self-employment; income from schemes such as the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS); income from employment; and income from property and capital.

If you have dependent children, €254 per year for each of the fi rst two dependent children and €381 per year for each subsequent child are deducted from your means from farming and from self-employment. Th e diff erence between your assessed weekly means and the appropriate weekly amount of social welfare payment is the amount of Farm Assist payable.

You can keep your Farm Assist payment until you are 66 provided you continue to farm and continue to satisfy the means test. You do not have to visit your local social welfare

offi ce or ‘sign on’ to claim Farm Assist. You apply for Farm Assist by completing the application form Farm 1, which you can get from the Department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/ or your Social Welfare Local Offi ce. You send the completed application form with the relevant certifi cates and documents to your Social Welfare Local Offi ce (SWLO). Contact your SWLO or call the Department of Social and Family Aff airs Information line at 1890-662-244 for more information.

Further information is available from Clifden Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confi dential service to the public.Tel: 095 22000 & 087 1301100 / Email: clifden@citinfo.ieAddress: c/o VEC, Statoil Apartments, Galway Road, Clifden. OPEN: Th ursday 7pm to 8pm, Friday 1030am to 330pm (outside those hours, you can contact Declan on 087-13-11-00). Information is also available online at www.citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890-777-121.

Across9 Moral principle received from Elizabeth 1 courtier. (5)10 Rearrange it or a predictable proportion may be exposed. (5)11 It doesn’t sound well for errors to be disclosed thus, in parentheses. (3)12 How a physician might get around a bird with great legs who might be

reluctant? (5)13 Casanova is less harebrained about a Gulf State. (9)14 From a religious leader I already know it’s a logical consequence. (1,6)15 Will owner’s meddling improve the situation? No. In fact, quite the op-

posite! (6)17 By including a wad of money, can one make provision for overheads for a

rainy day? (6)18 You can put money on it – sweet Mr Robinson, though a fighter, will let

you down. (6)21 Might finally have to turn to the alternative in the remainder. (6)23 Indulge in pretence about alternative, as it’s not native. (7)27 Bins green salad on offer as starters? (9)29 Judged speed to approach 500. (5)30 Could flower of the country of 7 Down tail off to nothing? (3)31 Not at all pleased - at finding vermin inside, that is. (5)32 Brush around plant in the garden? (5)Down1 Drive round a great composer. (5) 2 Letting me pet shark is crazy in places like aquariums, zoos, etc. (5,5) 3 The art of leading the Miners’ Strike in the 80s. (8) 4 Put up reward for one that can be drawn out of a chest. (6) 5 Though very small, they play a most complex role in the matter. (5) 6 Carried nothing to a foreign land? (6) 7 She is twice as venerated as her brother’s wife in olden times. (4) 8 Deliver notes about vehicle with frightening meaning. (7)16 Butchers displaying merriment amongst the meat-hooks? (10)19 You can change either so you can speculate as to the result. (8)20 Supply musicians with guns so as to surround a member. (7)22 Went off and managed the detectives? (6)24 An item of fine food included in Viceroy’s terrific meal. (6)25 Would sound as if one cared about it. (5)26 Used to rebuild abode in Mexico. (5)28 Old gaolbird coming up with a splendid show. (4)

Across1. Friendly pooch (6, 7)10. Kneecap (7)11. Celtic’s arch rivals (7)12. Recedes (4)13. Long-legged bird (5)15. Molten rock (4)17. Informing rodent (3)19. Metamorphosed limestone (6)21. Flogged (6)22. To cut a long story short (2, 5)23. Mugged (6)25. Superior house (3, 3)27. Zero (3)29. Crowning glory (4)30. Computer’s communicating

device (5)31. Used for galvanizing metal (4)34. Necessitates (5, 2)35. Dizzying sensation (7)36. Extremely hard of hearing (2, 4, 2, 1, 4)

Down2. Tenth month (7)3. Type of seaweed (4)4. Optical scanner (6)5. Colourful bird (6)6. Not any (4)7. Facial hair (7)8. Boy racer maybe (5, 8)9. Very thin on top (2, 4, 2, 1, 4)14. Violent robbery using vehicle

(3-4)16. Extraterrestrial (5)18. Thin biscuit (5)20. Terminate (3)21. Was first (3)24. Popular Irish liqueur (7)26. Dried grapes (7)27. Have a kip (3, 3)28. Departs (6)32. Island (4)33. Stumble on tour (4)

Send your answers to Connemara View, Clifden, Co. Galway,

e-mail to news@connemaraview.com or drop to the Drop Box at King’s Paper Shop, Main St, Clifden.

Geography: How many states and mai-land territories constitute Australia?

History: After which war were adoption records sealed to the public?

Sport: Ireland and Wales joined this tournament in 1880?

Math: Thales, Pythagoras and Plato studied where?

Science: Who was the first known per-son to propose a heliocentric model of the solar system?

Food: These tribes are said to be re-sponsible for introducing the word “pasta” to the Italians?

General Knowledge: The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood how many feet?

Music: What national anthem was per-formed the most times in a single per-formance?

Art: A chessboard is based on what design?Entertainment: What famous actress/

model had six toes on one foot?Literature: When was the first volume

of recipes published and by whom?Irish Interest: Mike Morgan of Co.

Donegal has been crowned Irish champion of what sport?

April Quiz AnswersGeography: Name the Capital city of

the only South American Country that borders the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Ocean. Bogota, Colombia http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;ylt=Asxg5h6a_mwXEPeK9uPDQtojzKIX;ylv=3?qid=20071106200148AAZ8GbV

History: This decorating practice has been around for over five-thousand years. Feng Shui http://home.ivillage.com/decorating/fengshui/0,,9nlb,00.html

Sport: The International Rugby Board has a membership of how many? 22 http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/sports/rugby_union.html

Maths: How many prime numbers are there? An infinite amount http://www.math.hmc.edu/funfacts/ffiles/20001.5.shtml

Science: What secretes FSH (Follicle Stimu-lating Hormone)? The Pituitary Gland http://www.triv.net/html/Quiz5/quiz9028.shtml

Food: What fruit was a fertility symbol to many ancient cultures The Pome-granate http://cookingwhiz.com/cookhistory.htm

General Knowledge: A person of this profession invented the electric chair? A Dentist http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-485.html

Politics: By what name was Mao Tse-tung’s purge on liberal dissidents in China between 1966 and 1969 known? The Cultural revolution. http://www.inquizitive.co.uk/marktest.php

Music: Who invented the CD and when? James Russell, 1965. http://inventors.about.com/od/qrstartinventors/a/CD.htm

Entertainment: In which year was the Rose of Tralee first televised? 1967 http://www.funtrivia.com/submitquiz.cfm?quiz=315906

Literature: Who invented the word “assassination” and “bump”? Shake-speare. http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-485.html

Irish Interest: In which year was there no Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest? 1983 http://danmahony.com/Quiz2.htm

lingua or water buttercup and Trapa natans or water chestnut, which has very striking leaves. Around the edge of the pool, you can plant marginal plants. Rushes and iris would fi t into this category. Th ere are some very striking plants including Butomus umbell (atus) or fl owering rush, Pontederia cordata or pickerel weed, which have spikes of blue fl owers. Ligulularia are most striking but need a fairly well drained section. Rodgersia aesculus is another striking plant; both of these need plenty of room and should be placed at the back of the bog garden as they grow very tall. Hostas are another excellent plant for moist conditions, there are dozens of varieties and you will have to check them out yourself, to select the ones you like. A word of warning about hostas; slugs and snails love them. Astilbes and primulas are other plants which thrive in the bog garden.

Care is also needed if you are planting an area of a natural stream, on which you are planting exotic plants. If this stream is leading to a larger river or lake, you could cause problems further down the line. We are all becoming more aware of garden escapes and invasive species; remember that the wonderful Gunnera was once a much treasured exotic garden plant.

ContainersNow is the time for your containers. I have covered this

topic fairly well before, but it is no harm to look at the basics. Ensure your containers are clean and sound. After the hard winter, there may be cracks in pots which could fi nally break causing injury to you or someone else. Add a good layer of stones or broken crocks for drainage, mix in a good compost, try layering plants, perhaps plant dahlia tubers or gladioli corms fairly deeply, then add a small tree or shrub or large herbaceous plant. Th is main plant has to be in proportion to

C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 2 7

What wonderful weather we have had over the past month; everything has started to bloom very well. Th e trees are all in leaf and the grass beginning to grow. Th e fact that we have had so little wind and rain has been a bonus for fl owers like tulips and daff odils, and they have performed better than usual. Th eir full fl owers hate rough elements as these conditions knock them over, but when the sun shines they hold their heads up straight. It has been wonderful to see so many bees fl ying to their bright colours.

I know that there are many options as to what should be done with bulbs when they fi nish fl owering. I go for the simple way; I leave them in the ground. I let the fl owers and leaves die away naturally, this is especially important in the case of daff odils.

One drawback to the good weather was the need to be out and busy. A lot of people overdid the work and suff ered pains and aches. It is obviously diffi cult to resist the urge to get gardening, but it is important to start slowly, allowing your muscles to adapt to the strain which you are putting on them. It is better to do a little often, rather than too much all at once.

Bog GardensI have been thinking about bog gardens a lot recently. If the

New Zealand weather guru is correct we will be thinking of wet conditions throughout the summer, so maybe it is timely.

We look all around us and we see nature putting on a

display, no matter how wet the area is. Pools and lakes are fi lled with water lilies, white with yellow centres, like fried eggs fl oating on the water. Rushes and yellow iris surround the lake, some even standing in the water; bog bean and marsh marigolds contrasting both colour and form and further back you have the heathers and gorse.

In the garden we can recreate that scene, but we also have a host of other plants to work with. If you don’t have a pond, and would prefer not to build one, that is okay. Pick a low lying part of the garden, or dig out a higher piece of ground, lay some plastic on the ground and put the soil back on top. It doesn’t matter if there are a few holes in the plastic, as you are trying to create damp soil rather than waterlogged. If the area is large, you could place a few stepping stones in the soil. Make sure that they are well placed and steady.

If you want to include a pond, dig one area deeper than the other parts and line this with a strong butyl liner, or cement. One of those preformed ponds could also be used. No matter which you use, make sure that the ground is fi rm and free from sharp stones or other debris. I would recommend that you line the pool site with old carpet, newspaper and cardboard. Fill with water.

When your ground works are complete, the fun begins: the planting. As I mentioned, water lilies make a great display. Check the depth requirements for these, as there are types which have to be planted in shallow water, while others need depth. Th e common bog bean is also a great plant for the water. Th ere are a number of more unusual water plants, including Orontium aquaticum or golden club, Rancunculus

the container. Th en add bedding plants. Don’t forget a few seeds so that something else will appear later. Like all gardening, you want to keep a few surprises. Water well. Th is is the key to successful containers; they need plenty of watering and occasional feeding.

