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2 Jan 2020
Marginal gains for local business this Christmas PÁRAIC McMAHON
E
paraic@clareecho.ie
l FESTIVE FUN: Christmas dipper Liz Daly warms up after joining hundreds in Lahinch to partake in the Christmas Day Swim, one of many swims taking place across the county last week. She is pictured with Mick Quinn and Sally the dog. More pictures on page 15
Photo by Michael Kearney
XTRA footfall was visible in stores across Clare for Christmas 2019 but didn’t necessarily lead to increased sales with some stores recording marginal gains and others a slight dip on last year. A wide range of events as part of the Christmas in Ennis programme brought atmosphere to the county town. The pedestrianisation of main streets also aided businesses according to Patrick Bourke of Patrick Bourke Menswear, which has stores in Ennis and Kilrush. Speaking to The Clare Echo, the Kilkee native admitted little separated 2019 sales with the previous year. “The middle part of December performed quite well bar one or two days when the weather wasn’t hectic, it has been a long run in to this Christmas, the last few days leading into the weekend proved to be very busy. The closing off of the high street in Ennis to car traffic helped us, the footfall was passing the door on foot rather than on wheels so there was more chance of them stopping. “We noticed a younger age bracket of
person in the shop, the younger family man and his wife with kids because they were enjoying the train and the merry go round, the dwell time from that type of shopper was much longer on the street”. Kilrush he felt “wasn’t quite as hectic” while noting that people returning to West Clare for the holidays made the final shopping week of December a busy one. Around Shannon, there was a noticeable increase in personnel at SkyCourt Shopping Centre helped by the arrival of the Omniplex Cinema. However according to Raj Singh of The Gadget Fix, this didn’t lead to more buyers. “It was quiet. It was only coming up to Christmas, the last week was a bit busier, before that it was quiet,” he said. On a national scale, Christmas 2019 is marginally ahead of 2018. An average increase of 30 per cent was recorded by Retail Excellence for Black Friday. But murmurings that ‘the boom is back’ hasn’t been experienced so far. Bourke’s Menswear which is open 91 years has seen Ireland’s revolving cycle of boom to bust first-hand. Patrick said 2019 was not back to boom levels. “It wouldn’t be close to the boom period. We’re having a lot of people through the door but they’re not purchasing as much. We used to get big spenders in the boom time, that type of spend is gone.”
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2 NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Index M
ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, THROW
2-16
NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT
19
COMMUNITY
20
BUSINESS
22
YEAR IN REVIEW
24-25
SPORT
26-27
CLASSIFIEDS
28-29
QUIZ
EMBERS of the public are being invited to break a unique Guinness World Record at the annual ‘Irish International Christmas Tree Throwing Championship’. Taking place at Active Ennis Tim Smyth Park on Sunday 5 January 2020 from 1pm to 3pm, the public can also drop off their Christmas tree for recycling. Organised by Clare County Council’s Sports and Recreation Unit, the ninth an-
nual event is a novel way to turn Christmas tree recycling into a sport, while at the same time raise funds for a needy cause. This year’s proceeds will go to the Elevate Foundation. The Championship, which is based on age-old lumberjack traditions, sees members of the public competing to achieve the longest distance for throwing a standard 1.5 metre tree. There will be trophies for the longest throw in various age categories with a trophy for the overall champion. Every
31
36C Abbey Street, Ennis, County Clare Telephone: 065 671 9021
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l GOING GREEN: Getting ready for the Christmass Tree Throwing Championships 2020 were Mayor of Ennis Johnny Flynn, Norah Murphy, Cllr Mary Howard, Gerry Murphy and Tim Forde, Head of Sports and Recreation Clare County Council Photo by Eamon Ward
participant will also be entered into a draw to win one year’s family membership at Active Ennis Leisure Complex. John Leahy of Lissycasey, County Clare, was named overall winner of the 2019 Irish International Christmas Tree Throwing Championship title after he beat off competition from more than 250 competitors. Tim Forde, General Manager Sports & Recreation, for Clare County Council, described the Championship as “a sporting charity event with competitors from the four corners of Ireland and further afield being invited to take part. The event is open to men, women and children, and each contestant will be afforded three attempts at throwing the Christmas tree.” “Disposing of the Christmas tree is often an arduous task for many so this event allows people to do so in style and with relative ease,” stated Karen Foley, Environmental Awareness Officer for Clare County Council. Meanwhile, householders are also being invited to recycle their real Christmas trees for free at one of five designated tree recycling centres around County Clare from 2 January 2020 to 20 January 2020. The drop-off points include the Central Waste Management Facility (Ballyduff Beg, Inagh), Lisdeen Recycling Centre & Transfer Station (Kilkee), Scariff Recycling Centre & Transfer Station, Shannon Recycling Centre, and the Gardening Section (Behind Cois na hAbhanna, Gort Rd, Ennis – dropoff point outside gate). Visit clarecoco.ie, activeennis.ie, Twitter or Facebook for more details.
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4 NEWS
‘You can’t turn on the TV these days without seeing Greta’ PÁRAIC McMAHON
E
paraic@clareecho.ie
NVIRONMENTAL groups have been warned by Clare's first citizen to avoid 'hijacking' major public events in the future. In July, four members of Extinction Rebellion Clare were escorted from The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch Golf Club by An Garda Síochána having ventured onto the eighteenth green distractingShane Lowry. Ann Marie Harrington of the Extinction Rebellion Clare said at the time they were "left with no option but to take direct action" as she accused politicians and the media of not taking the climate threat seriously enough. "The threat of climate breakdown should be front page news every day". Speaking at the first meeting of the Physical Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) since the European Tour event was held, Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) outlined his disapproval with the actions of the environmentalists. "We all care about climate change, we all have Green credentials. This Council took the lead on a lot of things in last five years such as banning fracking, we became the first local authority to begin transitioning away from glyphosate weedkillers". "You can't turn on a TV these days without seeing Greta Thun-
berg or someone slating Donald Trump. I'd be highly complimentary of what we are doing. Forestry is going to become a huge feature during the lifetime of this SPC," the Cathaoirleach added as he mentioned a "mistrust" between the farming community and major forestry providers. Crowe encouraged members of Extinction Rebellion Clare to work with the Council. "This is our first public outing since The Irish Open, I've bitten my tongue for a long time. Hijacking positive events like on the eighteenth hole of The Irish Open in a very positive event for the county bringing positive coverage to the whole county isn't the forum. Work with us, this is the forum".
lCLIMATE ACTION: Extinction Rebellion protested at the Irish Open in Lahinch during the summer
Our Lady's cannot be knocked or delisted STIPULATIONS in the current County Development Plan mean what was formerly Our Lady's Hospital cannot be knocked or delisted until after 2023 at the earliest, writes Paraic McMahon. Such detail came to light at the first sitting of the Economic Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) of this Council term which saw Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) succeeding the now retired Richard Nagle (FF) as Cathaoirleach. Our Lady's Hospital was described by Cllr Pat Daly (FF) as "the best site in the town of Ennis". He lamented that "it has been bought, sold, bought and sold over the last fifteen years". "It is 40 acres in the town and was a derelict hospital that served its purpose for over 100 years. Can it be delisted, all that is there is dogs and birds. The potential for Our Ladys is enormous," the Ennis representative added. Director of Service with the County Council, Liam Conneally confirmed to Cllr Daly that he had took note of the "development friendly" aspects of the Gort Rd site as outlined. Senior planner, Brian McCarthy stated, "The site is a protected structure, as of now there are no plans to remove it. It's identified as an opportunity site. I'm happy to sit down and meet whoever wants to take the site forward". Cllr Daly then questioned, "Can it be delisted" and he was told "there was no recommendation for it" and that the building was listed as being of "regional and national importance". "Can a submission be made", Daly asked, McCarthy advised him this could be done "in advance" of the next County Development Plan, a review on the current plan is due to commence this month. "The building is falling down," Cllr Daly told the meeting.
lDERELICT: Our Lady’s Hospital in Ennis currently stands empty
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Kilkee urgently needs the toilet NEW public toilets are "urgently" needed, senior officials in Clare County Council have said. An update on the provision of new public toilets in Kilkee was sought by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) at a recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District. In a written reply, Director of Service, Leonard Cleary outlined that the local authority is "researching a range of property options to improve the delivery of this service". Cleary said negotiations were "at an advanced stage but not yet finalised". He highlighted that "when the most beneficial property is secured" the project would be let by the Property Unit with input from the West Clare MD and Environmental Department. "It is acknowledged that this service is urgent to meet visitor needs". Keating said: "I would like to see the public toilets in Kilkee sooner rather than later.
“There was a delay in Lahinch, I wouldn't like the same to happen again. “Kilkee needs the toilet, it's important we get them soon," Cllr Keating commented. His party colleague, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) said "the impact of the new toilet facility in Lahinch is extraordinary. “The reaction has been universally positive". Location was stressed as the key factor by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) who seconded the motion. "There was nobody roaring about the location in Lahinch, we won't have it in front of anybody's house in Kilkee". West of The Strand was suggested by Cllr Keating as a possible spot for the toilets. Conversations with relevant property owners are continuing. "I would like there to be a more definite answer," Cleary stated. "It is urgent. We would like to follow up on the success of the Lahinch toilets".
Three per cent increase in use of local injury unit
PÁRAIC McMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie
A THREE percent increase has been recorded in the amount of patients that have used the local injury unit at Ennis General Hospital in 2019. To the end of October this year, a total of 9,875 patients attended the Ennis Injury Unit, up by 3% on the corresponding period in 2018. This is also ahead of the 2% rate of increase across the Group's three Injury Units which, to the end of October 2019, had treated 28,216 patients. The Injury Unit at Ennis Hospital is staffed by a consultant-led team of doctors, Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and nurses who are highly experienced in the treatment of minor non-life and non-limb threatening injuries. It
is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. Brenda Bleach, an ANP with the Ennis Hospital Injury Unit, says: "The advantage of going to the Injury Unit over the ED if you have a minor injury is that you will be seen more quickly here. The feedback from our patients is very positive." Nationally, the average turnaround time for seeing and treating patients in injury units is 1-2 hours. The Injury Units in the MidWest and across the State provide patients with the same level of expertise and service as Emergency Departments. Eleven injury units exist in the country including one in Ennis. Broken bones, dislocations, sprain and strains, minor burns and scalds are the typical injuries dealt with, all units have ac-
cess to x-ray and basic diagnostic services. Injury Units do not treat children under the age of five, serious head injuries, abdominal (stomach) pain, medical illnesses or mental health problems. Approximately one in three of all emergency presentations across UL Hospitals Group take place within the three Injury Units. Attendances continue to increase in Nenagh, Ennis and St John's and the Injury Units have the capacity to do more still. Charges for patients attending major injury units has been reduced from €100 to €75 as of last Monday. No fee exists for individuals with a full medical card or a valid medical/GP referral letter. A new statutory instrument was signed by Minister for Health Simon Harris bringing forward the €25 reduction.
