The Clare Echo 20/10/22

Ennis murderer attacked second woman

by GORDON DEEGAN

THEman who murdered mother of two Sharon Bennett (29) in an Ennis public toilet, attacked another woman in her own bedroom just one month earlier.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Mary Larkin imposed a nine month prison term on Patrick Ballard (35), formerly of Ashford Court Hotel, Ennis for the assault on the woman at her Ennis home two days prior to Christmas Day

in December 2020.

Imposing the prison term on Mr Ballard for the December 23 assault, Judge Larkin said that “the fact that this woman was attacked in her bedroom when he kicked down the door must have been an extraordinarily frightening event”.

Judge Larkin said: “It wasn’t just a once-off event - Mr Ballard has 140 previous convictions and that has to be deemed quite significant in the context of offending behaviour.”

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

Crowe suffers Dáil leak WHILE

Dáil Éireann has been labelled as housing many leaks during its 103 year history, a literal leak got in the way of a Clare TD’s address on Wednesday, writes Páraic McMa hon

36C Abbey Street, Ennis, County Clare Telephone: 065 671 9021

NEWSDESK news@clareecho.ie

It wasn’t trickle down economics nor was it an attempt to get all poli ticians awake but rather an effect of the heavy downpours which caused a leak from the roof of the Dáil Cham ber that had a slight disruption to the order of business on Wednesday.

Email: editor@clareecho.ie paraic@clareecho.ie

SALES or sales@clareecho.ie

Email: niall@clareecho.ie

This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Press Council’s Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Press Council, at www.press council.ie, Lo-call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie

lSCHOLAR: Catherine Gorman from Coláiste Muire, Ennis was awarded a Naughton Foundation Scholarship worth €20,000 at a ceremony in the Trinity Business School in Dublin recently. The Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards are an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science, and technology at third level. Catherine is pictured with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, Carmel and Martin Martin Naughton Photo by Kieran Harnett

Deputy Cathal Crowe (FF) told The Clare Echo, “I was in the middle of a Dáil speech about the famous oak trees from Cratloe Woods (and men tioned that the beams in Westminster came from Cratloe) when you couldn’t make it up, the roof of the Dáil cham ber sprung a leak”. He described the incident as a perfect example of Mur phy’s law.

He outlined that the water was “pouring down on some of the front benches”. Crowe added, “I don’t have much hair left at the top of my head but I was worried that the microphone might shock”.

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Killer sentenced for assault one month prior to murder

by GORDON DEEGAN

THEEnnis man who murdered mother of two, Sharon Bennett (29) was yesterday (Wednesday, Octo ber 19) sentenced for assaulting a woman in her own bedroom late at night one month prior to Ms Ben nett’s murder.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Mary Larkin imposed a nine month prison term on Patrick Ballard (35) formerly of Ashford Court Hotel, Ennis for the assault on the woman at her Ennis home two days prior to Christmas Day in December 2020.

Imposing the prison term on Mr Ballard for the December 23rd as sault, Judge Larkin said that “the fact that this woman was attacked in her bedroom when he kicked down the door must have been an extraordinarily frightening event”.

Judge Larkin said: “It wasn’t just

a once-off event - Mr Ballard has 140 previous convictions and that has to be deemed quite significant in the context of offending be haviour.”

After reading the woman's vic tim impact statement, Judge Lar kin said that she has to consider

the victims in these cases “and consider how society has been en dangered by Mr Ballard’s conduct”.

Judge Larkin said that she ac cepted that Mr Ballard “has had an extraordinarily difficult life and has suffered from mental health difficulties”.

Hotel Doolin get go ahead for significant extension

HOTEL DOOLIN has been granted the green light to an extension to its first and second floor resulting in the addition of 27 bedrooms, writes Páraic Mc Mahon

On Monday, approval was granted for the development subject to 14 conditions. The development will consist of a part one and part two storey extension to the existing hotel to include 27 bedrooms, a new hotel entrance and reception area, ancillary spaces including

wellness suite (46sqm) and stor age rooms.

