The Clare Echo 19/09/24

Photo by Tom Micks

Clare to light up for Culture Night

ALMOST 50 events are to take place in Clare this Friday (September 20th) for Culture Night.

Clare will be lit up by a diverse range of cultural events from traditional music and dance to art exhibitions, concerts, and poetry readings.

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In Tulla, attendees can enjoy a series of three events, including traditional music and dance performances, alongside art and photography exhibitions. Mountshannon promises a magical evening, uniting the community through a special concert and by a candle-lit walk. Broadford, Killaloe and Scarriff also host events in East Clare.

Plaza. Clarecastle will host its first Culture Night event with an open-mic session and performances from Padjo Dolan, Amy McNamara and Dean Power. Ennis will buzz with 17 events across town. Highlights include an Irish language storytelling workshop with Aindrias de Staic, who will talk about the tradition of storytelling in the county. There will be a musical journey

at Clare Museum, a celebration of cultural diversity at CBS Ennis, poetry and music at glór, a multidisciplinary event at EASI Artist Studios, traditional music and so much more.

Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer, explained, “We have been inundated with requests by artists and communities, all looking to be part of Culture Night. It is wonderful to see Clare so

active in this National Event and we look forward to another wonderful Culture Night in all areas of Clare”.

All events are free with some requiring pre-booking or having age restrictions. Details of all events in the county are available from www.culturenight.ie/ Clare and brochures and fliers are available from local libraries.

Email: editor@clareecho.ie or

news@clareecho.ie

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36C Abbey St., Ennis, Co Clare ross@clareecho.ie denise@clareecho.ie

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West Clare has an exciting line-up as Kilrush and Lissycasey will echo with traditional music, while Knockerra Hall will be filled with art and music. The community spirit will be alive and well at Halla Eoin, Kilbaha, for a gathering of local culture and Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee will host a music concert.

Ennistymon hosts six events, offering a Culture Night trail with poetry, music, song and art. In Ballyvaughan, attendees will be treated to a performance by Immram, while Doolin Arts will host a special evening at Hotel Doolin.

In Shannon, a full evening is planned, including folklore storytelling from Balor Otherworld at Shannon Library, followed by dancing at the crossroads with the Kirby family, a drumming circle led by Brian Fleming, and a choir performance at Drumgeely

Clare Pride 2024 seeks to unite community

by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie

QUARECLARE is thrilled to announce ClarePride 2024, a vibrant 3-day celebration scheduled from Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 22.

Embracing the theme ‘Stronger Together’, this year’s Pride seeks to unite the community through a series of engaging events, performances, and gatherings.

QuareClare, County Clare’s premier LGBTQIA+ organisation, has long been a beacon of advocacy and support for the LGBTQIA+ community across rural Ireland. Since its inception, the organisation has tirelessly worked to foster acceptance, create safe spaces, and champion equality throughout the region. The success of Clare Pride 2023, marked by widespread community engagement, underscored the growing strength and solidarity within the Clare LGBTQIA+ community.

This year’s events are designed to continue that momentum, bringing our community together in celebration, solidarity, and a shared commitment to inclusivity.

Bernie O’Gorman, Chair-

person of QuareClare shared her enthusiasm “This is going to be a brilliant fun weekend for Clare’s LGBTQIA + community and for people who we hope will travel from around Ireland to be with us this weekend. We want our community to be visible and connected to the wider community in Clare.”

“We welcome everyone to join us in celebrating diversity, inclusivity and equality. Quare Clare’s Pride 2024 celebration is a chance for us to come together as a community, to connect, to have fun and to raise awareness of the issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community in County Clare and beyond”.

“Clare Pride 2023 was a big success, with great community engagement that showed the growing strength and solidarity within Clare’s LGBTQIA+ community. This year we’re building on that momentum – it’s an opportunity to show our support for one another, to celebrate our differences, and to continue to work towards a more accepting and inclusive society.”

QuareClare invites everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, to partake in this weekend. For event details, ticket purchases, and RSVPs, please visit www.quareclare. ie.

SPORT

Reports on Clare SFC knockout

Well, well well...

Music Generation Clare presents Pádraig Rynne, Tara Breen and Jim Murray who will perform at the Well in Ennis, this Friday, for Culture Night.

SANDYMOUNT,

RAHONA

Report into Aoife

Johnston’s death to be published by Monday

A REPORT into the death of Shannon teenager, Aoife Johnston will be published no later than Monday.

HSE Chief Executive, Bernard Gloster told the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday that he would be publishing the report no later than Monday.

Aoife’s family called for the publication of the report by the end of this week and have expressed their “profound disappointment” with the report. Aoife died after a 12-hour wait in the emergency department of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) in Decem ber 2022. She was diagnosed with bac terial meningitis and developed sepsis.

Mr Glostee stated, ”I will be publishing the report no later than this coming Monday. I will have more contact with solicitor for the family later today. It is important in the public interest that the report is published appropriately”.

Retired judge, Frank Clarke carried out the report which looked at the area of accountability and oversight.

Solicitors for the Johnston family expressed disappointment with the report and said the judge’s powers were too restrictive. Damien Tansey, the family’s solicitor said a meeting with the family sought by the HSE Chief, Bernard Gloster, can not happen until the report by former Chief Justice Frank Clarke is published in full.

Mr Tansey said the restrictions imposed on Mr Justice Clarke by the HSE were most unsatisfactory and flew in the face of assurances given to the family by the HSE. The family had been assured the investigation would be unfettered, would be evidence driven and that Mr Justice Clarke could go wherever the evidence took him and that there would be accountability, he said.

Mr Tansey said the family were making no criticism of the former Chief Justice, but are very unhappy that his report was unable to make findings of fact, or attribute blame as they had put all their faith in the Clarke investigation.

Speaking before the Oireachtas,

He added, “I am very conscious about the commentary on the report and the best way to address that is when the totality of the report is there. I will be able to comment on the detail of it and what appears to be concern expressed about it”.

Gloster said, ”I would say that is misplaced concern. It is a comprehensive and very effective report. It is one that completely fulfilled all of its terms of reference”.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly (FF) said that he would listen very carefully to the requests of Aoife’s parents and family. He said that she was failed and that what happened to her should not have happened.

He added that her family must be at the heart of “anything we do”. “If they are saying that not enough has been done, then in my view we must do more.”

Donnelly said that the first step was to publish the report. He added that he was happy to meet Aoife’s parents again, as was Bernard Gloster.

Crowe calls for slice of Apple windfall to go towards funding model three hospital in Clare

A CLARE TD has called for a slice of the €14 billion income from the Apple tax determination to go towards funding a second Model 3 hospital in the Mid-West region.

At the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party Think-In in County Dublin on Monday, Cathal Crowe TD (FF) told the Tánaisté, Ministers and Oireachtas colleagues that some of the windfall should go to meeting the overdue need for a second Model 3 hospital in the region.

He specifically suggested that a Model 3 hospital should be built in Co Clare, which has been without an Accident & Emergency department within county lines since 2009.

The Department of Finance has confirmed that the value of funds in the escrow account holding the Apple tax money is now €14.1 billion. Whilst the Government has yet to determine how the money is spent.

Deputy Crowe stated, “At one point, the Mid-West region had five Accident & Emergency departments catering for its pop-

ulation but these days approximately half a million people in Mid-West all funnel through one A&E at University Hospital Limerick. This came about following a political decision in 2009 that has had woeful consequences for this region every year since. It will take another political decision to reverse this wrongdoing and as a TD for Clare, I am continuing my efforts to vociferously lead this charge.

“Of the three counties in the Mid-West region, Clare is the most impacted by the 2009 scaling back of A&E cover in the region. For many people living in West and North Clare, there is no ‘golden-hour’ in so far as acute cardiac health problems are concerned. Whilst much good work is done at University Hospital Limerick every day, we have also seen a long litany of examples of poor outcomes for patients there. Several people have needlessly lost their lives in the A&E department and every sinew of our political fibre must now be used to ensure that a Model 3 hospital in the Mid-West is opened,” he said.

HIQA’s report due to be published next May is expected to recommend a second ED be

opened in the Mid-West. “Funding a new hospital will not be an easy thing but the windfall that has presented itself from the Apple tax determination provides funding that I believe the Government should use to do so. All of this will hinge on the outcome of a HIQA report which is due to be published next May. This report arose following a direction given by Minister Stephen Donnelly to examine the possibility of establishing a Model 3 Hospital in the region.

“I believe the outcome of this review is inevitable and it will point to the shortcomings of existing healthcare capacity in the region and that it will suggest that we swiftly move to prioritise a new hospital. Tipperary has an A&E department in Clonmel and Limerick has the hospital in Dooradoyle. For a decade and a half, Clare has been left with no A&E department within its borders. The Government have yet to make a decision on how they will spend the income from the Apple tax but I will be fighting the corner of Clare and the wider MidWest to try to ensure that some of it comes to our region,” the Meelick native concluded.

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Shannon Airport keen to ease pressure on Dublin

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

MOVING airline capacity from Dublin Airport to Shannon Airport will bring tourists where they “want to go” and ease pressure on the capital, the CEO of the Shannon Airport Group has said.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics, James Lawless (FF) encouraged tourists visiting Ireland to flying into Shannon or Cork Airport.

Dublin Airport remains under a passenger cap of 32 million passengers a year and the Junior Minister outlined there are other options to the increasing the cap. The limit was originally brought in during planning permission for the airport’s second terminal in 2007, over concerns about traffic around the airport.

Lawless held a tense meeting with Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary as part of a series of engagements with key stakeholders on the passenger cap.

Following this meeting,

the Junior Minister said his “preferred outcome” was that planning authorities imminently lift the cap to 40 million, but added that efforts to mitigate the effects of the limit had to be taken in the interim.

He said an “obvious solution” was to increase the use of Shannon Airport and Cork Airport, which are not subjected to caps. He said airlines should explore increasing connections to the regional airports, adding that there may be an infrastructure risk in Ireland’s reliance on Dublin Airport. “There’s nobody in a better place than Ryanair and with a better proven record at marketing outlying airports as a destination. I’ve gone to Paris (Beauvais) with Ryanair, Venice (Treviso) with Ryanair – why can’t I fly to Shannon with Ryanair”. In a statement to The Clare Echo, Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine flagged Shannon’s role in ensuring balanced regional development. “Shannon Air-

port is crucial in rebalancing Ireland’s aviation landscape, having capacity to ease congestion at Dublin Airport, enhance connectivity, and

the solution is in our hands, and we need to give a strong message internationally that Ireland inc is open for business”.

support the Government’s goal of a balanced regional economy. As Minister Lawless has highlighted, there is no cap at airports outside Dublin, in fact there is significant underutilised capacity in these airports. As a country we cannot afford to lose new aviation business when

She outlined, “It is really important that we look at the entire airport system in the country. It is no secret that there is underutilised capacity at Shannon and all airports along the west coast. When you look at where tourists want to go, over 40% of all tourists flying into Dublin

wish to go to the west coast. Moving airline capacity to meet that need would give customers what they want and take pressure off Dublin Airport and improve the quality of life for people living near the Airport.

“We have the longest runway of any airport in Ireland and can take any aircraft type. We have seen our catchment area expand significantly in the last few years as more and more passengers realise how easy it is to use Shannon Airport. It is also no coincidence that almost half of FDI companies in Ireland are located within our airport catchment area. These businesses cite the importance of having daily transatlantic as well as UK and European services as a key influencing factor in their decision to locate here”.

Capacity exists at Shannon to ease the pressure on Dublin, Ms Considine stressed. “Shannon Airport’s immediate catchment area contains 38% of the national population, but accounts

for just over 4% of Ireland’s airport traffic. In a context where Dublin Airport has capacity constraints, and Ireland is struggling to meet binding decarbonisation targets, Shannon Airport has the capacity to take pressure off Dublin now.

“There are several million journeys travelling from our region each year to use Dublin Airport, and if we can encourage airlines to put more capacity and increase the frequency of their existing services from Shannon, it will allow more people to fly from their local airport, further alleviating pressure from Dublin Airport. Today we have 33 routes from Shannon and are ideally situated to grow that demand. We are one of only two airports in Europe to offer a full US preclearance service. We have the infrastructure, the spare capacity and most importantly, we have the team in place and today we stand ready, willing and able to grow and expand,” she added.

Passports of ‘terrified’ Chinese nationals ‘disappeared’ after boarding flight to Shannon ‘We are ready, willing & able to expand’

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

MOVING airline capacity from Dublin Airport to Shannon Airport will bring tourists where they “want to go” and ease pressure on the capital, the CEO of the Shannon Airport Group has said.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics, James Lawless (FF) encouraged tourists visiting Ireland to flying into Shanno or Cork Airport.

Dublin Airport remains under a passenger cap of 32 million passengers a year and the Junior Minister outlined there are other options to the increasing the cap. The limit was originally brought in during planning permission for the airport’s second terminal in 2007, over concerns about traffic around the airport.

Lawless held a tense meeting with Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary as part of a series of engagements with key stakeholders on the passenger cap.

Following this meeting, the Junior Minister said his “preferred outcome” was that planning authorities imminently lift the cap to 40 million, but added that efforts to mitigate the effects of the limit had to be taken in the interim.

He said an “obvious solution” was

to increase the use of Shannon Airport and Cork Airport, which are not subjected to caps. He said airlines should explore increasing connections to the regional airports, adding that there may be an infrastructure risk in Ireland’s reliance on Dublin Airport. “There’s nobody in a better place than Ryanair and with a better proven record at marketing outlying airports as a destination. I’ve gone to Paris (Beauvais) with Ryanair, Venice (Treviso) with Ryanair – why can’t I fly to Shannon with Ryanair”.

In a statement to The Clare Echo, Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine flagged Shannon’s role in ensuring balanced regional development. “Shannon Airport is crucial in rebalancing Ireland’s aviation landscape, having capacity to ease congestion at Dublin Airport, enhance connectivity, and support the Government’s goal of a balanced regional economy. As Minister Lawless has highlighted, there is no cap at airports outside Dublin, in fact there is significant underutilised capacity in these airports. As a country we cannot afford to lose new aviation business when the solution is in our hands, and we need to give a strong message internationally that Ireland inc is open for business”. She outlined, “It is really important that we look at the entire airport system in the country. It is no secret that there is underutilised capacity

at Shannon and all airports along the west coast. When you look at where tourists want to go, over 40% of all tourists flying into Dublin wish to go to the west coast. Moving airline capacity to meet that need would give customers what they want and take pressure off Dublin Airport and improve the quality of life for people living near the Airport.

“We have the longest runway of any airport in Ireland and can take any aircraft type. We have seen our catchment area expand significantly in the last few years as more and more passengers realise how easy it is to use Shannon Airport. It is also no coincidence that almost half of FDI companies in Ireland are located within our airport catchment area. These businesses cite the importance of having daily transatlantic as well as UK and European services as a key influencing factor in their decision to locate here”.

Capacity exists at Shannon to ease the pressure on Dublin, Ms Considine stressed. “Shannon Airport’s immediate catchment area contains 38% of the national population, but accounts for just over 4% of Ireland’s airport traffic. In a context where Dublin Airport has capacity constraints, and Ireland is struggling to meet binding decarbonisation targets, Shannon Airport has the capacity to take pressure off Dublin now.

“There are several million jour-

neys travelling from our region each year to use Dublin Airport, and if we can encourage airlines to put more capacity and increase the frequency of their existing services from Shannon, it will allow more people to fly from their local airport, further alleviating pressure from Dublin Airport. Today we have 33 routes from Shannon and are ideally situated to grow that demand. We are one of only two airports in Europe to offer

a full US preclearance service. We have the infrastructure, the spare capacity and most importantly, we have the team in place and today we stand ready, willing and able to grow and expand,” she added.

l Shannon Airport looks to take some of the traffic from Dublin

Please contact us on hr@munstergroup.com or visit our careers page at munstergroup.com for more details.

Baz takes Stock’ with Clare’s Michelle Clare native Michelle Cotter will feature on Baz Ashmawy’s Best Place to Be which airs next Tuesday 24th September, 7pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

In episode 4 of this six part series, Baz is in Stockholm, Sweden. Here, he takes the reins as bainisteoir at Stockholm City’s GAA club. Michelle who is originally from Ennis, Co. Clare is the club’s chairperson.

Michelle has been living in Sweden for the last two and a half years. She has a successful career in a music production company and has embedded herself in the Irish community in Stockholm, where she is chairperson of the Stockholm Gaels. Baz dons a whistle and in full bainisteoir mode, puts the team through their paces.

Investigation over shooting in Kilrush

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

TWO men have been charged in court following a shooting in Kilrush on Friday night.

Multiple shots were fired at houses in the Beech Park and Elm Drive areas of John Paul Estate, Kilrush on Friday night in what is

understood to be in relation to a drug debt. A stand-off ensued on Friday night with two sets of men, totalling close to twelve involved in the dispute which saw baseball bats brandished. Following this, houses were shot at while cars in the vicinity were damaged along with

some of the houses.

Gardaí responded to reports of a public order disturbance shortly after 9pm on Friday evening. During follow-up investigations, two adult males were arrested on Saturday morning in the Kilrush area and have since appeared before the courts charged in con-

nection with the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone who witnessed any of these incidents or who may have any information to contact Gardaí at Kilrush Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Gardaí urged to clamp down on small-scale drug dealers

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

A FORMER Mayor of Clare has urged Gardaí to tackle the small-time drug dealers.

Gardaí based at Shannon Garda Station are to put a strong focus on the clamp down of sale and supply of drugs in the area over the next six months, Sergeant Seamus Mulligan told a brief ing with the Shannon Municipal District on Tuesday.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Michael Begley

(IND, pictured) urged the Gardaí to ensure that more efforts are placed on arresting small suppliers. The Clonlara representative said that it is well known within every village and town who local drug dealers are and that more could be done to catch this and wipe out some of the illegal drug

Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) noted that there is an increasing amount of young “pups” now operating as drug dealers within

Shannon. He said that one woman was threatened to be raped by some of the personnel when she confronted them and that she was not impressed with the follow-up with Gardaí when the matte was brought to their attention.

At the briefing, Sergeant Mulligan encouraged the public to continue to make statements to Gardaí to assist them in doing their job and investigating instances of crime.

He said the demand from the public for drugs is keeping dealers in business and that the issue was widespread across society.

2

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3 nights B&B + 3 Evening Meals Arrive: 13th Oct ‘24

LEONARD COHEN 90TH BIRTHDAY

Gilligan sent forward for trial to Circuit Court for alleged ‘stick’ assault

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

FORMER All-Star and Clare

All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan was today sent forward for trial concerning an alleged “stick assault” on a 12 year old boy.

At Ennis District Court today, Judge Alec Gabbett returned Mr Gilligan (47) for trial to the next sitting of Ennis Circuit Court.