Moss on lawns can be a problem at this time of the year. If it is not bad, the easiest way to remove it is to rake it off . I wouldn’t put it on the compost heap, so I throw it under bushes where it won’t be seen. If the problem is major, you can treat it chemically. Th ere are a number of products available and as with any chemical, follow the instructions to the letter. Of course I like some of my moss, and I fi nd that once you start cutting the grass a lot of the problem goes away.

Connemara Garden TrailFinally, a lot of people are only starting their gardens,

and are wondering about what can be planted here in the ‘wilds of Connemara’. Th e answer to that is a huge range of plants. It is a good idea to visit local gardens and see what can be grown. Th e gardens which are open are part of the Connemara Garden Trail. Contact me for details on these gardens, 095- 21148 orbreandanoscanaill@eircom.net

Happy gardening Breandan O Scanaill

Super Valu Photo Contest April Winner

Th e winner of the Kavanagh’s SuperValu photo competition for April was Patrick Howard of Clifden with his ‘April Fool’. A fantastic prize of a €50 shopping voucher is on off er each month for the winning photo judged best on that month’s theme. Th e win-ning entries will be displayed in SuperValu Clifden and on www.connemaraview.com.

Th e theme for May is ‘Green Connemara’. Environmental issues or anything that depicts or represents a ‘green’ or eco friendly scene or idea will be welcomed by the judges, but as always the themes are open to interpretation-so think creatively and start snapping!

Photos must be original, have not been previously published and be relevant to Con-nemara. Please keep copies of photos as they will not be returned. Th e competition is open to entrants of all ages. Entries may be dropped

to the Photo Competition Box next to the express till at SuperValu Clifden, posted to Connemara View, Clifden, Co. Galway or e-mailed to news@connemaraview.com (approx1Mb in size).

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

P a g e 2 8 M a y 2 0 1 0 C o n n e m a r a V i e w N e w s p a p e r

Connemara View Newspaper7,500 copies distributed monthly

throughout Connemara

095-22888 087-290-9351

news@connemaraview.com www.connemaraview.com

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher: Ellen McDonough

News Editor: Catherine PryceDistribution Mgr: John Dunne

Graphic Design/Layout: Marie-Noelle Biddulph,

Advertising/Admin: Paula Bann

Contributors: Joe Acton, John Amenhauser, Dave Bann, Wayne Baylis, Leah Beggs, Shane Bisgood, Tom Broderick, Rita Burke, Pat Casey, Judy Cazabon, John Cláro, Dorothy Conneely, Lawrence Conneely, John

Connolly, Terri Conroy, Mary Corbett Joyce, Mary Day Lavelle, Richard de Stackpoole, Kay Diviney, Bridie

Duane, Shane Forsythe, Paul Gannon, Michael Gibbons, Rosemary Hanley, Aoife Herriot, John Holmes, Patrick Howard, Bernie Jeff ries, Mary Joyce, PK Joyce, Colleen Kane, Patrick Kelly, Irene King, Judy Lawrence, Bernard Lee, Lillian Little, Joachim Lydon, Padraic Lydon, Jackie Lyons, Sarah Mackie, Brendan Madden, Karen Mannion,

Mary McCann, Terry Minogue, Maura Nugent, Sean O Guairim, John O’Halloran, Mark O’Hara, Seán O

Mainnin, Veronica O’ Malley, Maria O’ Neill, Brendan O Scanaill, Maurice O Scanaill, Joe O’Shaughnessy, Kevin

Prunty, Paddy Rock, Ruth Rogers, Cliodhna Ruane, Siobhan Stoney, Mairead Uí Dhomhnaill, Kathleen

Villiers Tuthill, Amber Walsh, Declan Weir, Una Whelan.

Plus many local schools, groups & organisations.Photography by staff unless credited otherwise.

Next Issue: Thursday, June 3rd

Ad Space Reservation DeadlineMay 21st

News DeadlineMay 26th

Directory Classifi ed DeadlineMay 28th

095-22888www.connemaraview.com

Blazing ReflectionsI had a disconcerting experience this April, in fact, one of

many as I watched vast tracts of Connemara land crackle, burn and smoulder as gorse, bog, mountain and forest fi res devastated the countryside we all live in. As large pieces of ash landed on my car windscreen just outside of Clifden, I thought of how I would prefer it to be the volcanic ash that disrupted the whole continent this month just gone, rather than the remains of much of the forests, trees and wildlife of Connemara.

Like many others, I sat in my car and watched in dis-belief as an entire bog and hill blazed away before my eyes in a matter of minutes between Moyard and Cleggan Cross on the night of Tuesday April 21st. Th e next morn-ing I watched a helicopter dropping water amid desperate attempts to prevent the whole of the Moyard forest from going up, but with the sinking suspicion that this was bad-really bad. And so it continued for days, with the severely overextended fi re services stretched to yet another limit, already exhausted from days of fi ghting fi res to protect people’s homes and lives.

Errislannan was already scorched; the surroundings of the Alcock & Brown memorial a black and desolate landscape. Th e Bog Road to Roundstone was closed on the Wednesday night that week as fi re fi ghters battled to stop the spread. What I saw the following morning resembled a post-apocalyptic scene; smouldering bog as far as the eye could see, with scorched sheep searching for grass patches amongst the smoke. A fi re raged in Oughterard for fi ve whole days and nights before being brought under control, only for many more to be reported subsequently. I heard of a private forest owner in tears, watching as a life’s work, wood that had taken 20 years to grow, took just 20 minutes to burn.

Th e burning of gorse has been common practice in this country for a very long time and will doubtless continue to be. Th e challenge of farming in Connemara has always been diffi cult and it is the right of people who farm to manage their land. Th is can be done to some extent by permitted and properly controlled burning. What is not permitted is the burning of vegetation between March 1st and August 31st, but it is a rule that seems to be interpreted as a guide-line rather than a law by many. It is obvious to everybody that it is fl outed far too often and without punishment.

Events like this are confusing. Nobody wants to admit that many of these fi res could have been started deliberately because it cannot be proven. Yes, the ground was as dry as kindling after unusual weather conditions this year includ-ing the hard winter, but does anybody really believe that all of this destruction was accidental?

I understand the hesitance to report a fi re set by a neigh-bour or someone you know. I also understand the concern of the cost that would be incurred by calling out the Fire Brigade. But I do not understand lighting a fi re while knowing the state of the ground and then either leaving the scene to avoid being caught, or failing to act before it gets out of control. Not only is it supremely selfi sh, but it endangers the homes and lives of both people and animals nearby. Th ere were countless appeals by the Fire Services, Gardaí and other authorities to desist from lighting fi res of any kind outdoors in the time period concerned and to no avail. While there were undoubtedly accidental fi res, or blazes that were unintended to go out of control, those who wanted to burn land would simply not resist doing so.

Regrowth will happen in the burned areas as nature takes its course. Th at is the desired eff ect of burning gorse and scrub to clear land. Sadly it seems that unless a family are burnt out of their home or a life is lost, or basically until someone suff ers fi nancially, the environment can just take the hit. We should all be grateful for the tireless and selfl ess

work of our local Fire Brigade, without whose round the clock eff orts, the above worst case scenarios would surely have happened.

If scenes like the ones that occurred in this past month are not to reoccur in future years however, we as individu-als need to accept some truths about this practise. If done properly, with supervision by the fi re brigade if necessary, then gorse burning can be an acceptable and eff ective way of improving the land. Th e alternative is the destruction that raged through Connemara recently - and as long as the attitude of knowing silence and accepted resignation per-sists, we could see this happen again. Th e diff erence we can make is by choosing to speak up when enough is enough-and this year, we have certainly had enough. Catherine Pryce, Connemara View News Editor

Letters to EditorMore refuse on roadDear Editor,

Further to Mr Robert Canavan’s letter in the April edition of Connemara View, I have to agree with what he had to say regarding the state of the road to Clifden; it really is disgust-ing! I moved here just over a year ago and I am presently living at Clifden Glen, and I generally enjoy the twenty minutes walk to and from town, come rain or shine. I am a Dubliner who has always loved Connemara and always wanted to live there; it has gone quite well for me so far in the near 14 months I’ve been here. As a City boy I appreci-ate the beauty of the area, the friendliness of the people and the easy pace of life, as compared to the bustle and noise of a city!

But lately, my trips to and from town have been somewhat spoiled by all the refuse I’ve seen on both sides of the road, some of which appear to have been illegally dumped and/or thrown from vehicles. Like Mr. Canavan, I hope that this problem will soon be rectifi ed and steps taken to prevent a recurrence of same.Kindest regards, Eddie Larkin.

Sea Area ForecastMadam,

Since September last, RTÉ Radio 1 has dropped the after-noon Sea Area Forecast from the schedule.

Th e safety of those about to go to sea and of those already at sea is critically dependent on the availability of reliable weather forecasts. Met Éireann produces such forecasts, forecasts that are updated every 6 hours.

It is essential to the safety of life at sea that these updated Met Éireann Sea Area Forecasts are broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 every 6 hours at set times.

Th e current Sea Area Forecast is of vital interest, Summer & Winter, to the skippers and crew of the over 2,000 regis-tered boats in the Irish fi shing fl eet, to the operators of over 270 licensed passenger boats & ships working our coastal waters, to the increasing number of leisure sailors, to those aboard sea-angling boats, to workboat crews servicing the range of sea-based activities, to shore anglers, to the families of those at sea, to those who live and work in coastal and island communities.

Ashore, people do not have access to the Irish Coast Guard Coast Radio Stations and therefore cannot receive the Met Éireann weather bulletins transmitted via that system.

Th ere are over 1,100 boats in the Irish fi shing fl eet under 8m in length. Th ere is a great number of small leisure boats. For practical reasons, most small ‘open’ boats do not carry Marine-VHF or Navtex receivers and thus cannot receive the Coast Radio Stations. Furthermore, reception problems preclude pick-up of the Coast Radio service in some areas. All boats could readily carry a portable ‘transistor radio’ and thus be able to receive RTÉ Radio 1. People in cars or in small boats do not have access to the internet.

Ireland is a signatory to the SOLAS Convention of the

IMO. Chapter V of the SOLAS Convention requires regu-lar issue of weather forecasts to craft at sea using appropriate radio services. As a Public Service Broadcaster, RTÉ has a duty to serve the public-including those members of the public who go to sea.