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8 NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Lack of bus routes stopping visitors coming to Clare PÁRAIC McMAHON
M
paraic@clareecho.ie
ORE integrated bus services are required in Clare to boost tourism and improve ease of access for rural residents, an elected representative has stated. In light of reviews of bus services to the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren National Park, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) called on Clare County Council “to continue to link up and integrate with other service providers including Clare Bus and hopefully extend the
routes available for 2020”. Director of Rural Development, Leonard Cleary outlined that details on the evaluations were due at the end of 2019. He described the seven years of the national park shuttle bus as “moderately successful” but noted that the number of persons using it has not increased in three years. He felt there was “several opportunities to link up and integrate” the services operated by Bus Éireann and Clare Bus. Cleary said, “Clare Bus provide a valuable service to rural com-
munities and its extension would be welcome”. He added, “Setting a service up for the Burren and County Clare as a whole would be a big undertaking and probably a financial challenge and would need tourism industry investment in such a service as well as the Council’s current investment”. Cllr Killeen described the piloted shuttle bus to the Cliffs of Moher as “a brilliant idea because it opens up the centre of North Clare”. As he examined the different routes in the county, Killeen noted Clare Bus’ presence in Feakle doing “different routes”, “the Green Bus goes as far as Ennis” with Bus Éireann’s services across the county also acknowledged. “We need a coordinated system so that people booking their holiday can be aware they can get from Shannon Airport to the Cliffs of Moher in the one trip and they don’t have to bring their car”. During a recent trip to Thailand, the former INTO President observed that people stayed in
Turbulent year for Shannon Airport Rainfall Radar PÁRAIC McMAHON
paraic@clareecho.ie
LONG-TERM outages at the Shannon Airport Rainfall Radar have been attributed to overheating, positioning and power failures. Installed in 1996, Met Éireann have described the radar as “arguably the most important radar in Ireland”. This is because it is the first to detect weather in the south-west and it provides coverage for forecasts used in this part of the country. During 2019, several problems impacted on the Shannon radar. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request carried out by TheJournal.ie highlighted the various issues that proved problematic. August 3rd marked the first major outage caused by a technical issue which resulted in the radar going offline for less than a fortnight. A replacement part had to be sourced from Germany before being fitted to address the problem. A month earlier, staff reported concerns with an antenna on the radar.
A second technical fault on October 17th put the radar offline, the power supply was replaced the following day but caused “severe noise” when stopping the transmission. A new power supply was fitted that week, however another outage occurred on October 24th, the reason for which was labelled as ‘erratic’ movement of the antenna. Such erratic movement continued with staff told on October 29th to treat the antenna “with caution”. Notification was given to employees that a second board would be inserted on October 30th but on October 31st they were informed the repair was more serious due to the risk of overheating and a request was sent to the manufacturers to provide an engineer. Works were completed on November 25th and Met Éireann apologised to the affected counties. The national meteorological service advised that it was planning a major programme to expand and modernise the radar network which it expects to meet the country’s needs to 2040. No timeline of such upgrades has been outlined.
Bangkok if they didn’t have car, “I’m afraid Ireland is becoming the same, if people don’t bring or rent a car they’re afraid to leave Dublin. There needs to be a pattern they can follow. When you arrive in Shannon you can get to Ennis but there is no link to bring you to Corofin, there are gaps all over the place”. Cost was emphasised as the “key challenge” according to Leonard Cleary who agreed that it was “an excellent motion”. “The Cliffs of Moher self-generated income was reinvested in the pilot bus model. We need to evaluate the costs based on the pilot, we will come back with feedback on the feasibility of continuing the shuttle bus or expanding it. The initial feedback is we will need to team up to help burden of cost”. “You can’t get a bus from Lahinch to Kilkee,” Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) flagged while Cllr Talty commented, “It is the only service of the Wild Atlantic Way not serviced by Bus Éireann”. Cllr Murphy described it as “bonkers stuff.
If you want to go from Kilkee to Lahinch by bus, you have to go to Ennis. Bus Éireann is not servicing the community of West Clare”. Cllr Garvey also pushed for Miltown Malbay to be included in the discussion and Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) interjected, “There is no bus from Ennis to Labasheeda, a beautiful tourist spot”. Meanwhile, “an accommodation deficit” in Co Clare is hindering the ability to maximise the amount of tourists staying overnight. Leonard Cleary issued the warning at a recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District. “There is an accommodation deficit in the county,” Cleary commented. “ “We’ve been leaking to other counties for 30 years,” Cllr Murphy replied. He urged the Director to ensure all Clare specific conditions of the policy are fully implemented. “There’s a hotel empty it’s practically derelict in Kilkee, there is another hotel in Lahinch which is open for eight months of the year”.
GRAND SLAM FOR MIA
l TALENTED: 12 year old Mia Gavin, Ennis recently attended the Kim Clijsters’ Tennis Academy in Belgium for a week’s intensive training in preparation for the 10 Pro Global Tour 2020 which is an international tour for young talented players. She competed previously in this tour in 2018 where she was ranked No. 11 in her age group. 2019 was an excellent year for Mia having defeated 8 of the top 10 Irish players under 12 including the no. 1 seed Amy McCarthy, Killaloe 6:0; 6:2. Photograph (left to right) Yasemin Ozsoy Coach and Academy Assistant Manager, Mia Gavin and Danny Comerford, Coach
10 NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 20 2020
Buyer for Avara site Sat Navs PÁRAIC McMAHON
A
news@clareecho.ie
VARA’S short-term future has been guaranteed as a buyer of the site has been secured which will keep workers in employment in Shannon until July while efforts are continuing to put long-term arrangements in place. Last July, the pharmaceutical firm was ordered into liquidation plunging its staff of 114 into redundancy. Statutory redundancies have been issued to the employees who in November told The Clare Echo of their frustration on the delay for such payments, the staggered basis of which forced staff to set up their
own company, Eirchem Pharmaceuticals Services which has taken over the running of operations from Avara. Appointed liquidators KPMG in the last fortnight have enticed United Metals to acquire the site. As part of the production plan, twenty employees will leave the Shannon factory at the end of March with more to follow in April and May. As per the plan, the site will be free of chemicals and powders by the end of July, the same month will also see the last batch of employees conclude their service. Speaking to The Clare Echo, employee representative John Casey outlined, “The positive of United Metals coming along and offering the site to Eirchem while it is good news is only short-term at the minute. The asset will be leased from United Metals for the next number of months, Eirchem will proceed and produce Ni-
trates in order to facilitate old customers’ orders. For some of the customers Avara was a single source provider of Nitrates and these customers now need to go and find another source to keep their business going into the future”. “It must be said that the situation where employees take up the mantle of running a pharmaceutical plant themselves is unprecedented and much praise must be given to each and every worker at the Shannon site”. He credited Clare TDs, Joe Carey (FG) and Timmy Dooley (FF) for intervening during the liquidation process and believed their input had a big role in getting a short-term solution. Casey also acknowledged the efforts of Minister for State Pat Breen (FG) for introducing employees to Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation Heather Humphreys.
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blamed for traffic
IGNORANCE on the behalf of bus and HGV drivers along with navigation systems have been blamed for large vehicles causing delays in the main streets of Ennis during December, writes Paraic McMahon. "A number" of buses and heavy goods vehicles (HGV) travelled along Francis St to Abbey St at the beginning of December "where they were stuck for a considerable amount of time at the junction at the Queens Hotel," Cllr Mary Howard (FG) stated. She requested "proper signage" be placed along the Clon Road, Bothar na Trocaire and Francis St "to alert drivers of these buses and lorries that the streets are narrow and not suitable for large vehicles", at the last meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Senior executive engineer, Eamon O'Dea flagged that signage already exists at the Francis St junction and Causeway Link Road, "some drivers are ignoring the sign". He confirmed the Municipal District would provide maximum vehicle length regulatory signs on both sides of Francis St adjacent to the Causeway Link re-
stricting vehicle lengths to 7.5m with a second set to go on both sides of Francis St adjacent to the Friary Carpark entrance restricting vehicle lengths to 6m. "This will permit delivery vehicles to get access to Francis Street and Friary Carpark and only permit vehicles of a suitable size to travel through to Abbey Street". Howard said that on "at least three times" two buses and a lorry "got stuck by the Queens Hotel. “It must be the Sat Navs that are sending them down there". She felt the Causeway Link sign was "very small" and told the meeting the traffic delays caused "huge inconvenience in town". The former General Election candidate queried if better signage could be erected to which O'Dea commented "We're changing the types of signs". Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) seconded the motion. He said that "over the last number of years," one particular property has been hit on several occasions. "It is an issue that requires attention".
lCONGESTION: The Queens Hotel in Ennis has been identified as a traffic blackspot during the busy December period
12 NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Garvey hoping to emulate political breakthrough in 2020 PÁRAIC McMAHON
C
news@clareecho.ie
LARE’S only elected Green Party representative Roisin Garvey will forever remember 2019 as the year of her political breakthrough but less than twelve months on she’s bidding for higher office. Roisin who became the first member of the party elected to Clare County Council since Brian Meaney has declared her intention to contest the General Election. She had previously been selected as a party candidate in 2016 but withdrew due to family commitments as her son Corrán was sitting the Leaving Certificate, Fergal Smith came forward as her replacement polling 1,700 first preference votes. In May, she was the final candidate elected in the Ennistymon local electoral area with 1,302 first preference votes. The Inagh woman currently sits on the Physical Development SPC as well as the Health Forum West since taking her place on the County Council. Her father, Flan was an elected rep-
resentative on the local authority for twenty four years. Earlier this month, Roisin confirmed her candidacy in an interview on Clare FM’s Morning Focus. “There is a climate emergency, one of the things I noticed when I was campaigning for the locals was every farmer agreed with me or they brought it up themselves, there was a comfort talking to me because I was with the Greens and they knew I would get it. We have a huge issue, there is a lot of burying our head in the sand about climate, Clare is going to be very vulnerable, a lot of the bigger parties are giving lip service on climate change. “Richard Bruton made the announcement that he is going to get individuals to pay 30c more for their coffee, there is no big solutions like investing in public transport, transport is one of our biggest CO2 emissions yet there is no plans for any public transport improvements, money is going into roads when we need to get away from that ideology, we have huge air pollutions in towns like Ennis. We need to really rethink what we’re doing, a quarter of our children are obese, our old people are feeling more lonely and isolated they are living longer. We really need to look at our systems and how we’re doing things, it’s not serving the young
or the old”. On health care, Cllr Garvey felt “prevention as the cure” needs to be the first step as she repeated her call for the establishment of a Greenway in Clare. “It seems to me that we do have a problem in attracting quality people who deal with diabetes in Limerick.
