Family Carers asked to put their life story on the line

Family Carers throughout Ireland are being invited to put pen to paper and compose a poem as part of Caring for Carers Ireland’s annual nationwide poetry competition.

Irish landmarks ‘craftbombed’ in the name of art

A nationwide art campaign got underway across the island of Ireland over the weekend with everything from police stations to statues “craftbombed” to mark the start of Voluntary Arts Week, an annual celebration of the amateur arts and crafts. 

High Profile Speakers Confirmed For National Tourism Conference

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny, Aer Arann chairman Mr Padraig O Ceidigh and F.A.I. Technical Director Packie Bonner will join tourism interests from across the island of Ireland at the National Tourism Conference, details of which were announced today.

The Clare Tourist Council - in conjunction with Clare County Council – will host the 22nd annual conference at The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, County Clare, from 25-27 November.

The annual event will be attended by hundreds of tourism industry officials and members of Local Authorities, County Enterprise Boards, partnerships, and all public and private bodies involved in the promotion of tourism on the island of Ireland.

This year’s conference, entitled “Achieving World Class Tourism”, also will see some of Ireland’s leading tourism operators pledge their support for the Cliffs of Moher’s bid to be named one of the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’. The iconic County Clare landmark was shortlisted in July 2009, along with 27 other sites, from over 440 participants representing over 220 countries.

Speakers scheduled to address the conference include: Aer Arann chairman Mr Padraig O Ceidigh (The Importance of Access); Gerard Dollard, Director of Services Clare Co Council and Ennis Town Manager (Raising the Bar – The Role of local Authorities); Geraldine McGahey, Chief Executive, Larne Borough Council (Learning from the advantages of networking: The Pathway to Success); Samantha Williams, Cantata Project Coordinator, Denbighshire County Council (Developing an authentic tourism experience); and Bodil Alver Moen, Lillehammer Kommune, Norway (World Class Tourism: The Importance of Exchange Programmes, from Inside and Outside the E.U.).

The Football Association of Ireland (F.A.I.) will also be represented at the conference as it prepares to hold its own annual conference in County Clare next summer. Former goalkeeping international and current F.A.I. Technical Director Packie Bonner will address conference delegates on the issue of “Football in Clare: The Key to Success”, while F.A.I. delegate from Clare Jim Madden will speak about the importance of networking within clubs.

Commenting on the upcoming conference, Mr. Flan Garvey of the Clare Tourist Council said: “The interest shown in this year’s event indicates the very real commitment among all tourism agencies and operators to participate in a unified approach to addressing common issues facing the sector. Tourism has been hit badly by the downturn in the economy and it can only survive and prosper if operators in the sector exchange ideas and collaborate.”

Mr. Garvey noted that the conference has in previous years attracted tourism representatives from all over Ireland to Ennistymon to share their views on the best way forward for the sector.

“For over two decades this event has promoted the benefits of adopting a collaborative approach to developing tourism on the island of Ireland. The Clare Tourist Council is committed to engaging with tourism providers and promotional agencies throughout the island in reinforcing the country’s status as a domestic and international tourist destination alike. All political parties, including Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party, will also be participating in the event in the best interests of developing tourism”, he added.

Next month’s three-day conference will include the presentation of the Clare Tourist Council Tidy Towns Awards, sponsored by Fitzpatrick’s Supervalu Supermarket in Ennistymon, along with a site visit by delegates to the nearby Cliffs of Moher.

The Clare Tourist Council hosted its first national tourism conference, entitled ‘The Tourism Explosion - Implications for Ireland’, in 1989. Subsequent conferences have addressed a wide range of tourism issues like ‘Tourism for the ’90s’, ‘Tourism & the Environment’, ‘Let Tourism work for You’, ‘Keeping up with Changing Times’, ‘The Role Played by Local Authorities in Tourism’, ‘Positioning Tourism - Quality or Price”, “Promoting Co-operative Tourism Marketing”, and ‘‘Promoting Partnership In Tourism: 21 Years Of Progress”.

The Big Freeze Set To Return To Ireland

All indications are that Ireland is set to see a return of bitterly cold conditions from the colder continent early next week.

Daytime temperatures are likely to be in low single figures by midweek and will struggle to rise much above freezing during daylight hours by the end of next week. Present indications are that the cold spell will last for at least five days before the Atlantic restores milder weather over the country.


Local authorities throughout Ireland will be keeping a close eye on the weather situation over the coming days and will be hoping to avoid a prolonged wintry spell that will put further pressure on salt and gritting stocks. Snow is likely at times but sharp to severe frosts can be expected.