By way of assistance, I suggested that RTÉ could broad-cast the afternoon Met Éireann Sea Area Forecast on Long Wave only-thus avoiding interruption of other scheduled broadcasts on FM & DAB. Such splitting of frequencies has long been performed by RTÉ. Broadcasting on Long Wave provides better reception at sea.

Must we wait for a tragedy at sea to occur before resuming broadcast of Sea Area Forecasts every 6-hours?

Readers who support the opinion that the Met Éireann Sea Area Forecasts should be broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 every 6-hours at set times can e-mail their views to RTÉ by e-mail at complaints@rte.ie or by post to Complaints Department, RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.Yours, etc, John S. Holmes, Leenane, Co. Galway.

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Th e Confi rmation of students of Eagle’s Nest, Tully, Lettergesh and Letterfrack National Schools took place at Tullycross Church on Saturday April 24th. Th ey are pictured here with P.P. Fr. Gerry Burns and Archbishop Dr. Michael Neary.

Photos courtesy of Padraic Lyden

Communions and Confi rmations

Above: On Wednesday the 21st of April seven children received the sacrament of Confi rmation and six children received the sacrament of Holy Communion in St Coleman’s Church Inishbofi n. Archbishop Dr. Micheal Neary was accompanied by Fr. Tony Neville, Fr. Tony Farragher and Fr. Gerry Burns on the day. Th e archbishop also blessed the boats before departing Inishbofi n. A large number of the children’s families and friends travelled to Bofi n for this special occasion and enjoyed the lovely music and choir on the day. Photos courtesy of Mary Joyce and Mary Day Lavelle

Pictured above is the Scoil Niamh Bríde, Tullykyne, Confi rmation class who were confi rmed in Moycullen Church on Friday April 23rd.

Photo courtesy of Kay Diviney

the Community School, south to Gurteen Holiday Park and west to King’s Holiday Park. Th e service will run from 5pm to 1am from Sundays to Th ursdays with a later time of 2am at weekends. More details will be available from the staff of Keogh’s in the near future. 095-23522.

The Return of Paddy Coyne’sAfter a brief sabbatical one of Connemara’s best known

and loved local pubs, Paddy Coyne’s in Tullycross is now open once again, having played host to the 2010 Conne-mara Mussel Festival over the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Regular service has now resumed and the bar is also set to feature in the new series of Single Handed, currently being fi lmed on the Renvyle peninsula and around Connemara. It has also featured in the popular food series Two Fat Ladies and BBC’s Monty Hall and crew also dropped in over the Mussel Festival weekend. Paddy Coyne’s will celebrate its 200th birthday in 2011 and its recent reopening has been widely welcomed by the local community and visitors to Connemara.

New Products in Clifden 10 Minute Hair Colouring

Color 10 is an exciting new hair colour on the market, exclusive to King’s Talking Heads Hair Salon on Market St, Clifden. Color 10 by Schwarzkopf is a permanent colour that covers grey with superb shine and condition, with a processing time of just ten minutes. Feedback on the rapid new colour to date has been excellent, with results of perfect coverage and fantastic shine. For more details call into King’s Hair Salon or call 095-21085.

Make Up MiserTh e recession friendly ‘Make Up Miser’ is now on sale

at Belle Blu Lifestyle Boutique on Market St, Clifden. Th e product consists of a set of three long spatulas in diff erent sizes, to fi t various cosmetic containers and bottles, ensuring that every drop of expensive cosmetics can be reached and used. Th e set is also washable and reusable making it both friendly to the environment and on your pocket. For more details see the product in store at Belle Blu or go to www.makeupmiser.com.

Fabergé Eggs come to ClifdenWhistlestop Gifts and Interiors shop in the Station House

Courtyard has been appointed to carry the prestigious Carl Fabergé eggs and jewellery, one of just three such suppliers in Ireland. Carl Fabergé was a Russian jeweler of French origin best known for his famous Fabergé (Easter) Eggs using precious metals and gemstones.

Th e Great Russian jeweller designed and manufactured the famous enameled eggs for the Russian Tsars. Th e stunning enamel eggs are fl exible charms which hang on a pendant or bracelet. Th e eggs are still manufactured in St. Petersburg today using original Carl Fabergé designs and their own more contemporary Alfa designs. Whistlestop now stocks a colourful range of both designs, which have been beautifully decorated with Swarovski Crystals and using 18k gold guild. Th e eggs make fabulous special gifts and are considered collector’s items. To see for yourself, stop into Whistlestop at the Station House or for more information call 095-21532.

Meet Conn O’Mara! Th e character of Conn O’Mara was created by Clifden’s

Leo Mansfi eld and his wife Susan, who moved back from London to Clifden with their dog Molly in 2001. Previously a character used by Susan to illustrate birthday cards for friends and family, Susan and Leo decided to adapt Conn for a series of tee-shirts to be sold in Leo’s shop, Faoin Tuath (Th e Outdoor Shop) in Clifden. Th e series shows Conn and his trusty companion, Seamus Sheepe in a number of activities and situations that would be familiar to both Connemara natives and visitors alike. Th ese include Conn struggling to stay on a surfboard, touring in a camper-van, riding his Honda 50 and acknowledging (cheerfully) that sometimes, it does rain in Connemara! Basking in Connemara’s glorious sunshine, buff eted by the frequent wind or drenched by the ‘occasional’ shower, Conn always wears a smile throughout his adventures.

Conn O’Mara is the result of a quest to draw attention to the attractions of Connemara in a way befi tting the 21st century. Susan and Leo specifi cally wanted to move away from the traditional tourist images of leprechauns, shamrocks and Guinness. Th e response to the tee-shirts has been superb, with the fi rst and second batches of Conn surfi ng and in a camper van selling out completely. Another six designs are now ready to go and Conn enjoys keeping his followers up to date on Facebook, where he already has over 1,000 fans but is keen to make more! Conn O’ Mara T-shirts are on sale now at Th e Outdoor Shop on Market St. in Clifden. To see more of Conn and his adventures check out Conn O Mara’s profi le on Facebook or go to www.connomara.com.

Relax with ChokureiClifden native Ethel Feneran has recently begun practising

aromatherapy and acupressure massage operating from the clinic of Dr. Sophie Faherty on Main St, Clifden. Ethel trained at the Scotland College of Complementary Medicine and holds a Diploma in Clinical Aromatherapy since 2004, as well as being registered with the U.K. Association of Medical Aromatherapy. She incorporates deep tissue massage and acupressure point manipulation into treatments to alleviate and treat many conditions, for example, digestive disorders, muscular pain, insomnia and migraine. Th is method is particularly eff ective towards the treatment of stress and anxiety related conditions. All aspects of the client’s health, diet and lifestyle are analysed initially before proceeding with an individually tailored massage. Ethel also operates as a mobile therapist and can visit clients in their own homes by arrangement upon consultation.

For more details on Chokurei Aromatherapy and Acupressure Massage see www.chokurei.vpweb.ie or contact Ethel at fencentral@yahoo.co.uk or 085-173-7071.

Roundstone Country MarketA new Country Market started in Roundstone on Sunday

May 2nd consisting of all local Connnemara artisans and craftspeople. Th ere were ten stall holders selling cheese, breads, eggs, vegetables, pastries, crafts and jewellery. Roundstone markets over the coming weeks will take place on May 16th and June 6th and 20th and will be held every

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Business Notes Sunday during July and August. Th e Roundstone Country Market takes place at the Roundstone Community Centre car park in the centre of Roundstone. For more info contact John Walsh on 095-41243.

Living GardensRun by Kay and Will Synott of Roscahill, ‘Living Gardens’

has just launched its new website and range of gardening courses and services. Having run successful courses on organic gardening in 2009, upcoming courses include ‘Growing under cover in polytunnels’ on Saturday May 10th and ‘Growing vegetables in the garden’ on Saturday June 12th. Kay is a qualifi ed horticulturalist, garden designer and environmental educator and regularly gives courses for

the VEC, Brigit’s Garden, Galway Education Centre and People and Nature project, and has helped to set up school and community gardens in Co. Galway. Th e 2 acre garden at Killannin House in Rosscahill comprises two vegetable growing areas, a polytunnel, herb garden, fruit garden, small orchard and native woodland and fl ower borders. All courses take place on the premises of Living Gardens in Rosscahill from 10am to 4pm and include a light home-cooked lunch and tea/coff ee.

For more details go to www.livinggardens.ie, e-mail info@livinggardens.ie or phone 091-550-007 or 087-698-0526.

The Vickers Lands at the AlcockTh e re-opening of the newly renovated Alcock & Brown

at the Square in Clifden has been greeted with enthusiasm

by locals and visitors alike since its doors opened in April. Th e accommodation and hotel rooms are managed by Clifden’s Sharon Maher while Mick Byrne has taken over the running of the impressive new Vickers Bar and Coff ee Shop. A full range of delicious hot meals, snacks and beverages are available in both, including Essence coff ee which is new to the West of Ireland.

Th ere will be live music at weekends, 6 TVs for all sports viewings and parties and fundraising events are warmly welcomed. For more information call 095-21880 or call in and see the new venues for yourself. Above, Mick Byrne and Sharon Maher in the newly renovated Vickers Bar at the Alcock & Brown.

Pub Courtesy Transport ServiceKeogh’s Bar of Ballyconneely is set to introduce a new

courtesy travel service for patrons of the bar. Stgarting on May 14th, customers of the bar will be able to avail of transport to the pub and home within the radius of north to

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Th e Connemara View would like to extend sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. Th is list is compiled from

various sources and we apologise for any errors or omissions.

Death Notices

Connemara Community Radio Weekly Schedule

Broadcasting 11 am to 9 pm each day on 87.8 FM & 106.1 FM

Weather Forecast & Community Notices at 3pm, 4pm and 8pm. Sponsored by Broderick

Electric, Sweeney Oil, Gannon Sports and The Oil Company. 12-4pm: Repeat of previous evenings broadcast.