Judge Gabbett sent Mr Gilligan of Rosroe, Sixmilebridge, for trial after the Book of Evidence was served in the case. Mr Gilligan denies the assault causing harm charge of the boy.

Garda Emmet Roche gave sworn evidence that he had served the Book of Evidence on Mr Gilligan’s solicitor, Daragh Hassett before court on Wednesday.

The DPP had initially directed that the case be heard in the District Court but Judge Gabbett declined district court jurisdiction in the case after hearing an outline of the State case against Mr Gilligan in July.

Today, Sgt John Burke told the court that the DPP consents to Mr Gilligan’s case going forward to the Circuit Court on the same bail terms.

Addressing Mr Gilligan directly, Judge Gabbett told him that if an alibi formed a part of his defence that he needs to provide details in

writing to the State within 14 days.

Judge Gabbett said that Mr Hassett would explain to him about that.

No legal aid application was made for the circuit court case on behalf of Mr Gilligan who works as an auctioneer and farmer.

In court in July, State Solicitor for County Clare, Aisling Casey told the court that one of the injuries the boy was treated for in the aftermath of the alleged ‘stick

assault’ by Mr Gilligan was a fractured left hand.

Solicitor for Mr Gilligan, Mr Hassett told the court that the sequence of events set out by the State is not accepted by his client and “there is a complete dispute in relation to what is alleged to have happened here”.

As part of the State case, a medical report and photos of the boy’s injuries were handed into court in July and Judge Gabbett said at the

time “I am looking at photographs here and what I am seeing is a child with significant injuries over and above what the district court should be dealing with so I am going to refuse jurisdiction.”

Mr Gilligan is charged with the assault causing harm of a 12-year old boy at the Jamaica Inn Hostel, Mt Ivers Rd, Sixmildebridge contrary to Section 3 of the Offences Against the Person Act on October 5th last.

Mr Gilligan is also charged with producing a wooden stick during the course of a dispute contrary to Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act at the same location on the same date. Mr Gilligan denies both charges.

Outlining the background to the charges against Mr Gilligan, Ms Casey said the charges relate to a matter alleged to have happened on October 5th 2023 at 5.30pm.

She said that the alleged injured party, who was aged 12 at the time, was with a friend also aged 12 and they were on a disused property, the Jamaica Inn in Sixmilebridge owned by the accused.

Ms Casey said: “When the boys were on the property, it will be alleged that the accused confronted the two boys and produced a wooden stick and the boys attempted to flee.”

She said that it will be alleged that the alleged injured party “slipped on muddy ground and

while lying on the ground, it will be alleged that the accused struck him several times with the wooden stick he had in his possession”.

Ms Casey stated the boy returned home on foot and was brought first to the VHI clinic and subsequently transferred to University Hospital Limerick that evening.

Ms Casey said that the injuries reported was a loss of consciousness by the boy on the occasion along with significant bruising at the top right shoulder, the buttocks and lower back.

Ms Casey said that injuries also included a 2cm long wound was on the boy’s forearm and a 2cm long wound to the right shin which both required suturing.

She stated that following orthopaedic intervention, a fracture was identified on the boy’s left hand and he made a full, uneventful recovery concerning the left hand.

In July, Ms Casey confirmed that both juvenile witnesses will give evidence by video link in the circuit court.

Mr Gilligan was a star forward for the senior Clare hurling team which defeated Tipperary to win the 1997 All-Ireland Final and was named an All-Star in 1999. The Sixmilebridge clubman also won two Munster titles with Clare and multiple honours with his club over a long, distinguished hurling career.

l Niall Gilligan

Photo by John Mangan

Prizes

up for grabs at Bunratty scarecrow competition

BUNRATTY Castle & Folk Park is inviting primary schools to celebrate sustainability, creativity, inclusivity and community in their submissions to the 2024 Halloween Scarecrow Competition.

The popular County Clare visitor attraction is hosting the contest which boasts a total prize fund of €2,000 in the categories of Overall Spooktacular Scarecrow (€1,000), Most Sustainable Creation (€500) and Most Innovative Design (€500).

According to Marie Brennan, Events Manager at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, “Scarecrows have long been used in agriculture to ward off unwanted animals from crops as a natural pest control. Our competition is aimed at preserving this longstanding rural tradition and encouraging the creative talents of schoolchildren.”

“We are looking for scarecrows that have a creative flair and are accompanied with a spine-tingling story and a unique personality,” added Ms. Brennan.

She continued, “Schools should connect their designs to the curriculum by weaving in learning from subjects like Social Studies, SPHE, and Art. Students are also urged to introduce sustainability to their design by showcasing their school’s commitment to the environment using natural materials and eco-friendly practices to create a scarecrow that’s good for the planet. Finally, we are asking schools to make a scarecrow that celebrates inclusion and community spirit.”

The winning entries, which will be selected by an independent judging panel, will be announced in late November and showcased to Bunratty Castle’s 75,000 social media followers. Schools wishing to participate are invited to register by contacting Marie Brennan at Bunratty Castle on 061711222 or events@shannonheritage.com by October 14th. The deadline for delivery of Scarecrows to Bunratty Castle is on or before October 23. Visit www.bunrattycastle.ie for details.

The Town Hall Bistro

Providing a welcoming environment with great value food championing local ingredients.

Gallagher to head up Council’s communications

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

AWARD winning journalist, Claire Gallagher has been appointed to head up the communications section with Clare County Council.

Ballinasloe native Claire has lived in Clare for more than two decades succeeds fellow Galway native Kennas Fitzsimons who has moved to a new role within the local authority.

Formerly a senior news journalist with the now defunct The Clare People, Claire was also a familiar voice during her days as a news reporter with Clare FM where she started her career in September 1999. She has also worked with Live95FM, Mid West Radio, The Kildare Nationalist and The Tuam Herald.

She moves to Clare County Council from the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) where she had been a communications officer and Acting Director of Marketing and Communications.

The Brendan O'Regan Restaurant is ideal for special occasions. The menu features traditional cuisine with a modern day creative twist.

Claire is also the founder of GaloCon Media which was established in January

The Poets Corner Bar

A traditional Irish pub that opens its doors onto the main town street of Ennis. Perfect for a pint, a bite to eat or traditional Irish music session..

2016 and was in existence until October 2023. Within the politics sphere, she worked in the Fianna Fáil press office from 2002 to 2003 and was parliamentary assistant to MEP, Michael McNamara during the final year of his first stint as a TD until February 2016.

Ahead of the local elections held in June, she appeared as a pundit on The Electoral Chair, The Clare Echo’s political podcast and she was a co-presenter alongside Sally-Anne Barrett and Peter O’Connell for the live stream from the election count provided by the County Council.

In 2008, she was named young Irish journalist of the year at the Irish Medical Media awards. This followed her sensitive treatment of the controversy surrounding breast cancer screening services in Clare.

After she received this accolade; then Managing Director of The Clare People, Gerry Collinson said, “Claire is an extremely dedicated and talented journalist. She constantly raised the bar in terms of journalistic excellence with her work”.

Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling welcomed Claire during her attendance at their September meeting. “Ye might have seen her strolling around the West County at the election count, she now works for us and will be working with you as elected members,” he said.

The Poet's Corner Bar is a traditional Irish pub that opens its doors onto the main town street of Ennis. Perfect for a pint, a bite to eat or traditional Irish music session.

Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) stated, “Claire will be a great asset” while Cllr John Crowe (FG) remarked, “I would like to welcome Claire who has an outstanding record and I look forward to working with her”. Adding his well-wishes, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) commented, “I would like to wish Claire well, she was the voice of Clare FM once upon a time”.

The Brendan O’Regan Restaurant

Ideal for special occasions. The menu features traditional cuisine with a modern day creative twist.

l Claire Gallagher

Work commences on Flannan’s extension with Knockanean NS to be accommodated

by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie

WORK on the development of a 30,000 square feet extension of St. Flannan’s College has commenced after the Department of Education approved the development of new classroom space at the Ennis secondary school.

The rapid-build project is expected to be largely completed by the start of the next school year in September 2025 and will include three Science Laboratories, six Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms and a Technology room.

Meanwhile, existing accommodation also will be reconfigured for classrooms that will see the 297 students of Knockanean National School accommodated at the new St. Flannan’s

development until their approved new national school is delivered. Approval has already been granted for the new development, which will consist of a two-storey building on the site of the existing primary school. The primary school had been due to be temporarily located at Gurteen on the grounds of St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield GAA club.

Fr. Iggy McCormack, Principal of St. Flannan’s Secondary School has described the approval of funding for the project as “much needed boost” to one of the country’s largest schools. “We are fortunate to have the land space to develop new facilities which, once completed, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on our ability to accommodate our

growing school population. More importantly, the provision of new SEN Classrooms is timely as there currently

is an extreme shortage of such facilities in the wider Ennis area”. He added, “As the population of Ennis and

surrounding areas continues to increase, the school’s Board of Management has been required to plan ahead in

order to accommodate the growing demand for secondary school places. Our school population increased

from 1,201 to 1,280 this month and as we expect to grow our numbers further in future years, we have had to deliver the necessary infrastructure befitting of a modern, proactive, welcoming and inclusive 21st century educational facility”.

Leonard Cleary, Chair of the Board of Management of St. Flannan’s College said, “The Board wishes to acknowledge the invaluable support provided by the Department of Education down through the years, including the sanctioning of additional teachers and the funding required to facilitate the steady growth in the number of enrolled students and to develop facilities that enable us to further improve and expand our delivery of vital educational services”.

Commercial Vacancy Rate in Clare decreases to 15.5%

by Stuart Holly editor@clareecho.ie

THE commercial vacancy rate in Clare stood at 15.5 per cent in June 2024, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points compared to the same period in 2023.

The twice-yearly analysis, prepared by EY, however found that the commercial vacancy in Clare was higher than the national average of 14.4 per cent.

Of the main urban areas in Clare analysed, Shannon had the highest commercial vacancy rate at 29.8 per cent, which represents the highest vacancy rate in Munster alongside Newcastle West in Limerick of all sampled towns. Ennis had the lowest commercial vacancy rate of Clare’s main towns at 18.5 per cent while Kilrush had a commercial vacancy rate of 24.5 per cent.

The highest commercial vacancy rates were located in the west of the country, with Sligo (20.5%), Donegal (19.4%) and Galway (18.5%) recording the highest proportion of vacant properties, trailed closely by Limerick (17.5%).

Meath, at 9.8%, was the county with the lowest commercial vacancy rate, followed by Wexford (10.6%), Cork (12.4%) and Kerry.

In Dublin, the commercial vacancy rate was 13.3% in Q2 2024, an increase of 0.2 ppts compared to the previous year. Dublin 2 was the area with highest commercial vacancy rate in the capital, at 17.8%. Dublin 9 (17.5%), Dublin 8 (17.3%) and Dublin 3 (14.7%) were the other postal districts

in the city which recorded higher vacancy rate than the state average. At 6.7%, Dublin 15 and Dublin 16 had the lowest vacancy rates in the capital.

Looking specifically at the accommodation and food services sector, a total of 22,211 commercial units in this sector were recorded in June 2024. This represents a decline of 270 commercial units compared to the same period in 2023. The highest proportion of accommodation and food service units were found in counties in the west of the country, accounting for 24% of all commercial units in Kerry, 20.5% of all commercial units in Clare and 19.2% of all commercial units in Donegal.

Commenting on the findings of the latest GeoDirectory Commercial Buildings Report, Dara Keogh, CEO of GeoDirectory, said, “The national commercial vacancy rate has increased steadily in recent years, and at 14.4%, is now at the highest level since GeoDirectory began tracking commercial vacancy data in 2013. Changing consumer habits, the growth of online commerce, remote working and rising business costs have all contributed to a realignment of the commercial property market. The reality is that some of these commercial units may never now return to the commercial stock, requiring action to provide opportunities for targeted regeneration projects and the repurposing of long-term vacant buildings.”

l Three new science labs and a technology room will be built as part of the development

West Clare at a standstill as iconic Lissycasey politician dies

WEST CLARE came to a standstill this week in what was a clear sign of the regard and respect with which PJ Kelly (FF), one of the county’s most colourful and respected politicians was held in.

Kelly died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Lissycasey and as word filtered out on Saturday morning it has left a sense of shock and sadness across the county. Thousands of mourners attended his funeral on Tuesday and Wednesday.

An expert in the field of planning, PJ brought the curtain on a fifty year in politics when bowing out of Clare County Council in May prior to the local elections. Indeed following his retirement, PJ continued to receive several representations from the public on a wide range of matters.

First elected to Clare County Council as an Independent in 1974, he prevailed in a total of nine elections, during this time he saw thirteen different colleagues in parishes surrounding him lost their seat. He served alongside a total of 709 elected members of Clare County Council.

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He declined offers on several occasions to run for Dáil Éireann, his uncle Seán T Ó Cheallaigh was a former TD. He previously told The Clare Echo, “I’m not a yes man, I probably would have kicked the traces soon after getting elected to the Dáil. I felt the TDs were yes men and I wouldn’t be happy to be a yes man”.

A background in local drama was a big assistance to PJ mounting a memorable election campaign in 1974 which

‘Saint Peter better be versed on planning before he meets

PJ Kelly’

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SAINT Peter will need to be well versed on planning with the pending arrival of retired councillor and former Chairman of Clare County Council, PJ Kelly (FF) to the pearly gates.

included speeches outside churches after mass. Indeed one local priest at the time described it as “psychological warfare”. The focus for Kelly was on crafting sentences that would leave people talking for the rest of the week.

Examples included canvassing outside the church of sitting councillors and after Kelly had given a few minutes of his speech, his loyal friend Francie Daly would tap him on the shoulder and PJ would apologise to the outgoing councillor, make out he didn’t see him and then offer the chance to make a contribution, when they declined the story would do the rounds that they refused to speak.

Another trick involved an interruption of a speech when they were situated in the vicinity of election posters, on one occasion when speaking beside nine election posters of various candidates, Kelly said loudly to one of his supporters that the posters were not an advertisement for Duffy’s Circus.

He always stayed a member of Fianna Fáil and attended each Ard Fhéis during his time as an Independent councillor and he pointed out, “my good looking wife always appeared in the national papers”.

PJ was educated at Lissycasey NS, Rice College, St Pat’s in Dublin and the University of Galway. PJ taught as a primary school teacher in Lisheen for seventeen years and a secondary school teacher in Kilmihil for twenty years, taking early retirement when he became Mayor of Clare in 1997. “When school was over, I was no longer Mr Kelly, I was PJ Kelly, I later helped them with planning applications and by insisting on this, I broke down barriers”. An involvement in social work at this time prompted him to enter local politics. Since the

Thousands of mourners were in a sun-drenched Lissycasey on Tuesday and Wednesday for the funeral of PJ Kelly, his native village, in paying their respects to a man that they held in the highest of regard. The service included a rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ by his grand-daughter Laura and the recitation of Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Diviner’ by his daughter Alma.

An aide de comp for Tánaiste, Micheál Martin (FF) was in attendance at Our Lady of the Wayside Church alongside Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF), former Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen (FF), ex-Junior Minister Pat Breen (FG), sitting TD Cathal Crowe (FF) and Senator Timmy Dooley (FF). Retired councillors present to join the guard of honour included Pat McMahon (FF), Michael Hillery (FF) and Gerry Flynn (IND) along with senior officials in the local authority.

PJ’s brother Fr Artie Kelly was the chief celebrant. He thanked the people of Lissycasey who supported the family by lining the streets of the village on his final journey home along the N68 on Monday, “you supported us and we witnessed the esteem with which he was held which has helped us all”. He added, “the impact it had on the family was extraordinary”.

Symbols brought before the altar included a horse to

1960s, he has been a water diviner.

show his love of horses, a red and white jersey belonging to Lisheen where he first taught and a hurley. Both a Lissycasey and Clare flag were draped on the coffin while PJ wore his Clare tie, he was a founding member and first secretary of the Lissycasey GAA club. Prayers were offered for peace, for Government leaders to guide them to work for the people that elected them, for persons that are ill and suffering in communities and to all those working in the health service.

Born on April 18th 1940, PJ was the first born child of Tadhg and Molly Kelly, apart from his schooling and college years, “he spent his whole life in this parish”. Fr Kelly recalled, “I last met him face to face in July, I called in for tea and as usual he was a very good host, we had a very unusual conversation, we weren’t talking about the weather, sport or politics, we talked about the hereafter”.

Barry John, PJ’s son began his reflection by quoting a story whereby two men looked at an epitaph which read “here lies an honest man and a great politician, one friend turned to the other and asked why did they bury the two of them together”. He thanked those in attendance “for coming to Lissycasey for celebrating the life of a man known for most of his life as Cllr Kelly”.

He spoke of his father’s involvement with the horse show society, the GAA, local and national Government, the pioneer association and the Irish language. “His final journey along the N68 was a poignant but emotional trip. PJ Kelly was both an honest man and a great politician,

He is one of three politicians in Ireland to have spent over fifty years on a County Council and was the longest ever serving politician from the county. When honoured for this feat in June of last year, he was emotional, “I’m rarely stuck for words but this is an occasion,” he admitted.

“When I entered the Council in 1974 I didn’t expect to be around for my fiftieth AGM, I thank the people around me, the people from the disadvantaged area I’m from who have elected me down through the years”.

Prior to his last election in 2019, PJ had hinted he wanted to step down but strong pressure from constituents led to him opting to continue. He went on to be top the poll in the Kilrush local electoral

he was a great public servant, a wonderful family man, a performer and a fluent speaking man, he was a forward thinker”.

This love of the Irish language “flourished” when PJ lived with his uncle Seán while attending second level education in Ennis. Barry John said his father was unaware that plenty of Lissycasey locals referred to him as James Bond due to the number plate of his famous Volkswagen Beetle. He added, “What might be ironic to people is PJ was a man of few words in our home, he was kind to people and kind to animals, he was kind on himself”.

“Someone once told me everyone should have a second career, another said it’s important to have a passion project, his second career began when he became a councillor, it was his true vocation and his passion project.

“He knew the dark acts of planning law and delivered trademark one-liners. Rumour has it that champagne bottles were popping in the planning

area and for the first time in his political career he was elected on the first count.

Speaking to The Clare Echo when announcing his decision to retire, PJ said, “A time has come, I’ve fifty years done and am one of three in the country. It is time for new blood, I’ve been honoured to have survived fifty years. Five years down the road if I’m around I’ll be a very feeble person, I might be very sharp up here (the mind), physically I get around no problem at the moment.

KELLY’S HIGHWAY

“I did indicate at the last election that it would be my last, in fact I decided to pull out the last time but they surrounded me here and they said go, you could see the vote I got”.

Lissycasey was even dubbed ‘Kelly’s highway’ given the improvements in the

department of Clare County Council when he announced his retirement. St Peter better be versed on planning,” Barry John quipped. He admitted off the cuff remarks for PJ may have been plotted for hours in his mind.