1688 sqm is the total pro posed gross internal area of the extension. Works also include hard and soft landscaping, a connection to the existing waste treatment plant, a new vehicular set-down area, alterations to the internal road layout, additional bicycle parking and 28 new car parking spaces. Planning was lodged by Paddy Burke and Jim Shannon. Located to the east of Fitz's corner in Doolin, the sub

ject currently accommodates Hotel Doolin, Fitzpatrick's Bar, two restaurants, a craft shop, the manager's residence and a gallery. The western area of the site is currently zoned for tour ism use while the eastern side is zoned for commercial use, as per the Clare County Develop ment Plan 2017-2023.

Further information had been sought by the Council in March but the development is now deemed to have satisfied their concerns.

Earlier this month, Mr Ballard received a life sentence at the Cen tral Criminal Court in Dublin after he pleaded guilty two days into the trial for the murder of his former partner, Sharon Bennett on Janu ary 28th 2021 at the Market Area in Ennis.

Mr Ballard kicked and stamped on Ms Bennett in a public toilet in the Market Area and Ms Ben nett died in hospital in Limerick two weeks later on February 10th, 2021, from her injuries.

Mr Ballard has been in prison since January 2021 and appeared via video link from Limerick pris on today and spoke only to con firm his name and that he could see and hear the court.

Judge Larkin also imposed a six month prison term for Mr Ballard carrying out criminal damage at the Ennis home on December 23rd 2020 and took a second criminal damage offence into consideration.

Mr Ballard won’t serve any addi tional time in prison as the prison

terms were not made consecutive to the life sentence that he is serv ing for Ms Bennett's murder.

Solicitor for Mr Ballard, Tara Godfrey told the court that Mr Ballard “had made significant at tempts to take his own life between 25th of November 2020 and 28th of January 2021”.

Ms Godfrey said: “During Covid access to psychiatric services was very difficult. The homeless ser vices that were looking after Mr Ballard could only action a tele phone call with a psychiatric nurse for 45 minutes after one incident where he tried to take his own life."

Ms Godfrey said: “Patrick Bal lard was in very poor circumstanc es and he had very little psychiat ric support. He deeply regrets his actions on December 23rd 2020 in the course of these offences and the other offences that he has com mitted.” Ms Godfrey handed into court a psychiatric and probation report stating that “this is a partic ularly sad case”.

Francis St cottages acquired for car park

A BLOCK of cottages on Francis St in Ennis have been acquired as part of the Ennis 2040 Strategy and is set to become a car parkwrites Páraic Mc Mahon

Initially on the market for €700,000, a deal for the block of six cottages was agreed before Sherry Fitzgerald Mc Mahon put the properties on sale at auction. Each lot was to be initially offered individually before the auction however it emerged that the entire 0.37 acre lot combined would achieve a greater price.

Briefing elected representatives, Chief Operating Officer of Ennis 2040

DAC, Kevin Corrigan outlined that the Francis St lock has been assembled as a new site for the Ennis 2040 Strat egy. He said the initial plan is for it to become an interim car park with a part 8 planning application to be lodged in 2023. He described it as “a key site for development in the town”.

A deal has also been agreed for the former Ennis National School site to be transformed into a car park. City Cinemas Ltd have applied to Clare County Council for planning permis sion to develop a new temporary sur face car park with 156 spaces on the Kilrush Rd.

lPatrick Ballard

Father and son avoid jail for ‘Wild West’ farm scene

by GORDON DEEGAN

AFATHER

and son have narrow ly avoided jail for their role in a chaotic late night farm yard scene compared by a judge to something from the Wild West.