* Indicates Sponors

Monday: 11am-12 Noon: The Chat Show with Heather Heanue and Colleen Curran. 4-5pm: Listen Here with Pete Ball. 5.05-6pm: Hooked on Music with John Duane. *Clifden Chamber of Commerce. 6-7pm: Alternate Weeks - As Gaeilge with Caitriona Nic Ghiollaphadraig OR Heyday with Bobbi O Regan. 7-8pm: Talk Sport with Vivian Cotter. *Galway

CoCo. 8pm: Roundstone Report with Richard de Stacpoole and Anne Conneely. 8.15-9pm: Ann’s Mixed Bag with Ann Conneely.Tuesday: 11am-12 Noon: Magazine Pro-gramme with Cliona Sheehan. *Connemara View Newspa-

per. 4-5pm: Reelin’ in the Years with Louisa Jack. 5.05-6pm: Jack’s Spot with Jack Tomlinson. 6- 7pm: Live with John Dunne. 7-8pm: Community Matters with Pat Walshe. *Tullycross and Cashel Credit Unions. 8pm: Cashel Report with Bernard Lee. 8.15-8.25pm CIC. 8.25-9pm: Community Matters continued.Wednesday: 11am-12 Noon: Magazine Pro-gramme with Mary Roe. 4-6pm: Gateway Hour with Mickey Mac. *SuperValu Clifden 6- 7pm: My Kind of Music with Martin Conroy. *ClifdenSupply Centre.7-8pm: Lift the Latch with Michael O’ Neill and Helen King. 8pm: Clifden Report with Breandan O’Scanaill. 8.15-9pm: Music with Pat Keaney.Thursday: 11am-12 Noon: FORUM Programme with Cathy Keane and Brendan O’Malley. 4-5pm: Gateway Hour with Kathleen O’Brien. 5.05-6pm: Fáilte with Mary Corbett Joyce. 6- 7pm: The Food Show with Janet O’Toole. 7-8pm: The Great Out-doors with Breandan O’Scanaill. *Acton Construction.8 pm: Cleggan Claddaghduff Report with Mary Gordon O’Toole. 8.15-9pm: Specialist Music with Breandan O’Scanaill.Friday: 11am-12 Noon: Friday Fix with Samantha Heanue & Priscilla Diamond. 4-5pm: Gateway Hour with Tonya Ni Chuirínn. 5.05-6pm: The Friday Feeling with Margaret Sheehan. 6-7pm: Lyrical Allsorts with Linda O’Malley. 7-8pm: Injury Time with Dave O’Halloran. *AIB Clifden. 8pm: Ballycon-neely Report with John O’ Malley. 8.15-9pm: American Country with Brendan Ridge. Saturday: 11am-12 Noon: Monkeying Around with Heather Kearney. 4-5pm: Gateway Hour with Tommy Roe and Keefa Mullan. 5.05-6pm: Pretty Good Day so Far! with Sean Halpenny. 6- 7pm: Blue Highways with Lol Hardiman. 7-9 pm: Music Spec-tacular Alternate Weeks - Shelter from the Storm with Dave O’ Halloran or Coast to Coast with Paul Phelan. Sunday: 10-11am: Sounds a Bit Irish with Eamonn McLoughlin.11am-12noon: Mass from Clifden. 4-5pm. Listen Here with Pete Ball. 5.05-6pm: Words & Music with Kathleen Faherty. 6- 7pm: Footappin’ Time with Tom Mongan. 7-8pm: Senior Side of the Street with Josephine De Courc-ey. *FORUM. 8pm: Ballinakill Report with Paddy Gannon. 8.15-9pm: Decades of Hits with Michael Coyne.

Joe Conneely, Ross, Roscahill

William J. (Willie) Diamond, Renvyle

Ellen (Lena) Faherty, Ballynew, Moyard

Annie King, Fairgreen, Roundstone

Frank King, Barnarusheen, Cleggan

Josie Mannion, Lettershana, Cashel

Robert McDonagh, Railway View, Clifden

Tom McDonagh, Shrahalla, Cashel, Luton & London,

England

Martin (Sonny) O’Halloran, Lucan, & Pribaun,

Rosscahill

Matthew O’Malley, Bunowen, Ballyconneely

Barbara Shaughnessy (née Jennings), Killola,

Rosscahill

Vintage Tractor RallyTh e grounds of Our Lady of Clonfert Church will be a

busy place on the morning of Saturday 22nd of May, when a group of approximately 25 people driving vintage tractors will gather to undertake a 250 mile Tractor Run in aid of the Galway Hospice. Th e group will depart from Clonfert at 7.30am heading for our fi nal destination of Ballyconneely. Th e route will see us travelling through Loughrea, where we will stop for rest and breakfast kindly sponsored by O’Dea’s Hotel. We will then continue on to Craughwell, Oranmore, Galway City, Moycullen, Oughterard, Maam Cross, Clifden and fi nally end up in Ballyconneely, where the kind people at Ballyconneely Golf Club are off ering us a meal and a night’s entertainment. We will also have a well earned sleep before refueling all tractors and starting the return journey to Clonfert. We look forward greatly to the event which will be made possible by all our sponsors, all taking part and all organisers. Patrick Kelly

Monthly Market and SaleConnemara Rugby Football Club are now holding a car

boot sale and farmer’s market at the Monastery Pitch on the fi rst Sunday of every month from 11am -2pm. Anyone interested in selling from a car boot, trailer or stand is asked to contact Irene King on 087-901-7406 for further details.

Saturday Night FundraisingA night of ‘Saturday Night Fundraising’ in aid of the

Clifden Playschool will take place at the Func Room at JC’s Bar in Clifden on May 22nd. It promises to be a fun night of 60’s and 70’s music. Doors open at 10pm and tickets are €10 with all proceeds going to the Clifden Playschool.

April Fools RevealedWe are sad to report that our sense of humour may have

been lost on some readers as our April fool’s pranks in our last issue of April 1st went largely unremarked upon! Our fi rst spoof appeared on Page 25 where a doctored photo showed an RNLI volunteer on the St. Patrick’s Day fl oat in Clifden, whose head had been mysteriously replaced by a pirate from the Foyle’s Hotel fl oat. Th e second ‘red herring’ was a brief article on the health benefi ts of strange shaped fruit on Page 35. While some readers remarked on one or other of the anomalies, nobody submitted the correct two answers to our competition. Since the next issue of the Con-nemara View to come out on April 1st will be a long time in the future, we promise to stick to genuine news articles and photos from now on!

NEWS EXTRA

Willie Diamond 1920-2010Th e passing of Willie Diamond on April 22nd marked the

closing of a chapter in the life of a man who devoted many of his 89 years to the good of the Connemara pony. He diligently served on the Council for almost 25 years and as vice President with the late Donal Kenny.

Renvyle has lost a friend, a legend and a lover of country life, which was always evident to his friends and family.

His chestnut mare Fanny Bunty, foaled in 1938, provided Connemara and Ireland with a foundation line that domi-nates throughout the breed right up to the present day. She in turn foaled a fi lly called Black Out who later, following a covering with Carna Bobby, produced one of Renvyle’s most famous mares, Queen of Diamonds. At Clifden in 1971,

Willie exhibited Queen of Diamonds to win the coveted Killanin cup. He also took the Supreme Championship with his lovely dun pony Kimble, who was the fi rst Stal-lion to win the Supreme Championship; prior to this it had always been a mare.

Kimble and Queen of Diamonds supplied the breed with the great stallion Abbeyleix Owen who features in so many of Ireland’s best gene pools.

Over the decades, the Diamond prefi x was evident in many countries. In the seventies the mare Four of Diamonds (Rebel Wind-Leam Grey) was exported to Australia where her bloodline has extended there ever since.

Willie won the Killanin Cup at Clifden and also won at the R.D.S. in 1952 with Five of Diamonds. He held a strong view that the old mares in south Connemara, Spiddal and Carraroe were small with great bone and sustenance which they passed on to their off spring. Willie passionately

believed that the Council is too big and at times they “cause more concern than they are concerned about”. He held the view that “twelve people and unity is the only way forward”. His foresight and wisdom was beyond question especially when breeding a mare, but also his passion, pride and respect of the Connemara pony will be etched in the history books.

Willie’s great-granddaughter Talitha has already graced the ring at Clifden in the ridden classes and at Kill Interna-tional, so the name of Diamond will continue hopefully for many years.

He is survived by his wife Annie, sons, Liam, Neil, Aidan, and John and daughters Máirin, Eithnne and Evelynne, six Grandchildren and one Great Grandchild.

Many Connemara pony enthusiasts travelled from near and far to pay their last respects at his funeral mass in Tully-cross Church before he was laid to rest in Toorena Cem-etery. May the sod rest lightly on his soul.Ruth Rogers

Willie Diamond would have celebrated his 90th Birthday on the 12th May and he and his wife Annie would have celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary on the 28th April. May he rest in peace.

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Photo Corner

New ArrivalsCongratulations to Wayne and Orla Baylis of Clifden on the birth of their daughter April

who was born on April 14th. She is pictured here (above right) with her big sister Holly and brother Max. Photo courtesy of Wayne Baylis

Congratulations to Lisa Whelan and Audi Mannion on the birth of their daughter Roisín on January 23rd and to grandparents Bernard and Úna Whelan and Caroline and Peter Mannion. Photo courtesy of Úna Whelan

Birthday Greetings Pictured right is Ethel Keogh of Ballyconneely who recently celebrated her birthday at McWilliams Coff ee Shop with the Ballyconneely Active Age Group.

80 years young Congratulations to Johnny Coyne of Goulane (below right) who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. He is pictured here with his sister Mary Whelan and nephew Ramie Whelan.

Golden Wedding AnniversaryCongratulations to Josie and Margaret Keaney of Cashel (below) who recently celebrated fi fty years of marriage. Photos courtesy of Mary Corbett-Joyce Graduation Success Congratulations to Angela O’ Malley of Recess who recently

graduated in Business and Computing pictured with her parents Paraic and Mary Ann.

Trinity Scholarship Pictured above right is Professor John Hegarty, the Provost of Trinity College and Súil Collins, a past pupil of St Paul’s School Oughterard who recently won the prestigious undergraduate Award of Scholarship at Trinity College, Dublin where she is studying Medicinal Chemistry. Súil has been awarded the title of Scholar given only to pupils of exceptional ability amidst stiff competition. Photo courtesy of Sarah Mackie

Carraroe NUIG BallColm Ó Mé aló id of Camus, Seá n Bradshaw and Joanne Casserly of An Baile Mó r were pictured at Acadamh na Gaeilge NUIG Carraroe’s Ball in Hotel Carraroe on Th ursday April 29th. Photo courtesy of Seá n Ó Mainní n.

The Big FIVE-0 for Clifden Boys Brian Hehir of Clifden, pictured above left with his wife Michele and daughter Caragh, was totally surprised by the big bash thrown for him on the recent occasion of his 50th birthday.

Clifden Fire Chief Gerard King celebrated his 50th with family, friends and fi re crew on May 1st at the Clifden Station House Hotel. Photo courtesy of Siobhan Stoney

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Planning Applications10475 Joyce, Michael, Glengowla West, 01/04/10. To

construct an agricultural livestock shed and associated site works.

10505, Seoige, P, Glinsk, 07/04/10. Chun teach conaithe, garaiste agus coras searachais a thogail.