Kelly’s involvement in the parish of Lissycasey such as the construction of the church in 1979 designed to resemble a dolmen which Co Clare is famous for, his role in foundling Lissycasey GAA club and acquiring their maroon and white colours from one of the Connolly brothers from Galway in what resembled “an Only Fools and Horses scene”, development of the club’s slogan which translates as ‘loyalty together’ were recounted by his son. While PJ wasn’t one for self-praise, the development of a 4km stretch of streetlights which contains 132 streetlights did bring immense satisfaction particularly given it is located on ‘Kelly’s Highway’ in Lissycasey. In an oration at the graveside, Tony Killeen

village including its infrastructure and the introduction of a speed limit.

Contributions from Kelly were always memorable and kept public servants on their toes. His ability to craft sentences and word questions always ensured Council officials had to have their wits about them.

Famous lines of his include during one public meeting about the provision of a golf course at Doughmore in Doonbeg when he told an American company representative, you are in “Doonbeg not Baghdad”. Doonbeg’s dunes and their significance for different people

lPOPULAR: PJ Kelly on news of his election in 2019

Photo by Joe Buckley

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

l PJ Kelly arrives at his final resting place and

said it was “a particular honour” to be asked by the family to complete the task when reflecting on “a live well lived”. He said, “We heard about PJ, the family man in the Church, and in my experience, family was always number one for him. Anything that we might share from his many public roles is secondary to his absolute commitment to you, his family. He was immensely proud of you, and you can be rightly proud of him”. High standards were set in the classroom by PJ. “He was intelligent and well-read with a soft spot for pithy quotations particularly from Shakespeare, the classics, and several poets ‘as Gaeilge’. He considered mutilation of the English language by politicians as a particular affront, while being perfectly happy to chat to neighbours in our own preferred dialect. He had an impressive stock of malapropisms uttered by Councillors and others”.

PJ’s 50-year career across nine consecutive

elections “is a record that won’t be easily equalled much less bettered,” the ex Clare TD commented.

“We are gradually adding from memory to the store of pithy ‘one liners’ that he loved to remember. My personal favourite was when he reminded the somewhat garrulous and overbearing American developer that he was ‘in Doonbeg, not Baghdad’.”

He continued, “PJ took the honour of being an elected member very seriously. The people had placed their trust in him, and he was determined to repay it. He was extraordinarily hard working and committed. It would be an extremely ill-advised move for officials in any agency to try to hide the facts from him. He would pursue the truth with courage and vigour. In this he was sometimes misunderstood but for PJ it was business not personal, and he was merely doing his duty.

“The Irish State would have saved a fortune in tribunal costs if enough of us had applied the

including happy couples sharing their first experience “amorous gymnastics” was another quip he provided.

During his stint as the county’s first citizen in 1997, repetition from his colleagues was a source of annoyance for Kelly which led to him making the following statement upon returning from a trip to the United States. “I’ve good news for you all, I was talking to a very generous Clare man in the United States and he is prepared to donate $10,000 for ‘waffler of the year’.”

Kelly told The Clare Echo 17 years later that “it was the talk of the country” and led to him appearing on the BBC and The Irish Times using the ‘mouth of the

same fearless diligence to holding the agents of the State to account. Despite this questioning approach, he could count the vast majority of the public officials, whom he encountered, as his friends.

“Likewise, he could joust with political opponents and continue to have cordial relations with them. He was one of the promoters of ‘power sharing’ in Clare County Council. He had a very low tolerance level for those whom he considered shysters, bluffers or hypocrites particularly in public life and he would sometimes chide himself for being unable ‘to smile and smile and be a villain’ towards them.

Killeen noted that PJ was “always gathering material for ‘the Book’ but he was so busy that he didn’t get time to pull it together. It’s a very great pity that he didn’t but some of the material would hardly have got past the legal advisors,” Killeen said and concluded, “There will never be another PJ”.

Shannon’ headline.

Work of the late County Manager, Joe Boland who had many achievements was often lauded by the Lissycasey man. Boland has been lauded by the Lissycasey man who was not afraid to take on officialdom. “I’d have self-confidence and I’d never be afraid to take on somebody provided they are not singing, I’d be setting up the trip wire early for them, the first time they wouldn’t know the trip wire is there, the second time they’d be dealing with me then they’d be cagey, again I was lucky”.

PJ is survived by his wife Maura, children Barry John, Aoife and Alma, grand children, wider family and large circle of friends.

(inset) Tony Killeen who spoke at the burial service

Photos by Tom Micks

Cost of Aer Lingus flight returning to Shannon could be €80k over unruly passenger says judge

by Gordon Deegan

A JUDGE has asked Aer Lingus to provide the costs of having to return a transatlantic aircraft to Shannon due to the presence of an alleged unruly passenger on board.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett said that “the cost of the return is probably €70,000 or €80,000”.

He said, “They had to burn off fuel or they had to dump fuel to get back to Shannon - this is all serious stuff”.

He said, “I would like to know how much that is costing Aer Lingus.”

Judge Gabbett made his comment after Patrick Noone (57) of Curragh, Kilconnell, Ballinasloe, Co Galway appeared in connection to two charges arising

from the E1 135 Shannon to Boston flight on November 11th 2023.

Solicitor for Mr Noone, John Casey said that his client is entering a guilty plea to the two charges.

In the case, passenger on board the E1 135 Shannon to Boston flight, Mr Noone is charged with engaging in behaviour of a threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour on the flight whether by word or gesture with intent to cause a breach of the peace or being reckless as to whether a breach of the peace might have been occasioned

The charge is contrary to Section 2A of the Air Navigation and Transport Act.

Mr Noone is also charged with being intoxicated on board the EI 135 flight on Novem-

ber 11th 2023 to such an extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that you might endanger yourself or other persons on board the said aircraft This charge is contrary to section 2 (a) 1 and 2 (a) 4 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1973.

Mr Casey said that the charges were the equivalent of two public order charges “except that they were on a plane”.

Judge Gabbett said that the problem with the alleged offence taking place on a plane is that the plane has to return and the airport has to clear the runway.

He said, “The aircraft can’t land with all that fuel so they either dump it or they burn it. The airline is now at a lossthat is the problem. It is all very difficult stuff”.

Sgt John Burke told the court that there is

a parallel investigation into a separate allegation.

Judge Gabbett asked that directions concerning that investigation be before the court for the next day. He said, “Justice delayed is justice denied and to be fair to the man we can’t have it hanging.”

Judge Gabbett further remanded Mr Noone on bail to appear again in court on October 23rd.

Chamber appoints new board directors

SHANNON Chamber is pleased to announce the appointment of five new Directors to its Board of Directors, ratified at the Chamber’s 28th AGM, held in Shannon Airport House on 11 September. The new appointments strengthen the company’s leadership team and demonstrate the Chamber’s commitment to representing the needs of a diverse membership base.

The new directors include David Keating, Director of Manufacturing Technology, Ei Electronics; Adrian Sylver, Head of School, Shannon College of Hotel Management; Colin MacDonald, CEO, Fine Grain Property; Marlo Kearney, Operations Manager, PPG Specialty Coating; and Eoin Hoctor, Owner, Eason Shannon.

Making the announcement on behalf of the Board, Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes said: “Given the representative nature of our business, the bespoke sectoral knowledge and skills the five new directors bring to the Board will greatly enhance our strategic planning for Shannon and the wider region.

“We also acknowledge the contributions made by outgoing directors Vivian Farell, CEO, Modular Automation, Siobhan Roche, General Manager, PTG Tools and Orlaith Borthwick, Head of Flexible and Professional Learning, TUS, during their terms of office,” added Ms Downes.

Airport’s under-utilised capacity needs to be taken advantage of

INCREASING services at Shannon Airport will lead to a positive economic impact for the Mid-West region.

Limerick Chamber have rowed in behind comments made by Junior Minister, James Lawless (FF) for tourists to consider flying into Shannon Airport as an alternative to flying directly to Dublin Airport which is experiencing ongoing passenger cap issues. CEO of Limerick Chamber, Michelle Gallagher described the Minister of State’s comments as “refreshing”. She said, “Ireland needs to better utilise our state-owned aviation assets to boost growth outside Dublin but to also help to relieve pressure on Dublin Airport. We already know that for many, Ireland is the destination, not Dublin – with at least 40% of those travelling through the airport visiting other parts of Ireland”.

She continued, “As Minister Lawless highlighted, there is no cap in airports outside Dublin, on the contrary there is significant underutilised capacity at these airports. But there is also significant added value in using the likes of Shannon Airport. It has the longest runway in Ireland, capable of taking any aircraft type. The Limerick / Shannon area has largest 90-minute catchment area outside Dublin. Shannon is also one of just two airports in Europe to offer a full US preclearance service. It has a new bus route linking it with Limerick City, the main transport node in the Mid-West, and indeed the motorway to the airport doesn’t suffer from the congestion seen at other motorways in Ireland. Making the journey easier than most”.

In a submission to the National Planning Framework review, Limerick Chamber flagged that Dublin accounts for 86% of Ireland’s annual passenger numbers. “This

is a key risk in terms of national security”. In 2018, Limerick Chamber commissioned an independent piece of research with Copenhagen

Economics, where they highlighted how Ireland is an outlier in Europe with the overconcentration of passengers at our capital city airport.

Ms Gallagher commented, “Of course, there is always the question of sustainability, in our view the most sustainable airport is the one already built. We need to take advantage of the embodied carbon already within the state apparatus, before we commit to building anything new – and that means taking advantage of the existing underutilised capacity at Shannon, and indeed Cork.

“It is important to note that, almost half of Ireland’s FDI companies are located within the Shannon Airport catchment area. Indeed, we know from speaking to our own members that daily transatlantic flights, as well as connections to Britain and Europe are key influencing facts in businesses deciding to locate and grow here. There are significant economic impacts that come from increasing international linkages and we would welcome these benefits to our region,” she concluded.

l Shannon Airport

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Growing population base strengthens calls for additional playgrounds in Ennis

by Páraic McMahon

ADDITIONAL playgrounds are needed across Ennis and surrounding areas, elected representatives have said.

In a proposal before the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) asked that “a comprehensive review be undertaken to identify potential sites for additional playgrounds across Ennis and its surrounding areas”.

She outlined, “While we are fortunate to have playgrounds like the one on the Fairgreen and another in Clarecastle, there is a significant lack of facilities for a population of over 30,000. The Fair Green playground is a twenty to thirty minute walk for many residents and is often very busy”.

During the canvass for the local elections, she said “the significant shortage of easily accessible playgrounds

was highlighted on many doorsteps. Investing in the development of additional playgrounds will not only provide children with opportunities for physical activity and social interaction, but also strengthen the fabric of our neighbourhoods”.

Acting senior executive engineer in the Ennis MD, Paddy Tiernan flagged that there are four playgrounds within the town of Ennis.

“These are located within Tim Smythe Park, Cloughleigh, Lees Road and Coote Park. These facilities were developed on Council owned lands, and are managed, maintained, and operated by Clare Co Council as part of Active Ennis. These playgrounds are the only council owned playgrounds within County Clare with all other playgrounds having been developed by Community Groups”.

He said that planning permission exists for a play-

ground within Park Avenue estate opposite Dunnes Stores.

“In 2023 Ennis MD submitted a funding application to the Department of Rual and Community Development under the Community Recognition Fund to the value of €160,000 in order to construct this playground. Unfortunately, our application was unsuccessful and the project remains without a funding source. We will contain to examine and explore all other potential funding avenues in order to deliver this project”. He confirmed that a review to identify further additional sites will be conducted.

Speaking at the Ennis MD meeting, Cllr Baker Bashua commented, “It is such a pity that we don’t have more facilities for our youth”. She added, “it would be great in the future to have an overview on where we could set up more community play-

Cleaning of the Corrovorrin River hindered by 'seasonal constraints'

“SEASONAL constraints” mean it will take 12 months before cleaning of Corrovorrin River can take place, writes Páriac McMahon. An annual cleaning plan of the Corrovorrin River was sought by Cllr Pat Daly (FF) “from the Tulla Road Bridge back upstream, that existing unzoned lands along the length of the Corrovorrin river be kept free of any future development, and that existing green/ biodiversity riverside corridors be protected and preserved”.

Paddy Tiernan, acting senior executive engineer in the Ennis Municipal District responding to Cllr Daly’s motion confirmed an inspection would take place “as soon as practicable based on weather conditions and river levels. Based on the level of intervention required it is our intention to apply for funding under the Climate Action Fund for 2025.

“A plan will be put in place to allow for works to be carried out within the next 12 months in line with seasonal constraints.

“We wish to advise that any such works will require appropriate environmental approvals as well as relevant permissions from both Inland Fisheries Ireland and National Parks & Wildlife Service. Whilst extensive annual maintenance may not be necessary on this section of river, we will certainly continue to inspect the watercourse on a regular basis”.

Speaking at the September meeting of the Ennis MD, Cllr Daly said Corrovorrin residents were “very worried”. He said the section of the river from the Tulla Rd to the graveyard needs to be cleaned on an annual basis. He asked if it would take twelve months to put a plan in place.

Support was voiced by Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF). “What I can take from this is the rising water levels that can happen, we had that issue in Clarecastle and have revised it on a long-term basis”. Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) also gave his backing to the proposal.

“We’re constrained seasonally and can only work in river in certain times of year which has commenced as of early September, there is a bit of work to do behind the scenes in liaising with Fisheries, NPWS in getting certain issues over the line which we can do before Christmas with a view to getting done next September, we can’t work in the rivers during the summer months because of salmon,” Tiernan told the meeting.

grounds in the future”. She added, “we are trying to get children out of the house so everything helps, if there’s a playground within walking distance it would double the amount of people

Notes

using it”.

Seconding the proposal, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) noted that Tim Smythe Park, Cloughleigh and Lees Rd are situated on one side of Ennis and thus so are a lot of the

BLACKSMITH & CRAFT FESTIVAL

ON SEPTEMBER 28-29 a blacksmith festival will take place in Ennis in the white building at the Market Place.

12 blacksmiths, if not more will attend sharing 4 forges, demonstrating their craft, with the possibility to buy some products made there.

Organisers have invited local crafters as

facilities, “it didn’t happen by design”. He said, “we have one in Clarecastle but people have to drive to Clarecastle to get down safely because you wouldn’t let children cross the roundabout in Clareabbey, there is a huge population base by Éire Óg, the Kilrush Rd and St Flannan’s College”.

Room exists for another playground, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) insisted. “The playgrounds we have are all busy but there is room for more, massive population around Roslevan and Corrovorrin and a huge populaton by St Flannan’s College”.

Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) added, “We are a growing town, we need to plan for the future growth that is imminent, we have gone from a population of 23,000 in Ennis to 28,000, the projection to 37,000 by 2040 which I think is an underestimation”.

woodturners, basket makers and other craft to join in, also demonstrating their own skills.

The festival will be from 10.30 to 5pm on both days.

Organised by Guy Urbin, formerly the resident blacksmith at the National Heritage Park in Wexford, he now runs an art and craft gallery in Curtin’s Lane.

news@clareecho.ie

l Antoinette Baker Bashua

Fifth annual Michael Cusack Day honours founder of the GAA from Carron

by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie

AS THE 140th anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association draws closer, the birthplace of the organisation’s founder is preparing to host a commemorative day in his honour.

On Sunday, the fifth annual Michael Cusack Day will be held from 1.00pm to 3.00pm at the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre where he was born in the heart of the Burren on 20th September 1847.

The event will feature hurley making demonstrations by Aidan Cuddihy of Inagh based Macóda Hurleys, live music from the children of Carron National School where Cusack attended and later became a teacher and Clare County Council’s Elected Members will each be presented with a Clare GAA Michael Cusack commemorative jersey, which was launched earlier this year and takes its inspiration from the iconic Cusack cottage.

Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) stated, “Michael Cusack’s dream of a

Gaelic Athletic Association became a reality almost 140 years ago when he and a group of spirited Irishmen had the foresight to establish a national organisation that would make our traditional, indigenous sports more accessible to the masses. As we approach that historic moment in Hayes Hotel in Thurles on 1st November 1884, when the organisation was founded, it is only right and proper that the people of Clare and the wider GAA community comes together to celebrate and commemorate Cusack’s legacy”. Located in the centre of the award-winning Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre features the original Cusack homestead thatched cottage, the 6km Cusack Way Walk, a Fairy Trail, the Púca artwork and an audio-visual experience that transports visitors back in time to famine-era 1840s Ireland. The attraction also hosts team building weekends, wedding ceremonies and school tours.

Aidan Cuddihy of Inagh-Kilnamona based MacCóda Hurleys at the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre in Carron

Guided tours of the popular visitor attraction are available each day from 10.00am.

“We are constantly exploring new ways to commemorate the life of a pioneering individual whose contribution to Irish culture and society is unique and continues to have an impact across the island of Ireland and abroad to this day,” explained Dónal Ó hAiniféin, Chair of the Board of Michael Cusack Heritage Centre. “Earlier this year, we renamed the

centre as the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre to recognise the iconic status of the birthplace of the founder of the GAA as a ‘National Asset of Intrinsic Heritage Value’. Our mission is to bring the Cusack story to the wider public so that we may encourage current and future generations to cherish their heritage and celebrate the true sense of community spirit and cultural identity that Cusack promoted”.

John O’Malley, Act-

ing Director of Tourism Development with Clare County Council commented, “The Local Authority is delighted to be able to support the continued development and promotion of the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre as a hub for GAA-related community programmes and establish a Centre of Excellence in Wellbeing. The work that has been undertaken here in recent years is a credit to everyone involved”.

According to Tim

Madden, Manager of the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre, “Michael Cusack’s story reflects all that is good about the community and society of his time, namely the Irish language, Gaelic Games, and promoting Irish culture and tradition through education.

We are proud to promote these values at our visitor attraction”.

Madden continued,

“We are steadfastly committed to having an impact that extends far beyond the boundaries of the attraction, whether that is through our promotion of Carron and the Burren as a centre for health and wellness or the roll-out of our ‘Improving Your Wellbeing Programme’.

To date, the Programme has been delivered onsite to more than 400 primary and post primary school students and Youthreach members from across County Clare and to over to 300 schools nationwide”.

“Sustainability and inclusiveness are at the heart of everything we do,” added Mr. Madden. “Having won the Emerald Excellence Award 2024 through

the Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark Code of Practice for Sustainable Tourism, we implement extensive environmental plans such as rainwater harvesting, carbon offsetting, biodiversity management and rewilding, as well as advocate ‘Leave No Trace’ for all visitors. The Centre also collaborates very closely with the other 70 businesses in the Burren Ecotourism Network”.

Attendees of this Sunday’s Michael Cusack Day will receive free entry to the Michael Cusack Heritage Centre, the Púca Sculpture and the Fairy Trail. In recognition of the first meeting of the GAA on 1st November 1884 and the 140th anniversary of the GAA, the Centre also will be announcing “GAA 140” as a creative listening process with schools from the beginning of November. A discount of 20% off normal admission prices will be offered to all visitors during GAA 140, which runs to the end of October 2025.