With the A&E we all know the horror stories, I spent three nights on a trolley there myself, absolutely appalling. I’m not going to claim to be an expert on this, if I get elected I will be the one to push and engage with the experts. In an ideal world, I’d bring back the matron system”.
lGREEN ISSUES: Roisin Garvey is bidding for higher office Photo by Eamon Ward
Derelict Newmarket-on-Fergus buildings can help housing crisis DEALING with derelict houses has been suggested as central to enticing further businesses to set up in Newmarket-on-Fergus, writes Paraic McMahon. An estimated 200 people attended a recent community forum in Newmarket-on-Fergus where lack of facilities and services in the main street of the village was highlighted as a key item on the agenda. Mike O’Leary an active member of the local GAA club spoke up on the topic of dereliction in Newmarket-on-Fergus. “There is supposed to be a very serious housing problem yet we have a number of empty
buildings in the centre of our village”. Grants for renovating are available, Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) highlighted. The Meelick councillor reminded those present that eighteen social housing units were to be built with construction expected to start in the summer. Clare TD, Dr. Michael Harty (IND) acknowledged that the Government are putting proposals in place relating to derelict houses. “It can bring life back into Newmarket-on-Fergus and encouraging new families to set up home here,” he said of the possibility of such works. Deputy Joe Carey
(FG) admitted that “the main street redevelopment was held up for a number of years because of water mains”. “You have showed all of us ye are committed to the development of Newmarket-on-Fergus,” Timmy Dooley TD (FF) observed of the attendance. “The issue of dereliction is the plague of rural and urban Ireland. We shouldn’t be building houses when there are derelict houses”. Minister of State, Pat Breen commented, “There are always issues with derelict houses. Newmarket-on-Fergus is an ideal place for people to live”.
lDEVELOPMENT: Ainey and Mike O’Leary speak their mind Photo by Joe Buckley
NEWS 13
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
LIT's Ennis campus to boost local economy at day & night PĂ RAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie
S
TUDENTS attending LIT's Ennis campus will give a boost to the local economy at day and night, the President of the third level institute has said. Less than 100 students are currently studying at LIT's Bindon St campus with the figure expected to grow as more courses are added to the offering in the Ennis facility. We've been in Ennis for over a decade running a number of programmes but we've never had a place where we could call our own," Professor Vincent Cunnane commented at Monday's official opening. Cunnane confirmed that LIT will soon join Ennis Chamber and spoke of their desire to add to the activity within the town."Investors want to see towns that have third level education, it is a really big plus and now right here in the town of Ennis, that is happening. This is an institute in the town centre that is going to respond to your needs, we need to plan to grow this campus but everyone gathered in this room are the influential people that can make a dif-
ference and we want to work with you. "It is very much an Ennis campus, this is your campus, we want to add to the life of the town, there is footfall, there is students, there will be a night-life and other things happening. We want you to engage with us, tell us your needs, let's see if we can put professional education and training in place, we will provide that night-time economy". He added, "Ennis is now on the CAO, there is a page on the CAO for Ennis. That has already been happening but now it is going to grow. Programmes will be offered in social care, business our new general business programme is being brought to Ennis in September, creative media, those courses are going l NEW CAMPUS: Tony Brazil, Chairman is pictured speaking at the opening. Photograph by Eamon Ward
to be ran here in this magnificent building. People are already training here by night to be local tour guides facilitated by Ennis Chamber of Commerce. We need to do more and we want to do more. We need to work with you to put on programmes that people want to do that will benefit Ennis and Clare". A former President of IT Sligo, Professor Cunnane highlighted that Liam McCarthy has been a visitor to LIT's Moylish campus in September 2018, Thurles in September 2019 and turned to LIT's marketing officer David Reidy as he said, "Maybe in 2020 I'll be standing here to welcome Liam McCarthy to the Ennis campus".
Screwfix to open Ennis store in 2020 PĂ RAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie
A
N estimated 13 jobs are to derive from
Screwfix's expansion into Co Clare which will see the opening of an Ennis store in early 2020. Over the coming years, the UK hardware chain plans to open forty new outlets in Ireland with up to 400 jobs being created. The upcoming vacancies will be in roles such as supervisors, retail management and service assistants. Early 2020 has been announced as the opening for the Ennis store which will follow such occurrences at Waterford, Swords and Sandyford. The Clare outlet will be based in the Clonroadmore Industrial Estate on the Quin Rd where 10,000 products will be stocked with delivery and collection services from online purchases. John Mewett, CEO of Screwfix Ireland highlighted the value of stores to local towns such as Ennis. "We're extremely excited to be launching Screwfix stores in Ireland to help tradespeople get their jobs done quickly, affordably and on time. The creation of bricks and mortar stores in Ireland is a major milestone for us and a direct result of the increasing demand from Irish tradespeople for our fantastic range of products. "Our Irish customers are already committed to our Screwfix.ie website, but we know the convenience a Screwfix store provides their local town. Screwfix offers fast, high quality customer service and a large product range that allows tradespeople to get what they want, when they need it. We're excited about the times ahead and look forward to welcoming customers to our new stores."
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14 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Ronan Scully
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Author spreading the word of positivity
Don’t wait, do it now
“I
SHALL pass through this world but once. Therefore any good that I Can do, any kind act that i can perform for any fellow-creature, let me do it now. Let me not delay, or omit it, for i shall not pass this way again.” These words written in the 18th century are a positive challenge and aspiration as we begin another New Year. New Beginnings for 2020 In 2020 try to rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray often. God will listen, if you only speak. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path and pray that they will find guidance. Search for yourself, be yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Life can be so unfair and heartbreaking at times. But life can be good too. I hope and pray that 2020 will be a good one for all of you. Friends come and go, but the real ones stay around or are part of your life when you really need them. Nurture the good ones. Being a person that’s kind, caring and loving really matters in life. When in doubt or afraid, just take one day at a time and try to live in and for the present moment, one step at a time. Life can be very short. Love and care as much as you can, for the time allotted to you is never known. It’s okay not to feel okay but it is always okay to ask for help or support. In 2020 go after your dreams at all times when you can, especially if it involves genuine love and care. Try to do and be what you love. Be aware and work on your problems if you have them and always look for a good and speedy resolution for them. Always keep
trying and moving forward. Always consider the power of your words carefully as they can hurt for real. Look at things from every angle before you make a decision or a statement for they too can hurt. Always pray for others intentions and if you’re like me, always light a candle for someone. Live for today and the present moment as it is special and real, for tomorrow might never come. Make every one of your days here on earth count for the good of yourself and for others. Choose life and love for something can be
compare yourself to others, work hard at being you. Reflect on your life. Wake up, get up, clean up and show up in everything in life and make the most of it as much as you can. Never give up or give in and always give it, especially in life, your best shot. Don’t put pressure on yourself. It’s okay to say no. Dwell, pray, breathe and listen to music. Enjoy nature and the fresh air as much as you can. Walk or run or do both. Be active physically, mentally and spiritually if you can. Life can surprise you.
will within this world. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others. Be true to yourself first. You can-
lost and gained in living life every day. Go to your doctor for checkups and look after your health, no one else will. Help your friends and your work colleagues always or as much as you can for they are central to your life. Don’t worry about what people think of you. Love you and then you will be able to love others. If you want something, ask for it because if you don’t, the answer will always be no. Don’t judge others or
Nurture the good Nature is not for us, it is a part of us. It is part of our worldly family. Children are the seeds of our future. In 2020 plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow. Avoid hurting the hearts of others, especially those of children. The poison of your pain will return to you. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of one’s
not nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first. Respect others beliefs. Do not force your beliefs on others. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity. Nurture always that what is good and true. Thought for the week As your thought for the week and for the New Year, don’t ever forget for even a second how very
important and how very special each and every one of us Are. Here is a story to finish this thought from my Nana Scully’s prayer book about a person asking God what he would wish for each one of us for the new year. “As God, what would you ask your children to do for the new year?” He said, “To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives. To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least. To learn that they should control their attitudes, otherwise their attitudes will control them. To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them. To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to show their feelings. To learn that money can buy everything but happiness. To learn that while at times they may be entitled to be upset, that does not give them the right to upset those around them. To learn that great dreams do not require great wings, but a landing gear, to achieve. To learn that true friends are scarce; he/she who has found one has found a true treasure. To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they forgive themselves. To learn that they are masters of what they keep to themselves and slaves of what they say. To learn that they shall reap what they plant; if they plant gossip they will harvest intrigues; if they plant love they will harvest happiness. “I shall pass through this world but once.” ‘Le Cúnamh Dé’, may 2020 be a good year in our lives. The blessings of God and a happy New Year to one and all.
NEWS 15
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Christmas dippers out in force as vital funds raised in Spanish Point l AN ELFY START: Kathleen and Ellen Cullinan wrap up after their dip in Lahinch
Photo by Michael Kearney
C
HRISTMAS dippers were out in force at numerous locations across the county on Christmas Day as Clare residents looked to start off their day with a splash last week. From Lough Derg to Kilkee, young and old whipped out their togs for one final dip in the icy-cold waters surrounding Clare to celebrate Christmas Day however some went the extra mile; Spanish Point swimmers not alone braved the elements but also showcased the generosity that the festive season is all about by donating to West Clare Cancer Care Centre. A total of €776.90 was raised with Christmas Day swimmers donating €5 with members of Snámhai Sasta also chipping in prior to December 25th in an attempt to assist the West Clare Cancer Care Centre. The Spanish Point dip was done in conjunction with the annual Whitestrand swim which is organised by Tony Cogan. Lorna Cahill was one of the swimmers in Spanish Point, the Miltown Malbay woman explained to The Clare Echo. “We all felt the Christmas day swim was a great opportunity to join up with Tony as cancer has and currently is affecting so many people in our community. The West Clare cancer centre is an organisation which has provided counselling and other services to many in our locality”.
l HAPPY FACES: Niamh Hogan, Paudric Howley, Tara Howley and Tony O'Loughlin join in the fun at Spanish Point Photo by John Mangan
l GIRL POWER: Rosie McMahon along with Ursula Meaney in Lahinch; (left) Ellie & Cliona O'Gorman in Spanish Point Photos by Michael Kearney / John Mangan
l TOUGH OUT: Getting into the spirit at Cappa is Stephen Matthews, Clare Matthews, Jack Hogan, Susan Hogan, Ben Hogan, Rebbeca Hayes, Evelyn Hayes, Maura Hayes with Brian Mulqueen
Photo by John Mangan
l ENDING THE YEAR WITH A SPLASH: In Cappa, Kilrush with members of RNLI in the background looking on is Elizabeth, Mary and Annemarie Keating. Also enjoying proceedings in Spanish Point (below) is Clare Echo contributor Aoibhin Garrihy with Ollie Mullooly Photos by John Mangan
16 NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Over 150 homeless across Clare this Christmas
PÁRAIC McMAHON
O
news@clareecho.ie
VER 150 people were homeless in Clare this Christmas while Clare County Council have been accused of removing sleeping bags belonging to rough sleepers in Ennis. As of mid December, seventy nine adults and fifty five children were living in emergency accommodation provided by Clare County Council and twenty one hotel and B&B suppliers. On top of this, over a dozen men and women are rough sleepers across the county. Thirteen individuals are being housed at Laurel Lodge with the homeless hub at Cusack Lodge in Ennis which was opened in June of this year accommodating five families. Clare County Council have said the cost of utilising hotel and B&B providers is approximately €25,000 per week, funding for which is covered by Section 10 of the Housing Act (1988). In February 2019, the Clare Homeless
Action Team (HAT) was founded. It is an inter-agency, client centred approach which is led by the County Council. Since its establishment, twenty nine adults and thirty one children have exited from homeless to long term tenancies. The breakdown of this is eight adults and twelve children to Approved Housing Bodies (8 units), nine adults and seven children to HAP Private Rented (7 units), one adult and one child to Short-term
l HOUSING CRISIS: Over a dozen people are sleeping rough in Co Clare
Asylum seeker move upsets Miltown locals LOCALS in Miltown Malbay are upset with the manner in which eleven asylum seekers were suddenly transferred to the new Direct Provision centre in Ennis before Christmas, Paraic McMahon writes. A group of eleven men who were living in emergency accommodation at The Central Hostel in Miltown Malbay were informed while eating their dinner one week before Christmas Day that they had to transfer on the to their new home at the Clare Lodge on the Mill Rd in Ennis in the space of a couple of hours. Following what they called "an unexpected shock", the men who had built up a close bond and relationship with locals in Miltown Malbay took to the community WhatsApp group to express their appreciation for the kindness extended since arriving in Co Clare. When word was put out, some Miltown natives rushed to The Central Hostel to say their goodbyes in person with lengthy hugs and kisses for the departing men. Several members of the community were unhappy with the sudden transfer and felt prior notice would have allowed for "a proper goodbye". Emotions were high at the time with offi-
Lease (1 unit), 11 adults and 11 children into Local Authority Housing (10 units). Speaking at the December meeting of the Social Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), Business/Commercial representative, William Cahir questioned how many numbers the HAT start with in February and details on the “average stay particularly with children”. “My recollection is 63 adults at the end of
cials of the Clare Immigrant Support Centre attached to The Central Hotel reminding individuals that the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) had always intended to close all temporary emergency accommodation centres like the one in Miltown. Innocent Iroaganachi (pictured below) was one of the men affected by the transfer. He told The Clare Echo the men were "heartbroken" but were consoled by the comments from Miltown locals who said they were always welcome in West Clare with spare rooms at the ready in their own homes. "We are consoled knowing that Ennis is not a far distance from Miltown, as we can still come back and get the warm hugs and love whenever we are in need of them because Miltown will always be our home," Innocent said.