10506 Gamondi, G & L, Ballynahinch, 07/04/10. Chun sheid baid a thogail.

Walsh, Paul & O Toole, Patricia, Fahy, 07/04/10. For the construction of a two storey dwelling house, waste water treatment system and all ancillary site works.

10531 Joyce, Ronan, Clifden, 12/04/10. For construction of a storage shed.

10541 Conroy, Mike, Bunowen Beg, 15/04/10. For a new dwelling house and septic tank disposal system.

10555 Cowgill, Harry, Clifden, 16/04/10. For changes to the design of the domestic garage granted under planning permission 09/1664.

10556 O Malley Michael & Nicola, Crocknaraw, 16/04/10. For dwelling house, septic tank and percolation bed.

10599 Corbett, Rory, Letterfrack, 23/04/10. For a change of use from residential to commercial-beauty salon and for signage at No. 1 Aras Ghuaire.

Source: www.galway.ie

Pet Food Pandemonium!Th e trials and tribulations of pet ownership can be abso-

lutely bewildering for a variety of reasons, from what sort of pet to get, to where to keep it, why you want it, and how much it will cost you. Naturally, pet ownership is a totally personal decision and is purely dependent on the individual’s approach to the task. Indiff erence and a casu-ally careless attitude are possibly as common in this country as over enthusiasm and obses-sive levels of interest and obsession when it comes to keeping pets. However, the single truly vital requirement for all animals is food. So what should you feed your pet?

Well, the message from manufacturers of pet food is generally, and not surprisingly, ‘Our Food!’ As a result, the pet food industry on a global scale is absolutely enormous. One need only look at the variety of products on the shelves of supermarkets and retail outlets nowadays to be dazzled by an array of tempt-ingly packaged and brightly coloured pet foods, all promis-ing diff erent benefi ts for the intended consumer. Of course, packaged, manufactured food of any kind is a composite of various ingredients and the pet food market is now so varied and confusing at times that it can represent yet another choice to make when choosing a pet.

It should be noted at this point that this article contains guideline information. Th e only qualifi ed advisors on animal feeding and welfare are veterinarians, so if in doubt, always consult one. Also, any quantities of nutrients refer to normal healthy adult animals as opposed to growing, working, preg-nant, unwell or convalescing animals.

Let’s take a look at the two most common household pets-cats and dogs. Both have separate and unique nutri-tional needs, depending on their age and level of physi-cal activity. Th e most common food for both nowadays is either packaged dry ‘kibble’ or moist canned foods. Th ere are plenty of arguments for which is better, so once again comes down to a personal decision. Advocates of dried food kibble maintain that it is ‘better for their teeth’ and leads to less dental deterioration as the animal ages. Conversely, advocates of wet food argue that it is closer to a diet found in an animal’s natural environment. Proponents of ‘raw food’ diets for both cats and dogs claim that it is a much healthier

diet for an animal, but the average pet owner is unlikely to have the time or desire to consistently focus on providing a truly balanced diet, sourcing and preparing fresh meat and produce every day, when convenient packaged foods are so standard and widely available.

Th e arguments are quite literally endless when you research this subject online and anecdotally. Indeed, the consensus appears to be that there is no consensus!

Th e fi rst port of call when examin-ing pet foods is the ingredient list. If you are concerned enough about what your pet eats it is worthwhile to familiarise yourself with some of the terms. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so top of the list is the main ingredient. Interpreting the pet food label is far from easy or exact, however.

If the fi rst ingredient is ‘chicken’ or ‘lamb’ then it is probably a good protein source. Meat by-products are less benefi -cial but acceptable, meat and bone ‘meal’ or ‘derivatives’ far poorer. A tactic used by some manufacturers to disguise less desirable ingredients is breaking an ingredient into several diff erent smaller ingredients and listing them individually to lower them farther down the ingredient list. For example, a product list could contain chicken, ground corn, corn gluten, ground wheat, corn bran, wheat fl our, wheat mid-dling, etc, which if grouped together as one would probably far out-weigh the amount of chicken. Also the ‘Guaranteed Analysis’ lists the protein and fat as crude sources rather than digestible sources, so it is a guideline rather than a hard and fast assurance of what your pet will get from it. While the most expensive foods are not necessarily the be all and end all of pet nutrition, I personally think it would be fair to say that the cheaper brands are a lot less likely to be of real value.

Cats are obligate carnivores, mean-ing they must eat meat to survive. Th eir food should be high in protein (25-30%) from good meat sources, not by-products. Cat’s systems have very little use for plant and vegetable matter and carbohydrates. Many amino acids, vitamins and miner-als necessary for life must be readily available in a commercial feline diet, eg. Taurine, Arginine, Vitamin A, and magnesium (but there are many more). Dry food contains a lot less water than wet food so a cat fed on dry food alone will require more water. Real, named meats like beef or chicken on an ingredient list (not on front of the pack) are far preferable to ‘meat’, ‘meat by-products’ or ‘meat and animal derivatives’. I feed my cat a mixture of dry and wet food but ad-mit to being price conscious and have usually bought supermarket brands, for price and convenience. I don’t really doubt that the more expensive preparations are better, but I also feed the cat meat and fi sh scraps (which she prefers, as well as wet food), so in a way I am taking a chance and hop-ing for the best. She is a healthy adult cat and has had no health problems in ten years.

I also feed my dog a mixture of foods, probably 80% dry to 20% wet.

He also gets scraps when suitable. Th e simplest guide again seems to be that ensuring enough protein is the fi rst step, so I always look for a dry food with the very minimum of 25% protein. Having been bewildered by starting to look into the vast gulf of opinion out there on this subject, I am now much more aware of looking at the ingredient list and questioning and weighing up the consequences of going for cheaper prepared foods in the supermarket as opposed to better balanced quality branded products. Th ere are many books, theories and online guides and articles out there, so if in doubt, go and look into it and draw your own conclu-sions, as I have.What Not to Feed

Another fea-ture that crops up regularly when researching what to feed your pet is what NOT to feed your pet. Th e following list is far from exhaustive but these are all foods that are not recom-mended to be fed to dogs or cats.

Bones: Th ey can splinter or lodge in the intestinal tract or get stuck in the mouth or throat.

Chocolate: It contains theobromine, which is digested easily by humans, but is toxic to dogs.

Onions: Th ey contain allyl propyl disulfi de, which dam-ages red blood cells and can cause fatal consequences.

Other reported off enders to pet health include alcohol, milk, ham and other salty meats, caff eine, avocados, tuna fi sh, raisins and grapes, garlic and onion powders, macada-mia nuts, mushrooms, tomatoes and tomato plants, xylitol sugar substitute, raw potatoes, turkey skin and nutmeg.

In general, I found this subject to be one of the most divided and debated topics I have examined in this way. Breeders, owners and even veterinarians all have wildly dif-fering and contradicting views on what is in or out when it comes to feeding pets, so the only conclusion I have person-ally drawn from it all is top follow some basic guidelines as outlined above and make sure your pet has enough, not too much. Th e rest is mind boggling, to say the least!Catherine Pryce

Consumer Watchdog: Pet Food & Petrol

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BeautyTh e Treatment Rooms at Abbeyglen Castle off ering

hot stone massage, luxury Yonka facials, indian head massage, refl exology, Zen spa pedicure/manicure, waxing, California tanning. Non residents welcome. Open 9-6pm Monday to Saturday. Sunday 12–5pm. 095-21306.

Anna’s Nail Bar & Tanning Salon. Bridge St., Clifden. 095-30001. Vibroplate. Wow Brown spray tanning now available. Hand fi le & polish €13. Toe fi le & polish. €16. Open Tues-Sat 10-5. Late appointments strictly by ap-pointment.

Hair Gallery, Bridge Street, 095-21901. Monday to Satur-day 10 – 6. Monday, late night Th ursday and Friday by Appointment only. Discounts on Wednesday for seniors and students. Organic colours available for sensitive heads! no ammonia or PPD. Looking for a style change drop in for a free consultation!

Do you want a great hairstyle, color or Highlights? Don’t toss a coin and gamble on Heads or Tails. For advanced, classic or contemporary hairdressing Hedz it is. Leave your Heads in the hands of the experts. Station House Courtyard, Clifden. 095-22202. Tue-Sat 9-6. Late night Fri.

Cancer CareClifden Outreach Service by Cancer Care West at the

Clifden Health Centre opposite Clifden Hospital on the 4th Th ursday of every month. Drop- in, information and support service. 091-545-000. www.cancercarewest.ie.

Complementary HealthReiki / Seichem. Experience the calm & healing energies of

this beautiful treatment, which is drug free & non-inva-sive. Th ese powerful energies can heal one on the mental, emotional, spiritual & physical levels. Qualifi ed Reiki /Seichem Master & Practitioner, Call Yvonne for appoint-ment. 086-365-3266.

Damien Stoney. Neuromuscular Th erapist ANMPT. Sports, Deep Tissue & Relaxation Massage, Dry Nee-dling, Physical Th erapy, Change Sensations In Your Body. 087-125-2578.

Clifden Holistic Centre. Kinesiology, food testing, acu-puncture, Bowen Th erapy, massage and hypnotherapy at An Bhean Fheasa Health Shop, Lr Market St, Clifden.095-30671. Open Mon-Sat 10-5 p.m.

CounsellingCounselling and psychotherapy. Úna McKeever M.Sc.,

M.I.A.H.I.P., M.I.A.C.P. is a fully accredited Psycho-therapist/Counsellor who off ers private and confi dential counselling. For an appointment call 087-250-5015. email: unamckeever21@gmail.com.

Fitness

day 27th June. Tranquillity Room, Kylemore Pass Hotel. €65 including lunch. Send a deposit of €30 to Deora Dé, Finisglen, Recess, Connemara, Co. Galway. 095-34664. info@deorade.com. www.deorade.com

Clifden Station House Leisure Centre. 095-30433. lei-sure@clifdenstationhouse.com. Fitness classes, Swim-ming Lessons, Aqua Aerobics, Circuit Training, Pilates, Personal Training.

Health InsuranceWhy pay more than you have to for your health insurance?

No penalties if you switch. All served waiting periods are recognised by Hibernian Aviva Health. Call Hennelly Finance on 091-586-500 or call Helena on 086-809-5607. Hennelly Financial Services Ltd. T/A Hennelly Finance is regulated by the Financial Regulator.

Health Shop

OpticiansMartial Art classes at the

Connemara Judo Acad-emy in the West Con-nemara Leisure Center on Sundays. We cater for children from 7yrs to 14yrs, and youth and adults 15yrs to 60yrs, Contact Paraic on 086-356-5590 or enrol on Sundays at 1pm.