At Kilrush District Court on Tuesday, Judge Mary Larkin imposed prison terms on Denis Waters (53) and his son, Brian Wa ters (25) after they confronted Gardai with a pitch-fork and a calving jack during a late night incident at Derreen, Tullycrine near Kilrush on October 26th last year.Judge Lar kin imposed a six month prison term on De nis Waters and a three month prison term on his son, Brian. However, Judge Larkin imposed community service orders in lieu of the prison terms after the Probation Ser vice deemed both father and son suitable for community work.

Judge Larkin has ordered Denis Waters to carry out 160 hours community work and Brian Waters 120 hours community work in lieu of the prison terms. Judge Larkin said that Denis Waters "has primary responsibil ity" for the obstruction of Gardai “and the carry-on on the night”. Judge Larkin stated, “It is quite extraordinary how this situation

kicked off. I am not happy with the way they conducted themselves. You can’t have people obstructing Gardai and threatening them with pitchforks”.

Judge Larkin said that Brian Waters was being disingenuous in his interview with the Probation Officer when stating that his physical involvement “was to stop a Garda interfering with a cow calving”.

At an earlier hearing into the case, solic itor for Denis Waters, Patrick Moylan said that “chaos” unfolded after Brian Waters looked on at around 1.30am on October 26th last to see Gardai pursue his father, De nis into the farm-yard.

Solicitor for Brian Waters, John Casey said that “out of nothing, all hell broke loose” in the farm-yard as his client was helping a cow to calve at the time when Denis Waters and Gardai entered the yard.

Judge Larkin stated, "If it was the Wild West you would say something but this is supposed to be a civilised country”.

Mr Moylan said that Denis Waters had earlier driven to the local pub “to have a few drinks” on the night and he got a call to return home as Brian was having trouble with a cow calving. Mr Moylan said that the cow was in difficulty and he left the pub to get into the car to return home to help Brian

with the cow.

Sgt Louis Moloney said that Denis Wa ters had taken off at speed from the pub at Tullycrine in the direction of Kilrush. Sgt Moloney said that the Garda patrol car ac tivated the blue lights and siren but Mr Wa ters failed to stop. Sgt Moloney said that Mr Waters took a right turn to a farmhouse and Gardai wanted to arrest Denis Waters on suspicion of drink driving. Both cars arrived at the farm-yard.

However, Garda were prevented from ar resting Denis Waters when he picked up the calving jack in the farm yard and started to swing it and it came close to Garda Gerard Summerly's head.

Sgt Moloney said that Garda Summerly was pushed back by Brian Waters on nu merous occasions who went to a shed and picked up a pitchfork and told Garda Sum merly 'I am going to give it to you’.

Sgt Moloney stated that while Brian Wa ters “was prodding the pitch fork forward Garda Summerly, he had no option but to deploy his OC (Pepper) spray in a bid to protect himself”. Sgt Moloney said that Gardai from Ennis and Kilrush came to the scene. Sgt Moloney said that Denis Waters made good his escape into the fields behind the farm yard. The following morning, De

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nis Waters presented himself to the local superintendent. In the case, Judge Larkin has already imposed on Denis Waters a six year driving ban after he pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and a four year driving ban for dangerous driving and fines of €800.

Brian Waters had pleaded guilty to pro ducing a pitchfork during the course of a dispute and obstructing a Garda during the course of his duties. Denis Waters also pleaded guilty to obstructing a Garda.

Local, Loyal,

lThe incident occurred at Tullycrine

HPV catch-up programme named in honour of Laura

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

ANATIONAL

vaccine catch up programme has been named in honour of a late En nis health advocate.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly (FF) announced on Thursday that a new HPV vac cine catch up programme would be named in honour of the late Laura Brennan, who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the vaccine upon receiving a ter minal diagnosis. The Ennis na tive died from cervical cancer in March 2019, at the age of 26.

During the last 18 months of her life, she had a huge impact on the improvement of HPV vacci nation rates, uptake increased to 90 percent in Clare and 50 percent in other parts of Ireland before Laura’s death. In mid-No vember, the Laura Brennan HPV Catch-Up Programme will be launched and will see all boys and girls in secondary schools

and women up to the age of 25 able to avail of a vaccine for free.