January between 35-40 children,” Etain McCooey of the local authority’s housing section replied. “One lady was there two years, another a year and a half, they are part of the group we have managed to rehouse”. Cahir asked, “How quickly are we getting children into longer term accommodation. What is the average stay”. “We try to move on families and individuals who are houseless as quickly as possible. I don’t have the exact figures. The shortest stay was a few weeks. It takes time to source accommodation, we have to take into account all of those on the social housing list,” McCooey answered. Cllr Mark Nestor (FF) sought clarification from Council officials having noticed 29 departed emergency accommodation, “It seems strange that they can leave that and go into rental accommodation straight away. There is also an issue with rough sleepers that I would like answered, there have been reports that members of the Council were removing bedding or sleeping bags belonging to homeless people sleeping in the town of Ennis”. His claim on the removal of bedding was unanswered but McCooey outlined, “Anybody accessing the services has to have a social housing application. The screening process helps us to see what their options are.”.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS
l REMEMBERING LAURA: Members of Colaiste Muire mini company selling HPV Jerseys personalised to Colaiste at their school Christmas market. A percentage of their total profits is going to charity for cancer research.
Ambassador Awards celebrate €12 million brought to region STUART HOLLY
T
editor@clareecho.ie
HE Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau in partnership with Failte Ireland held the 2019 Conference Ambassador Awards at Dromoland Castle. Over 30 Ambassadors from Clare and Limerick were recognised, including representatives from UL, LIT, Mary Immaculate College and Midwest corporate companies. Over 110 guests attended the prestigious event which has become a bi-annual fixture in the Bureau’s calendar as it continues to recognise the value of local ambassadors in attracting large conferences and events to the region. This year’s awardees contributed to an economic impact of €12 million. Some notable events recognised on the night include Tag Rugby World Cup 2021
(x 2000 participants ), IEEE oceans 2023 (x 1000 delegates) and Prader Willi Syndrome Association International Conference 2021 (600 delegates). Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau works in partnership with the presidents and conference office in UL, MIC, and LIT and with the Meet in Ireland Team in Failte Ireland to support the regions, wonderful ambassadors. The Children’s Grief Center were also award winners on the night. They won it for their Children and Loss conference 2019, held in LIT. The conference was held to support young people affected by loss. General Manager of Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau Karen Brosnahan, said, “We are delighted with the growing interest in the Ambassador programme due to its continued success in the region. This event is our way of recognising the extensive efforts of our Ambassadors who bid for and win lucrative business tourism for the region”.
lWELL DESERVED: Pictured at the Shannon Region Ambassador Awards were Professor Eugene Wall, Mary Immaculate College and Professor Vincent Cunnane, LIT (back) with Dr. Puneet Saidha, UL, Ciara Gallagher, Failte Ireland, Karen Brosnahan, Shannon Region Conference Sports Bureau, and Tony Brazil, Limerick Travel (front) Photo by Kate Devaney/ilovelimerick
Over 1,000 people sign petition to have Shannon Park named in memory of McKee
lFONDLY REMEMBERED: Recently deceased Shannon and Sinn Fein councillor Mike McKee (far left) was among those to sign off on plans for the recently opened park in Shannon
A PETITION calling for the new Shannon Town Park to be renamed in honour of the late Sinn Féin councillor Mike McKee is gathering momentum. More than 1,000 people have already signed a petition seeking to have the community park renamed in memory of Mike McKee who died at the end of November. His final public engagement as a political representative was to attend the opening of the park which cost €1.5m and the November Shannon Municipal District meeting. Following his death, members of the local Sinn Féin cumann approached the McKee family about the possibility of launching a campaign to get the park named after
Mike. The McKees gave their backing to the suggestion and an online petition began. Hundreds signed the petition online, in an attempt to get the signatures of those not on social media. Donna McGettigan and Isobel Browne set up a stand at SkyCourt Shopping Centre in Shannon which attracted one hundred signatures in the space of an hour. Mike’s brother Paul also spent an hour in the Town Centre adding a further one hundred names to the petition which has since passed the one thousand mark. “People at times queued to sign, they also expressed how they felt about Mike and the good that he did for the town and some assumed the
park should naturally be named after Mike,” Ms McGettigan told The Clare Echo. McGettigan emphasised that the move is not a political stunt. She explained, “This is about the town of Shannon showing their appreciation to a person who was instrumental in many good things in the town, a good person who helped many a person, who loved Shannon and had its best interests at heart. This is about Mike McKee and the town park that he worked hard to achieve”. She confirmed they would be securing more signatures in January before submitting a proposal to Clare County Council.
18 GREEN NEWS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Breach in smoky coal ban could lead to significant fine PÁRAIC McMAHON
A
paraic@clareecho.ie
LTHOUGH its air quality readings have left a lot to be desired, Clare may soon be leading the way if calls to enforce a national ban on smoky coal are enforced. As reported by The Clare Echo in December, Mayor of Ennis Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) proposed a motion to the Ennis Municipal District seeking the introduction of a nationwide ban on the sale of smoky coal. Since the introduction of solid fuel regulations on August 1, 2011, it has been an offence to market, sell or distribute bituminous or smoky coal (sometimes referred to as Polish or premium coal) within the areas specified under the ban. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government made new regulations under the Air Pollution Act (Marketing, Sale, Distribution and Burning of Specified Fuels) Regulations 2012, which came into effect on August
31, 2012 brought about an expansion in the existing smoky coal ban areas. Presently in Clare, this applies to Ennis, Clarecastle, Clareabbey, Spancilhill, Doora and Templemaley. It is also illegal in Ballyglass and Cappavilla in the southern part of the county bordering Limerick City. Staff of Clare County Council have carried out over 150 inspections to check that those supplying fuels are in compliance with the regulations. Solid fuel regulations are enforced by the local authority while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility with respect to the registration of bagging operators and fuel suppliers. Coal customers have been advised by the Council to consult with their fuel supplier regarding the most suitable smokeless fuel types and combinations for their home heating needs and appliances. Under the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011, breaches of regulations made un-
der the Air Pollution Act, 1987, may lead to significant fines. Prosecutions in court can range from €5,000 on summary conviction to €500,000 on conviction by indictment. Fixed penalty notices or ‘onthe-spot fines’ up to a maximum of €1,000 can be issued to any person or body who breaches the solid fuel regulations 2012. Speaking to The Clare Echo, General Election candidate Joseph Woulfe (IND, pictured right) pointed to air quality as a reason why people should choose to live in rural Ireland. “The government
is pushing people into urban living saying its better for us, well if you
FREE CHRISTMAS TREE COLLECTION DROP-OFF POINTS
6th January 2020 – 17th January 2020 If you chose a real tree this year, you can recycle it for FREE at the following designated locations around Co. Clare from the 6th January, 2020 to the 17th January, 2020: Central Waste Management Facility, Ballyduff Beg, Inagh Lisdeen Recycling Centre & Transfer Station, Kilkee Scariff Recycling Centre & Transfer Station
Reminder from Clare County Council
SMOKY COAL BAN IN ENNIS, CLARECASTLE AND PARTS OF SOUTH-EAST CLARE Clare County Council would like to advise the public and fuel suppliers of the following: • The marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous or smoky coal such as ‘Polish coal’ has been banned in the greater Ennis area, Clarecastle and parts of South-East Clare in order to protect human health from the harmful emissions which result from the burning of bituminous coal high in sulphur. • Any person or business marketing, selling or distributing bituminous or smoky coal for use within the greater Ennis area, Clarecastle and parts of South-East Clare covered by the ban is committing an offence.
• The public within the greater Ennis area, Clarecastle and parts of South-East Clare is advised to source only smokeless fuels from reputable suppliers for their solid fuel needs. The following are examples of smokeless fuels that are permitted: Smokeless ‘Coal’, Blended or Unblended - containing some or all of manufactured ovoids, manufactured nuggets or anthracites. Peat - loose turf and baled briquettes. Wood - kindling, firewood logs, compressed wood logs, firestarter logs, etc.
like breathing lovely fresh air stay rural, that’s where it is cleanest according to the EPA, environmental protection agency report of 2017. “For me at least, waking up to birds chirping on the bushes and trees is one of the pleasures of rural life, horns blowing and car engines revving is the noise pollution that common in the urban environment”. Woulfe added, “The rural air is cleaned by the plants that surround it, concrete is a great substance but it can’t do what the green fields of the country side can”.
Shannon Recycling Centre Gardening Section, Gort Rd, Ennis (adjacent to Cois na hAbhna, drop off point outside the gates)
RECYCLING CENTRE OPENING HOURS CENTRAL WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY, BALLYDUFF BEG, INAGH Tel: 065 6836960 Opening hours Tues - Fri: (8:30am - 4:30pm) Sat: (8:30am - 1:00pm) Mon and Sun: Closed LISDEEN RECYCLING CENTRE AND TRANSFER STATION Tel: 065 9060175 Opening hours Mon: (9:00am - 4:00pm) Wed - Fri: (9:00am - 4:00pm) Sat: (10:00am - 2:00pm) Tues and Sun: Closed
SCARIFF RECYCLING CENTRE AND TRANSFER STATION Tel: 061 921735 Opening hours Mon: (2pm - 6pm) Closed Bank Holidays Tues: (9am - 1pm) Wed: (closed) Thurs: (2pm - 6pm) Fri, Sat: (12:00 noon - 6:00pm) Sun: Closed
SHANNON RECYCLING CENTRE Tel: 061 364483 Opening hours Tues - Fri: (10:00am - 5:00pm) Sat: (9.00am - 3:00pm) Mon and Sun: Closed
GARDENING SECTION, GORT RD, ENNIS Opening hours: n/a Drop off point outside Garden Centre gates
LIKE ALL WASTE YOUR GREEN WASTE MUST BE MANAGED CORRECTLY By discarding your Christmas tree in public areas or along roadside locations, you are dumping waste and BREAKING THE LAW. This may result in an on-the-spot fine of €150. Dumped green waste cannot readily biodegrade. It looks unsightly, can attract other forms of dumping in your area and may attract vermin.