Munster To Team Up With Connaught For Aviva Stadium Opening

The first game to mark the opening of the redeveloped Lansdowne Road will be held on August 7 next and will see a composite Leinster/Ulster team face a Munster/Connacht selection, the IRFU announced today.

"To mark the opening of the Aviva Stadium, the Irish Rugby Football Union today confirmed that the first game to be played in 2010 will be an historic rugby match between two composite provincial teams," reports breakingnews.ie. Leinster and Ulster were the first representative teams to play in the old Lansdowne Road nearly 133 years ago on December 16, 1876. Both provinces were also on hand to play the final game in the stadium on New Year's Eve 2006, when Leinster beat Ulster 20-12 in the Magners League.

The game will form part of the provincial preseason calendar. The Aviva Stadium will also play host to some of the top teams in world rugby during the Guinness Series in November next year. Ireland is scheduled to play four internationals for the first time during that period against World Champions South Africa, followed by games against Samoa, New Zealand and Argentina.

Northern Ireland Confirms Three More Swine Flu Deaths

Northern Ireland's Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said he is terribly saddened to hear of the three latest swine flu related deaths in the region.

A second child from a school in Derry has died after contracting swine flu. Five Foyleview (left) pupils have now contracted swine flu, reports RTE News.

A 62-year-old man has also died in a hospital in the North. He was confirmed as having swine flu but it was not the cause of death. A third patient with swine flu and other complex health issues has also died in hospital.

Killeen Welcomes Major New Package On EU Fisheries Control

Mr Tony Killeen TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food today agreed a comprehensive fisheries control and inspection framework at the Fisheries Council.

Speaking in Luxembourg, Minister of State Killeen said: “My priority at Council was to secure measures that will give our fishermen confidence that there is real intent and the necessary tools in place that will address illegal fishing in the waters around our coast. These measures will help to deliver the level playing field on control that is necessary to rebuild fish stocks and protect the livelihood of our coastal communities which are fully dependent for their future on healthy fish stocks fished sustainable by all operators in our waters”.

Discussions on the new measures will overhaul the existing regime for fisheries control continued late into the night. The package of measures was finally agreed following intensive negotiations by Minister of State Killeen to ensure that Ireland's priorities and concerns were fully taken on board.

Minister of State Killeen continued: “I welcome these new measures which I believe are not a threat to Irish fishermen who have already moved substantially to a culture of compliance. As fisheries are a common resource it is vital that all operators from all EU fleets respect the rules. We must rebuild our fish stocks by implementing conservation measures and tackling illegal fishing by fleets in our waters which is the major cause of the decline in our fish stocks and quotas. With this package, we have now a better opportunity to stop the cycle of decline and secure a sustainable profitable future for our industry”.

The urgent need for a new control regime in European fisheries was clearly set down in a Court of Auditors report on data collection and control and enforcement under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The Court concluded that weaknesses in fisheries controls jeopardised the proper functioning of a fisheries management policy based on catch limitations. The objective of the new control regime is to address in a comprehensive way the shortcomings identified and modernise the delivery.

The new Regulation introduces a new and common approach to control, from net to plate. It will cover every stage in the process that sees fish caught, landed, brought to market and sold. Harmonised standards for inspection activities and procedures will help deliver uniform implementation. This new approach will make use of modern technologies and risk analysis. It will introduce systematic and automated cross checking of data collected at the catch, landing and sale stages, to make it easier to spot attempts to break the rules. These measures will be backed up by a comprehensive traceability system, so that all fish and fisheries products, whether imported or produced in the EU, can be tracked throughout the market chain.

Minister of State Killeen said: “I am satisfied that here early this morning we have delivered a strong and effective new regime that will support the accurate recording of fish catches and detect and help prevent infringement of conservation rules. For the first time the EU has moved closer to harmonised sanctions with the introduction of a 'penalty points system' to address persistent offenders against the rules. Those offenders will have their fishing licence suspended and eventually permanently withdrawn.”

“ I am satisfied that we have agreed a package of measures that will promote a level playing field across the EU and will foster a culture of compliance”, the Fianna Fail T.D. for Clare concluded.

ANTRIM - New York Stock Exchange Creates 400 Jobs In Belfast

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is due to expand the business operations of its NYSE Technologies division in Northern Ireland.

The move will see the creation of up to 400 new jobs over the coming years. Invest Northern Ireland will provide up to £9.6 million to support the move of NYSE Technologies business operations into a new state-of-the-art development facility in Belfast by 2010.