5 Rhythms Movement Meditation Practice with Caitriona Nic Ghiol-laphádraig How about taking a day out to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy your-self? A day of movement and fun, good food and a beautiful venue. Sun-

properties. Th ey also have high levels of antioxidants and a wide variety of healthy vitamins and minerals (like most fruit). In dried forms they are small red and chewy and appear in snack bars and energy drinks and are also made into tea in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been claimed that goji berries may improve the immune system, circulation, sperm production, reduce infl ammation and improve vision, but the question of hard scientifi c evidence is again elusive, with few recognized studies on the food. Goji berries were recommended to me by a friend who found them very useful for increasing energy levels. I added them to porridge and cereals for a while, but found that I wasn’t too fond of the taste so gradually drifted away once the pack had run out. Blueberries

Native to North America, blueberries are one of the foods most highly lauded for having many health boosting benefi ts. Th ey have a diverse range of micronutrients with high levels of the essential dietary mineral manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K and fi bre. Many studies on both humans and animals have also been carried out on the benefi cial qualities of blueberries so they are somewhat

further along the scientifi cally guaranteed path than many other so called superfoods. Th eir antioxidant levels are extremely impressive and studies have found their consumption can be cardioprotective in the same way as red wine, potentially improve night vision and prevent macular degeneration, possibly

reduce the eff ects of age related conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, promote gastrointestinal health and protect against cancers of the colon and ovaries. It appears to be widely accepted that blueberries are a superb way of getting many vital and very important phytonutrients and their success rates are not subject to as much skepticism as many other similarly promoted foods.

Other foods perceived and promoted as having extraordinary health benefi ts, although this list is not exhaustive, are: green tea, avocado, broccoli, onions, peppers, soy, spinach, sprouts, hot peppers, leeks, apples, pomegranates, pumpkin, kiwi, oranges, tomatoes, wild salmon, turkey, eggs, beans, barley, seeds, nuts, lentils, oats, walnuts, buckwheat, cinnamon, dark chocolates, garlic, honey, extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, yoghurt, kefi r, sea vegetables, carrageen moss, umeboshi plums, wheat grass and miso. One point that strikes me about many of these foods is the distances they travel to make it into an Irish stomach. I would be wary of increasing the market for foods that have travelled signifi cant ‘air miles’ and would like to learn how a balanced diet can be attained by eating local and seasonal foods as opposed to always looking to the latest celebrity trend for nutritional guidance. I will look into many of these foods in future issues, to see whether the claims match the reality and whether we really should be making eff orts to get more of these foods into our regular diets. Catherine Pryce

GM Food Vs HomegrownA Brave New World-but will it be any better?

We all know that we need food to live-yet many of us are unaware of how our food is produced. Did you know that in any one day we are exposed to around 15,000 diff erent chemicals in our environment and many of those come from food additives? Th ese additives can cause behavioural and concentration problems in our children and hormone disruption in the greater population. A greater threat to our health though and to the planet, is Genetically Modifi ed Food.

Genetically Modifi ed Food is a food that has had its genes altered or tampered with in some way. Have you heard the joke “what do you get when you cross a sheep with a kangaroo? A woolly jumper!” Such a joke is no longer too far from the truth. Genetically modifi ed organisms (GMOs) include seeds, crops, trees, crustaceans, fi sh, poultry, livestock, animal feed and food. Such foods contain

Superfoods or Superfads?One of the most common phrases regarding nutrition

I have come across in recent years, both in print, on radio and television is ‘Superfood’. However, no sooner than I’ve begun to understand what goji berries are, it seems that they have been replaced by acai berries or some other new ‘superfood’ elbowing the last ones out of their fi fteen minutes of fame. I recall Gillian McKeith’s show on a UK TV channel a few years ago introducing a number of ‘new and exciting’ food items to the public consciousness. Sales of pumpkin seeds went through the roof at health food shops after her claims that consuming them improved erectile dysfunction in men. Similarly, I remember being in a health food shop last year when a girl walked to the counter asking for ‘that Chinese tea that Posh Spice drinks to stay thin’-(Pu-erh to the uninitiated). Th ere’s no doubt that there is huge interest out there for foods and products whose benefi ts have only been recently discovered or else revived and hyped, but are they all they are cracked up to be?

Th ere is no offi cial or scientifi c defi nition of the term ‘Superfood’. It is described by Wikipedia as ‘a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefi ts as a result’. Phytonutrients are described as antioxidants, anthocyanins, magansese, vitamins and many more potentially benefi cial but not necessarily essential elements. In 2007, EU legislation was introduced to prevent marketing of products as superfoods unless they outlined the promised health benefi ts clearly, in the context of a whole and balanced diet many nutritionists and scientists claimed that the term was not only overly simplistic but potentially a misleading marketing ploy. Products may now only be marketed as a ‘superfood’ in the EU if they are accompanied by a specifi c medical claim, supported by credible scientifi c research.

Th ere is undoubtedly a trend of consumers opting to buy and try products that have been endorsed by celebrities or ‘celebrity experts’, with the selling point being that they look and feel great and it’s possible that you can too. So in this article and subsequent briefer follow on pieces I am going to look at some of these so called ‘superfoods’ and see how they can help our health and wellbeing and accordingly, if the marketing claims need closer examination. It would appear, on sensible consideration of all the information available that a ‘superfood’ is something that only works well in the context of a ‘super diet’, but having a look at these foods and their supposed benefi ts will surely throw up some interesting information.

First up are three exotic berries the açai and goji and blueberry, both of which are available in various forms in Ireland today. Açai Berry

Th e Açai (Pronounced A-Sigh-Ee) berry comes from a Central and Southern American palm tree. Pulped Açai contains a remarkable amount of antioxidants, healthy fats, fi bre, plant sterols, minerals and amino acids, but its nutritional benefi ts are dramatically reduced after harvesting, so juices and freeze dried berries have much lower nutritive levels than fresh berries or pulp. While there is no doubt that this small fruit packs a serious nutritional punch in its original form, its credibility as a packaged and marketed ‘superfood’ has been damaged by negative PR in recent times. Açai berries have been marketed internationally as helping with weight loss and dieting but have also been the subject of internet scams, when people all over the world, including Ireland signed up for ‘free’ trials of Açai Berry Diet Pills and had their credit cards charged without their knowledge afterwards. Th e skeptic in me says enjoy these if you are lucky enough to get to South America some time, but in the mean time, see if you can ensure you get plenty of antioxidants from a more seasonal local diet. Goji Berry/Wolfberry

Th e Goji berry or wolfberry comes from the Orient and has drawn lots of attention lately for its anti aging

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foreign DNA (taken from viruses, bacteria, plants and animals). For example, tomatoes with fi sh genes, potatoes with spider genes and pigs with human genes. Some GMO crops are used in the pharmaceutical industry in the manufacture of blood thinners, blood clotters and contraceptives. GMO terminator crops make sterile seeds, meaning you cannot save one year’s seeds for the next year’s planting; you have to buy seeds every year. Th is is creating poverty in parts of the world-you can guess where. GMO crops are also genetically unstable; their long term impacts are unpredictable.

Scientifi c evidence now links GM animal feed and food with deaths and diseases in laboratory animals, livestock and humans. Risks include new diseases, allergies, infl ammatory responses, antibiotic resistance, reduced immunity and cancer. We in Ireland live in one of the cleanest environments in the world and yet so many of our community suff er with these complaints-could it be our food? Transgenic DNA in food can survive digestion and activate inside your body! Do you really want to be a living pesticide factory? According to the magazine Organic Matters, a leaked European Commission document admits “Th ere is no unique, absolute, scientifi c cut-off threshold available to decide whether a GM product is safe or not.”

Many people have lost touch with the land. Th eir food comes wrapped in plastic or cardboard and looks nothing like the living thing it used to be. Consequently, the only beings benefi ting from such foods are agribusinesses. However, many other people are turning back to the land and growing their own vegetables. Everyone can grow something, whether it is a kitchen herb on the window sill or some lettuce in a large plant pot. Th e taste is so much better, food tastes as it is supposed to-peas taste like peas, tomatoes taste like tomatoes. You will feel so much better with home grown food and you will feel a great sense of satisfaction too. If you need help getting started, why not ask an elderly neighbor who grows their own or speak to FORUM Connemara. Th e Organic Centre in Leitrim or Irish Seed Savers in Clare are also there to help.

We may not be able to control the government and the large multinational corporations who are responsible for so many of Europe’s laws; we may not be able to control the weather, but we can try and take control of our own lives, our own health and grow our own food. Your children will thank you. Terri Conroy

Car Sick KidsA common problem with many young children is car

sickness, so why does it happen and what can be done? Sensory confusion occurs in the brain when the movement registered in the inner ear confl icts with the reduced movement messages received by the eyes.

Distraction can be a good idea to try to turn away thoughts of it happening. However, reading, playing hand held video games or watching a portable DVD player are not good as they require the eyes to focus inside of the car. Listening to a story or songs on headphones is better, while focusing on a point in the distance up ahead. Greasy or oily meals should be avoided before travelling so instead of chips or crisps try a banana which is easy on the stomach and avoid large milk based drinks, fi zzy drinks or fruit juices, all of which are likely to reappear later in the journey-only allow water.

Ginger and peppermint are both recommended for queasy tummies, so try candied ginger or peppermint fl avoured sweets. Kids are less likely to be ill if sitting in the front passenger seat. If this is not possible, then the middle seat in the back is the best spot, preferably on a booster seat so they can see ahead. Booster seats are good in general as they allow the child to see forwards, instead of the scenes whizzing past their sides which contributes to their sick feelings.

Old fashioned remedies include putting an elastic band on the wrist, removing shoes and socks for the duration of the journey which may help cooling down or just provide a feeling of freedom. Fresh air is also the simplest and best thing for feeling unwell, so even if it is cold or raining try and keep a small bit of a window open at all times.

Try to drive as smoothly as possible leaving plenty of time- harsh braking or cornering is not likely to help. Also be prepared with wet wipes and try to watch for signs of sickness before it’s too late! Catherine Pryce

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Dusty Banjos Trad GroupPictured are members of the Dusty Banjos traditional music group at their weekly session in the Bens Music

Shop on Bridge Street, Clifden. The session is primar-ily aimed at adults returning to Irish music or taking up a new instrument and new tunes are taught each week, while singers in the group bring their own fa-vourite songs to share. The group meets every Tues-day at 7.30pm, and new faces are always welcome. More information is available from Heather or Mary at 095-44845, or see www.dustybanjos.com.