Liscannor-led company ASafe Global expands with new office in America

ASafe Global continues its strategic expansion in the United States with the opening of a new office in the heart of Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2019 by Liscannor native Alan Canavan and Galway man Aaron O’Halloran, this development is a key milestone as the company further solidifies its presence in North America.

Headqurtered at Quin Road Business Park in Ennis, ASafe Global provides high-quality QEHS (Quality, Environmental, Health, and Safety) management and consultancy services across industries including data centers, manufacturing, and construction.

While ASafe Global has been serving the US market for some time, this new office marks a deeper commitment to the region, serving as a hub for increased collaboration and growth.

The move also highlights the company’s dedication to foster-

ing strong business relationships between Ireland and the United States, with the D.C. office playing a pivotal role in expanding those partnerships.

“As an Irish company already operating in the US, we’re proud to continue strengthening the longstanding business connections between Ireland and America,” said Shannon Kierse, ASafe Global’s Business Development Lead.

“Our Washington, D.C. office will enhance our ability to work closely with clients across both EMEA and North America, fostering the exchange of best practices and innovations.”

Shannon is leading ASafe Global’s continued growth across the United States. With her experience, she is focused on driving business development, building client relationships, and ensuring the company’s top-tier services reach a broader market.

ASafe Global’s leadership in the QEHS sector was showcased at the recent Electrical Safety in Data

Centers Conference, hosted by UKbased company SKANWEAR last week in Virginia.

Daniel Hughes, ASafe Global’s US Regional Manager, delivered a keynote on electrical safety in highrisk environments, emphasizing the critical role of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

“We were honored to speak at this conference,” said Shannon Kierse. “It was a great opportunity to connect with our existing clients and meet new industry leaders, strengthening our role within the data center community.”

Commenting on the company’s growing presence in the U.S., ASafe Global CEO stated: “The USA market is an interesting space to operate in. It is vast, so you need to have a clear plan of action and an offering that is better than your competitors. ASafe Global is building strong relationships with clients in the USA, and we aim to continue growing steadily across the USA and EMEA.”

With its new office in Wash-

ington, D.C. and

lLOVELY HURLING: Dr. Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland (pictured centre) and Martin McAleese speaking with Carol and

Photo by Eamon Ward

the company’s presence in the U.S..it represents another exciting chapter in its glob-

al expansion strategy, with more to come as it continues to evolve across North America and EMEA.

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

lNEW ROLE: ASafe Global’s Alan Canavan and Aaron O’Halloran

Toastmaster’s Open Night

THE Kilrush and District Toastmasters Club held their first meeting of the season on last week.

Toastmasters club members and visitors enjoy the atmosphere and support one gets from listening to the topics and prepared speeches as well as enjoying the cuppa and informal chat.

l Past president Stephen Kelly handing over Chain of Office to incoming president

Joan McGeorge

Each year the club invite guests to come along to their meetings which usually attracts people who want to learn some new skills without pressure or feeling self-conscious in an atmosphere of support and encouragement or just to make new friends.

Many people have a huge fear of speaking in front of a group of people and often actively avoid it but we can all develop this skill if we have the right support which can be found in Toastmasters clubs. Our club together with the Ennis and Shannon Clubs prides itself on diversity with all age groups from all walks of life.

Anyone feeling even a bit interested are invited to come along to our Open Night on Tuesday next at the Haven Arms (meeting room) at 8pm where you will receive a huge welcome. Meetings are held every second Tuesday and guests are always welcome.

One can also follow the club on Facebook @ Toastmasters Kilrush. The club are looking forward to holding their twenty years celebration next February when current and past members will be invited to join in the celebrations.

Kilrush driver was ‘sleepwalking’ when over limit , expert tells court

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

AN EXPERT medical witness has told a court that a 27 year old west Clare man was undergoing a sleep disorder episode when he was drink-driving and his car veered off the road into a ditch last year.

At Kilrush District Court, sleep disorder expert, Dr John Garvey of St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Dublin said that in his opinion Jack Sheehan of Sheehan’s Corner, Shragh, Kilrush, Co Clare on the night of December 2 last drove his car as a result of a NREM parasomnia.

NREM parasomnia is a non-rapid eye movement disordered sleep-related behaviour that occurs during the first few hours of sleep.

Insp Ronan McMahon told the court that Mr Sheehan was twice over the legal alcohol limit for driving when he crashed his car near the west Clare village of Doonbeg at around 2.30am on December 3 last.

Mr Sheehan is contesting the drink driving charge based on the ‘sleepwalking’ defence in a case which Judge Alec Gabbett described as “a very significant development in terms of a defence to drink driving”.

Judge Gabbett said that there

were a number of inconsistencies in Mr Sheehan’s evidence however.

Advancing the ‘sleep-walking’ defence on behalf of his client, solicitor, Patrick Moylan said “I don’t bring this defence lightly”. He said that “No act is punishable if it is done involuntarily”.

In the witness box on behalf of Mr Sheehan, Consultant Respiratory and Sleep Physician, Dr Garvey told the court that in his opinion, Mr Sheehan “drove the car as a result of his NREM parasomnia”.

He said that when Garda Gearoid Mangan found him at the roadside, “he was not clearly awoken from sleep”.

Dr Garvey said Garda Morgan’s description of Jack’s eyes as glassy and his speech slurred as well as being unsteady on his feet could fit with someone in the midst of NREM parasomnia and half asleep as well as alcoholic intoxication.

Dr Garvey said Mr Sheehan had no motive to leave his house and get in his car in the early hours of December 3rd.

Dr Garvey said that the episode occurred during sleep which is in keeping with a NREM parasomnia. He said that Mr Sheehan had amnesia of the episode which is in keep-

ing with NREM parasomnia.

Dr Garvey conceded an episode lasting this long would be regarded as an outlier as “most episodes tend to resolve spontaneously within a shorter timeframe”.

Native of Barefield, Co Clare, Dr Garvey said that other factors would have increased the likelihood of NREM parasomnia - Jack was sleep deprived on the date in question and had reduced medication dosage he was on the day before.

Dr Garvey said that it was not an isolated incident as Jack had a clear history of NREM parasomnia and the frequency of the episodes had increased in recent years.

Dr Garvey said that Jack’s GP made a referral to him a number of days after the accident and said that he was thankful that there was no tragic outcome as is the case in other instances of NREM parasomnias.

Dr Garvey said he has given evidence in other cases before the criminal courts and found that individuals did not have a NREM parasomnia episode.

In evidence, Garda Gearoid Morgan told the court that he saw Mr Sheehan’s white Skoda Rapid car veer off the road into a ditch outside Doonbeg at around 2.30am.

Garda Morgan said that Mr Sheehan got out of the car and said that he was fine but his eyes were glassy and speech was slurred that in his opinion rendered him incapable of driving a vehicle.

Garda Morgan arrested Mr Sheehan on suspicion of drink driving and Mr Sheehan said in response: “I am sorry. I was drinking at a friend’s.”

Mr Sheehan was subsequently tested and was found to be over the limit at 68 grams per 100 ml of alcohol.

Asked by solicitor for Mr Sheehan, Mr Moylan how his client appeared, Garda Morgan said: “He seemed intoxicated.”

In evidence, Mr Sheehan said that he was at home on the night and had four bottles of beer and two rums before going to bed at around 1am. Mr Sheehan said that he couldn't recall saying he was at a friend's house and said that he wasn't at a friend's house on the night.

Judge Gabbett said that before further considering the case, he wished to get a Digital Audio Recording (DAR) of Dr Garvey’s evidence.

He said that the case warrants it and adjourned the case to December 17.

Roasted crispy pork belly with Bok Choy

INGREDIENTS

n 1kg of pork belly with skin on

n A splash of olive oil

n A cup of cider

n A teaspoon of ground fennel

n 4 Star aniseed

n 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

n 1 onion, cut into quarters

n A tablespoon of Chinese 5 spice

n 2 Bok Choy

n 2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil

n A teaspoon of sesame seeds

n A tablespoon of light soy

sauce

n Two tablespoons clear honey

n 200g carrots

n 1/2 stick celery

n 1/2 leek

n Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger grated with microplane

n Seasalt and grounded black pepper

METHOD

Step 1

The night before, make a mix of all dry ingredients above: ground fennel, star aniseed, garlic, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and seasalt and ground black pepper.

Step 2

Score your pork belly with diagonal criss cross with a sharp knife. Dry rub ingredients into top and bottom of pork belly. Let sit in fridge overnight to penetrate aromats.

Step 3

In a roasting tray, caramelise the onion, carrot, celery, leek and star aniseed and glaze with cider.

Step 4

Day 2: Pre heat oven to 190C/ 170C fan. In a thick based roasting tray, place the pork belly on a pivot of the glazed vegetables. Cover with tinfoil and roast for half an hour.

Step 5

At this stage, baste the pork belly with the juice. Cook for a further 20 minutes,

adding more cider if the bottom of the pan is dry.

Step 6

Now turn the heat up to 220C/ 200C fan. To make the skin crispy, sprinkle sea salt over the top, for that nice crackling effect. Then back into oven for 15 minutes.

Step 7

Remove from oven and let rest for twenty minutes. Strain the cooking juices from the veg pivot and mix with honey, this is going to be your glazing sauce. Reduce to a glaze in consistency.

Step 8

In a non- stick pan, dry toast sesame seeds over a medium heat, stirring continuously, this will be done in a matter of seconds.

Step 9 To cook bok choy: Wash and pat dry the bok choy. Cut chunky. Then, in hot pan, stir- fry in sesame seed oil, a splash of soy and a splash of honey. Plate up and enjoy.

One-day conference on medieval churches & community connections

ARCHAEOLOGY experts from across Ireland will gather in Galway on Friday for a free one-day conference exploring the fascinating history of the county’s medi-

eval churches and their connections to the local community.

Hosted by the Atlantic Technological University - Galway Heritage Research Group, Galway

County Council Heritage Office and the Galway Community Archaeology Project, ‘People, Places, Sacred Spaces’ takes place at Mullagh Community Centre, Loughrea,

from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Friday, 20th September.

“The event is open to everyone with an interest in local history and heritage,” explained Bernie Doherty of the Galway Community Archaeology Project.

“The conference will provide the public with a great opportunity to delve into Galway’s rich medieval history and learn more about the sacred spaces that have shaped local communities down through the centuries”.

She continued, “As well as featuring fascinating talks by expert speakers, the event will highlight several community-led heritage projects across Galway that have been supported by the Community Monuments Fund and other local and national heritage bodies. These projects showcase the efforts of local groups to preserve and protect their local heritage for future generations”.

Speakers include Dr Tracy Collins, founding director of Aegis Archaeology Limited and Archaeologist for the National Monuments Service, who will share insights into the role of female monasticism in medieval Galway and offer a glimpse into the lives of women in religious communities during that period.

Christian Corlett, District Archaeologist for the National Monuments Service, will discuss the remarkable work of the Strade master craftsman and his contributions to the architecture of medieval Connacht.

Conleth Manning, former senior archaeologist in the National Monuments Service and past President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, will speak about early Irish churches with a special focus on the churches of Galway and their significance.

Meanwhile, Roger Stalley, who is a fellow emeritus of Trinity College Dublin where he was formerly Professor of the History of Art, will talk about the history of Tuam Cathedral and its importance in 12th and 13th century Ireland.

The conference is part of the Galway County Heritage Plan, funded by the Galway County Heritage Office and Galway County Council, with support from The Heritage Council, National Monuments Service, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Galway County Community Support Scheme 2024. This event is free, but spaces are limited, so booking is essential. To secure your spot, register via Eventbrite at https://tinyurl.com/ yckckf6d. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

AVA CLEANS UP

YOUNG people from every corner of Galway gathered at County Hall for the announcement of the winners of Galway County Council’s annual Anti-Litter Poster Competition.

Almost 1,000 entries were received in the competition which highlighted themes relating to the importance of creating and maintaining a litter free county, how litter takes from the beauty of the landscape, the public’s responsibility not to drop litter, how to properly use public bins, and the importance of leaving no trace by bringing any waste home. Ava Belton (pictured), a third class student from Kiltartan National School was named overall winner of the ‘Primary Schools’ category, while Claudia Coyle of Ballinderreen won the ‘Individual’ category. Cllr Ollie Turner (FG), the Leas Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway said, “The competition winners are representative of the talents of the hundreds of people who entered. The high standard made it very difficult for the judges to select the best entries as each entrant created their very own personal work of art which also reflected their attitude towards littering”.

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council commented,” The Poster Competition is part of our ongoing Anti-Litter programme to encourage everybody to be part of the drive to make our County Litter Free as it is everyone’s responsibility to keep Galway clean. Galway County Council recognises the important role schools and individuals play in delivering environmental awareness.”

East Clare ‘seriously depleted’ of Council maintenance staff

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

EAST CLARE is “seriously depleted” of maintenance staff working for Clare County Council.

Too much of a reliance has been put on community groups across East Clare to carry the burden left by the shortage of local authority maintenance staff, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) has said. He proposed that a programme of works be drawn up “for the enhancement of our towns and villages with a view to getting extra staff for work programmes. We have a serious problem with maintenance and upkeep and are overly reliant on the voluntary groups within the Killaloe Municipal District”.

Acting senior executive engineer in the Killaloe MD, Declan Flanagan outlined that there is a planned scheduled for the roadsweeper to keep towns and villages clean across the Municipal District. “Additional assistance is also carried out at weekends when festivals or other such events take place. It is generally acknowledged that this appears to be working quite well”.

Flanagan detailed that weed spraying is no longer carried out in compliance with “various en-

vironmental requirements”. He acknowledged there are some issues with weeds in some of the towns and villages. “As our outdoor staff number has been depleting over the last number of years, the laborism task of removing weeds manually is becoming a challenge. By way of a response, Killaloe MD will soon

ilar proposal from Cllr O’Brien. Flanagan told the meeting that there are “a number of bodies” within the MD out on sick leave with long-term posts and transfers to be filled. For the past two years, they have been without six to eight members of staff.

Speaking at the September meeting of the Killaloe MD, Cllr

take delivery of a battery self-propelled weed remover which will assist our outdoor workers and reduce the workload also on our community groups”.

Clare County Council is currently recruiting to provide an additional foreman and general operatives for the Killaloe MD, he confirmed. This followed a sim-

O’Brien stressed that his motion was no reflection on the current Council staff. “We’re seriously depleted on this side of the county, we are totally reliant on voluntary groups in towns and villages, while we are assisting and our rural development officers do tremendous work, I believe we need to have a practical solution”.

Weeds are coming up through footpaths in some East Clare villages, O’Brien flagged. “We need to help the community and voluntary groups in a practical way”. There is not just a reduction in the amount of volunteering but also the amount of people looking to work on community employment schemes, Cllr Pat Burke (FG) remarked when seconding the proposal.

25 general operatives have been hired across the county, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) told the meeting. “Hopefully we’ll get our slice and get a few more bodies on the ground”.

Moves are afoot for funds relating to playgrounds and burial grounds, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) said. He believed the numbers of people applying to become general operatives were “depleting”. He added, “normally around 200 people would apply and we only had 60 apply in the last round. People are not applying for Council jobs anymore”.

Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe MD, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) stressed the importance of East Clare getting its “fair share” of the new employees. “We have a massive Municipal District, a lot of it is rural”.

Quin staircase ‘a general nuisance’ as fresh calls made for its removal

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

A QUIN staircase has been labelled as “a general nuisance” amid calls for its removal.

Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) asked “in the interest of safety” that the old staircase be taken down within the Ard na Mainistreach estate in Quin. He said “they serve no purpose”.

Acting senior executive engineer in the Killlaloe Municipal District, Declan Flanagan said the staircase has been present since the development of the estate. “It was envisaged that the provision of this access point to the school grounds would provide safe access to school and limit numbers entering at the front of the school”.

As a result of the motion, he said they would engage with the planning department’s taking in charge section and the school “before considering further works. From a safety perspective, the stairs have been closed off and signage is in place to restrict access”.

Appeals to remove the staircase have been made “on a few occasions,” Cllr O’Callaghan commented. “It was a purpose built stair case,” he outlined and pointed out that the principal of Scoil na Mainistreach in Quin, Fergal Lynch said it is not possible to access it via the school.

“There is a fear if it opened up there would be a flood of cars,” the Mayor of Clare added before labelling it as “a general nuisance”. His motion was seconded by Cllr Joe Cooney (FG)

Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) Photo by Eamon Ward

A NEW festival for Gardeners, Music lovers, Food & Craft aficionados and all the family is launching on September 22 at Ennis Showgrounds.

Harvest - Music & Garden Festival is a Community celebration of music and gardening accessible to families and friends. It is a sister event to Clare Garden Festival celebrating Gardening with the joy of music at the winddown of the season.

“I have for many years been thinking that we could do with a counterpart of Clare Garden Festival in the autumn time – and with our 10 years anniversary having taken place earlier this year, we want to keep on celebrating at Harvest time.” said festival manager Carmen Cronin. She continued, “We would love to see everyone join us, enjoy the music, interact with our stalls and hone your skills at our workshops. Stallholders from Gardening, Food but also Music, Antiques and Crafts will join us and we’ll be cosy all tucked up in the great hall at the Ennis Showgrounds.”

The Festival will feature an indoor music space and see 5 bands including Lenka

Fairie & Paddy de las Pampas, much-loved country blues band The FakeMcCoys, Ennis local band Clann Karasu, Kintsugi World Music Landscape and Jazz by Tritone Trio playing along-side the indoor stalls. All bands are from Clare or the West of Ireland. A great treat will be the duo of Lenka Fairy and Paddy De Las Pampas, who are a global music tour de force.

Instrumentation includes harp, guitar, banjo, cuatro and of course Irish tap shoes!!

Lenka is a former European champion of Irish dance and choreographed and taught the highly successful Irish dance group in the Czech Republic “Demairt”. Paddy has written and recorded several albums with the Irish music and dance show “Los Paddys”, touring all over the world.

“The autumn is a beautiful time of year to celebrate all that we have achieved in our gardens and our lives. What better way to celebrate than with music and with all our family and friends. The new Harvest Music and Harvest Festival is a lovely opportunity to do just that and we are delighted to support it.” said Sam McCarthy, Healthy Clare coordinator.

The Workshops are a mix of Garden, Cookery and Music for young and old. There are special workshops for children like our Childrens Music with the inspiring and fun Niamh O Donovan and adult ones like our Fermenting Workshop supported by Healthy Clare. Garden and outdoor workshops with CELT and FoodTree can all be booked ahead or depending on availability on the day. The festival will see stallholders from Garden, Food, Crafts and Music in the great hall at Ennis Showgrounds. Two garden centres Bud from Bunratty and Colourful Creations will be joining the day alongside other plant and

garden stalls. There will be traditional skills shown and promoted by Celt and Our Common Knowledge. Music and Vintage aficionados will enjoy the stalls by The Record Rack and Alfies and browsing will also be encouraged at Banner Books and Ennis Womens Community Group stall. Food for all tastes will be available from King of the Grill BBQ, Happy Food at Home and Runge coffee. The full list of traders is available on the festival website.