The major investment by NYSE in Northern Ireland comes after it bought a Belfast software firm last year.

Dissident Republicans In Ian Paisley Jnr Assassination Bid

Police have foiled a dissident republican murder bid against Northern Assembly member Ian Paisley Jnr.

The 42-year-old son of former Stormont first minister Ian Paisley said officers contacted him to inform him of the thwarted attack by violent extremists opposed to the peace process reports breakingnews.ie. The Democratic Unionist North Antrim representative said he was satisfied with the steps the police have now taken to enhance his security.

Mr Paisley, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, is the latest high profile politician to come under threat from dissidents. Senior Sinn Féin representatives and Jim Allister, the leader of the hard-line Traditionalist Unionist Voice party, have also been warned abouts risks to their security.

Titanic Cruise To Set Sail In 2012

A holiday company is to retrace the voyage of the Titanic as part of the 100th anniversary of the disaster.

The 12-night cruise, with tickets priced from £2,595, will follow the route of the ill-fated ship which sank in April 1912 killing 1,517 people. HM Balmoral will depart Southampton on 8 April 2012, bound for New York, and will pass the point where the Titanic sank when it hit an iceberg, reports The BBC.

Historian David Lawrence said the disaster still "fascinated" people. The liner sank after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic on its maiden voyage on 15 April 1912, killing 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board.

Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the disaster, who was nine weeks old at the time, died in Southampton in May aged 97.

The cruise will pass Cherbourg on the French coast before calling at the Irish port of Cobh, as the original ship did. It will then sail across the Atlantic, arriving at the Titanic site on April 14/15 where a memorial service will be held.

ANTRIM - Housing Plan Set To Create 150 Jobs

Plans for a new £180m housing scheme in Dundonald have been unveiled which could create 150 jobs for the construction industry.

Developers Lagan Homes said over 1,000 homes are set to be built on the 96 acre Millmount Village site on the Comber Road, reports The Belfast Telegraph. The land was formerly owned by Taggart Holdings, the high profile property company which collapsed last year amid huge debts.

Work is expected to begin on the first phase of development in coming months once planning permission is confirmed, with 150 homes due for completion in summer 2010.

Titanic Themed Hotel To Be Built In Belfast

A five-star Titanic themed hotel is to be created at the old headquarters of the Belfast shipyard where the doomed liner was built.

A planning application has been lodged to turn the former Harland & Wolff headquarters - a listed building - into a 90-bedroom boutique hotel reports the BBC. The building, at Queen's Island in east Belfast, will feature a swimming pool, gym and spa facilities.

The hotel is part of the redevelopment of 185 acres of former shipyard land. The area is now known as the Titanic Quarter in memory of the liner which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

ASDA To Create 230 New Jobs In Belfast

Around 230 new jobs are to be created in a new supermarket development in north Belfast.

ASDA has announced plans to convert the old Dunnes building on the Crumlin Road into a new 25 00 sq ft store.

Jobs Boost For Northern Ireland

Sainsbury’s is creating almost 200 jobs at supermarkets in Carrickfergus and Belfast, it announced today.

Recruitment of 150 employees to work at its new store in Carrickfergus begins this week. The store is due to open late in the year, reports The Irish Times. The store was recently acquired from Co-Op and is also offering employment to the 40 existing staff.

Meanwhile the west Belfast store which opened earlier this month is to recruit 40 extra staff because it has been trading beyond initial expectations, said Sainsbury’s.

Poundland To Create 200 Jobs

More than 200 jobs are to be created across Northern Ireland with the arrival of a discount retailer which sells everything for £1.

Poundland announced today it will open six stores in Northern Ireland by Christmas, creating a total of 210 jobs reports RTE. The first store will open in the CastleCourt shopping centre on Belfast's Royal Avenue on 8 October.

Meanwhile, Asda announced it will create 400 temporary jobs in Northern Ireland to help cope with the Christmas shopping rush.

EU Agriculture Ministers Seek Improvements For Dairy Market

Junior Agriculture Minister and Clare T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen has backed calls by fifteen EU Member States for major improvements in support for hard-pressed dairy farmers.

The call was made at a meeting of the EU council of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels this week. The 15 Ministers agreed that additional rapid action at EU level was required to deal with the critical situation on European milk markets driven by the global economic crisis.

According to Minister of State Killeen: “The group called for a comprehensive EU approach combining immediate short-term measures along with a medium term strategy to deal with volatility in the milk sector. I am especially heartened by the strong support from so many Member States for effective action on these issues. It is critically important for these countries to continue to work closely together to ensure that this leads to real and immediate action leading to the recovery in the EU milk market and realistic prices for farmers.”