Spring at Stronach GalleryAn exhibition of new work by Declan O’Connor

titled ‘An Image in my Heart’ is currently on display at the Stronach Gallery at Fermoyle Lodge in Costel-loe. The exhibition opened on May 2nd and will run at the gallery until Sunday May 16th. Passionate about Connemara, Declan spends long periods painting its bogs, ponies and characters. His work and the works of other artists on display at the gallery can be seen online at www.stronachgallery.com. For more infor-mation call 091-786-111.

Pictured at the opening of his exhibition of new work at the Stronach Gallery in Costelloe was artist Declan O’Connor with gallery owner Nicola Stronach. The exhibition continues until May 16th.

Upcoming Theatre EventsMusic Network Trad Tour

The Clifden Arts Society’s next concert will take place at the Station House Theatre on Monday May 24th at 8pm, with uileann piper David Power, fl ute player Ciarán Somers and fi ddler Fionn Mac Goilla Chuda exploring the music of the South East. Virtuoso uilleann piper Power is a former All-Ireland winner and was a member of Liam Clancy’s Fairweather Band in the early 90’s. In recent years, he has recorded two highly-acclaimed solo CD’s as well as performing alongside such trad giants as Tony Mac Mahon and

Máirtín O’Connor. Flute player Ciarán Somers is noted for his musical links with Britt any: his recent CD Faoi Bhláth was recorded there with fi ddler Dave Sheridan and Breton guitarist Nicolas Quemener, formerly of Arcady, while Dubliner Fionn Mac Goilla Chuda has toured in Japan and across Europe in the distinguished company of The Helvick Heads, Dónal Clancy and Gorumna. Tickets are €12/€10 and will be available on the door on the night. The Good Father

Meantime Theatre Company will present a perfor-mance of ‘The Good Father’ at the Station House The-atre in Clifden on Friday June 4th. The Good Father is a contemporary love story of how two people starting at the end try to reach a new beginning. Tim and Jane are from diff erent sides of the class divide, but when a random meeting at a New Years Eve party leads to an unexpected pregnancy they att empt to form a relation-ship against all odds. for bookings or more details contact the station House Theatre at 095-30303 or log on to www.stationhousetheatre.com.

Mary McPartlan in Oughterard A unique national tour featuring renowned singer

Mary McPartlan will visit 10 counties this May, com-ing to Kilcummin Parish Church, Oughterard on Tuesday May 25th at 8pm. The Leitrim-born singer is joining forces with multi-instrumentalist and singer Rick Epping and guitarist Aidan Brennan to perform a gloriously earthy mix of trad, folk and blues. This na-tional tour has been organised by arts and community development organisation Rural Arts Network and uachtarARTS Oughterard Community Arts Group has been invited to host the event in the west of Ireland. Everyone is very welcome to att end. €8 admission (€5 concession).

Inishbofin Arts Festival 2010The Inishbofi n Community Arts Festival 2010 takes

place once again on the island this May from Friday the 7th to Sunday the 9th with yet another great line up of events and entertainment for all ages and tastes. As usual, all indoor events will take place at the Community Centre and the festival will be offi cially opened on Friday 7th at 9pm with a cheese and wine reception and ‘the voice and rhythm of The Chieft ains’ Kevin Conneff .

The schedule for the weekend is as follows: Friday May 7th9pm -Festival Launch with Cheese & Wine Reception

and Offi cial Opening by Kevin Conneff of The Chief-tains. A regular visitor and performer to Inishbofi n, we are delighted to have such a talented trad musi-cian open the Inishbofi n Community Arts Festival. Kevin is equally accomplished playing the bodhran and the mighty Conneff will host a unique Bodhran Masterclass! The Offi cial Opening will be Broadcast By Connemara Community Radio. Accomplished and trained young musicians from Inishbofi n will also provide festival goers with an inspiring and lively trad set.

11pm: Mick Flannery & Band €20. Recently voted the best Irish songwriter and the best in Irish Folk and Trad by Hot Press readers, Mick Flannery & band are currently one of the top acts on the Irish live cir-cuit. A choice gig for passionate muso’s and all who

enjoy quality live music. Saturday May 8th1-8pm: Interactive Events Ireland-Paintball, Mini-Golf

and Archery. Open to all ages.1-2pm: Kevin Conneff Bodhran Masterclass €10. The

lead singer of the legendary Chieft ains, Kevin Con-neff will host a very special masterclass.

1-4pm: Archaeological Walk With Gerry McCluskey €10. Gerry will interpret the landscape of the islands and relate their evolution and history. Appropriate footwear required.

1-5pm: Interactive Reptile Zoo €7 & €5. This extraor-dinary zoo displays all sorts of interesting reptiles including a Caiman Crocodile, a Tokay Gecko, a Chameleon, a Green Anaconda and even an Alliga-tor snapping turtle! Hold a boa constrictor or pet a bearded dragon!

2-3pm: Children -Fire & Ice Show-4-12 yrs - €6 or both events for €10

3-4pm: Children Mad Science Workshop- 4-12 yrs-€6 or both events for €10

2-4pm: Film-Fly on the Wall Documentary Workshop-€7. Join a local based fi lm company; Onarock productions in the production of a Fly on the Wall Festival Documentary during the course of the weekend. State of the art equipment will be used in this workshop so why not be a part of fi lming per-formances, events and interviews with festival acts!

2-5pm: DJ Workshop with DJ Dan Sykes of Vivamusic Studios €10. Dan Sykes (Pulse FM) runs Vivamusic Studios in Limerick and lectures in Limerick College of Further Education. Open to all over 14 yrs.

5pm: Library-Poetry Reading with John Liddy. Adm-Free. Born in Youghal, County Cork, but raised in Limerick, John Liddy has been publish-ing his work over the last thirty years. The Irish poet who lives in Madrid will read from his own work, and he will also read from the work of Miguel Hernandez. This year is the centenary of the birth of Miguel Hernandez.

6.30pm: Athlone Litt le Theatre presents John B Keanes’ “Big Maggie” €10 & €6. One of the most prestigious amateur drama groups in Ireland, run-ning almost 75 years, Litt le Athlone Theatre group promises to give a dramatic and powerful interpre-tation of John B. Keane’s Big Maggie. This west of

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Ireland play includes a stellar cast and an accom-plished director and this production of Big Maggie has already received glowing reviews.11pm: The High Kings €25. Comprising of the compel-

ling voice of Darren Holden and Finbar Clancy of the well-known Clancy family, Martin Furey eldest

son of the ‘prince of pipers’ Finbarr Furey and Brian Dunphy who is the son of Sean Dunphy, a show-band hero. The High Kings are a high profi le quartet of great musical lineage playing classic Irish ballads and folk songs.

Sunday May 9th1-8pm: Interactive Events Ireland2-3pm: Dance and Drama Workshop-Under 7 yrs- €6

or 2 for €103-4pm: Dance and Drama Workshop- 7yrs up - €6 or 2

for €10.Elaine Enright of Yellow Door Dance Studio is an accomplished performer and dance and drama instructor. She will off er dance and drama work-shops for kids followed by a mini-performance at the end of the workshops. Elaine will also instruct a fun Salsa lesson suitable for all.

2-4pm:Film-Fly on the Wall Documentary €7 4pm to 5pm : Salsa Dance Workshop for adults €77.30-9pm: Local fi lm: Inishark, Bas Oileáin, The Lett er,

Island Air €5 Inis Airc, Bás Oileáin’(‘Inishark, Death of an Island’)

was the winner of a Galway County Arts Award for excellence, ‘Inis Airc, Bás Oileáin’ tells the story of the last years of the Inishark community on the island and the evacuation of its last 25 inhabitants in 1960. The director Kieran Concannon is a local of Inishbofi n. The Lett er and Island Air are two short documentaries produced by Inishbofi n fi lm com-pany, Onarock Productions.

9-10pm: DJ Dan Sykes –Adm-Free. An eclectic and funky set of world music, hip hop and jazz.

11pm: The Late Late Show House Band €20. Formerly known as the Camembert Quartet, the Late Late

C o n n e m a r a A r t s V i e w M a y 2 0 1 0 P a g e 3 7C o n n e m r A r t s V i e w

Show House Band are a group of accomplished musicians with a great sense of humour. Their lead singer Clint loved staying in the A Frame House on Inishbofi n as a child and wants to rock the Island’s socks off as a result!

There will also be art exhibitions by Peter McIlwaine and Mae Prendergast on display in the Community Centre throughout the festival. Tickets for the music gigs can be pre booked or purchased on the night subject to availability. For more information contact the Community Centre at 095-45895 or bofi ndev@eircom.net.

Images of Connemara‘Spirit of Connemara’ is a new hardback book featur-

ing images of Connemara in all its seasons and colours by Galway photographer Ronan Bree. Published

by Halsgrove Publishing, the beautiful collection of images of Connemara is now on sale at the Clifden Bookshop on Main St. Clifden.

An Jig GigLast year An Jig Gig burst onto our screens with

dancers of all ages, disciplines and codes, batt ling it out to become Ireland’s best traditional dance act. Now it’s time to begin the search for An Jig Gig Cham-pion 2010! Hosted by Róisín Ní Thomáin, the show will again see hundreds of acts, from all diff erent styles of Irish dance, and all age groups, take to the stage. All three judges are experts in the fi eld of Irish dance, but will they see eye to eye with such a variety of styles on display? Only one thing is for certain – one act will be crowned champion and will claim the title of best traditional Irish dance act 2010. To apply to take part in the competition, please visit the pro-gramme website at www.tg4.ie/jiggig and fi ll out the application form. The Galway audition will take place on Sunday May 9th. Please apply early to guarantee your place at the auditions. All applicants will be con-tacted to confi rm a time and venue for their audition.

First Clifden Trad FestWell what a weekend! The inaugural Clifden Trad

Fest was a resounding success with a wealth of talent on display. It was a wonderful atmosphere all week-end in all the venues and a general feeling of goodwill and entertainment prevailed throughout. The opening concert showcased the very best of local and visiting talent with the packed pub sessions all weekend giv-ing people the opportunity to hear some of Ireland’s fi nest musicians. The workshops and youth session were very well att ended with young people and the ‘outdoor stage’ gig which was held in the Vickers Bar at the Alcock & Brown due to weather, was packed to the raft ers! Sunday’s Music Mass received great feedback, with the ‘One for the Road Session’ going on until the late hours of Sunday night.

The dates have even been set for next year 15th-17th April 2011. The event could not have taken place with-out our sponsors: the Forum Leader Project; Comhaltas

by Halsgrove Publishing, the beautiful collection of

Ceoltoiri Eireann; Failte Ireland; Connemara Chamber of Commerce and all the local businesses and pubs that supported the Clifden Comhaltas Branch.

