In the Dáil on Wednesday, Taoiseach Enda Kenny assurred the people that Clare County Council is not entitled by law to reduce or withhold a portion of the third-level grant. He also confirmed no monies have been withheld by Clare County Council in respect of higher education grants.

Who in the first place would have thought that the payment of third-level student grants could be in any way linked to their family’s payment of the €100 Household Charge?

 

When Clare County Council drew a link between the two this week, a media frenzy ensued as student and teacher representatives, anti-Household Charge campaigners, politicians and many individuals reacted angrily to what it would mean.

Following a decision made at top management level in  the council, without any direction from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, a letter was issued in receent weeks to around 800 Clare student grant applicants seeking proof of payment of the Household Charge.

This was interpretated by many protestors as an indication that grants would not be paid to students whose families had not paid the charge. Among the general public, that was the reality of the situation and they could not be told otherwise.

It now seems, however, the council’s letter was either not clear enough or was misunderstood. The local authority, in a statement, has stressed that at no stage had it been said grant payments would be withheld from applicants who had not paid the Household Charge.

“Applicants who have completed forms and provided the necessary information will have their payments issued as expeditiously as possible. Applicants who do not provide the requested information will be requested to submit complete applications, which may result in delay,” the council said in a statement.

While making it clear to the Dáil that Clare County Council is not entitled by law to reduce or withhold a portion of the grant, Mr Kenny said as a matter of course it [the council] is entitled to as much information about the numbers who have paid the Household Charge as is required in law.

“It is entirely appropriate that as public money funds the processing of these applications, the local authority is entitled to find out whether persons have paid the Household Charge,” the Taoiseach said.

Mr Kenny added, “I support – as we all do – the right of young people to attend college in this country but Clare County Council and every other county council should be active in having the percentage of those who have not paid the Household Charge increased so they can publish what they are going to do with that money in terms of facilities and provisions for the people who live in their areas.”

All are not satisfied that grants due to students whose families have not paid the charge will be delivered in a timely fashion. Clare Campaign Against Household, Water and Septic Tank Taxes (CAHWT) is calling a public protest at O’Connell Street in Ennis this Friday.

The only thing that will convince the public that there will be no discrimination against third-level grant applicants whose families have not paid the charge is a statement in plain English from Clare County Council.

All-Ireland hurling glory

PRIDE, passion, power play and no little skill, topped off by astute sideline decision-making; there you have the main ingredients for Clare’s remarkable victory over Kilkenny in the All-Ireland U-21 Hurling Championship final in Thurles last Saturday.

It was another historic occasion for Clare hurling, one that points to a growing belief within our county teams that they have a right to win, not just compete in finals.

Reflecting on the journey made by the new champions, joint team manager, Gerry O’Connor said, “In 2009 we went into Cusack Park to ‘play’ in a Munster minor semi-final. In 2010, we went to Croke Park to ‘play’ in an All-Ireland minor final. All week the word was we were going down to Thurles to ‘win’ an All-Ireland title. That’s a huge, huge difference in mentality from where we had been over the last three years. That comes from intelligence, it comes from desire, it comes from application and it comes most of all from people making the right decisions day-in day-out over the last three years.”

Added to the U-21 All-Ireland title of 2009, the signs point to our senior team coming ever closer to ending the barren spell since the All-Irelands of ’95 and ’97.

Saturday’s victory in what was arguably the best inter-county game of the season in any grade not only gave fans something to savour but has also provided new heroes for young players; setting a benchmark for what it takes in terms of self-discipline, commitment and skill level to achieve All-Ireland success.

Members of the All-Ireland winning Banner squad should be held up as role models within their respective clubs and encouraged to engage with children as they are being introduced to hurling. This is the Kilkenny way, a formula that has worked for generations in keeping their conveyor belt of remarkable hurlers ticking over.

To the credit of all involved, Clare is heading in a similar direction. The development squads and academies for younger players are an important factor in improving the standard of hurling throughout the county.

There is no good reason why Clare shouldn’t feel as confident as the so-called hurling strongholds such as Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, which have a plethora of All-Ireland titles between them. The Clare U-21s of ’09 and ’12 are the very best and this should pass forward to the senior ranks. As Gerry O’Connor said, it’s all about adopting a winning mentality.

Senior manager Davy Fitzgerald has quite a number of the U-21s under his wing already and judging by last weekend’s performance, he will have plenty more to consider as he devises his strategy for the 2013 season.