More information on home composting and reducing green waste can be found at
www.stopfoodwaste.ie Members of the public and fuel suppliers are encouraged to contact Clare County Council via the same contact details to report any suspected breaches of the regulations. Inspections may be carried out by staff in the Environment Section to ensure compliance with the Air Pollution Act, 1987 (Marketing, Sale and Distribution of Fuels) (Amendment) Regulations 1998 to 2011.
For further information, including maps of the areas covered by the smoky coal ban, please visit the council’s website, www.clarecoco.ie or contact the Environment Section of Clare County Council by telephone on 065 6846331 or email: info@clarecoco.ie.
Clare County Council Promoting a Greener Clare @GreenerClare Antilitter Hotline No.: 1800 606 706 Email: enviroff@clarecoco.ie | www.clarecoco.ie
Arts & Entertainment 19
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
T
HIS is me, a short film project funded by Creative Ireland and Clare County Council, has begun filming in various locations around Ennis and Shannon. The project is led by producers Maeve McGrath and Keith Bogue and directed by Roisín Kearney with a script from writer Sinéad Collopy. Trainee participants from Co. Clare worked on set shadowing industry heads of
This is me department in a scheme that allowed trainee participants to explore film making skills in a practical environment. Heads of Department included Shane Serrano as Director of Photography, Sarah Lally as 1st AD and post production will be undertaken by County Clare native, editor Philip Shanahan. Speaking about the short film project, Producer Maeve McGrath noted, “This is an important time in the growth of the Irish Film Industry.
“Equipping emerging film makers with the skills to step on a film set at entry level is crucial for the building of experienced regional crew and practical experience will be invaluable for all the trainees who worked with us. “Creative Ireland and Clare County Council were steadfast in their support”. Post production for the film will continue into 2020 and the film will screen at festivals and events nationally and internationally.
lYOUNG TALENT: Cian Hughes plays Patrick in short film This is Me Photo by Maeve McGrath
Flights - a new O’Donovan masterpiece FLIGHTS is a darkly funny new play by award-winning Clarecastle playwright John O'Donovan (pictured left). Ennis. A dark and stormy night. Three men, Barry, Cusack and Pa gather again for the anniversary of their childhood friend Liam – killed in a road accident when they were seventeen. Expecting a crowd and tearing into the cans, the three slowly realise they're the only ones coming. Caught in the wake of their lingering grief, they confront their receding youth, their uncertain futures, and the ghost that has held them together. John O'Donovan returns home to Clare
for this haunting, hilarious new play about bereavement, brotherhood and breaking away from your past. From the team behind the smash hit If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You, Flights makes its World Premiere at glór for three nights only before transferring to Dublin and London. Wednesday 15 January, Preview Performance €15. Thursday 16 - Friday 17 €18/€16 Conc. There will be a post-show talk with John O'Donovan on January 16th. Flights contains strong language/adult themes.
It’s Neil Delamare’s End of Watch
F lHOOLEY: The Dal gCais Ceili band will perform in Cois na hAbhna this Sunday
RESH from a sell-out tour, star of BBC’s the Blame Game, Fighting Talk and the Newsquiz Neil Delamere returns to glór with a brand-new show. Award-winning comedian Neil Delamere is one of the top acts working in the Irish comedy scene today, well known to audiences for his regular television appearances on RTE and the BBC as well as his hilarious sell-out stand up tours. With stellar reviews as well as a number of platinum-selling DVDs under his belt, Neil has turned his attention to comedy documentaries, writing and presenting IFTA Award- and Celtic Media Award-winning TV programmes on the Vikings and St. Patrick. His four part series on heroes from Ireland’s past, Holding out for a Hero, was recently broadcast as part of RTE 2’s autumn schedule. “No TV camera could accurately measure the lightning speed
of Delamere’s wit,” saysThe Irish Times Never one to sit around, Neil is also back in the hot seat with The Blame Game, the perennially popular BBC panel show, back for its 14th season in 2018. He is a regular panellist on BBC 5 Live’s Fighting Talk and recently appeared on BBC 4’s The News Quiz. Neil continues to tour extensively at home and internationally, with appearances at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival (from which he presented the RTE television series covering the event) to name just a few. His shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have garnered rave reviews, including a coveted five stars from The Scotsman, the premier broadsheet reviewer at the event. Saturday 11 January 8:00pm at glor, Ennis. Tickets €23.
Community 20 COMMUNITY
ENNIS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
CONTACT NEWSDESK
065 671 9021 news@clareecho.ie
NORTH CLARE
TRY THE PIPES Music Generation Clare is offering free uilleann pipe introductory sessions to young people with an interest in participating in a new uilleann piping tuition programme. Both taster events will be held on Saturday, 11th January in Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s Further Education and Training Centre, Miltown Malbay Campus, on the Ballard Road from 10am to 12noon and in the Courthouse Gallery (Studio Room), Ennistymon, from 2 to 4pm that afternoon. Attendees will be encouraged to try out one of Ireland’s most celebrated instruments. Participants who enjoy the taster workshops on 11th January can sign up to Music Generation Clare’s uilleann piping tuition programme, commencing later in January. Those interested in attending the taster sessions should register their interest by contacting Music Generation Clare on info@musicgenerationclare.ie or 065 689 7627. FERN CELTIC AGM Fern Celtic FC are holding their AGM on the 8th January , 2020, in Ballyea Community Centre, at 8 p.m. All parents , coaches and people interested in local soccer , are more than welcome to attend , and get an appreciation of the level of activity that the club provides all year round, for close to 200 children and adults in the region. www.fernceltic.ie
NEWMARKET ON FERGUS CHARITY CYCLE Cyclocross Event in add of The Cherry Blossom Room, Ballycar National School. Ballycar N.S. is a 30 pupil rural school which this year opened a new classroom for primary school children who are on the autistic spectrum. The room opened with 3 pupils and in September 2020 will expand to 6. The parents association is fundraising to support the development of the cherry blossom room and to provide extra support so that all the pupils of the school can can have a shared educational environment both within the classroom and planned development works to the playground and pitch. The venue is John O’Sullivan park, Lees road, Ennis. Entry is through CI portal or on the day. €5 underage, €10 junior, €25 senior. All proceeds are going directly to the school. 2020 CI license required, please bring back number. One day license available on the day. Cx bikes only in the A race on a fast safe course, a mix of hard pack and grass. great leg opener before the Nationals. B race is open to all gravel/ cx/ mtb . Women’s and U16 11;30. Seperate safe track for the u6/8/10 from 10;00. Bike wash provided Murphy survey’s kilcullen CC.
MID CLARE COMMEMORATION The Mid Clare Brigade Commemoration Committee, a community, family and non-political group has recently reformed in this decade of centenaries under chairperson Mary Crawford, to commemorate the Mid Clare Brigade, Irish Republican Army, and the Volunteers and Cumman na mBan members made during the national struggle and War of Independence 1919 – 21. The Mid Clare Brigade will be remembering them all during the 100th anniversaries with a number of commemorations, lectures, talks and school projects through 2020 and into 2021, including the death of Vice Commandant Martin Devitt (insert) at Crowe’s Bridge, Inagh, the Rineen ambush and reprisals in Ennistymon, Lahinch and Miltown Malbay, and the Moanreal ambush amongst other events. The committee will celebrate the women of Cumman na mBan and recognise the key role they played in achieving our independence during these events. They also have an ongoing research and information gathering programme which will be documented and preserved online. On Tuesday 14th January they are holding their first general meeting at Hotel Woodstock at 7.30pm. They are appealing to relations of people who took part and were members of the Mid Clare Brigade to attend. They want to hear from descendants of anybody who participated, they are also seeking photographs, memorabilia or artefacts connected to the Mid. Clare Brigade. They are inviting local National schools, principals and teachers to focus on how they can convey the history of the Brigade and their ancestors to students in 2020. This meeting is also open to anyone who has an interest in the period and wishes to take part and contribute. The calendar of events will commence on Sunday 23rd February with a Commemoration remembering Brigade Vice Commandant Martin Devitt. For further information please visit their Facebook page.
l CELEBRATIONS: Enjoying the Michael Cusacks Victory Social (Junior A Football Champions 2019) at The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon were Cathal Murray, Clodagh Staunton, Caoilfhionn Cox and Seaghan Brosnan.
ENNIS GAEILGE GO LEOR The Ennis language group Caint agus Comhrá facilitates members of the public in coming together to practice their Irish in informal social settings. The gatherings are held morning and evening. Language lovers can get to meet other speakers and strike up new friendships. This evening (Thurs) Caint agus Comhrá is in Temple Gate Hotel at 8.00pm. Morning Caint agus Comhrá meet-ups, are held regularly in Ennis cafes at 11:00 as follows: Fridays in Sweetngreen; Saturdays in Glór; Mondays in Zest; and Wednesdays in Sweetngreen. These get togethers are suitable for speakers at all levels of knowledge of the language. Visitors and newcomers alike -of any nationality- are welcome join their conversations. Further information from: caintaguscomhra@eircom.net
COLUMNIST 21
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Brexit highlights need for Moneypoint plan PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie
B
OTH ESB and Fine Gael have been criticised by Rita McInerney for failing to capitalise on Moneypoint's potential. A Fianna Fáil candidate in the upcoming General Election, a date of which has yet to be confirmed, Rita pointed to the ever-nearing Brexit as she voiced her frustration. "The UK Prime Minister's plan to prevent the British parliament from extending the transition period beyond the end of December 2020 means that a no-deal Brexit cannot categorically be ruled out. Irrespective of whether we are dealing with a hard Brexit or not, a plan needs to be put in place for Moneypoint". She felt the site's location made it "a prime investment opportunity". McInerney added, "It's right on the edge of Europe and could operate as the gateway between the US, South America and
the EU. The potential is huge, there is over 400 acres of zoned industrial, with a 380-metre jetty, a 25 metre deep port that can take the biggest ships in the world and two 400 KV electricity transmitters connecting across the country. "With huge delays and restrictions expected on the English land bridge, we should be looking at alternative routes into mainland Europe; Moneypoint could be used as a pivot port for goods coming into and out of the continent. Ireland's reliance on imported electricity stands to be affected by tariffs from the UK and in order to avoid dependence on foreign electricity sources, we should be developing alternatives like offshore wind - Moneypoint is the ideal location at the centre of the West Coast for this to be developed," she said in a statement to The Clare Echo. "To date, Fine Gael has adopted a hands-off approach when it comes to the future of Moneypoint. It has failed to see the potential of this area, and is continuing its policy of ignoring rural Ireland, which while disappointing and frustrating, is not surprising", the Doonbeg woman concluded.