Our May monthly music session will take place in Guys Bar on Main Street Clifden on Friday 28th May at 8.30pm. As usual the wonderful youth session will start the evening followed by the senior session. All musicians, singers and dancers are welcome. For any details on the monthly sessions, please contact Marie on 086-401-5342 and check our Facebook page ‘Clifden Comhaltas’ for regular updates.Michele Hehir See photos of the fi rst Clifden Trad on next Page

UachtarARTS Success!Colourful, fun and with something for everyone,

the UachtarARTS Festival, which took place from the 23rd-25th April saw Oughterard come alive with creativity! The festival got off to a fl ying start with the launch of three community art exhibitions in Oughte-rard Tourist Offi ce and then continued with a beauti-ful concert in Kilcummin Parish Church. The weekend was packed with workshops for all ages, performances to beat the band and fascinating talks and walks, not to mention a popular treasure hunt. The festivi-ties fi nished off on a high note in Oughterard’s leafy Shrubbery Park with a showcase of newly learnt skills including sean-nós dancing, drumming, violin play-ing and music from instruments made with recycled materials, as well as a performance by Spraoi, Ough-terard’s youth circus. Much fun was had by all at the various photo boards dott ed around the town, while the stunning, gigantic wind chime installations in the Shrubbery were a feast for the ears and the eyes!

The Festival was organised by uachtarARTS Ough-terard Community Arts Group in collaboration with Clann Resource Centre, and was funded by the Arts Council, the VEC and Galway County Council, with support from local businesses. If you have any com-ments or ideas for future arts events, or would like to get involved, please contact uachtararts@hotmail.com or 091-557-633.See photos of the Oughterards Arts Festival on next page.

Looking for Fame!RTE One’s latest talent

competition, entitled ‘Fame: The Musical’ is seeking a male and a female lead to appear in a nationwide stage production of the much loved movie and television series of the same name. One of the ten fi nalists Michael Joseph O’ Brien, is the nephew of Ol-ive Carty from Clifden, and has already impressed the panel of judges with his sing-ing acting and stage skills in the live shows to date. ‘Fame: The Musical’ is broadcast on RTE One on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm. To vote for Michael Joseph, text FAME 11 to 53125 or call 1513-717-111 when the lines are open aft er the live shows.

Photos clockwise from top left: Clifden Trad Fest organiser Marie Walsh of the Clifden Comhaltas Group - Hazel Corbett and Connie Madden playing a tune - Th e céili band delighted audiences all over the town with their performances ensuring a bright future for trad in Connemara - Joachim McHugh, All Ireland sean-nós dancing champion Emma O’ Sullivan and Eamonn McLoughlin. - A rapt audience at the festival opening - Youth session at Vickers Bar - Niall McCann of Ballyconneely was one of many young local dancers to show off their steps during the fi rst ever Clifden Trad Fest - John Gerard Walsh & Friends at Foyles Hotel Photos by Patrick Howard, Mary McCann and staff .

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1st Clifden Trad Fest

Oughterard Arts Festival 2010 Photos clockwise from right: Anna Morley, Bridget Morley and Kathleen

Furey at the launch of ArtCase - ‘Nellie Murphy’ at the old time waltzing! - Getting artistic during UachtarARTS - Festival committee members Amber Walsh and Leah Beggs with Cllr. Tom Welby - Drumming in the Shrubbery at the Oughterard Arts Festival -

Photos courtesy of the UachtarARTS Committee

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Eating, Drinking & Gigs Guide

Alcock & Brown Hotel. Th e Square, Clifden. 095-21880. Vickers Coff ee House: Boasting a brand new food menu with lunches from €6.95.Childrens lunches from €3. Essence coff ee. Homemade apple pie, cakes, scones and desserts.Access to outdoor decking area. Open 9am to 6pm. 7 days a week. Vickers Bar Great value new bar menu served 12 noon to 9pm. 6 TVs for viewing all sporting events. Showing all Premiership matches Gigs: Sumbrellas (Irish, Americana, Italicana Music). Fridays May 7, 14, 21 and Saturday May 29. Amazing Apples. Saturday May 8th. Th e Rye. Saturday May 22nd. Th e Th ree Toms. Sunday Nights.

Clifden Station House Hotel. 095-21699. info@clifden-stationhouse.com. Midweek dinner special – 3 course meal and a bottle of wine for two €59, available Sunday to Th ursday. Th e Station House Bar – Food served daily noon -9pm, music Friday Night with Gerry Curran and Saturday Night with Barry Ryan. Station House Th e-atre highlights - Do Bhíosa Lá i bPortlairge, Mon 24th May, 8pm €12/€10, Th e Good Father, Friday 4th June, 8pm €15, Davy Arthurs & Th e Fureys, Friday 6th Au-gust €25. Stationhousethreatre.com 095-30303/21699.

Derryclare Restaurant. Th e Square, Clifden. 095-21440.

Check out the NEW even more aff ordable menu at the Derryclare Restaurant. Dinner for 2 Any day. Any time. Only €58. Enjoy a 3 course meal including a bottle of wine. NEW Takeaway Menu. Let us do the cooking! Hot trays of our menu items available for all occasions. Pizza Takeaway Special. Any 2 Cheese. Any time. Any day. Only €15.

Griffi ns Bar, Main Street, Clifden. 095-21370. All day breakfast served from 10am. NEW lunch menu served daily Mon-Th u 12-4pm / Fri 12-5pm. Takeaway now available. Watch sports in High Defi nition on our Big screen and 4 TV screens. Come have lunch and watch sports on the Big Screen in our newly improved and heated beer garden. Live music seven nights a week- Monday -Trad with Barry Brady & Friends 8-11, Tuesday - Trad 8-11, Wednesday - Trad 8-11, Th ursday- Trad with Th e Herons Brothers, Friday - Johnny Óg Connolly & Friends. Saturday Nights Live Band & DJ, Sunday Trad 7 till 10pm and DJ Fiddler 11 till fi nish.

Guys Bar, Main Street, Clifden, 095-21130, info@guys-barclifden.com. Food served daily 10.30am to 9pm. Snug available for private parties. Traditional music Wed – Sat 7.30 to 9.30pm – DJ Mike O’Malley every Saturday Night from 10pm. Clifden Comhaltas May Music Ses-sion - Friday 28th May from 8:30pm.

O’Dowd’s Bar & Seafood Restaurant. Roundstone. 095-35809. Open daily from 10.30am. Fresh seafood daily. Early Bird Special: 2 Courses, Tea/Coff ee €19.50. (Until 7.30pm). Evening Restaurant Menu Served from 5 to 9.30pm. Bar Food Served Noon to 9.30pm.

Kylemore Pass Hotel and Restaurant, Kylemore. Ideal for small weddings. Tranquillity Room suitable for civil weddings & therapy-use. Restaurant for a special meal. Sailors Bar for aff ordable meals. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries etc. Take friends for a drink in our unique bar. 095-41141. email: passinn@indigo.ie www.kylemore-pass-hotel-connemara.com.

Mannions. Market St, Clifden. 095-21780. Food served daily until 9pm. Traditional music at weekends.

Marconi Restaurant at Foyle’s Hotel. Th e Square, Clifden. 095-21818. Open 6 days. 6-9pm. Early Bird Specials from 6-6:45pm.

Mullarkey’s Bar. Th e Square, Clifden. 095-21818.Music every Friday and Saturday night. Check out our billboard on Th e Square for gig listings.

Event ListingsMay 2-16: Declan O’ Connor Ex-

hibition ‘An Image in my Heart’ , Stronach Gallery at Fermoyle Lodge in Costelloe. 091-786-111.

May 7-9: Th e Inishbofi n Commu-nity Arts Festival 2010. See Pages 36 and 37. 095-45895. bofi ndev@eircom.net.

May 8: Retreat day, Kylemore Ab-bey. 11am to 3.30pm. All are welcome.

May 8: Jumping and Dressage Show, Cleggan Beach, 2pm.

May 8: Credit Union Talent Com-petition- CU-Factor Talent. Audi-tions: Cashel Community Centre. 11am. 095-31128. 095-31101.

May 9: Community Clean Up. Streamstown Tempaill an Dearg Graveyard, 2pm.

May 9: School Cake Sale, Killan-nin Community Centre, after 11 o’clock Mass.

May 9: CSI Clifden: Cake Sale, Sta-tion House Hotel, 11.45am.

May 9: Roundstone Youth Council pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick, bus departs 9am. 086-821-51-53.

May 11: Letterfrack Citizen’s Information service, Connemara West (Portacabin 4), 1:30-4:30pm. 087-130-1100.

May 12: Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society Talk, Station House Hotel, 8pm.

May 15: Cleggan and Claddaghduff

First Holy Communion, Cladd-aghduff Church, 11 o’clock Mass.

May 16: Gráinne Mhaols La-dies Gaelic Club Registration Day, Clifden Town Hall 3-4pm. Connemara Community Radio from 5-6pm. 087-284-1006. 086-384-7499.

May 22: ‘Saturday Night Fund-raiser’ 60’s & 70’s Music, Th e Func Room, 10pm. €10. (proceeds in aid of Clifden Community Play-school).

May 22: Th e Conamara Bog Week Grand Prix, 65km cycling event, 3.30pm. 087-912-0910

May 23: Th e Gogarty Cup, 80km cycling event, 12.30pm. 087-912-0910 www.western-

lakescc.com.May 23: Monster Bingo, Claddagh-

duff Hall, Sunday, 8.30pm.May 23: Connacht Sheep Shear-

ing Championships 2010, Maam Cross. 9am.

May 24: Music Network Trad Tour, Station House Th eatre, 8pm. €12/€10.

May 25: Mary McPartlan, Kilcum-min Parish Church, Oughterard, 8pm.. €8/€5.

May 25: Letterfrack Citizen’s Information service, Connemara West (Portacabin 4), 1:30-4:30pm. 087-130-1100.

May 26: World MS Day Coff ee Day, Connemara Community Radio, Letterfrack,10.30-6pm.

May 28: May Comhaltas Ses-sion, Guys Bar, Main Street. 086-401-5342.

May 28-June 7: 26th Annual Conamara Bog Week 2010. www.ceecc.org. 095-41034/43443 or 085-115-4629.

June 4: ‘Th e Good Father’, Station House Th eatre. 095-30303.

June 6: Renvyle Animal Res-cue fundaiser, Ellis Hall, Letterfrack,10am to 3pm. 087-056-6302.

June 13: Little Gems Community Playgroup, Recess. Sponsored walk & cycle, Noon. 087-976-1811.

June 14: CSI Clifden: Public Meet-ing, Claddaghduff Community Hall, 8pm.

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