He continued: “Among the measures being called for is a temporary increase in the intervention price, and careful management of the disposal of intervention stocks; increased export refunds for butter, milk powder and cheese, while avoiding any distortions in developing country markets; the reactivation of aid for use of milk powder in animal feed; and consideration of measures to modernise and adapt the dairy sector.”

Minister of State Killeen welcomed the sense of urgency among Ministers to redress the increasing divergence between prices paid to farmers and those charged to consumers. “Ministers overwhelmingly supported recommendations from a high-level group to examine the balance in relationships between retailers, processors and producers and to improve the transparency of price formation at every stage in the food chain”, concluded Minister Killeen.

REPS Slurry Spreading Period Extended

REPS farmers unable to spread slurry on their land due to the recent poor weather conditions have been buoyed by a six-week extension of the REPS slurry-spreading period.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food this week announced the temporary measure to assist REPS farmers. According to Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: “The measure applies to farmers in REPS 3 who are required to have spread all the slurry produced during the winter housing period by 31 August”. The Clare T.D. said: “The atrocious weather conditions of the past two months have made it extremely difficult for some local REPS farmers to get their slurry spread by the end of this month”.

He continued: “The Nitrates Regulations would rule out spreading in many areas at the moment. I am delighted, therefore, that Minister Smith has agreed to extend the deadline to 15 October, which is the deadline in the Nitrates Regulations themselves and also applies to farmers in REPS 4”.

Belfast Man Released Following Clare Drug Seizure Arrest

A Belfast man arrested by Gardai over a £16m cannabis seizure in West Clare nearly 13 years ago has been released pending a report to the PPS.

The 1.7 tonnes of drugs were found on a boat docked at Kilrush in County Clare in November 1996. It is understood it had sailed from Gibraltar. BBC News reports the 46-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday morning and questioned by detectives from the PSNI's organised crime branch.

In 2000, Northern Ireland businessman Colin Lees was jailed for 12 years for playing a "pivotal role" in smuggling the seized drugs. Lees, from Magherafelt, had claimed he had been unwittingly used by others to help smuggle the cannabis into the Republic. However, a judge at Belfast Crown Court said he had been at the heart of the matter, directing and orchestrating operations and the purchase of the boat used to carry the drugs.

Killeen Welcomes Public Consultation On CAP

Junior Agriculture Minister and Clare T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen has welcomed the commencement of a public consultation process on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2013.

Individuals and organisations are being given until the end of September to forward submissions regarding the shape and content of the revised policy. Minister of State Killeen said: “This public consultation process has been launched to find out what programmes people think will best serve Ireland and the EU in the future. The Department of Agriculture has also prepared an information note outlining some of the options being put forward for European agricultural policy after 2013, and setting out briefly the views that Ireland has expressed to date.”

Currently there is a review in train of all aspects of the EU budget. This will be followed by negotiations to determine the composition of the next Financial Perspective of the EU from 2014 to 2020, including the funding available for agriculture and rural development. Parallel with this process, the 27 Member States and the Commission are in the early stages of considering the shape and content of the CAP for the period after 2013.

“A number of common themes and key issues are already emerging from these debates and they, together with discussions on the future EU budget, are set to inform the concrete proposals that will be tabled at a later date. For these reasons the Minister for Agriculture has decided to undertake a consultation process with Irish stakeholders to obtain their views on what EU agriculture policies they believe will serve Ireland and the EU best in the years to come”, commented Minister of State Killeen.

Written submissions should be sent by email to cap@agriculture.gov.ie or by post to EU Trade Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Floor 6 Centre, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 marked “Submission on CAP after 2013”. The deadline for receipt of submissions is Wednesday 30 September 2009. The consultation document is available on the Department’s website www.agriculture.gov.ie. It is also available on request from EU Trade Division, telephone number 01 607 2422 or 607 2813 or email to cap@agriculture.gov.ie

Internet users warned about Revenue scam

Revenue today warned Internet users of a bogus email that lures people into sending personal financial information.

The scam first popped up in March with fraudsters contacting their victims claiming they are owed a tax refund and asking for credit or debit card details and date of birth, reports breakingnews.ie. “The email appears to have issued again today,” a spokeswoman said. “This email did not issue from Revenue. The Revenue Commissioners never send emails which require customers to send personal information via email or pop-up windows.”

Revenue asked anyone who receives a suspicious email to forward it to webmaster@revenue.ie.

(Click on above image to view the bogus email received today by Irish County News)