Speaking at University Hos pital Limerick (UHL), Minister Donnelly noted how Laura’s ef forts were “so incredibly effec tive” in driving an uptake of the vaccine. He said, “Laura Brennan is the epitome of inspiration for all of us. Even when faced with a terminal diagnosis, Laura dedi cated herself to promoting the HPV vaccine to ensure that as few families as possible would have to go through the rigours of cancer treatment and end-of-life care as she did”.

Minister Donnelly stated, “The Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine programme is a fitting tribute to the memory and the tireless efforts Laura made to encour age young people to take up this vaccine. Vaccines save lives and, through screening and vaccina tion, we are working to eliminate cervical cancer in Ireland – I re ally cannot think of a better way to remember Laura”.

Last September, Laura would

have turned 30, her mother Ber nie recounted. “The reality of living with cancer, and then life after cancer when someone pass es away means that we miss out on milestone celebrations with our loved ones. To see the HPV Catch-Up Programme named in Laura’s memory is a comfort and a testament to Laura’s dedication to increasing the uptake of the HPV vaccine. I urge all parents to discuss HPV vaccination with their children and encourage them to take it – vaccines prevent cancer. Prevention is better than cure and prevention is definitely better than no cure”.

Kevin, Laura’s brother who has continued to spread her message to promote the uptake of her passing said, “It is an honour to have the programme named after Laura and it is testament to Lau ra’s dedication to increasing the uptake of the HPV vaccine while she was with us”. He thanked Minister Donnelly “for recognis ing Laura’s efforts with this hon our”.

lFITTING TRIBUTE: Laura Brennan's family pictured with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly

Council rebuff GAA land rezoning bid

by GORDON DEEGAN

THEChief Executive of Clare County Council has rebuffed a bid by Clare GAA to have “a large area of land” at Clare castle near Ennis rezoned for housing.

As part of its bid, the Management Committee of Clare GAA employed KPMG to make a submission requesting that lands currently zoned for recreation with a smaller area of land to the north of the site zoned as ‘carparks’ around Clare GAA’s HQ at Clareabbey, Clarecastle be rezoned for housing.

Any rezoning from ‘recreation’ to 'resi dential' would greatly inflate the value of the lands which is mainly made up of a GAA pitch.

As part of the consultation concern ing the Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029, KPMG presented the de mand for housing in Clare and the study area along with an analysis of planning permissions in the pipeline.

Making the case for the rezoning of the Clare GAA owned Clareabbey site,

KPMG contended that if current trends of inactivity continue, the Draft Plan will not deliver upon its housing targets to meet population growth of 1,550 units and 2,705 people in Ennis.

However in his report to councilllors ahead of a meeting this Thursday to dis cuss submissions, the Council’s chief ex ecutive, Pat Dowling has recommended no change to the zoning of the site in the Draft Clare County Development Plan

lGAA HQ, Clareabbey

2023- 2029 on the basis of the submis sion. In his report, Mr Dowling noted that the submission “relates to a large area of land zoned ‘Recreation’.

Mr Dowling said that he was satisfied that a sufficient quantum of land has been zoned within Ennis and its environs to accommodate the required amount of housing units to meet the needs of the al located population growth for the town over the plan period 2023-2029.

Nuns' land value to soar

THE MARKET value of a convent and adjoining land owned by an order of nuns in Ennis is set to soar, writes Gordon Deegan

This follows the Sisters of Mercy successfully mak ing the case to Clare County Council planners that their accommodation and grounds along Bóthar na Trócaire opposite the Dunnes Stores retail outlet in Ennis be rezoned from ‘community’ to ‘mixed use’ in the new draft Clare County Development Plan.