Call for action on raw sewage flowing into River Shannon
O'Briensbridge, Clare Photo courtesy of www.clare.ie
PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie
O
'BRIENSBRIDGE residents have voiced their frustration with an ongoing wait for a public sewerage system and are demanding a full environmental investigation into the health and safety of their water quality. A discharge of raw sewage is flowing into the River Shannon in close proximity to O'Briensbridge and its twin village Montpelier. Residents say they have been promised one for over three decades and that in the interval the polluted river has caused the deaths of livestock and pets. Limerick City and County Councillor, James Collins (FF) has brought the matter to the attention of the local authority calling for the residents' concerns and that of environmental consultants to be listened to. He flagged that the sewerage is flowing into the river, 50m from a mooring point used by triathletes and swimmers. He stated, "Local residents have complained of dogs, a horse and cattle all becoming ill, and in some cases dying, from drinking contaminated
water in the area". Cllr Collins described it as "a serious public health issue". Dr Eugene Bolton of Trinity Green Environmental Consultants was hired by local residents to test the water and examine the septic tank serving houses in the area and confirmed the health risks of the current situation. Bolton's report concluded that the existing tank is not fit for purpose, poses a risk to public health, and is a source of environmental pollution. He said it is a highly vulnerable asset and should not be located within a flood zone. Over recent months, residents have highlighted their concerns to the environmental health section of the HSE relating to complaints of strong odours coming from septic tanks which they have said are "vile". Speaking to The Clare Echo, Chairperson of the O'Briensbridge Community Group, Margaret O'Connor outlined, "We have been highlighting this for years via Clare County Council and more recently via Irish Water. We have no public sewerage system even though we have been promised one for the last 30 years plus. Our water treatment plant is so outdated that I'm sure it contravenes every environmental regulation. We fully support Montpelier's stance and hope it will lead to a full environmental investigation into the health and safety of the water quality of our twin villages".
REELING IN THE YEARS
with Cian O’Broin
1997
CLARE GUNMEN UP IN ARMS: In 1997, a congregation of Clare gunmen set their sights on the then Minister for Arts and Culture, Michael D. Higgins. The proposal from the Minister outlined a management plan for the Burren region whereby recreational sport shooting would no longer be permitted due to the IUCN World Conservation Union criteria for national parks. The gunmen of Clare, in the legal sense, quickly accused Minister Higgins of denying what they had deemed to be a traditional right of theirs. The challenge to the Minister was launched by the National Association of Regional Game Councils, a body representing over 22,000 members within Ireland and a total of 1,100 Clare gunmen. A meeting in Ennis was held in January to address the issue, with a collection of public representatives as well as members of Clare gun clubs hoping to stop Minister Higgins in his tracks. NARGC director Des Crofton criticised the Irish government for accepting fees for firearms certificates and hunting fees whilst simultaneously banning the right of hunters to practice their craft. Mr Crofton also outlined that there were no species listed on the endangered lists in any of the national parks within the state. Following the meeting at The Auburn Lodge in Ennis, some 1,100 Clare gunmen warned public representatives of the repercussions if the hunting ban in the Burren wasn’t lifted immediately. Seats at the next election were threatened by Des Crofton in a bid to scare public representatives and demonstrate the power held by the densely populated gun clubs and enthusiasts within the county. Clare TD Tony Killeen was in support of the Clare gunmen admonishing that it was people like them that paid for public lands through taxes. The meeting was adjourned following the unanimous acceptance that gross negligence and incompetency was shown by Minister Higgins in understanding the rights of hunters and the application of taxpayer’s contribution to the government. THE FAMOUS PINT BABY: The Irish connection with drink remains common knowledge today throughout the world. It is both laughed at and lauded by other nations and the affability of the Irish pub tops the bucket list of many hopeful culture enthusiasts worldwide. In 1997, a special feature on Nationwide RTE threw the entire country into convulsions and painted the perfect portrait of the typical Irish session. In a segment entitled, ‘Single Women Scarce in Kerry’, the national programme featured prominent Irish matchmaker and pub owner Willie Daly, of Daly’s Bar in Ennistymon. Despite his notoriety, it wasn’t the words of Willie Daly that caught the nations attention but a cutaway shot of the pub itself where a baby was seen to be skulling a pint of Guinness, in doing so, announcing the infamous ‘Pint Baby’ to the world. To the astonishment of Nationwide viewers and the understanding of some regular pub goers, the nonchalance and oblivious nature of those within Daly’s bar concerning an infant being ‘treated’ to a healthy pint of stout was almost too much to stomach, perfectly reflecting the attitude of one of the worlds most prominent drinking cultures. Years later, the Irish Independent caught up with ‘Pint Baby’ and his mother and it seemed like he turned out all right in the end, in the words of his adoring mother. CLOUGHLEIGH JOINS THE WORLD WIDE WEB: In 1997, the internet was beginning to make grounds worldwide with a number of organisations deciding to sign up for some basic form of websites. Although uncommon in the nineties, the practice was beginning to take off due to the proliferation of home computers in households throughout the nation. In 1997, Scoil Chriost Rí, Clougheigh decided to ride the technological wave and establish its presence on the internet with its very own website. The website included details of the school’s policies and facilities. In a headline entitled ‘Cloughleigh On The Web’, it was noted that pupils from the school were already in contact with other pupils through an ‘e-mail facility’. The school also hoped to get in contact with schools in other countries through the internet, a steppingstone in which they were very proud to achieve.
22 BUSINESS
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
BUSINESS
CONTACT US WE’RE ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM #CE
Get The Shifts claims European Business Award SHANNON company Get The Shifts has won ‘New Business of the Year’ at The European Business Awards. Get The Shifts was initially chosen out of over 150,000 business from 33 countries following a rigorous, independent judging process. 2753 businesses were named ‘Ones to Watch’ in July and following a further detailed review, 363 companies were announced as ‘National Winners’ in September. Get The Shifts was crowned overall winner of the ‘New Business of the Year’ category following face-to-face judging ahead of the ceremony in Warsaw earlier this month. Described as the continent’s biggest and most prestigious business competition, the European Business Awards’ primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community. Get The Shifts’ win will support its impending launch in the UK market in early 2020. Manchester has been identified as the company’s
first target market with close to 100,000 students, all looking for flexible work and Brexit outcomes predicting a shortfall of 60,000 workers in the UK hospitality sector. Now in operation for three years, Get The Shifts view entering the UK marking as “an unmissable opportunity” according to Managing Director, Hannah Wrixon (inset). It harnesses Tinder-like technology to support bars, restaurants, cafes, festivals and other hospitality-related businesses to connect with experienced, temporary hospitality staff in their area on-demand. The company recently announced it would create 300 additional roles nationwide in hospitality and events beginning this Christmas period. Since its 2016 foundation, Get The Shifts has created 2,000 roles in Ireland. Its Shannon team now has a staff of ten people completing tasks from operations to marketing and marks a 150 percent growth in twelve months.
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Considine’s reign‘healthy’ - Fr Bohan PÁRAIC McMAHON
M
news@clareecho.ie
ARY Considine's first two months as CEO of Shannon Group have been described as "healthy" according to the man whose house is the nearest dwelling to Shannon Airport. Speaking at the December meeting of Clare County Council, Fr Harry Bohan detailed the Shannon story. "It started with an airport which provided fuel for planes flying the Atlantic and passengers who needed food. A series of initiatives followed. Those were marked by experimentation, trial and error that led to a Duty Free Shop, an industrial estate, a new town, a number of tourism projects and the beginnings of regional developments". Fr Bohan recalled that such projects were viewed "with suspicion and bureaucracy" but were overcome by "strong local leadership". He felt Sixmilebridge native Dr Brendan O'Regan characterised such mastery and stressed how O'Regan sought the views of all workers regarding Shannon Airport. In October, Mary Considine was announced as the successor to Matthew Thomas as Shannon Group CEO. Years of work in establishing routes from Shannon to Paris and Barcelona came to fruition shortly after her appointment plus a new service to Vienna. Bohan who has championed rural devel-
opment for over four decades complimented the Lissycasey woman's tenure thus far. "Leadership in Shannon will benefit by linking with local people and tapping into their wisdom and their knowledge of the area and their practical experience of the area. Mary Considine the new manager of the Shannon Group called to me recently. If that kind of connecting with people out on the ground is a sign of things to come that is healthy but a lot more of it will be needed". As he traced the history of Shannon Airport, the Feakle native commented, "The only constant Dublin Airport has had is traffic congestion while in comparison Shannon survival has been a never-ending struggle. It could never have survived without innovation. One of the special innovative initiatives took place in the 1980s with the setting up of Aer Rianta International, by a few executives based in Shannon and led by Liam Skelly. "This led to the development of Duty Free Shops all over the world. Shannon Airport Management created a highly successful and profitable business in a recognised disadvantaged part of the country. “Everyone in the Duty Free World knew that this was a Shannon Airport business and yet the DAA with political assistance had the activity moved to Dublin with a loss of jobs and profits to Shannon. The loss of this income has seriously affected the marketing of Shannon. This is something political, economic and social interests in this area should get involved in recovering a significant amount of these resources for Shannon and this region".
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24 YEAR IN REVIEW
2019
Sport year in review
Clare Echo’s head of News & Sport PÁRAIC MCMAHON delves into the archives to bring you the biggest sport stories from each month of this memorable year
JANUARY
Kilmihil duo Eimear Considine and Edel McMahon included in the 36 strong Irish 6 Nations squad. Seven Clare girls represent Ireland in the U16 European Volleyball Championships. Shannon’s Mike Hickey appointed team manager of the Irish senior men’s basketball side. Bunratty’s Jeff McGowan puts pen to paper on a contract with Galway Utd. Stephen Kenny recruits Gary Seery of Ennis as performance analyst with the Republic of Ireland U21 side. National League commences for all Clare senior sides. Sixmilebridge announce Tim Crowe as senior hurling manager with Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald on board as coach. Ailish Considine and
FEBRUARY
Emma Barrett
The Clare Echo commences an innovative series #CantSeeCantBe as part of the 20x20 campaign aiming to improve the coverage of female sports by 20 percent come the year 2020. Ger O’Connell’s tenure as Clare senior camogie boss gets under way. Éire Óg dealt a blow as Dean Ryan and Ciarán Russell transfer to Dublin clubs. Clubs hit out at the lack of transparency from the top table of the Clare Schoolboys/Schoolgirls Soccer League.
(above) Edel McMahon
Ailish Considine
MARCH MAY
Clare scrape past Waterford in the Munster SFC quarter-final with Jamie Malone getting the winning point. An encouraging six match campaign draws to an end Clare’s involvement in the Munster MFC. Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor’s senior hurlers hit the ground running with a one point win away to Waterford. A unique Clare Cup Final sees Newmarket Celtic A claim their eighteenth title at the expense of Newmarket Celtic B. The Brennan family began planning a new initiative for clubs across the country to wear jerseys promoting the HPV vaccine.
