Regional

AN Olympic torch was raised aloft in Scariff as a symbol of inspiration to all young sports people over the bank holiday weekend. Trevor Ringland MBE, former Ireland and British and Irish Lions rugby player carried the torch through his native Larne, County Antrim in the lead into the London Olympics 2012 and brought it to Scariff for the opening of Scariff Harbour Festival.Opening the festival, Trevor Ringland spoke about the relevance of the Olympic ideals in the context of the Scariff Festival. “One of the Olympics ideals is that you have to try your best, it’s not about being the best but to try your best,” he said. The second underlying principle he mentioned was respect.“If we failed at anything in the past, we failed to create a sense of inclusiveness, that sense of respect in a way that teaches people how to compete so that you don’t actually destroy relationships” he said.Between 50 and 60 young players from …

LAHINCH man Pat Conway will complete his 40th Liscannor Bay swim this weekend. This is the 10th year that he has raised funds for the Burren Chernobyl Project (BCP) and to date he has brought in about €50,000 for the North Clare charity.Cormac McCarthy of BCP explains the importance of Pat’s contribution.“This would be one of our top fundraising events each year. The difference this makes is phenomenal over in Belarus. While we still make the shipments of clothes and toys, the money we raise in Ireland and spend over there is really important. We get huge bang for our buck by spending it over there so Pat’s fundraising is extremely important. We are hugely grateful to all our fundraisers but Pat’s would represent one of the major fundraisers we have each year,” he explained.A direct swim from the prom in Lahinch to Liscannor across the bay is approximately 2km but Pat takes a slightly more circuitous route.“No one has …

THE future of rural Ireland is the topic for this year’s Merriman Summer School, which opens in Lisdoonvarna next Wednesday.Directed by Broadcasting Authority of Ireland chairman, Bob Collins, this year’s event, which runs until Sunday, August 19, will have the usual mixture of discussions, debates, poetry and music.Thriving at the Crossroads: Rural Ireland in a Globalised World is the theme of the school, which will be addressed by keynote speakers including Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney; Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman, Éamonn Ó Cuiv; Fine Gael MEP Mairéad McGuinness and Kevin Whelan of the University of Notre Dame.Others to take to the podium throughout the festival will be IFA deputy president Eddie Downey, Carmel Fox of Ballyhoura Development and David Meredith of Teagasc. Meanwhile, the Voice of Rural Ireland in the Media will be discussed by journalist John Waters, RTÉ’s Máiréad Ni Nuadháin and Radio Kerry’s Fiona Stack, among others.A host of sociologists, farmers, geographers, broadcasters and …

The judges of the hugely popular RTÉ television series ICA Bootcamp will open this year’s Gort Show and will hold a mini-bootcamp at the South Galway event.Organisers of this year’s show promise something for everyone with the largest variety of events to date. The show takes place on Sunday and boasts more than 250 competitive classes in the various sections. The indoor exhibits will be on display in the community centre with the poultry on show in a special marquee on the grounds. The horse, pony, donkey and dog classes will be judged on the adjoining grounds of Gort Community School. Entries for horse/pony classes will be taken from 10am while entries for the dog show will be taken from 11.30am. Entrance for light horseboxes will be via Circular Road while heavier boxes and lorries must park on the road.To facilitate exhibitors, non-perishable indoor exhibits can be put in place on Saturday evening between 6pm and 9pm and all indoor …

The fundraising committee of Gort Cancer Support has come up with a unique idea to raise money and to help the healing process for those who have lost loved ones. The well-known South Galway organisation is compiling a once-off book to remember people who have died, regardless of how or where. The group are looking for photos, stories, poems about them or just a simple few words in their memory. It is proposed to have a special mass to launch the book that will be placed on the altar for the month of November each year and again on Christmas day.“We know what it is to lose someone you love. We feel that we don’t get enough opportunities to remember them once they are gone. I see this as a healing thing.“It is a fundraiser, yes, but it is more important for us that people get healing from what they put in rather than necessarily just Gort Cancer Support making …

MILTOWN Malbay teacher Niamh Quinn will shortly depart her post at Quilty National School to begin a one-year work placement in Papua New Guinea.Niamh is volunteering with VSO, the international development charity that recruits volunteers and places them overseas to work in some of the world’s poorest countries. For the next year Niamh will be based at the Madang Teacher Training College in the town of Madang in Northern Papua New Guinea as a teacher-training advisor. She will be paid a local living allowance by VSO and will live close to the college.Speaking about her trip, Niamh said, “I am really looking forward to the challenge that a new job and a new country will bring. “Hopefully, my relatively short time in Papua New Guinea will make a difference to the educational needs of the region.”The quality of education in Papua New Guinea is at a low level, especially in rural communities, as many children cannot attend school due to …

KILRUSH town councillor Ian Lynch has revealed that, on a recent visit to the US, he found that representatives of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland were unaware of plans to utilise Shannon Airport as a cargo hub.Councillor Lynch was speaking at last month’s meeting of Kilrush Town Council, following a motion from Councillor Tom Prendeville asking that the members call a special meeting with interested organisations to examine ways and means of assisting local businesses to withstand the recession. He suggested the initiative could include marketing and promotion, a renewed Shop Local campaign, a rates-remission scheme for vacant commercial outlets, attracting industrial investment and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities.“Towns like Kilrush must fend for ourselves. It is vital that we take every opportunity available to promote our town to ensure we are attractive for new business development,” Councillor Lynch commented.However, he then revealed there appears to be a lack of communication between some State agencies involved in the employment …

BAREFIELD’S Ann Norton has been hailed a local hero, making the shortlist of the national Community Champion 2012 initiative.