The Sisters of Mercy employed Ennis firm P Cole man & Associates to advance the case for the rezon ing of their landholding. The submission states that the convent contains 24 ensuite bedrooms, sitting room, sun lounge, kitchen, dining area, reception rooms and chapel. The subject property is currently zoned ‘community' in the Clare Development Plan 2017-2023 and the Council was proposing to con tinue the ‘community’ zoning in the new draft De velopment Plan 2023-2029.

The Coleman submission sought that the ‘Com munity’ zoning objective proposed for the property be removed and a zoning objective of ‘Mixed Use’ be applied to the full property in the Clare County Development Plan, 2023-2029. The Coleman sub mission states that the request is to allow for the possible redevelopment of the subject property in the future.

In response, Clare County Council Chief Exec utive, Pat Dowling stated: “I have no objection to the requested change in zoning of the Convent from community to mixed use”. He said, “This change in zoning objective would allow for a greater range of uses for any potential reuse of the site in the future should such a need arise”.

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Strengthening

tool' for

PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

CREATING

a unique selling point (USP) for Shannon Airport was among the main focuses of a strategy devised by management during the pandemic.

Shannon Airport has enjoyed a post-pan demic bounce with Ryanair announcing plans for its biggest ever summer sched ule next year, the addition of a third Shan non-based aircraft, a €10m heavy mainte nance facility and the most recent lift with United Airlines confirming the return of a

daily service to Chicago.

Earlier this year, Shannon Airport lifted the 100ml restriction on liquids that are tak en on board flights. The restriction on liq uids of more than 100ml no longer applies for outbound passengers at Shannon Air port, and passengers can travel with larger quantities of liquids as long as they fit into a cabin bag. It was part of a €2.5m investment in security screening which also eliminates the need to remove laptops from bags.

At present, Shannon is still only operating at around a third of its capacity. It’s expected that it will be 2024 before the full comple ment of US services return.

, CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine

explained that this was all part of efforts to make it a more enticing place to fly to and from. “It was a very difficult period as you know,” she said of the pandemic. “We de cided to use the time wisely to invest for the future because none of us knew how long it would continue, it was about making that investment to upgrade our critical airport infrastructure and look at what would make it easier for our passengers to get through.

Unique Selling Point

“We wanted to have a USP (unique sell ing point) when we reopened and the in vestment we made in baggage screening but importantly in the security screening equip ment upstairs has meant it’s much easier for passengers to get through the Airport, they no longer have to remove liquids and gels from their cabin baggage, there’s no 100ml on the liquids going through and they don’t need to take out electronic devices, what that means is they get through security much quicker and easier”.

She continued, “Similarly we do combined screening at central search so for passen gers going to the US, they don’t need to go through a secondary security check which is a cost to the airline and an inconvenience to the passenger, all of that is removed in Shannon by the measures we’ve implement ed. We’ve continued investment right across the campus, not only in the Airport but our property portfolio, all of that is generating more economic activity in Shannon but also in the broader region we’ve seen the spin off from that”.

An incentive scheme agreed with Shan non Airport has regularly been cited by Ry anair management as a big influence when it comes to adding more routes. It’s part of the armoury used by The Shannon Airport Group to grow its offering, Mary comment ed.

“We’re competing internationally to win airlines and win routes into the west of Ire land, we need to be very competitive, we need to have a very compelling offer and I think we have both of those. We’ve offered very attractive incentive schemes to our carriers to encourage additional capacity and bring in new routes, we’ve worked to streamline our own cost base to make sure we’re efficient and we’ve invested to make sure the infrastructure is best in class. It’s a combination of all things but it’s a very competitive market place and we need to be out there constantly competing for new business”.

Additional jobs

On the impact of the extra Ryanair air craft, Mary stated, “When they base extra aircraft here it’s the opportunity to put more

routes in and more capacity, for next sum mer Ryanair have announced that they will be operating 24 routes from Shannon, that includes two new routes to Newcastle and Béziers in France, they are a very important airline partner for us and we’re delighted to have worked with them to achieve this addi tional investment for Shannon”.