For the youngest visitors, the lovely Michelle will be on hand for facepainting, there will be bees to watch, pots to plant and a Children’s Music Workshop introducing kids

acts that will play at the festival

to instruments will run at 2pm – all in addition to enjoying the music with all the family. Harvest – Music & Garden Festival is supported by Ennis Municipal District and Healthy Clare and is run in association with Clare Agricultural Show society. Tickets to the festival will be available at the entrance at Ennis

Showgrounds on Sunday, 22nd September, with adult admission of €6, 2 adults for €10 and supervised children under 16 go free. Parking is as always free-of-charge and Workshops details and prices are on our website.

For more details visit the Facebook page @harvestmusicgardenfestival or at www. claregardenfestival.com.

Autumn brings new opportunities

AUTUMN can bring a nice spell of weather, like we have now. The heat and the lovely sunny days can bring a new energy to how we feel, and I am enjoying the vitamin D.

Hopefully ye are getting out in the garden. I have to say the Dahlias are giving great colour and it’s lovely to bring in a bunch into the kitchen. If you have some summer flowers/perennials keep going with the deadheading of flowers and feeding and watering. The rainwater does not always reach the ground with all the greenery growth we have in flowers.

The Autumn bedding range has expanded even more this week. We have Heathers and primrose with lots of colours in both. Primrose is a lovely low flowering plant and once deadheaded and watered they can flower right through till Spring.

The Heather plants known as Calluna vulgaris are evergreen shrubs known for their colourful small bell-shaped flowers and dense, shrubby growth. They thrive in acidic well drained soils and are often in moor and rocky landscapes. Heathers are hardy and tolerant of poor soil conditions making it a great choice for rock gardens borders and ground cover in coastal or mountainous areas. They usually have pink, purple or white flowers.

Heathers plants attract pollinators like bees and are popular in landscaping for their long-lasting blooms. Another type of heathers is called Erica these are more ideal for lime soil conditions again are ideal for containers and rock gardens and come in a variety of colours red, pink, purple and white.

When creating our Autumnal pots, we have beautiful collections of flowers

to choose from the orange Solomon to the sliver cotton lavender or senecio and add a white heather which are just lovely on their own this time of yearless can be more.

If you want colourful pots, add cyclamen and surround it with primrose to complement the colour even add more by using Dianthus or viola\pansy these will give you that lovely full effect. For a long-lasting container, I love using shrubs like Heuchera and add a small grass for movement and then consider a heather or some sliver depending on your colour scheme and a variegated ivy for a draping effect over the edge. “

Autumn paints the garden with hues of gold and crimson, reminding us that even in the fading light, beauty can still bloom.”

lDahlias

lMUSIC: Lenka Fairie and Paddy de las Pampas are among the

World Alzheimer’s Day in Clare

WORLD Alzheimer’s Day will take place on Saturday, September 21.

This year’s World Alzheimer’s Month campaign ‘Time to Act on Dementia, Time to Act on Alzheimer’s’ will focus on attitudes toward dementia and seeks to redress stigma and discrimination which still exists around the condition, while highlighting the positive steps being undertaken by organisations and governments globally to develop a more dementia friendly society.

Dementia is one of the major global health challenges with more than 55 million people living with the condition worldwide. Currently, over 64,000 people live with dementia in Ireland, and the number of people will more than double by 2045.

Services provided in Clare by Alzheimer Society of Ire-

land to give Support and information to People Living with Dementia, Support Partners and the community are: Dementia Advisors, Daycare in the home, Homecare, Daycare in the home, Dementia Information Café, Information sessions and Support group.

Dementia Advisers work with people with dementia, their families and carers to provide a highly responsive and individualised information and signposting service.

Dementia Advisers will work with you to: Provide information and advice throughout your journey with dementia; Help connect you with dementia supports and services; Help connect you with local groups and services and; Help your community to be more dementia friendly. This service is free and

confidential and you do not need a diagnosis to of avail this service The Dementia Adviser for Co Clare is Fiona Staunton.

Mob: 087 25 087 2525791 fstaunton@alzheimer.ie

ENNIS INFORMATION CAFÉ

Ennis Information Café is held the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 11.30 to 13.30. We have a guest speaker each month covering topic’s of interest to people living with dementia/ cognitive impairment, their carers and health and social care professionals. The Café provides a warm, welcoming place were people can meet, get helpful information and meet others living with similar life changes. Our next Café will be held on the 18th of September, guest speaker is Leahnora Clohessey, Occupational

My journey with ASI: Fiona Staunton

SIXTEEN years ago, I joined the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) on a one-year contract to cover an administrator on leave. What was meant to be temporary became a lifelong commitment, and today, I proudly serve as the Dementia Adviser for Clare. Over the years, I’ve worn many hats within ASI. From starting as an administrator, I transitioned to Homecare Coordinator, Tutor, Dementia Champion, and now, Dementia Adviser. I was part of the working group for the initial National Dementia Strategy and the original Dementia Mapping Group. As a tutor, I delivered training for staff and family carers, helped create the Homecare Manual for staff, and contributed to the first draft of the Transition Year programme. Additionally, I organize and facilitate support groups and participate in fundraising and community events.

Heart of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland

What makes ASI so special? The people. Our carers, who go above and beyond for those they support, embody the essence of dedication. My colleagues in the Dementia Adviser team are unwavering in their commitment to our work. Every member of the ASI staff supports us tirelessly. The families and friends of those living with dementia offer immeasurable love and care. We also collaborate with other social care and health professionals. Most importantly, the individuals living with dementia grant us the profound privilege of being part of their lives, enriching our journey with their strength and stories.

Embracing Alzheimer’s Memory Walk 2024

As a local champion, I am thrilled to join Alzheimer’s Memory Walk 2024. This walk is a wonderful and positive way to honour those living with dementia and to remember all the incredible people we’ve met along the way.

My Walking Preferences

I have a special affinity for two times of the day: dusk, and early morning. These moments offer a peaceful atmosphere to give time to look back on the day and acknowl-

edge we have done our best and take time to prepare for the next day. Remember, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’.

Alzheimer’s Memory Walk: A Few Words If I were to describe Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in three words, they would be: Positive, Fun, Reflective.

Walking in Clare

On September 22, you’ll find me walking at John O’Sullivan Park, Lees Road, Ennis. I will be walking for my family members who are living with dementia, those who are no longer with us, and all the people I have had the privilege to know over the past 16 years.

The Magic of Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

Alzheimer’s Memory Walk is special because it brings people together, allowing us to share memories and stories. Last year, my favourite memory was seeing so many people we support walking with their families and friends. The sight of grannies, babies in buggies, dogs, and everyone being welcomed was heartwarming. However, the best memory was seeing my lovely mother-in-law’s great-granddaughter wearing a t-shirt that was about three sizes too big for her, proudly bearing Granny’s name on the back.

Join us as we walk to support, remember, and honour those affected by dementia. Together, we can make a difference.

Therapist, speaking about Functionality, Encouraging Independance, Meaningful Activities and Assistive Technologies.

The Café is held in our Ennis Centre, V95P9V9. Contact Linda Murphy for more information: 0879152151

ENNIS DAY CARE CENTRE

Our Ennis Day Care Centre provides a safe, welcoming and friendly environment for people living with dementia. All staff are dementia specific trained and provide meaningful activities, tailored to our service users interests, abilities and wishes. Some of our activities include, live music, dancing, arts and crafts, chair exercises, chair yoga, reminiscences therapy, crosswords, bingo and outdoor walks.

For more information

contact Linda Murphy 0879152151.

HOME CARE SERVICE

Our home care service offers dementia specific, person centred care and our trained staff work with clients to ensure that we meet your needs

Contact Helena Hanrahan

Phone: 087 660 1251

Email: hhanrahan@alzheimer.ie

DAYCARE AT HOME

The Day Care at Home service provides an alternative model of care and support to our clients and families. ASI staff visit the persons home and engage in personalised activities with them in their home Contact: Melissa Kenny.

Phone: 0872925273

Email: melissa.kenny@alzheimer.ie

SUPPORT GROUP

The support group provides an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation every six weeks to share stories and experiences, and access information and practical advice in a relaxed, understanding and supportive environment.

Contact Fiona Staunton on 087 2525791 fstaunton@ alzheimer.ie

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s National Helpline is a confidential information and support service for people with dementia and their families, carers, anyone concerned about their memory. The Helpline is open 6 days a week: Mon-Friday 10am to 5pm; Saturday 10 am to 4pm. Call 1800 341 341 or email helpline@alzheimer.ie

Clare Echo slimmers almost there...

THE Clare Echo Slimmers are celebrating all round with Kieran achieving his 1 stone award, and Denise reaching an even more significant milestone this weekread on to find out what that is!

Head of Sales with The Clare Echo, Denise Quinn continues to make strides in her health journey, shedding another 1.5lbs this week to edge ever closer to her goal.

DENISE

This week I joined Louise’s Group in Newmarket on Fergus which was a busy group with lots of new faces. I was very impressed with Alex McDougall on his 5th week having a 1 stone and half pound loss. Super well done, keep eating your way to happiness.

Louise discussed a Slimming World myth “that men don’t go to weight loss groups” which we all know isn’t the case as Slimming World welcomes men into groups and online each week and announces Man of the Year awards in May along with Woman of the Year.

I was delighted with my loss this week of 1.5lbs and I am nearly

lACHIEVEMENT: Kieran with Pamela and his 1 stone award

there. I have a plan in place this week as I will be celebrating my 50th birthday at the weekend and all going well I won’t have a gain for next week’s last edition of the Clare Echo’s Slimming World feature.

Top Tips from Louise:

n Choose at least 1/3 of a plate of speed-free foods.

n Find an activity that you love as this will help you stick with it.

n Support from your group is so important to lifelong success.

KIERAN

I am delighted to have achieved

SLIMMER PROFILE

Denise Quinn

Title: Head of Sales

Age: 49

Height: 5ft 3in

Starting weight: 14st.05lb

Week 1: Lost 7lbs

Week 2: Lost 3.5lbs

Week 3: Gained 2lbs

Week 4: Lost 6lbs

Week 5: Lost 0.5lbs

Week 6: Lost 0.5lbs

Week 7: Lost 2lbs

Week 8: Lost 0.5lbs

Week 9: Lost 4.5lbs

Week 10: Lost 2.5lbs

Week 11: Lost 1.5lbs

Current weight: 12st 2lb Goal: To lose 2 stone

my one-stone milestone weight target (as promised). The support from all the leaders at Slimming World was immense and it definitely helped me get there. The arrival of last Friday’s WhatsApp messages kept me focused and ready for Tuesday’s weigh-in. For the week ahead I will keep things in check

and continue to be mindful about the “Syns” I have available.

Tarah focused on the “Ten Essential Steps to Early Success” at Tuesday’s meeting. These steps have proven to work and as they say “proof is in the pudding”.

Staying in a group was vital, and setting realistic goals. By keeping a food diary, it helped me to stay accountable. Meal planning was made so much easier with many delicious recipes on the Slimming World App, Magazine & website.

You are not alone on your journey. Happy Slimming Everyone!

Slimming World Venue Details

Louise: Friday at 9.30am, Newmarket on Fergus Community Hall, V95 RH93. Facebook: Slimming World Newmarket on Fergus

Tarah: Monday at 7pm, Hope Cafe In Shannon, also at Treacys West County Ennis every Tuesday at 5.30pm and 7pm. Facebook: Slimming World with Tarah

Pamela: Tuesday and Thursday 8am and 9.30 am at Treacys West County Ennis. Also on Wednes-

Kieran

day 4pm and 5.30pm Teach Ceoil Church Ennistymon. Facebook: Slimming World Ennis & Ennistymon with Pamela Martina: Saturday at CBS primary school, New Road Ennis 8.30am and 10.30am. Facebook:

Follow Slimming World Southcourt and Caherconlish

Get back in shape after the summer holidays

AS THE summer holidays come to an end and the kids head back to school, it’s the perfect time to refocus on yourself and your health.

If you’re looking to shed the extra pounds you may have gained over the break and get back in shape, Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) can be a powerful ally in your fitness journey.

EMS is a modern, efficient way to tone your muscles, burn calories, and kickstart your weight loss. It uses low-frequency electrical impulses to activate your muscles, enhancing workouts and making it easier to achieve your fitness goals.

Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) and Weight Loss

Here’s how EMS can help you lose weight and get back into shape after the holidays:

1. Get a Full-Body Workout in Less Time With a busy schedule, finding time for long workouts can be tough. EMS allows you to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, giving you an intense full-body workout in just 20 minutes. This saves time while still helping you burn calories and tone your body efficiently.

2. Boost Your Metabolism

EMS strengthens and tones your muscles, which in turn increases your metabolism. As your muscle mass grows, your body burns more calories at rest, helping you shed those extra pounds more effectively.

3. Tone Problem Areas

If you’re struggling with specific areas like your stomach, thighs, or arms, EMS can target these muscle groups to help you tone and sculpt them more effectively. You’ll notice improved muscle definition and reduced fat in these areas over time.

4. Combine strength training with Cardio for Maximum Results

EMS doesn’t just target muscle toning—it also provides a cardio-style workout by engaging multiple muscle groups and increasing your heart rate. This makes it perfect for burning calories, shedding fat, and building endurance, all at the same time. You get the benefits of both cardio and strength training in one quick session.

Flexible and Kid-Friendly

We understand the challenges of juggling

parenthood and self-care, so we’ve created a space that works for you.

At BodyWow studio we offer flexible time slots that fit around your busy life. And also: you don’t need to worry about childcare! You can bring your little one along, and they can enjoy our small play area while you focus on your fitness.

Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) can be a valuable tool in a comprehensive weight loss strategy, particularly when combined with a healthy diet. It supports muscle toning, enhances workout efficiency, and aids in recovery, all of which contribute to weight management. By offering a highly effective, time-saving workout solution, EMS makes it possible for even the busiest individuals to prioritise their health and fitness. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, tone up, or just feel healthier, with EMS it is easy and stress-free. Make your health a priority, and take the first step toward reaching your fitness goals this season.

Take the time for yourself, and let us help you get back in shape, without the hassle!

STEM CELLS are like the body’s own personal repair crew. Imagine having a team of workers that can fix, replace, or build almost anything. Stem cells work the same way—they have the potential to become any type of cell your body needs, whether it’s for healing a broken bone, repairing damaged tissues, or regenerating a worn-out organ. Their ability to transform into specialised cells makes them incredibly important for healing and recovery, particularly when we are injured or as we age.

They’re essential for:

• Repairing damaged tissues: If you cut your skin, stem cells help produce new skin cells to heal the wound.

• Regenerating organs: They can replace cells in organs that have been damaged or are deteriorating.

• Fighting diseases: Researchers are studying stem cells to treat conditions like Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and diabetes.

Because of their remarkable versatility, stem cells are the stars of

modern regenerative medicine. However, there’s a downside— stem cell treatments are expensive. A single treatment can cost thousands of euro. For many people, this puts stem cell therapy out of reach.

So how is this relevant to hyperbaric oxygenation (HBOT)? Well, as research surges in the hyperbaric oxygen sector, it brings exciting news regarding stem cell treatment.

Professor Stephen Thom, a well-respected researcher in this field, conducted a groundbreaking study that showed just how powerful HBOT is for stem cell production. His research revealed that 20 sessions of HBOT increased circulating stem cells in the body by 800%! That’s an incredible boost for your body’s natural ability to repair itself. To put it simply, if stem cells are the body’s repair team, HBOT doesn’t just add a few more workers—it recruits an entire army to help with the healing process. This means faster recovery and better tissue regeneration. In addition to being more cost-effective, HBOT is also non-invasive. You don’t need to go through any

surgery or invasive procedures; all it involves is sitting in a pressurised chamber and breathing in oxygen. It’s simple, painless, and yet has huge benefits for your body.

Imagine your body is like a factory, and oxygen is the energy source that powers the machinery. Under normal circumstances, the factory runs smoothly, but if you give it extra power (more oxygen), it can work faster and more effectively. That’s exactly what happens with HBOT—the extra oxygen provides a major boost to your body’s healing capabilities, including stem cell production.

For anyone interested in boosting their health, improving recovery, or even just enhancing their body’s natural ability to heal, hyperbaric oxygenation is a game-changer. Professor Stephen Thom’s research highlights just how powerful and effective this therapy can be, making it a practical and exciting option in the field of regenerative medicine. With results like an 800% increase in stem cells, it’s no wonder that more people are turning to HBOT as a powerful addition in their health and

Ceardlann i dTraidisiún Scéalaíocht na mBard i dTuaisceart Chontae an Chláir

Macalla an Chláir

LE MACDARA Ó CONAOLA

Mar chuid d’Oíche Chultúir 2024, beidh ceardlann i scéalaíocht na mBard leis an bhfear siamsa ildánach é fhéin, Aindrias de Staic, ar siúl sa siopa leabhar, Scéal Eile, an Dé hAoine beag seo ón 6-7pm. Bígí ann!

A workshop on the bardic storytelling tradition in north Clare. Aindrias de Staic, seanchaí and musician, will tell stories and talk about the tradition of storytelling in County Clare and in north Clare in particular, with some music weaved into the stories. The workshop will then open to the participants to join in storytelling and to work on the skills of recounting and delivering a story. This will be an Irish-language event that is suitable for those over 18 years old.

IONAD/Venue: Scéal Eile Books, 6-7pm, IN AISCE/ FREE

AN BHFUIL SCÉAL LE ROINNT AGAIBH ?! Bígí i dteagmháil linn agus leanaigí ar Facebook agus Twitter muid ag: @macallaanchlair R-phost: macallaanchlair@gmail.com

Imeachtaí/Events:

• CAISLEÁN BHUN RÁITE/BUNRATTY FOLK PARK, Dé Domhnaigh, 22ú Meán Fómhair, Baint an Fhómhair, imeachtaí don chlann ar fad. 11am-5pm

• LUIMNEACH – AIFREANN GAEILGE, chuile Dé Domhnaigh, 10.30am, Mainistir an tSlánaitheora, Sráid San Doiminic, Luimneach

• Clare FM - Cúl-chaint le Domhnall Ó Loingsigh chuile Dé Sathairn, ag 9am ar Clare FM

• CILL INÍNE BAOITHE - Ciorcal Comhrá san XPO, chuile Dé Céadaoin ag 7.30pm

• INIS – CAINT AGUS COMHRÁ, chuile Dé Luain ag 11am sa gCopper Jug, Dé Céadaoin ag 11am in O’Brien’s, oíche Déardaoin sa Temple Gate (8pm), agus Dé Sathairn i nGlór, 11am-12pm. Déan teagmháil leo ag: caintaguscomhra@outlook.com

• LUIMNEACH – Ciorcail Comhrá. Chuile Dé Céadaoin ag 10.30am, Bialann Eden, Ollscoil Luimnigh. Tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ó Noel ag 086 792 8389.

