THE Ché Guevara mural saga has taken yet another turn in Kilkee with retired pharmacist and former Kilkee Chamber secretary, John Williams, claiming the resort town is in the throes of rebellion. One complete and a second partially complete mural of Ché Guevara have been painted on the side of privately owned property in the town in recent days. This follows Clare County Council’s decision to remove a 20ft-high mural of the famous Argentine revolutionary from a ball alley wall at the West End of Kilkee beach last week. The image of Ché Guevara was part of the publicity for the annual Ché do Bheatha Festival in the town. The removal of that mural has led to an upsurge in mural creations in recent days. “It’s a rebellion after the high-handed way the council treated the town. It’s a rebellion as befits Ché Guevara,” a furious Mr Williams told The Clare Champion on Wednesday. He predicts several images of the …

by Seamus Hayes THE race for the 2013 U-21 A and B football titles begin on Saturday, September 21 with seven games. The draws were made on Wednesday with 15 teams in the hat for the A competition. Kilmurry-Ibrickane (A) received a bye into round two while the seven first round pairings are: B: St Josephs v Doonbeg/St ­Senan’s; C:  Michael Cusack’s/Kilfenora/Liscannor v Kilmihil/Shannon Gaels; D: Lissycasey v Kilrush; E: Clondegad v Cratloe; F: Miltown St Joseph’s v Wolfe Tones; G: Corofin v Éire Óg; F: Ennistymon v Cooraclare. Quarter-finals: 1 – H v G;  2 – C v E; 3 – B v A; 4 – D v F; Semi-finals: 2 v 1;  3 v 4. Seven teams will battle it out for the B title with Kilmihil and St Breckans receiving first-round byes. Clarecastle will play O’Curry’s/Naomh Eoin while Doonbeg will face Kilkee. In the semi-finals, the winners of the two first-round games will meet, while Kilmihil will …

THE tourism industry, tourists and members of the public have been invited to contribute their ideas on future plans for Ireland’s tourism industry, in a new Government initiative. Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring launched a wide-ranging review of Ireland’s tourism policy at a conference in Dublin. This is the first time this has been done since New Horizons back in 2003. The consultation and question paper published by the two ministers asks the tourism industry, stakeholders in the public and private sectors, tourists and the general public to answer challenging questions about the future of Irish tourism. “Tourism has moved from crisis mode two years ago, firmly into recovery mode now. With the success of The Gathering, a significant increase in overseas visits for three years in a row and a good summer for domestic tourism behind us, we now must ask ourselves, what next? I want …

THE West Coast Surf Club, based in Lahinch, held its annual longboard surf competition last weekend, hosting some of Ireland’s best male and female surfers. More than 65 contestants competed for national men’s and women’s longboard surfing trophies. Surfing has been going from strength to strength in recent times, with North Clare residents Peter Conroy, Fergal Smith and Ollie O’ Flaherty all making international headlines for their big wave surfing achievements. Last year, Peter was nominated for the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Award – the award for the biggest wave surfed by anyone worldwide. The previous year, Ollie was also nominated. Peter said this year’s longboard competition “shows just how much talent there is in Irish surfing, as well as it being a fantastic event for the community of West Clare”. “The competition turned the whole town into a festival with live music bands and deals in local pubs and restaurants that hosted their own theme in conjunction with …

MORE than 1,400 Clare teens were among the nearly 60,000 students who received their Junior Certificate results on Wednesday afternoon. The Institute of Guidance Counsellors of Ireland (IGC) advised the 685 girls and 743 boys to celebrate sensibly and to use their first experience with State exams to their advantage. “For many students this is the result of three years hard work and is a base for them to build their future studies on for the Leaving Cert and higher education. I would urge students to celebrate sensibly and anyone who is disappointed with their results should remember that this is a trial run and you can use this experience to do a lot better in the future. I would also remind them that there are many routes to what they want to do later in life, not just the academic one,” commented John O’Donovan, Clare representative on the ICG national executive. While Wednesday night is the traditional night for …

Opel revealed their latest concept car, the Monza, at a pre-show conference on Monday. Taking its name from the Opel back catalogue, the Monza is an interpretation of how future Opels will look. The interior, too, is a statement, using LED projection technology for the instrument panel and infotainment systems to create one of the most advanced cabins ever seen on a car. 18 LED projectors create an infinitely variable environment and given that they are controlled by software, it’s theoretically possible to introduce an entirely new theme with a simple firmware upgrade. For power, the Monza relies on an electric powertrain, but with a natural gas powered range extender, much like the Ampera in principle. Opel acknowledge that the gull wing doors are fiendishly difficult to engineer and produce, so they will never make production, but this is the car that will inspire Opels to come. Even the phone connection is well thought out, with three modes available: Me, …

A FODDER census survey has shown that farmers have enough silage and hay for a 140 day feeding period this winter. The survey of 1,240 farmers showed that there is an overall average surplus of 8% across the country. The survey was carried out in the week commencing September 1 by Teagasc and other organisations participating in the Inter Agency Fodder Committee. While overall the survey indicates that there are adequate fodder stocks in the country, it found that one in five farmers had a deficit. On the farms with a deficit, this shortage is 19% on average. The survey showed that 22% of farmers intend to sell some livestock to balance their feed budget this autumn Chairman of the inter-agency fodder committee, Dr Tom Kelly of Teagasc said that through the commercial market place, farmers are redistributing the fodder to where the livestock are, and redistributing the livestock to where the fodder is. He said that with prudent management …

      A RISING Tide, our 68-page special supplement for last Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final between Clare and Cork, received a very positive response, with messages of congratulations flooding in to all who were involved in the production. If you missed your copy don’t worry, as it is available to purchase for only €1 at The Clare Champion offices, Barrack Street, Ennis. In this week’s issue, we have extensive coverage of the thrilling drawn final in addition to a preview of Saturday’s All-Ireland U-21 hurling decider between Clare and Antrim at Semple Stadium, Thurles. The throw-in is at 5pm. The curtain raiser, with a 3pm thrown-in, is the U-21 B final in which Kerry meet Kildare. Meanwhile, The Clare Champion will publish another supplement for the senior final replay. It will be included with the edition of Friday, September 27. Businesses or individuals interested in advertising in the supplement can contact sales@clarechampion.ie or phone 065-6864150.