Eoin Hayes of Newmarket-on-Fergus is named FAI Junior International Player of the Year. Colaiste Muire are crowned All-Ireland Senior D Camogie Champions for the first time. A mid table finish is secured by the Clare Ladies Footballers in the Division 2 of the National League, Colm Collins’ men avoid relegation to Division 3 while the senior hurlers receive a thumping off Waterford in the last eight. Ennis trio, James Connors, Colin Fitzpatrick and Michael Mongan compete in the National Senior Cadets Championship. Kilmaley win the U21A hurling championship and Broadford win the B equivalent. O’Callaghans Mills’ Noel McNamara is Head Coach of the Irish U20s team that win the Grand Slam, the first Clareman to taste such success. Ennis swimmer Emma Barrett wins Gold and Bronze medals at the Special Olympics with golfers Mairead Moroney and Jean Molony taking home silver.
JUNE APRIL
Colin Crehan and Diarmaid Nash successfully retain their title as All-Ireland senior doubles handball champions. A Kieran Harvey managed Clare win the Munster Ladies Football Minor B championship. Keelan Sexton departs the county football panel. Newmarket Celtic lose out in Munster League Champions Trophy final. Cork are too strong for the Clare minor camogie side in the All-Ireland final. Ailish Considine becomes the first Clare woman to be victorious in the Women’s Australian Grand Final as part of the Adelaide Crows team.
Peter Duggan Photo by Eamon Ward
It all comes falling apart for the Clare senior hurlers as thirteen and eighteen point defeats to Tipperary and Limerick result in the county’s earliest exit from the championship since 2003. Kerry prove too strong for the senior footballers who are sent via the qualifiers where they dispatch of Leitrim and Westmeath. Ennis boxer Paddy Donovan declares his intention to become a World Champion after signing a professional contract with Top Rank, Andy Lee is announced as his trainer. Noel McNamara is named as the new Academy Manager of Leinster Rugby. Hazel McMahon flies the Irish flag in the Bikini Fitness World Championships with NABBA. Clare’s senior camogie side collect their first and only win of the championship beating Meath by a point. Fergal Lynch’s county minor hurlers reach the Munster Final but come up short against Limerick.
YEAR IN REVIEW 25
Cillian O’Riordan, Cian Humphreys, Jesus Quaye Saya & Cathal Dwyer.
JULY
Lahinch is rocking as the DDF Irish Open comes to town with sell-out crowds attending the memorable event. Heartbreak for the footballers as the Gary Brennan captained outfit miss out on the Super 8s by a single point. Teenager Ellie Pyke of Shannon wins her category in an international crossfit competition. Ennis’ Roisin Moore wins U16 singles title in the Connacht Junior Open. 2,500 cyclists partake in the Ring of Clare. Tipperary send Clare’s ladies footballers out of the All-Ireland intermediate championship at the quarter-final stage. Kilmaley win the Clare Cup, off the field drama hinders their progress in the championship. Ruan’s Imogen Cotter wins the National Road Race Championships.
AUGUST
Clare GAA TV Live goes live streaming club championship games across the world. Ennis’ Ella Doherty finishes 56th in World Junior Triathlon Championship at Lausanne. Four Ennis male teenagers form part of the Irish U19 volleyball squad competing in The Flying Scots tournament. Sports fans mourn the announcement of The Clare People’s closure. Kerry have too much for Clare in the All-Ireland Junior camogie semi-final. Lahinch Golf Club retain the All-Ireland senior ladies cup.
Padriag Harrington Photo by Brian Arthur
2019
SEPTEMBER
As the Rugby World Cup commences, Stonehall’s Ged McNamara is in the as Lead S&C coach with the Georgian rugby team, while in Japan he wrote a weekly column for this paper. Lissycasey’s Joe Hayes joins the management of the Tipperary senior footballers. Peter Duggan announces to The Clare Echo that he will not be part of the Clare hurling squad in 2020, the paper is also first to break the news that Gerry O’Connor is stepping down as joint manager of the side. Davy Fitzgerald confirms he is returning to Wexford for a third season. Colm Collins and Dermot Coughlan announce their plans to remain on as senior and minor county football managers. Shane Meehan and Cian Galvin receive Minor All-Stars and the slightly older Clare Masters become All-Ireland champions. Gerry O’Connor
DECEMBER
Paddy Donovan
OCTOBER
Knockout win for Paddy Donovan in first professional bout. Chloe Moloney collects her first Women’s National League title as Peamount Utd taste success. Brendan Bugler is added to the Wexford management. Shannon’s Jack Lynch extends his contract with Galway Utd. Widespread criticism at the appointment process for the Clare senior hurling manager, Donal Moloney and Louis Mulqueen withdraw their names making Brian Lohan the man in charge. Sixmilebridge prevail over neighbours in the Clare SHC final as do St Josephs Miltown after two attempts against Kilmurry Ibrickane in the SFC decider. Broadford secure their return to the top tier of Clare hurling overcoming St Josephs Doora/Barefield while St Breckans edge past Kildysart in the IFC final. Scariff/ Ogonnelloe win their first ever Clare senior camogie title.
Donal Kirby replaces Declan Farmer as Chairman of the CSSL with widespread changes to the Executive. Finn Duignan wins the U13 Boys Cross-Country Championship. Clare GAA convention takes place with Treasurer Michael Gallagher warning of increasing spending on county teams, delegates vote to award Munster and All-Ireland winners free entry to games within the county and they object to Tulla’s motion to sell Clareabbey and move to Caherlohan. Gold for Ennis’ Rory McEvoy in the 100m backstroke at the Irish Short Course Championship. David O’Brien of Cooraclare becomes the new Clare LGFA Chairman. Clare Camogie unable to fill the post of secretary at their AGM. Winning start for Brian Lohan in the Munster Senior Hurling League. Kieran Harvey Photo by Burreneyephotograpy
NOVEMBER
Brian Coffey is to succeed Fergal Lynch as Clare minor hurling boss, he adds National League winners Oisin O’Brien and Paul Flanagan to his management. Galway Utd manager Alan Murphy entices Clare duo Maurice Nugent and Joe Collins to extend their stay with the Tribesmen. Niall Gilligan announces his retirement from hurling. Laurie Ryan, Niamh O’Dea and Fidelma Marrinan are part of the Munster squad that win the inter-provincial championship. David Reidy returns to Clare hurling panel while Gary Brennan confirms he won’t be part of the football squad. Outpouring of tributes following the sudden passing of Clare LGFA Chairman, Kieran Harvey. St Flannans student Dean Casey is first home in the U18 National Cross Country Championship. Scariff/Ogonnelloe taste Munster glory while St Breckans lose out in the IFC equivalent.
Donal Kirby Photo by Martin Connolly
26
SPORT
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Camogie ‘still the poor relation’ in media PÁRAIC McMAHON
M
paraic@clareecho.ie
EDIA coverage of female sports has improved but it still has a long way to go, one high-profile administrator has declared. Speaking at the 2019 Clare Camogie AGM, public relations officer Brid MacNamara called on club officials to ensure they attend workshops to ensure the games derive maximum coverage while she also pushed media outlets to provide consistent coverage of games. MacNamara described the year that was “seismic in terms of PR for Clare camogie – new heights reached, new social mediums put in place, changes in personnel in the media streams and the loss of a local media outlet”. 2019 began with the Camogie Association Media Awards where Clare collected the award for programme of the year. As the Ruan woman outlined, Clare passed the 4,000 mark in terms of followers for Facebook and Twitter. “We have the fourth high-
est following in terms of camogie county social media accounts, Cork, Dublin and Kilkenny are the top three”. Six PRO workshops were ran throughout the year but Brid was critical of the volunteers that failed to turn up for the module. “A number of clubs did not attend any of the six, this is disappointing as the workshops cover all aspects of the role of PRO and will only help club PROs. If clubs do not take up the opportunity to attend at workshops, then its very unfair on our players. I sincerely hope there will be a 100 per cent uptake in 2020 as this will only benefit every club,” she said. Details of the “innovative series” as part of 20x20 ran by The Clare Echo were referenced by the award winning officer during her report with mention given to the many changes in Clare’s media landscape. She noted that the closure of The Clare People in August left the Camogie Board “reeling” and said the paper was “so progressive in terms of camogie coverage”. Community radio station, Scariff Bay broadcast twenty five games live during the year. She was hopeful of further live streams with The Clare Champion but cautioned
l COMMENTS: Bríd McNamara was speaking at the 2019 Clare Camogie AGM
“location for some games proved to be an obstacle in terms of internet coverage”.
Although Brid gave words of praise, she didn’t hold back in demanding more pages and airtime so far as camogie is concerned. “We are still the poor relation – no point in saying otherwise. So, as I have done every year in my end of year report, I will make the same appeal to the media. Don’t wait for the county final or a Munster final or even an All-Ireland final. “Our girls do not garner attention until there’s final looming, why? Where was the attention at the group stage of the competition? Are their efforts as females not as worthy of attention as the males? If that was your sister, daughter, girlfriend, cousin do you think it’s fair? Coverage has improved but we still have a way to go”. Brid acknowledged the contribution of photographers, media, managers, players, supporters and fellow officers namely Joe O’Donnell and Marie-Louise Kaiser. She added, “I would particularly like to acknowledge our country secretary Marie-Louise Kaiser, we both joined the top table together at AGM 2010 and ML I take my blue wooly hat off to you, the effort you put in goes unnoticed by many, but it is much appreciated by all”.
CHRISTMAS CRACKER FOR BANNER GREYHOUNDS OF THE ten race programme at Galway Greyhound Stadium on Saturday, there were eight stakes finals on the card with three Clare winners among them writes Páraic McMahon. Having impressed in his semi-final the Buttsys Buckos Syndicate of Ballycasey Shannon ran out a most authoritative six and a quarter length winner of this Novice Stake Final. Away well enough in company with Orbsen Quest and Pinnacle Rio the Gerry Holian handled greyhound really lengthened his stride on the run towards the opening bend rounding which he led Pinnacle Rio by two lengths. Railing well, Buttsys Blackie powered clear off the home turn to record a most impressive win. Coming in as a reserve in trap six for the final of the December Unraced 525 Stake, the Noel Hehir of Inagh owned Ivyhill Skyhigh took full advantage of the opportunity as he proved two and a half lengths too good for Cozzys Gem at the line in 29.27. Breaking well Ivyhill Skyhigh gradually made his way across to the rails on the run to the opening bend and tracking well around the turn he led Cozzys Gem by over a length entering the back straight. By the halfway mark the lead had more than doubled as Cozzys Gem continued to give chase but Ivyhill Skyhigh was in total control turning for home for an authoritative success. Going to traps for the final of the S5 Stake, the Master Micheal Browne of Cree owned Burnpark Floyd’s career record stood at four wins from four starts and he duly made it five from five with a classy two and three quarter length success over Shragh Jet in 19.37. Headed early on by Kilbannon Wolf, Burnpark Floyd quickly found top gear racing towards the opening bend in company with Shragh Jet on his outer. At the bend though Burnpark Floyd tracked well and began to turn the screw on his rival as he kicked clear around the home bend to secure top spot. l GOOD OUTINGS: Buttsys Blackie with members of the Shannon-based Buttsys Buckos syndicate and (below) Burnpark Floyd celebrates another win
l HAPPY FACES: Ivyhill Skyhigh, owned by Noel Hehir of Inagh, proved too good for the opposition in Galway Greyhound Stadium last week
SPORT
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
27
for McGrath Cup about studying Calls review of depth of panel for Collins sin bin rule
U
NEARTHING new talent and exposing young players to senior inter-county standards is the aim of the Clare footballers in the 2020 McGrath Cup, writes Páraic McGrath. Sunday marked the start of a fresh campaign for Colm Collins’ charges as they were two points adrift of neighbours Limerick. Without the services of Gary Brennan, Jamie Malone, Aaron Fitzgerald and Sean O’Donoghue, all vital players in their qualifier run and survival in Division 2 last year, management have no choice but to experiment and add something different to their lineup. As such, Joseph McGann, Cillian Rouine, Ciarán Morrissey and Ciarán Downes all made their first starts for the seniors in Rathkeale with Aidan Davidson and Emmet McMahon also introduced off the bench. Ciarán Russell returned to the team after a year’s hiatus as did Martin O’Leary and Darren O’Neill who had longer breaks away from the county set-up. David Egan, Sean Rouine and Michael Tubridy were others to get a call-up for Sunday’s panel while Barry Harnett is another to rejoin the squad. Speaing after the 0-14 2-06 loss, Collins advised “We’ll have a different fifteen against Waterford and see how that goes”. He felt Limerick were the sharper side on the day but admitted their main aim was to get a look at “the new fellas”.