• AN SCAIRBH – ‘’Lón i nGaeilge’’, 1-2pm, CHUILE DÉ MAIRT i gcaifé ‘’An Gáirdín’’,

wellness journey! HBOT offers a natural, affordable way to stimulate your own stem cell production. By increasing the number of stem cells in your bloodstream, HBOT helps your body heal faster, recover better from injuries, and potentially slow down the effects of aging.

Testimonial:

“Hyperbaric oxygenation has been a great help with my Parkinson’s disease. I feel less tired and my all over general wellness has improved but the thing I am most happy with is the improvement in my swallowing. That has improved immensely and has made a big difference in my day to day life.”

attended for Parkinson’s Disease

Thought for the weekAnswering the Scandal of Poverty

Spreading

the word of positivity

RONAN SCULLY

“Poverty is not made by God, it is created by you and me when we don’t share what we have.” Let these words by St. Mother Teresa sink deep into our hearts. Poverty is not a destiny, but a consequence of our actions. When we hoard what we have, we create a world where some have too much and others have too little. Let’s recognize the power of sharing and generosity. By opening our hands and hearts, we can create a world where everyone has enough. Let’s choose to be the solution, not the problem. Let’s share our resources, our time, and our love. Together, we can create a world where no one has to suffer from poverty.

PLEASE HELP ONE ANOTHER

In a country and a world that is hurting at this present moment and that seems to be ravaged by worry, stress and illness and in some part by evil, the bitter fruits of greed, war, and ignorance are multiplying. We live in a world that insulates us, for the most part, from that which is difficult and uncomfortable. We have diversions that keep us from encountering the pain, the loneliness, the weakness, the fear, the emptiness, the meaninglessness of those around us.

The more separated we are from real love and compassion, the more lifeless we become. There can be no easy fix for narrowing the growing divide between rich and poor in Ireland

and in our World. Individuals helping individuals, as important to the receiver and as gratifying to the giver, is not going to solve the massive challenges of poverty, hunger, mental illness, homelessness and addiction. That will require policy reform, political and moral courage, and increased public spending. Raising the minimum wage, investing in job and infrastructure creation, re-balancing the tax burden, and establishing further medical and mental health care, quality education and job training as basic Irish and human rights rather than privileges will all be required to address the root causes of poverty, homelessness, hunger, thirst and climate change. When it comes to reversing the root causes of poverty, homelessness, hunger and climate change, however, we all know it’s the lawmakers and government officials who really have the power that we need to communicate with. It’s up to us as individuals to give voice to how much we care about our poor, our homeless, our children, our elderly. If everyone works for justice so that all would have the basic needs to survive, we can end a lot of injustice in this world.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

As your thought for the week, I ask God to bless your hearts and your ears so that you may hear the cry of the poor in the midst of your daily life. I ask God to bless your heart and soul so that you may act out of the centre of compassion, and know what it is to be human and fully alive. I ask God to bless your heart and soul that you may recognise your own poverty.

Jackie

GREEN CLARE

Sustainable Development Goal week opens events across Clare

Moneypoint a major part of our 'untapped potential'

by Páraic

PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

BABY SLING parenting classes, sewing, upcycling and gardening are just some of the events taking place across the county for the third Sustainable Development Goals Week hosted by Clare County Council.

MIn its third year, the Clare events form part of the wider National and European Sus-

INISTER for the Environment, Eamon Ryan (GP) has pinpointed Moneypoint as a vital component in Ireland reducing its energy emissions.

during SDG Week highlight the diversity of efforts needed to create lasting change, from promoting biodiversity to supporting sustainable consumption. We encourage everyone to participate and learn how small actions can contribute to significant global impacts”.

ing from renewable sources, this was met in 2020. Now, he wants this doubled to 80 percent by 2030.

Highlighting the local authority’s commitment to sustainable development goals, Chief Executive of Clare

Members of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce are currently assessing the strategic strengths and comparative ad vantages of the Estuary will be as sessed by the Taskforce while also scoping out potential economic opportunities. The group is to have a report compiled by the end of November.

Barry O’Sullivan recently met with Minister Ryan and for the Green Party leader their engagement hammered home the possibilities for the entire region surrounding the Shannon Estuary.

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011, Ryan set a target of 40 per cent of the country’s energy com

“I’m convinced we can do it, one of the ways we can do it is by switching offshore, our sea area is seven times our land area, there is a limit in Kerry as to how much turbines you can put up in any area but at sea, the resource is huge and the wind power is really strong,” he stated.

tunity for the people of Clare to engage with the SDGs in a meaningful way. From energy awareness workshops to biodiversity initiatives, the events are designed to educate, inspire, and empower our communities to act. By working together, we can make a tangible difference in addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainability”.

connecting to both Tarbert and Moneypoint, you can put that electricity onto that grid to power the country.

- 2030, Climate Action Plan 2024 - 2029, Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040, as well as the Kilkee Green Business Hub initiative. This tool is currently being used for the development of Clare Litter Management Plan, Sustainable Tourism Green Team Action Plan, Clare Age

Having participated in

Offshore wind energy by Mon-

tainable Development Week (ESDW) nationwide, with events taking place in Clare up to October 3, 2024. The SDGs work towards ambitions such as an end to poverty; access to decent work; sustainable consumption; protection of nature; better health and wellbeing; universal access to education; gender equality; climate action; and peaceful societies.

Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF), Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council said, “Clare County Council’s involvement with the SDGs reflects our dedication to the well-being and sustainability of our communities. The events planned across the county

County Council, Pat Dowling added, “Clare County Council is proud to champion the SDGs at every opportunity. The SDGs represent our shared commitment to building a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future for all the people of Clare. Through our participation in SDG Week, we are actively engaging with communities across the county, fostering awareness, and inspiring collective action towards achieving these vital global goals”.

Climate Action Coordinator, Clare County Council, Morgan Lahiffe outlined, “SDG Week offers an oppor-

“When the wind isn’t blowing, the ESB are saying we should do and everyone in Europe is now talking about and starting to do, you convert the electricity into hydrogen and use electrolysis, it is a new but advancing technolo gy, when the wind isn’t blowing you burn the hydrogen to generate power and you run the power out on the same grid, you have a con tinuous stable electricity source,”

An auction for the country’s first “major offshore projects” is to commence this year on the east coast, Minister Ryan said. “Most of them you drive the turbines into the sand banks on the coast, we’re now planning phase two which goes to the west and south-west, it can be done”.

Friendly Strategy, Biodiversity Action Plan, Clare Local Sports Plan 2025-2030 and forthcoming Migrant Integration Strategy 2025-2030”.

€350m.

awareness, biodiversity and gardening.

Events taking place in Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush, Ennistymon and Scarriff address a broad spectrum of sustainability topics, including upcycling, energy

In the past fortnight, the Irish government approved the pro

Minister Ryan insisted that this was necessary. “We will have emergency generators to provide back up as well, we do need that, the really big strategic option by 2030 what we’re planning to have is 5GW of offshore wind and to put that in scale, that is equivalent to the amount of energy we’re using at the current time.

the 2023 SDG Champions programme, Clare County Council now serves as an SDG Ambassador, contributing to promotion, awareness-raising, and implementation of the SDGs, at local, regional and national levels. In this role Clare County Council will continue to work to integrate and embed the SDGs into the programmes and policies across all of its directorates.

Environmental Awareness Officer, Clare County Council, Karen Foley, explained, “To date the SDG Accelerating Action Tool has been used for our Local Economic and Community Plan 2024

el, then the following decade and this is the really big industrial plan for the country, we can use that to go further to really tap into the

McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Launching SDG Week 2024 were (l-r): Pat Dowling, Chief Executive; Alan Farrell, Director of Service; Morgan Lahiffe, Climate Action Coordinator and staff of Clare County Council

Photo by Eamon Ward

Six Clare GAA clubs preparing to install EV charging points

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

€15m in funding is to be provided on the island of Ireland for sports clubs to install new EV Chargers on their grounds for their members and visitors.

In Clare, Clooney/Quin, Inagh/ Kilnamona, Shannon Gaels, St Joseph’s Miltown, Whitegate and Wolfe Tones na Sionna were deemed successful after submitting their applications.

Successful clubs can now draw down funding to cover the cost of installing electric vehicle charge points at sports club facilities affiliated to recognised national governing bodies.

Eligible clubs will be able to draw down funding for the installation of electric vehicle charging, subject to

reaching agreement with a Charge Point operator from a pre-approved panel. This is expected to see an important ramping up of public EV charging in local communities across the island and offer the potential for clubs to generate income from those more commercially attractive sites.

The Scheme is funded through the Government’s Shared Island Initiative and ZEVI infrastructure funding. In total, 48 clubs from across Northern Ireland and 179 from Ireland are now eligible to move to the next stage in the process.

Lisdoonvarna based Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) praised the Clare clubs who submitted applications. “I believe it is a good ongoing incentive and support is needed and

would be beneficial to encourage all public amenities to install similar infrastructure”.

He gave specific mention to St Joseph’s Miltown for partnering with Miltown Malbay Development Company who were approved €20,000 for an energy master plan plus €30,000 from the climate action funding investment.

295 application in total were received for the scheme, of these, 227 met qualifying and suitability criteria and are now eligible to apply for the final phase of the scheme. The main reasons some applications were unsuccessful were not satisfying some minimum requirements including no license submitted to facilitate site visits, no 3-phase electricity and/or no toilet facilities on site or within 500m.

Burren Smokehouse recognised at Great Taste Awards

BURREN Smoked Irish Eel from the Burren Smokehouse in Co Clare was the recipient of 3 stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards, the Guild of Fine Food has announced

Nearly 3,500 companies from around the world entered Great Taste this year and each entry was meticulously blind tasted by the Guild’s expert judging panel of over 500 food critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, and other specialists in the field of food and drink.

Only 1.9% of all entries (266 in total globally, one of which was the Burren Smoked Irish Eel), received a 3-star award.

This year, the Burren Smokehouse celebrates thirty five years in business. It was won multiple awards for its product range. The latest recognition carries weight, owner Birgitta Hedin-Curtin said. “I am

thrilled that the Burren Smoked Irish Eel has been awarded 3 stars. The product is extremely special to me personally as it was inspired by my childhood growing up in Sweden fishing for eel with my father and getting it smoked in the local fishing village. This recognition is a testament to our dedication to preserving traditional smoking methods and it is an incredible achievement for our team”.

Burren Smoked Irish Eel is made using an artisan method of hot smoking silver eels, sustainably caught by the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Coop in Northern Ireland, in a unique patented smoking oven with oak shavings.

Judges noted, “The oak smoking adds a mouth-watering aroma. It is glistening with natural oil, once filleted”. The adjudicators stated, “Lusciousness is the sense that remains and inspires us to cut another section”.

Celebrating the Winners of St Francis Credit Union 2024 Bursary Award

At St Francis Credit Union, we are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Bursary Award! This prestigious program aims to support the educational journeys of our community’s brightest young minds, it is an integral part of our commitment to giving back to our members.

Louis Fay CEO St Francis Credit Union said: The Bursary Award is more than just financial aid; it’s an investment in the future. These scholarships help ease the financial burden for students as they pursue higher education and encourage them to chase their dreams, explore new opportunities, and develop the skills that will empower them to make meaningful contributions to society. On a personal note I wish to congratulate Zoe, Isabel & Conor on being this years winners and I would like to thank every member that sent in an application.

Louis continued: This year was St Francis Credit Unions first year embarking on a Bursary Award programme, we are delighted with the members reaction. Our committee was impressed with the calibre of submissions, which highlighted not only strong academic direction the students were taking but also the various journeys many were about to embark on.

St Francis Credit Union would like to take this opportunity to thank the families, teachers, and mentors who have supported these students down through the years. Your guidance has been instrumental in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

Congratulations once again to our winners! We look forward to seeing all the wonderful things you will accomplish in the future. Keep dreaming, keep striving, and know that your credit union is here to support you every step of the way.

ConorMurphy Isabel McCabe

by Paraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

AS we approach the end of the fiscal year and prepare for the upcoming budget, businesses are reassessing their financial strategies, particularly concerning lay-offs, short-time working, and redundancies. With potential increases in sick pay, pension requirements, and minimum wage, it’s essential to be proactive in managing labour costs and headcount.

In this issue we will only touch on redundancy subject. Make sure to read the next article, where we will cover the matter in detail.

UNDERSTANDING LAY-OFFS AND SHORT-TIME WORKING

Lay-Offs occur when a company temporarily suspends employment due to factors such as a shortage of

Payments Act 1967 outlines the criteria for redundancy claims. Employees are eligible if they have been laid off or on short-time for at least four consecutive weeks or a series of six weeks within thirteen weeks. They must also provide a written notice of intention to claim redundancy within one month.

Employers have the right to issue a counter-notice within seven days if they believe that the employee will resume work for at least thirteen weeks. If the counter-notice is invalidated, the employee is entitled to redundancy payment.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR 2024/2025

As we move towards the last quarter of 2024 and into 2025, businesses should prepare for potential increases in sick pay, pension contributions, and minimum

orders, unexpected work interruptions, or damage to premises. Lay-offs are typically temporary and can follow various patterns, such as no work for a specified period, alternating weeks, or reduced working weeks within a month. For example, employees might work three weeks out of four or alternate weeks with no work.

Short-Time Working is defined by the Redundancy Payments Acts as a reduction in an employee’s working hours to less than half of their normal weekly hours or a decrease in pay to less than half of their normal take-home pay. This situation must be temporary, with advance notice given to employees.

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS AND EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

Employers must include clear provisions for lay-offs in employment contracts. Without such provisions, employers need to obtain agreement from employees to proceed. Both layoffs and short-time working policies should be detailed in employee handbooks to avoid potential disputes.

REDUNDANCY PROCESS OVERVIEW

Section 12 of the Redundancy

wage. For example, sick pay policies are due to increase from 5 to 7 days, and enforced pensions are anticipated. Though the exact date for these changes is uncertain, it is crucial to factor them

into your financial planning.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION

Effective communication is essential during lay-offs and redundancies. Employees often feel uncertain about their job security, and a lack of clear information can lead to misinformation and decreased morale. Regular updates on the company’s financial health, plans, and forecasts are crucial. Consider holding regular communication and update meetings to discuss the company’s status, involve staff in planning, and address their concerns. It is key to stay connected with your team during any period of lay off or short time. This is never an easy period for anyone concerned and we have found that in many cases that alternative solutions have been found by all parties working together.

PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT AND RESTRUCTURING

This time of year, is ideal for reviewing labour costs, headcount, and potential restructuring. With the upcoming budget changes and regulatory updates, businesses should engage with experts like ERA Ltd to assess these factors. Evaluate whether you are overstaffed or if you need to recruit new talent. A wellconsidered redundancy matrix, which doesn’t always follow a first-in, first-out approach, should be included in your redundancy policy. This matrix should consider the needs and requirements of the business.

REDUNDANCY CLAIMS AND THE RP9 FORM

Employees can apply for statutory redundancy payments using the RP9 form, available from the Workplace Relations Commission. Employers must respond to these claims within seven days. If the employer issues a counter-notice, it must be done promptly to avoid conceding the redundancy claim.

THE IMPACT ON COMPANY CULTURE

ENHANCED DEFECTIVE CONCRETE BLOCKS

GRANT SCHEME

Clare County Council will be hosting an information evening regarding the application process only for those applying for the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. This information evening is targeted for people with limited digital resources / capabilities.

Venue: Seán Lemass Public Library, Shannon

Date: 8th October, 2024

Time: 18:00p.m. to 20:00p.m.

It should be noted that spaces are limited, so booking is essential.

To book your place, please phone: 087 6669326 / 065 6846511. Or email: dcb@clarecoco.ie

Mishandling lay-offs and redundancies can negatively affect company culture and morale. Employees are sensitive to changes and may create their own, often more alarming, scenarios if not given clear information. Engaging with employees, being transparent, and involving them in discussions about the company’s future can help mitigate these issues and foster a more positive work environment.

CONCLUSION

Managing lay-offs, short-time working, and redundancies requires careful attention to legal requirements, proactive communication, and strategic planning. By staying informed about potential changes, engaging with employees transparently, and consulting with experts, companies can navigate these challenges effectively and maintain operational stability. Call us on 086 238 1555 or email at elaine@eraltd.ie for further guidance or assistance – we are only a call or email away!

Clare County Council is currently inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the below competition. Clare County Council will, following the interview process, form panels for the areas set out below from which future relevant vacancies may be filled subject to sanction approval from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

Please complete online application form available on www.clarecoco.ie under Careers Section. Only applications completed online will be accepted.

• School Warden –Sporadic Cover Panels –Ennis, Kilrush & Shannon

Closing date: 12 Noon Thursday 3rd October 2024

Clare County Council is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the Community.

San am i láthair, tá Comhairle Contae an Chláir ag iarraidh iarratais ó dhaoine a bhfuil na cáilíochtaí oiriúnacha acu ar an gcomórtas thíosluaite. Tar éis an phróisis agallaimh, cruthóidh Comhairle Contae an Chláir painéil le haghaidh na réimsí atá leagtha amach thíos óna bhféadfar folúntais ábhartha amach anseo a líonadh faoi réir ceadú a fháil ón Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil & Oidhreachta.

Comhlánaigh, le do thoil, an fhoirm iarratais ar líne atá ar fáil ar www.clarecoco.ie faoin rannán dar teideal ‘Careers’. Ní ghlacfar ach le hiarratais atá comhlánaithe ar líne.

• Maor Scoile – Painéil Clúdaigh Fánach – Inis, Cill Rois & Sionainn

Dáta deiridh: 12 meán lae, Déardaoin, 3 Deireadh Fómhair 2024

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Champs Cratloe face Lissycasey in last 8

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

RIVALS from three different pockets of the county will be going toe to toe in the last eight of the senior championship following Monday’s draw in Caherlohan.

County champions Cratloe will meet Lissycasey fresh from overcoming Kildysart in the preliminary quarter-final. The sides clashed in the first round of last year’s championship when Cratloe had a 0-12 1-7 win. Cratloe manager, Colm Collins was among the spectators in Kilmihil on Saturday evening as Aiden ‘Horse’ Moloney’s side sealed their place in the last eight with a four point win.

North Clare foes St Breckan’s and Ennistymon will reignite their rivalry in what is a repeat of the 2022 quarter-final. On that occasion, Ennistymon recorded a 1-7 0-9 victory, they went on to contest the county final that season while last year it was St Breckan’s who reached the decider where they fall short to Cratloe.

