Not quite as sunny in Adare today, but at least the rain held off until after dark, long enough for Round two of the Irish Open at Adare Manor to be completed.
Organisers were more concerned however with the massive increase in crowds come Saturday, and were making a live appeal for volunteers on local radio by 1700 hrs this afternoon.
On the field of play French player Michael Lorenzo-Vera took the lead, followed by Marcel Siem of Germany.
Yesterday’s leader Richard Green shares joint third place with Pablo Larrazabal of Spain.
Darren Clarke was the highest ranking Irishman ending the day in fifth place.
The good people of Dromin and Athlacca are up in arms over plans to build an underground gun range in their neighbourhood.
A decision from Limerick County Council on the application (see below) is due on May 21.
If given the go ahead, the club would be only open to licensed gun holders.
File Number: 08617
Local Authority: Limerick County Council
Date Received: 27/03/2008
Type: PERMISSION
Submissions By: n/a
Due Date: 21/05/2008
Decision: n/a
Decision Date (MO): n/a
Application Status: NEW APPLICATION
Grant Date: n/a
Initial FI Request: n/a
Initial FI Received: n/a
Number of Appeals: 0
Development Description: an underground private gun club shooting range with overground access and toilets facilities, car parking area and all ancillary site works
While we are on the subject of cheap labour, have a look at this.
The situation of a Limerick school secretary receiving €6.02 an hour, that is €2.63 below the minimum wage, and this is after eight years working for the school, was revealed at an IMPACT trade union conference this week.
When the woman started at the school eight years ago, she received €225 for a 37.5 hour week, She still receives the same amount it was claimed. She would get more on Social Welfare with rent allowance.
Secretaries are due to ballot on low pay and conditions on May 21, and there could be a series of one day stoppages before the end of the school year.
Can you imagine a teacher having their wages frozen for eight years?
Agency workers will no longer be employed at Cheiftan construction, at least that is what SIPTU members have been told following the resolution of a three week dispute yesterday.
11 employees had accused the company of displacing them in favour of cheaper agency workers after they were let go in December. They subsequently mounted a picket on a housing development in Castleconnel in protest.
After three days of negotiations, they have returned to work as direct employees of the company, and they will enjoy the same terms and conditions they had before.
The agency workers who worked on the site for the past three weeks will no longer be employed by the company. According to the report in the County edition of the Limerick Leader, Cheiftan will now only engage in direct labour rather than agency labour.
Four of the employees returned to work yesterday morning, with more starting again on Monday.
Let this be a lesson to those who say trade unions are useless.
Year in, year out, there is one “artist” who is aiming for shock value. What would a Limerick art exhibition be without some reference to thuggery or violence, right?
And the EV+A “controversial artist of 2008″ award goes to Alan Bulfin.
Even those with backgrounds in EV+A can’t agree on this piece of art’s validity. Founder member of EV+A Kate Hennessey has described Bulfin’s five minute short film “Killing Hur” as “nothing more than a simulated snuff video.” She also claimed that it wouldn’t last very long were it to be uploaded to YouTube. But Paul O’Reilly, EV+A administrator disagrees, calling it a biting ironic comment on our current culture.
Given the brief synopses of it in the Leader this evening, one can see why the film is likely to upset.
The work is a mobile phone video showing a 12 year old girl who has a bag put over her head by a man and is then lifted bodily towards a house. But then a red van drives over her. In the second scene, liquid is poured over her and screams are heard as a man sets fire to her. Then a blanket is thrown on her as three men dance on her. The final scene shows the girl sitting at a table opposite the man, and a red hatchet lies between them. The man grabs the girl while another man gags her with a blanket, pushing her to the ground. Then, still screaming, she is attacked by the man with the hatchet, as blood flows and screaming continues.
Ms Hennessey is not amused by the film though, claiming that 176 women and girls have been murdered in the country over the last two years, and wanted to know how much taxpayers money was spent bringing this year’s curator of the exhibition Hou Hanru from China to “pick this stuff.
The film is due to be screened at the Beltable Arts Centre
Below is the video which saw eight employees of Bulmers in Clonmel fired. Considering the company laid off people last year one would think those still with a job would take more responsibility than this.