Over the seventy minutes, Clare had ten wides with Monaleen’s Donal O’Sullivan pulling off two excellent saves to deny Keelan Sexton and Eoin Cleary late goals. “Conditions were difficult for shooting, it wasn’t really a day for shooting from distance because the breeze was going across the pitch,” the Cratloe clubman observed of their missed chances. He confirmed that “a tight hamstring” was the reason David Tubridy
l RETURN: Keelan Sexton was back in action for Clare at the weekend, where he was denied a late goal by Limerick’s ‘keeper Photo by Martin Connolly
The long bunker shot
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was omitted from the starting fifteen shortly before throw-in. “What we’re looking for from the McGrath Cup is to try play and see where we’re going, see what we have and that’s it, we’ll be doing the same thing against Waterford. You can’t beat competitive inter-county games where you have a proper referee, linesmen and umpires which you may not have in challenge games”.
HE difference with a long bunker shot compared to a short bunker shot, is that when you are taking on a long bunker shot it is important to strike the ball first before the sand, where as with a short bunker golf shot you are striking the sand before the ball. The main reason you need to strike the ball before the sand is to make sure you maximize the ball speed from the clubface to achieve the maximum distance. Like when you hit a full shot from the fairway to achieve the maximum distance your clubs strikes the ball first and then takes a divot after impact. If you took the divot before the ball your club would loose acceleration and also there would be a layer of grass between your clubface and the ball which will cause a loss of ball speed and lead to a drastic loss of distance. If anything from a longer distant bunker shot your are better off to hit this shot slightly thin. Therefore when I hover the clubhead behind the ball I focus on trying to strike the centre of the golf ball rather than striking towards the bottom of the ball. I will also play my ball position a couple of inches further forward than normal to help strike the ball from a shallower angle of attack and this will help to prevent striking any sand before the ball. If you grip down an inch also on your club for this shot it will help you to prevent your club from striking the sand. A drill you can do in practice is to hover your club slightly above the sand and take several full swings without your club touching the sand, however your club is close enough
that you can see grains of sand moving. This technique will really help you to achieve a clean contact with the golf ball and it will help prevent you from hitting the dreaded heavy bunker shot when you need to reach the green from a distant bunker. Often for these longer bunker shots golfers are better off using a hybrid instead of a longer iron. The leading edge of an iron digs into the sand quiet easily however the rounder and wider sole of a hybrid won’t dig into the sand but it will bounce off the surface making it easier to achieve a cleaner contact with the golf ball. Also the initial ball flight trajectory from a hybrid is higher than it is with a longer iron so clearing the lip of a bunker will be much easier. So don’t be afraid to try a hybrid in practice to see if you find it easier than using a mid or low irons for those longer bunker shots. Now is the perfect time to set your targets for 2020 and make next year your most successful golfing year to date. Happy New Year to you all.
PGA Golf Professional
ONE of Clare’s longest serving club referees has led the call for a change on the GAA’s ruling on sin-bins. Cratloe successfully proposed a motion to the 2019 Clare GAA Convention specifying that “the sinbin penalty for category two offences relates to 10 minutes of playing time”. In October, Congress passed a new ruling which introduced a 10 minute dismissal for players guilty of black card offences, the offending parties cannot be replaced during the time. Concern has been expressed that the ruling could lead to time-wasting by GAA officers across the country. Clare GAA’s Irish and Cultural Officer, Flan O’Reilly spoke on the matter. “Sometimes we make mistakes and we must correct them. It is an obvious error,” O’Reilly told delegates. He acknowledged that GAA President John Horan had spoken with officials in the LGFA on the sinbin but stressed “there are no problems with the sinbin in Ladies Football”. Flan pointed out that the rule in Ladies Football “is completely different” so far as playing time is concerned. “I think the rule promotes cynicism. The sinbin rule as it applies promotes cynicism”. Jack Chaplin, another referee from Cratloe seconded the motion which will now go to Croke Park.
#PadraigKnowsGolf
Padraig McGrath
GOLF ANALYSIS
The Scorecard in association with
EAST CLARE GOLF CLUB Friday Scramble Willie Hayes ,Siobhan Shanahan, Mary Farrell Men’s 14 Hole Stableford Michael Larkin (20) 34 pts ENNIS GOLF CLUB SATURDAY SCRAMBLE 21ST DEC. 2019 1ST Michael Ball, Andrew Mc Gloin, Tommy Heath (73-2) 71pts 2ND Carmel Verling, Tony Mc Inerney, Joe O’ Brien 71pts 3RD Sean O’ Gorman, Pj Hehir, Eamon Murphy (72-2) 70pts 4TH Ken O’ Farrell, Fergus O’ Brien, Ken Morrissey (70-2) 68pts 5TH Ethna Murphy, John Kearse, Ger Donoghue 67pts Gent’s Modified Scramble, Dec 21/22 1ST J K Considine,L Pyne, E Kelly, J Neylon 103pts 2ND G O’ Brien, M Cummins, B Considine,P Mc Inerney 102pts 3RD J Mc Carthy, O Mc Carthy, R Ryan, C O’ Neill 102pts KILRUSH GOLF CLUB Dec 22 KGC Weekly Turkey Men’s Singles 1 Pat Shannon Cr (16) 28 pts 2 Finbar McMahon (17) 27 pts 3 Noel Thornton (16) 26 pts Back 6 Dec 17 Senior Men’s Scramble 1 Michael Ryan, TJ Lyons, Tom Cleary, Peter Glynn, Fred Kirk 66pts 2 Michael McNamara, Noel Thornton, Pat Shannon Cny, Dermott Hammond 60.5 3 Seamus O’Doherty, John McGrath, Sean Moran, John Daly 58 4 Bernard Coleman, Pat Shannon Ksh, Willie Crowley, Gerry Duffy 58
SPANISH POINT GOLF CLUB 29th Dec - Men’s 18-Hole Singles S/F 1ST Paul Condron 37 pts 2ND Brian O’Loughlin 37 pts 3RD David Keane 37 pts 28th Dec - Open 9-Hole Singles S/F 1ST Greg Davidson 22 pts 2ND Thomas Byrne 20 pts 3RD Shane Fitzgerald 18 pts 27th Dec - Open 9-Hole Singles S/F 1ST Greg Davidson 18 pts 2ND Pat O’Brien 18 pts 3RD Fergal Hehir 18 pts Open 9-Hole Singles Dec 24 1ST Mary McNamara 21 pts 2ND John O’Donnell 19 pts 3RD Seamus McMahon 17 pts Seniors’ Open Singles 1ST John O’Brien 40 pts 2ND Greg Davidson 37 pts 3RD Michael A Hennessy 35 pts 23rd December - Open 9-Hole Singles 1ST Shane Fitzgerald 19 pts 2ND Oliver McNamara 17 pts 3RD Michael (Flick) O’Brien 16 pts 22nd Dec - Xmas Hamper 18-Hole Singles S/F 1ST Jim Marrinan 41 pts 2ND Donal Burke 38 pts 3RD Greg Davidson 36 pts 19th Dec - Actively Aging 9-Hole Mix Scramble 1ST Patrick O’Boyle, Ann White, Michael O’Connor, Karen White 23.2 nett 2ND Bernadette Eastham, Michael A Hennessy, Danny Comerford, Geraldine Reddan 24.6 nett 3RD Len Wilson, Martin Davis, Bernie O’Connor, Maurice Murphy 25 nett 17th Dec - Seniors’ Open Singles 18-Hole S/F 1ST Michael Waters 40 pts 2ND Maurice Murphy 38 pts 3RD Michael O’Connor 37 pts
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THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
Best Daily Word Search
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QUIZ 31
THURSDAY, JAN 2 2020
The Clare Echo Quiz Monument in Ennis fac1 O’Connell es in which direction? in Clare would you most 6 Where likely find a legless lizard?
St Senan Brian Boru St Flannan
Spanish Point Hotel Spinach Point Hotel The Atlantic Hotel
Spot the Difference Can you spot the difference? Spot the 7 differences. The answers will be revealed in next weeks edition.
Lorna Collins and Therese young, organizer for the last 30 years at the Christmas day swim in Kilrush Photo by John Mangan
6. The Burren
The Armada Hotel was previ10 ously known as what, when it opened for business in 1809?
ANSWERS 1.West
Ennis O’Callaghan’s Mills Kilnaboy
l QUESTION 9: Scattery Island was home to a monastery founded by who?
7. Hennessy Memorial Park
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The Fair Green is also known as Tim Smythe Park, but where was the athlete / politician Tim Smythe from?
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Scattery Island was home to a monastery founded by who?
2. 2015
Only place in Ireland equipped to land a space shuttle First airport to fly a giraffe World’s first duty free
1999 2001 2004
8. 2001
Shannon Airport is famous for 4 many things, but which of the following is NOT true of the airport.
arts centre was built at a 8 Glór cost of €8.5m in what year?
9. St Senan
John O’Sullivan Park John O’Connell Park John O’Bama Park
Morrissey Park Millenium Stadium Hennessy Memorial Park
3. John O’Sullivan Park
3 What was it renamed in 2017?
Joseph’s Miltown Malbay’s 7 Sthome ground is known as what?
4. First airport to fly a giraffe
1995 2015 2005
10. The Atlantic Hotel
was Lee’s Road sports 2 When facility established?
The Burren Loophead Meelick
5. O’Callaghan’s Mills
East West North
Last weeks Answers . Ennis missing in background . Eyes missing on card (right) . Picture missing on card (centre) . Red missing on glue stick
. Blue missing on gluestick . Colour of tables legs changed . Crest missing on girls top (right)