West Clare rivals Kilmurry Ibrickane and St Joseph’s Miltown will lock horns in the quarter-finals. The Bricks were drawn as the final top team alongside the three group winners, their reward is a clash with their neighbours Miltown. Both teams lost out in their opening round games but have bounced back with successive wins. Their last meeting in the championship was in 2021 and finished 2-7 apiece.

Having gone to extra time in last year’s quarter-final, the showdown of Éire Óg and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield gives The Parish a chance to make amends against one of the most fancied sides to lift the Jack Daly.

In the TUS Clare IFC, last year’s beaten finalists Kilrush Shamrocks will meet Cooraclare, Naomh Eoin take on the Banner, Wolfe Tones are to face Shannon Gaels while O’Currys who prevailed in the preliminary quarter-final at the weekend are to go up against Clondegad.

TUS Clare SFC quarter-finals:

St Breckan’s v Ennistymon

Kilmurry Ibrickane v St Joseph’s Miltown Cratloe v Lissycasey

Éire Óg v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield

TUS Clare IFC quarter-finals: Naomh Eoin v Banner

Clondegad v O’Curry’s

Kilrush Shamrocks v Cooraclare

Wolfe Tones v Shannon Gaels

Martin Murphy Construction Junior A quarter-finals:

Clondegad v Kilfenora

Parteen-Meelick v Clarecastle

Éire Óg v Cooraclare

Michael Cusack’s v St Breckan’s

Martin Murphy Premier Junior B quarter-finals:

Doonbeg v Éire Óg

Ennistymon v St Joseph’s Miltown

Wolfe Tones v Lissycasey

Kilmihil v Moy

Lissycasey 'wanted it most'

TUS CLARE SFC PRELIMINARY QUARTER FINAL

Lissycasey 0-08

Kildysart 0-04

Venue: St Michael’s Park, Kilmihil Compiled by Páraic McMahon

STORY OF THE GAME

LISSYCASEY

Frees for: 12 (8/4)

Wides: 4 (1/3)

Spread of scorers: 4

Scores from play: 0-6

Top scorer: Conor Finnucane (0-4 2f)

Bookings: None

Own kickouts won: 4 from 7 (57%)

KILDYSART:

Frees for: 14 (7/7)

Wides: 3 (1/2)

Spread of scorers: 2

Scores from play: 0-1

Top scorer: Diarmuid

O’Donnell (0-2 1f) & Emmet

McMahon (0-2 1f 1M)

Bookings: None

Own kickouts won: 9 from 12 (75%)

REFEREE: Niall Quinn (St Joseph’s Miltown)

MANAGER COMMENT “

Aiden 'Horse' Moloney, Lissycasey:

“There was a lot of mistakes on both sides and a lot of turnovers but it was a battle of whoever wanted it most and I think we were the better team throughout.

“It was a comedy of errors in the third quarter, we had so many chances in front of goal, it was a combination of mistakes and good play that we didn’t take enough of the scores, we left Kildysart hanging in there as such but realistically once we got the point or two ahead there was no reaction there, it was a

matter of time before we could push ahead.

“There was plenty of motivation there even from your podcast, we were listening to certain individuals that put us down a little bit over the Cusack Cup but I think we showed today what the Cusack Cup has done for us, it gave fellas a first taste of success at senior level and whatever certain people think about it it has brought on lads on this team and there’s a lot of young lads there who need encouragement and if

gfds gfds gfds

TUS CLARE SFC RELEGATION SEMI-FINAL

Doonbeg 1-10

Kilmihil 0-11

Venue: Cooraclare

Compiled by Páraic McMahon

STORY OF THE GAME

DOONBEG

Frees for: 25 (17/8)

Wides: 7 (2/5)

Spread of scorers: 4

Scores from play: 0-7

Top scorer: Darragh

Burns (0-5)

Bookings: Eoin Killeen (14), Mikie Tubridy (26)

Red Card: Kevin McInerney (32).

Own kickouts won: 16 from 19 (84%)

KILMIHIL

Frees for: 17 (9/8)

Wides: 8 (4/4)

Spread of scorers: Scores from play: 0-8

Top scorer: Ciaran Downes (0-7 3f)

Bookings: Dan Keating (14), Padraig O’Grady (15) Own kickouts won: 16 from 18 (89%)

REFEREE: John O’Connell (Cooraclare)

they get the opportunity I think most of them will take it”.

David Butler, Kildysart

“You’ve to give credit to both teams, it was like a bar of soap, I’ve never seen it, we were facing right into it over there and it ruined it. Fair play to Lissycasey and best of luck to them, we didn’t score in the second half, you can’t do that and I suppose we had more han-

MANAGER COMMENT “

John Keane, Doonbeg:

dling errors than them.

“It wasn’t our objective to be leaving after a preliminary quarter-final, there’s this thing out there that Kildysart are happy retaining their senior status, they are not, I’m devastated for the group because to me they are the best group in the county”.

“Definitely relief at this stage, over the line and for the lads to secure their status for another year”.

“It was a blow for us just before half time (sending off), we lost out shape but I suppose half time came at the right time for us, we had a chance to regroup, chat about it and reset to go at it again with fourteen men. We knew it was going to be a massive battle but it showed the character of our lads to get a result with 14 men.

“Tadhg (Lillis) had a quad problem before the game, he had it all week and we were minding him, he struggled in the warm-up and we had a decision to make and we had to take him out.

“The Cratloe game was a hard game to prepare for in one sense in that there was nothing at stake but for us there was, it was about getting a performance in preparation for the relegation series, we used the Cratloe game to prepare for this”.

“We’d love to still be in the championship but unfortunately we’re not, we found ourselves in the relegation series and it is hard to prepare for it and get lads mentally ready but full credit to our lads, from the relegation point of view it is done and dusted”.

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

l Daire Culligan tries to win the ball back from Stephen Sheehan

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT l Jack Keating and Sean Conway contest the dropping ball

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Ennistymon put Liscannor into Intermediate relegation final

TUS CLARE IFC RELEGATION SEMI-FINAL

Ennistymon 0-10 Liscannor 0-08

Venue: Henessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay

Compiled by Páraic McMahon

STORY OF THE GAME

ENNISTYMON

Frees for: 12 (7/5)

Wides: 11 (9/2)

Spread of scorers: 7

Scores from play: 0-9

Top scorer: Ryan Barry, Joe Dowling & Darren McNamara (0-2 each)

Bookings: None

Own kickouts won: 11 from 16

LISCANNOR

Frees for: 15 (8/7)

Wides: 8 (2/6)

Spread of scorers: 4

Scores from play: 0-4

Top scorer: Darren Nagle (0-3) and Alan Clohessy (0-3 3f)

Bookings: None

Own kickouts won: 12 from 21 (57%)

REFEREE: Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

Fitzgerald quits Clare football

Venue: Captain Tubridy Park, Kilrush

STORY OF THE GAME

for: 17 (5/12)

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

MARK FITZGERALD has stepped down as manager of the Clare senior footballers, writes Páraic McMahon. Fitzgerald is understood to be in line for a new role with the Kerry U20 footballers and exits as Clare manager following just one season in charge. He was appointed as Colm Collins’ successor last September on a two-year term but has opted not to seek a second year and will instead be involved with his native county. There had been some concern that the Tralee man may not be involved next season, some of which seem to have been abated by his presence at third round games in the Clare SFC including the meetings of St Joseph’s Mitown and Ennistymon plus Éire Óg’s comprehensive win against Lissycasey. Coach Seanie Buckley had been at games earlier in the campaign as had selector Declan Downes. In his year in charge, Clare missed out on promotion back to Division 2 in the Allianz National Football League on the final round while they reached a successive Munster final against Kerry following a semi-final win over Waterford but suffered disappointing losses in the All-Ireland series to Cork, Donegal and Tyrone. He said, "It is with regret that I won't be continuing into my second season with (the) Clare senior footballers. I'd like to thank Clare County Board for their unwavering support over the year. I'd also like to thank the management and backroom team of Clare senior football for their tireless work throughout the season. Finally, I'd like to thank the players who have shown huge commitment and dedication since taking up the role.

"I will be taking up a position with the Kerry U20 footballers and the opportunity to work with my own county was something I couldn't turn down. I enjoyed my time with Clare immensely and I wish them the very best of luck going forward".

Selector James Costello exited the Clare set-up last week when he was ratified as a member of Jack O’Connor’s Kerry management for next season. He previously spent four seasons as Kerry manager with Fitzgerald part of his ticket. Buckley had previously notified the manager he would not be staying on.

Fitzgerald’s departure puts the Clare County Board under pressure to find a replacement who no doubt will be keen to keep Downes and Buckley on board. Head of Operations with Clare GAA, Deirdre Murphy said "We are incredibly disappointed to lose Mark who has done a fantastic job as senior football manager. As a person and a football manager, you could not meet better and it is a blow for us all. However, we respect Mark's decision and wish him well with the Kerry 20s where no doubt Kerry will be all the better for his involvement".

l Cathal Downes pushes away the challenge of Rian Meaney Photo by Gerard O'Neill

l Cathal Downes pushes away the challenge of Rian Meaney

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Rodgers a major injury doubt for Scariff as Cleary begins work to sort shoulder problem

SCARIFF captain, Mark Rodgers is a major injury doubt ahead of this weekend’s TUS Clare SHC quarter-finals while his county teammate Conor Cleary has undergone a shoulder operation.

Rodgers was sidelined for Scariff’s third round win over O’Callaghans Mills which secured their place in the last eight for the second year in a row.

All-Ireland winner Rodgers is understood to have suffered a broken bone in his foot in recent weeks which left the East Clare side without their marquee forward in their last outing and question marks remain over his availability for Saturday’s quarter-final versus Cratloe.

He was wearing a protective boot whilst on the sideline in Dr Daly Park two weeks ago but the Young Hurler of the Year has been able to remove the boot in recent days.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, Scariff manager Mark McKenna did not rule out the possibility of

Rodgers featuring in the last eight.

“We are hopeful he will make a swift return to action,” he said. His availability is considered to be a deciding factor in who will prevail for Saturday’s clash. Speaking on The Clare Echo’s sporting podcast, The Water Break, Conor McNamara who managed Rodgers when Scariff/Ogonnelloe were crowned U21A champions in December 2022.

McNamara commented, “it came to light at a training session, it isn’t like it is a two week break from the last game, it only came to light ten days before the third round, a broken bone will be four weeks minimum, he is out for the quarter-final as far as I’m con-

Fitness of key players likely to decide Clare SHC quarter-finals

A GREAT weekend is forecast for Clare hurling with Cusack Park to host double headers on Saturday and Sunday in the TUS Clare SHC quarter-finals.

Two-time All-Ireland winner, Liam Doyle the wing back on Clare’s successes of 1995 and 1997 is eagerly looking forward to the action. “The beauty of the draw is that there are a number of derby pairings” and everything points to close contests in the Bodyke clubman’s view and he feels injuries to key players could well prove decisive.

Scariff and Cratloe get the action underway on Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm, it remains to be seen if Scariff will be without their captain Mark Rodgers. “He is their main man and the injury appears to be serious. Scariff will, of course, want him while all of Clare will be hoping that he won’t do any further damage to his ankle. They are an up-and-coming team with an awful lot of youth”.

Cratloe’s experience will be an advantage, he felt. “The majority of their squad are around a long time and they know the scene. If Rodgers plays it will be interesting to see how things will go if he comes up against another of the Clare stars of this year in Diarmuid Ryan. I think it will be Cratloe particularly if Rodgers is out,” Doyle predicted.

Assessing the meeting of Feakle and Crusheen, Liam told The Clare Echo, “both have been knocking on

the door for honours for a while. Feakle have more or less the same bunch with the addition of a few young fellas who helped St Joseph’s Tulla to Harty Cup honours. Shane McGrath continues to be their main go to man who does the bulk of their scoring. Just as Scariff need Rodgers, Feakle need McGrath. Two county players on a club team is a big boost and they have Adam Hogan who is likely to be honoured with an All Star award later this year and Eibhear Quilligan.”.

Regarding last year’s beaten finalists Crusheen, he said, “year after year they are in the hunt and you have to admire their drive. Michael Browne and Aidan Harte who is now gone in as part of the Galway senior management are key men in their backroom. One has to admire Cian Dillon’s longevity, he is so consistent and he is still manning the number 6 jersey”. That said Liam gives the nod to Feakle to just shade it.

Clonlara’s group meeting with Éire Óg “was one of the best club games in Clare for a number of years. Clonlara have players of inter county standard in all lines. They had a comprehensive win over Clooney/Quin who had been tipped to come out of the group. They showed no mercy, they were ruthless in their approach”.

Their opponents in this week’s quarter final are Sixmilebridge “and one thing the Bridge have is tradition. They don’t care who they are playing, they will always fancy their

chances. That said, at the end of the day I expect Clonlara to be ahead”.

The remaining quarter final pits Éire Óg against Inagh/Kilnamona and, in Liam’s view, “this is the game most people are looking forward to. It’s the tie of the round and it’s a hard one to call. A lot depends on Shane O’Donnell. Is he fit enough, he will certainly play some part. We can say the same with regard to Aidan McCarthy. He came on against Broadford in their last game and he will probably play from the start this week. I might be going against general opinion in giving the nod to Inagh/Kilnamona to win this one. They have had great underage success which they didn’t capitalise on for a few years. They have bounced back from their first round loss. Yes, the town of Ennis needs a title win but I give the nod to Inagh/Kilnamona to win this one”.

Looking at the relegation games he says “both Clooney/Quin and O’Calllaghans Mills have a lot of young players this year. There won’t be much in it but I think Clooney/ Quin will edge through”.

The other relegation tie pits Corofin against St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield. “Corofin have been a small bit unlucky this year as they lost a few key players and they have had a number of injuries. To survive at senior level, they need all players and one or two more. I think St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield will edge this one”.

cerned”. This prompted ex Cratloe manager, Conor Earley to respond, “I’d be shocked if he is not playing”. Meanwhile, Conor Cleary has undergone an operation for a long-standing shoulder injury. This means the All-Ireland winning full-back will miss St Joseph’s Miltown’s quarter-final against neighbours Kilmurry Ibrickane in the Clare SFC next weekend.

Cleary was forced off during the All-Ireland final win over Cork when a reoccurring shoulder injury reared its head. The same injury kept the Rice College teacher out of Clare’s defeat to Limerick in last year’s Munster final.

Medics in the Clare set-up including Dr Kathryn Fahy who is regarded as a shoulder specialist had been encouraging the Miltown Malbay man to undergo the operation. The timeframe of the recovery means that he may miss opening rounds of the Allianz National Hurling League next season.

BOC & Coughlan step down from minors

BRIAN O’Connell and Dermot Coughlan have both stepped down as managers of the Clare minor hurlers and footballers, writes Seamus Hayes

Outgoing minor football manager Coughlan (below right) confirmed to this week’s meeting that he will not be continuing in the role.

Presenting a detailed report he told the delegates that he had informed the executive at the start of the year that this would be his last in this role.

Many tributes were paid to him on his detailed report and on his work in the role over a number of years. Board officer Joe Garry, Michael O’Regan (Ruan), John Brew (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Eamonn Finnucane (Lissycasey) and Seamus O’Reilly (Clondegad) were amongst those to pay tribute to the Kilmurry Ibrickane clubman along with Head of Operations Deirdre Murphy.

Coughlan spent six years as county minor football manager with Clare reaching the provincial final in 2020. His outgoing management included Joe Hayes, Pat McMahon, TJ Carey and Martin Cahill with Peter O’Dwyer, Dermot O’Mahoney, Derry O’Donoghue and Derek Morris in the backroom team. While no announcement was made at Tuesday’s meeting, ex Clare captain Brian O’Connell (pictured top) is not staying on as county minor hurling manager.

O’Connell had a fruitful three year tenure as minor manager, the highlight being Clare’s 2023 All-Ireland and Munster winning campaign. They were defeated on a penalty shootout in the 2022 provincial final against Tipperary and went on to contest the All-Ireland semi-final.

Under his watch, Clare reached the minor final again this season, the third year in succession but lost 2-17 0-16 against Tipperary. It took extra time to separate them from Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final.

His management this year included Donal Moloney, Damien O’Halloran, Fintan Leamy and Ger Hickey.

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

l Clonlara may need the assistance of score difference to progress Photos by Gerard O'Neill

by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie

Neylon & Fahy continue with U20s

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE’s outgoing under 20 football and hurling managers have been re-appointed for the coming season.

The September meeting of Clare GAA at Caherlohan on Monday night, was told that St Joseph’s Miltown clubman Michael Neylon and

his management team had agreed to continue for another term.

It was a similar position in relation to under 20 hurling manager Terence Fahy who was also unanimously re-appointed with the meeting told that there is one more addition to be appointed to his team.

Outgoing coach Aidan

Harte has been appointed as a member of Micheal O’Donoghue’s Galway senior management team.

Chairman Kieran Keating told the meeting that the appointment of minor managers for next season will be confirmed at the next meeting as the appointments had first to be confirmed at a meeting of the board’s man-

agement committee.

It will be Neylon’s fifth year in charge of the U20 footballers. A former senior selector to both Mick O’Dwyer and Colm Collins, he was in charge when St Joseph’s Miltown won the Clare SFC in 2015 and 2018.

Whitegate’s Fahy was appointed the county U20 hurling manager in December

2021 and will be in charge for his fourth campaign. He was over the St Joseph’s Tulla side crowned Harty Cup champions in February 2022. His management team includes Inagh/Kilnamona boss Tomás Kelly.e

Ladies football QFs delayed SOCCER LEAGUE KICKS OFF

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SENIOR quarter-finals in the Clare LGFA championship due to be held on Sunday were paused.

Controversy is clouding the championship with the Complaints Objections Disciplinary and Appeals (CODA) due to commence an investigation.

CODA were alerted to a matter following the third round of games played in the senior championship which took place on Sunday last.

Questions were raised following Kilmihil’s win over Kilmurry Ibrickane on the registration status of one Kilmihil player who is currently based in the United States.

Following last Tuesday’s Clare LGFA meeting, the issue was redirected to CODA who have yet to release their findings which has prompted the quarter-finals to be deferred.

With Kilmihil and Banner Ladies taking the

respective top spots in their Groups, it secured their direct passage to the quarter-finals which have paired St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield against St Joseph’s Miltown with Kilmurry Ibrickane to face Burren Gaels.

PRO of Clare LGFA, Rachel Healy stated, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, it is necessary to reschedule the remaining fixtures in the senior championship only”.

Subsequently, the senior quarter-finals and relegation play off are now fixed for September 29th, the senior semi-finals are down for decision on October 6th with the final pencilled in for October 27th.

There are potential big implications as the whole complexion of the Group A as Kilmihil could end up moving from top spot to the relegation play-off while West Clare Gaels could move from relegation to a quarter-final, Doora/Barefield would

then claim top spot and secure a direct route to the semi-final while Kilmurry Ibrickane will stay in the quarter-finals regardless.

A fortnight of a delay has forced all managements and players to revise their plans and alter their preparations.

Both Kilmurry Ibrickane and West Clare Gaels have come out publicly to insist they were not involved in lodging a complaint on the manner.

Kilmurry Ibrickane ladies football club stated, “No objection/appeal was lodged by the Kilmurry Ibrickane ladies club to any Clare LGFA authorities or individuals following the third round of games”. They said the decision to reschedule games “was taken by Clare LGFA Executive without consultation with clubs”. The statement added, “This is a very disappointing development which was communicated to clubs at such short notice prior to quarter-final fixtures”.

BIG WINS FOR USUAL SUSPECTS IN CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP

LADIES SENIOR CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP

SOCCER: CDSL ROUND-UP

Bridge United's Jack O’Halloran is surrounded by Harvey Cullinan, Jack Kelly and Nathan Boaventura

Way clear for Construction Mans final

by Michael Maher news@clareecho.ie

FRIDAY’s card at Galway featured the two semi-finals of The Construction Mans A3 525 Yards Stake sponsored by Noel Gavin and Finbar Ryan of O’Sullivan & Hansberry Main Citroen Dealers Kilrush Road Ennis.

The final of the €1500 to the winner stake on Friday next September 20th will be the Centrepiece of a Gala Fundraising night for West Clare Cancer Care and on the night Clare All-Ireland hero Peter Duggan will be present with the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

In the first Semi Final the starter got them away in a decent line with Jaydens Lady and Croaghill Sky just heading the charge into the opening bend with Jaydens Lady leading round but she then ran wide into the back straight as Glamorous Woohoo railed well to join issue racing towards the halfway mark. Racing into the penultimate corner Glamorous Woohoo held a narrow advantage along the fence with the Horan Family Syndicate owned Glamorous Woohoo (Doratos Woohoo & Rage Emoski) kicking clear from the third bend to defeat Jaydens Lady by five and a half lengths in 29.44 with Burkos Bacardi and Croaghill Sky dead heating for third place.

After both parties sportingly agreed to a coin toss to sort out the third finalist from the heat Burkos Bacardi won the coin toss.

There was no photo finish needed for any of the placings in the second semi-final as the John O’Meara owned Ballygibbon Cash routed his rivals by upwards of five and three quarter lengths in 28.84. Very smartly into his stride the son of Ballymac Cashout and Live To One was closely attended to by Petes Noah racing towards the opening bend but rounding the bend Ballygibbon Cash really kicked on and turning down the back he set sail for home. Racing towards the penultimate corner the winner was home for all money as Rosshill News came through to take second place with Petes Noah in third place.

Trap Draw for Final: 1: Jaydens Lady; 2: Ballygibbon Cash; 3: Rosshill News; 4: Glamorous Woohoo; 5: Petes Noah; 6: Burkos Bacardi.

The opening contest of the night was an S8 graded sprint contest over 350 yards in which the Maria

Browne of Cree owned Burnpark Taylor trapped well towards the outside and showing plenty of early dash held led his rivals by over two lengths approaching the opening bend. Racing between the two bends the son of Newinn Taylor and Burnpark Leanne kept a very wide berth as Verdant Mist closed along the inside. On straightening for home though Burnpark Taylor asserted once again as he scored by two lengths at the line in 19.73. Runners from the Damien and Gary Pepper kennel in Feakle have been in tremendous form of late and they hit the jackpot in the A6 graded 550 yards contest as the son of Droopys Roddick and Teecee Clipper made just about all the running to defeat Pierview Toony by eight and a half lengths in 31.51. The winner shared pace on the long run towards the opening bend as Pierview Toony was in close attendance on the wide outside. Racing down the back Pierview Toony closed to within a neck o the leader but Astro Kevin began to draw clear again from the third bend to record his seventh career success.

Passing of Noel Moroney:

The sudden passing at University Hospital Limerick last week of Noel Moroney from Mullagh, came as a huge shock to his family and many friends. Noel who was in his late sixties was highly regarded in the village of Mullagh where he ran the family pub.

A great community man, organiser and always looked out for people, his pastimes included supporting his local Kilmurry Ibrickane footballers, Clare football and hurling teams but it was in the sport of greyhounds he was best know where he ran his dogs under the Tiermana Prefix. He was hugely successful at the Limerick and Galway Tracks, in recent times he concreted on breeding side of the game and several of his greyhounds won many races. Reposing of his remains took place in Mullagh Church with burial in the adjoining cemetery after funeral mass. He is survived by his wife Marguerita, daughter Cathy O’Keeffe, sons Padraig and Noel, son-in-law Seamus , daughter-in-law Louise and Padraig’s partner Claire, brothers, sisters, extended family, neighbours and many friends.

PICTURED: Terence Fahy Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Clare Hehir comes out of defence for Inagh/Kilnamona

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

SCAN FOR ROUND-UP

Photo by Joe Buckley

Rory pipped for Irish Open glory

by PÁDRAIG MCGRATH

As I mentioned in last week's article, I really fancied Rory to do well last week at Royal County Down and boy oh boy he did not disappoint.

I am hearing all week how he has thrown away another tournament however I can't say I fully agree. Rory's game was impeccable all week except for a couple of putts where his pace let him down. To be honest I used to use the same putter Rory was using last week and my pace was very inconsistent with it. I could never get a great feel from the face of the putter and as soon as I changed to a putter with a softer face my distance control dramatically improved. I can't help but feel Rory could be suffering a similar issue I had when I also used to use that putter.

I have never seen Rory's swing look better than last week. The last time I saw him hit it around Royal County Down he was thumping the ball, trying to hit it as far as possible, but finding trouble

in every corner. This time around his tempo was just magic and his swing just looked so effortless and controlled. I have to say if he keeps this tempo up, I would expect to see him win in the very near future. The world-class field last week were treated to extremely challenging conditions throughout the weekend, with the famously difficult Royal County Down course pushing players to their limits. Winds gusting off

the Irish Sea and the notoriously tricky links terrain tested every facet of the competitors’ games. Rory however went into Sunday sitting exactly where he would have wanted to be right at the top. It was surely set for a comfortable Sunday stroll for Rory; he would go out and shoot a four or five under and sail home to victory. However, as we know in golf on Sunday afternoons, there is always a player that comes from behind with

nothing to lose and posts a low round early, to put the pressure on the leaders. Last Sunday was no different when Rasmus Hojgaard had a run of four birdies in his final five holes to post a nine under total. Rory was sitting pretty with a tap in birdie on the 16th, setup by a stunning fairway wood tee shot to the front edge of the green on the 309-yard short Par 4. Rory would comfortably roll his long putt to only a couple of feet and comfortably tap in his birdie to join Rasmus on -8 under at the top of the leaderboard. Rasmus would then go on to birdie the short Par 5 final hole to set the clubhouse lead on -9 under par.

On the 17th tee Rory decided to take only a 4 iron from the tee, which I think surprised a lot of us including the commentators who felt he needed to get as far up that fairway as possible could do if he was to make birdie. Having only hit a long iron from the tee, this left Rory over 180 yards still and meant he now needed a mid-iron for his approach shot. In fairness Rory played a wonderful iron

shot right at the pin but it came up some 30ft short of the pin and unfortunately as we have seen Rory do under pressure, he three putted allowing Rasmus to have a two-shot lead with only one hole remaining to play. Rory being Rory though hit his best driver of the tournament off the 18th leaving himself with only a 7-iron left to the pin, he hit again probably one of his best shots all week into around 20ft. It wasn't his day however as his perfectly hit putt just didn't break as early as he needed it to and his ball agonisingly grazed by the hole.

Despite the near miss, McIlroy’s performance captivated golf fans, reminding everyone why he remains one of the world’s elite players. After the round, McIlroy admitted his disappointment but remained upbeat about his performance. “It’s tough to come that close and not get the win, especially here at home, in front of these amazing fans,” McIlroy said. “I left a few shots out there with my putter, especially on the back nine, but I gave it everything I had. When I dropped

shots on the 15th and 17th, I opened the door for someone to make a move and it was Rasmus, in fairness to him he played great golf especially down the stretch.

While McIlroy’s near miss dominated headlines, the real winner of the week was the course at Royal County Down. Widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in the world, the venue’s stunning beauty and challenging layout were on full display throughout the tournament. Players and fans alike marvelled at the rugged dunes, firm fairways, and lightning-fast greens that provided a true test of skill. Even the commentators commented it was the best conditioned course they had seen so far this year.

For McIlroy, the Irish Open may have slipped through his fingers this time, but his performance will be remembered as another chapter in his incredible career. With the support of his home crowd and the determination to capture more trophies, it’s clear that McIlroy’s pursuit of another Irish Open glory is far from over.

Shannon ladies chasing All-Ireland honours

by Seamus Hayes

SHANNON managed by Bridget McCaul and Madge Young will take on Courtown in the All-Ireland ladies minor foursomes semi final at 12.10pm on this Friday at Shannon when a big turnout of local club members is expected to support the team.

A victory would see the team through to the final on Saturday. The members of the Shannon panel are Pauline Nally, Dee O’Connell, Sandra Ferguson, Maura O’Donnell, Ann Gordon, Joan Hoctor, Mary Fitzgibbon, Hannah Kinahan, Marlyn Kelly, Anna Corry and Dympna O’Callaghan.

EAST CLARE GOLF CLUB:

Martin McInerney has been crowned golfer of the year for 2024 in East Clare. His second place finish in the August medal confirmed thee winning of the award.

Colin Kelly (19) won the August medal with a net 59. Martin McInerney (23) was second with 65 one ahead of Pat (P.J) McMahon (14).

Last week’s senior men’s competition was won by Chris Davis, Jim Fahy and Terry Coughlan from J.J. Barton, Jerry O'Brien and Pat McMahon with third spot filled by Michael Drew, Martin McKeogh and Noel Earley.

The lqdies 18 hole stableford competition was won by Evelyn Skehan (18) with 36 points from Ann Harte (38) with 35 points. Eileen Donnellan (13) won the gross with 20 points

The ladies Wednesday competition was won by Mary Stritch, Evelyn Ske-

han and Geraldine Condron from Mary Brennan, Helen Conway and Brid Gurnett with third spot filled by Mary Farrell, Phil Burke and Maureen Clune.

WOODSTOCK GOLF CLUB: Woodstock produced the goods in very testing conditions against Muskerry at Oughterard G.C. In the All-Ireland mixed fourball quarter final. The team is managed by Eilis and Tony Neville ad the members are Ollie McNamara and Margaret Ann Killeen, Mike ad Chaye Kelly;,John O’Connor and Eilis Neville, Pat and Hannah O’Brien, Liam O’Connor, Mary McNamara and Annemarie Russell

Three matches were won on the 13th and one match was called in on 15th. Woodstock return to Oughterard on the Friday September 26 for the All-Ireland semi-final against Portlaoise.

Last week’s open singles at Woodstock was won by Jonathan Carrig (26) with 35 points from Bernardo Kelly (6) who had a similar score. Twenty seven played in the competition.

The competition at the weekend was the September medal sponsored by Sweet'N'Green. Eoghan Donnellan (18) was the winner with 64 while Sean Crowe (5) won the gross with 72. Category 1 was won by John Mulcahy (8) with 65 from Hugh McGrath (10) with 70.

Kieran Quinn (14) with 70 won category 2 while Kenny O'Shaughnessy won the category for those in the 19 and over category.

Oisin Kelly (22) won the stableford competition for handicaps 19 and over with 42 points.

ENNIS GOLF CLUB;

The Ennis ladies Intermediate foursomes team was narrowly beaten on Saturday by Castlecomer in the semi-final of the AIG All Ireland competition. In an exciting semi-final, Ennis were ahead in one of the matches throughout, that match ending 4 up with 3 to go, but the other matches were hard fought with all three going to the 18th ensuring a nail biting finish. The final score was tied at two all. Kitty Morris and Mary T McMahon led Ennis down the 19th. It was still all square after one but the dream of reaching the final came to an end at the second tie hole.

Ennis finished second in the Auburn Lodge Trophy which was played in Woodstock, ten clubs took part. Sinead Hegarty, Joan Murphy and Aideen Considine had the best three Ennis scores and Anna Marie Darmody won the back nine.

In the September medal, the silver section was won by Mary T. McMahon (15) with 73 nett and she had one to spare over Peg Hanrahan (16). The bronze medal winner was by Sinéad O’Sullivan (48) with 71 nett with second place filled by Helen Harnett (27) with 78.

The overall winner in the 9 hole stableford competition was Mary Woulfe

(16) with 22 points while the divisions were won by Carmel Verling (11) with 13 points, Mary Walshe (18) with 17 points and Carmel Cummins (22) also with 17.

KILRUSH GOLF CLUB: Derek Garvey (13) with 41 points won the Kilrush Credit Union men’s singles competition. Thomas Coffey (13) with 35 points won category 1 from Declan O' Donovan (9) 34 points. Patrick Coleman (13) won category 2 with 38 points. The category 3 winner was Joe McNamara (21) 32 points from Paul McGibney (22) with a similar score. The nines were won by Noel Thornton with 18 points and Eoin Fitzgerald with 19.

DROMOLAND GOLF CLUB:

The competition at Dromoland at the weekend was an 18 hole singles stableford which was won by Alan O'Flanagan (20) with 45 points. He had two to spare over Damien Lafferty (25) with 43 points. They were followed by Stephen Casey (16) with 37 points and Shane Collins (22) with 36 points. The gross was won by Brian Shally (1) with 36 points The 9 hole competition was won by Alan O'Flanagan with 25 points from Liam Flynn with 22 points and Patrick McCoy with 20. The ladies Eye Candy mixed 18 hole stableford competition was won by Siobhan Doohan and Ruairi Price with 52 points from Mark Reynolds and Hannah O’Brien with 49 points with third pace filled by Julie Fitzgerald and Joe Walsh with 48 points. Julie Fitgerald recorded a hole in one at the 7th hole. In the 9 hole stableford Siobhan Doohan won with 19 points from Mairead Bergin and Mairead Toomey with 18.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL POULAWILLIN, MILTOWN MALBAY, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Elaine Sexton intends to apply to the planning authority for outline permission to construct a new dwelling house and garage complete with a new entrance, sewage treatment system and ancillary works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning

authority of the application.

CLARE CO. COUNCIL BALLYOGAN, BAREFIELD

Take notice that Seamus & Ross Marlborough intends to apply for permission for development, the development consists of the construction of a slatted unit replacing existing slatted unit and associated site works at the above address.

The planning application maybe inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Aidan McKeogh, am applying to the above authority for permission for the following development on property at Knockadereen, Bridgetown, Killaloe, Co Clare

Permission for the construction of a detached 2 storey dwelling, new entrance, bored well, onsite wastewater treatment system, connection to necessary services and all associated ancillary and site works. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of

receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

SIXMILEBRIDGE TD, SIXMILEBRIDGE, CO. CLARE

Ahaclare Developments Ltd. intend to apply for permission for development at this site, Sixmilebridge TD, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare. The development will consist of alterations to part of approved housing development (P22/459 refers) to include alteration of site area, relocation of houses 15-29 inclusive, 3032 inclusive and 52-54 inclusive. The altered layout shall contain a total of 40 no. two storey semi-detached units, 7 no. two storey detached units and 8 no. single storey detached units (55 No. Total), connection to public utilities together with ancillary site development works. The planning application may be inspected,

or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours.

A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

KILCORCORAN, MILTOWN MALBAY, CO CLARE

Take notice that Michelle Mc Caw and Amy Henry intend to apply

for permission to build a Dwelling House,Garage, install a Wastewater Treatment System & all other associated site and ancillary works at the above address, this application is to replace that previously granted under reference P21/1309. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

CAHERLOOSKAUN, KILSHANNY, CO. CLARE

Take notice that I, Kieran Thynne intend to apply to Clare County Council for planning permission to construct a new dwelling house with wastewater treatment system, garage and all associated site works and services. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of Clare County Council during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

Crimmins (née Curran), Nancy Ennis

Nolan, Anthony Ennis

Ryan, Ronald Patrick (Paddy) Ennis

Cullinan, Noel Tubber

Hynes, Liam Miltown Malbay

Hynes, Liam Quilty

Vaughan (née White), Rita Lahinch

WALKER FCJ, Sr. Dorothea Sixmilebridge

Kelly, P.J. Lissycasey

GLEESON, SEAN Newmarket-on-Fergus

Recent Deaths

McLaughlin (née Ryan), Pauline Kilrush

Moloney (née Devlin), Ellen Shannon

O’Brien, Cathy Scariff

Tinling (née Mulcahy), Maura Ogonnelloe

Sexton, Mick Lissycasey

Shanahan (née Conway), Marie Doonbeg

Talty, John Lissycasey

BOURKE (née FITZGERALD), MANDY Killaloe

Curtin (née Power), Mary Lahinch

Larkin, Kate (Catherine) Lisdoonvarna

McCutcheon (née McMahon), Ann Ardnacrusha

Moroney, Noel Mullagh

Ryan, Trina Newmarket-on-Fergus

SLATER, Tom Lisdoonvarna

The Clare Echo Quiz

 To whom is there a holy well dedicated to in Liscannor?

St. Joseph

St. John

St. Bridget

 What is one thing Liscannor is famous for?

Roads

Flagstone

Horticulture

 What is the name of the pub in Liscannor that has a famous song written about it ?

Joseph McHugh’s O’Briens

Vaughans

 Who wrote the song Liscannor Bay?

Christy Moore

Mick Flynn

Andy Irvine

 O’Brien’s Tower was named after Cornelius O’Brien, what was his profession ?

Farmer

Member of Parliament Builder

 How many people live in Liscannor according to the last census? 123 164 135

 How far does The Shore Wall Art Project in Clahane stretch? 100m 150m 200m

 What is the name of the woman who started The Shore Wall Art Project in Clahane?

Ann Vaughan

Rachel Clancy

Amy Considine

 What is the name of the man who invented the submarine?

John Holland

Joseph Murphy

Tom Mc Mahon

 In what year did he receive a contract from the U.S to build a submarine? 1865 1899 1895

QUESTION 5 : O’Brien’s Tower was named after Cornelius O’Brien, what was his profession ?

ANSWERS

Spot the Difference

Can you spot the difference? Spot the 7 differences. The answers will be revealed in next weeks edition.

Last weeks Answers

. Grip on hurley different colour . GAA missing on jersey (middle) . Sliotar missing . Nike symbol missing on sock . Button missing on helmet (right) . Crest missing on shorts (left) . UnderArmour logo missing on players shorts (background)

Dr. Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland (pictured centre) and Martin McAleese speaking with Carol and Aidan Cuddihy of Inagh-Kilnamona based MacCóda Hurleys at

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