“A new aircraft based in Shannon means additional direct jobs for the Ryanair crew in Shannon but all the indirect jobs for the service providers and importantly all the passengers that are brought in and out of Shannon contribute to the economy in the broader region, that is very important, that is on top of the investment that Ryanair made in Shannon earlier this year by tak ing on hangar five from us, that’s one of 10 hangars that we have here on our campus in Shannon, it’s a significant investment and the creation of highly skilled jobs in that heavy based maintenance hangar”.

New Chairman

At the end of March, founder and chair of Fibrus, Conal Henry was announced as the Chairman of the Shannon Airport Group. He was also Commercial Director at Ry anair, spending two years working under Michael O’Leary during this time the com pany grew from handling 6.5 million pas sengers, to 22 million.

When asked if Conal’s addition has been a key factor in strengthening the links be tween Shannon Airport and Ryanair, Mary said, “We’ve a very good relationship with Ryanair, they’re here 35 years, we were the first Airport to announce a deal with them post-pandemic as things started to open up in July 2021.

"Ryanair came down in August and an nounced a second based unit, we’ve a really positive relationship and we’ve continued to build and work on that with them.

"We’ve a very strong Board under the Chairmanship of Conal Henry, they are a huge support to the management team here, we work very closely with our Board, that relationship is very important. We had a strong Board and it’s about the dynamic with a commercial focus and everybody working together, that is the most critical thing”.

Tourism Ireland’s $1m campaign in the United States is pushing Shannon Airport as the gateway to The Wild Atlantic Way has been “very helpful,” she admitted.

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lINVESTMENT: CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine

Photo by Joe Buckley

Colleran departs from Chief Superintendent role

CLARE’s

now former Chief Superintendent, Seán Colleran has said he would have em braced the opportunity to lead the merger of the county’s Garda Division with Tipperary but is pleased to continue to climb the ranks within An Garda Síochána.

Appointed Chief Supt in June 2019, Colleran’s time in Clare came to an end on Monday as he assumed responsibility for his new role at Monaghan Garda Station.

Chief Supt Colleran spoke at length with The Clare Echo prior to his departure where his warmth for the county shone through and with it mixed emotions at leaving his office in Ennis Garda Station.

He said that no particular aspect of crime was unique to Co Clare and that he like any other senior Garda would love to see more Gardaí on the beat but explained that this was an issue of resources.

His Clare role also saw him be come a Chief Superintendent for the first time and a very proud mo ment in his career. “A lot of things

have to fall into place, there was a lot of top calibre candidates and a lot of it is about timing too. I was delighted to get it and to get Clare was the cherry on the top of it, in previous roles I worked with a lot of the predecessors here, Chief Supt John Kerin I worked with him when I was in the Regional Office in Galway, I knew exactly how well run Clare was and it was a very easy role to step into. Chief Supt Michael Gubbins who I replaced, he took up the role of the Head of CAB in Dublin, having someone like him as a very good friend to the people of Clare, we really have progressed a lot of investigations. Knowing people up there and hav ing the close contacts makes our job much easier”.

Seán’s father Paddy retired from An Garda Síochána twenty five years ago and served as his main inspiration for joining the Garda ranks. Paddy received a medal at a special Garda centenary event held in Ennis earlier this month, he previously served as a sergeant in Doonbeg in the 1960s.

Jacqueline O’Brien

On his highlights in Clare, Seán said, “We hit the ground running with The Irish Open, it’s been bookended by the most recent Women’s Irish Open in Dromo land which was very successful too. The visit of Vice President by

Mike Pence in September 2019 because it was brought forward a couple of days from what was ini tially planned so we had to change things, we built on the groundwork already in place from the visit of President Trump and all the other

VIPs that come through Shannon.

“There have been some very successful outcomes in investi gations from criminal trials and there’s more pending, you take a huge amount of satisfaction from that. I’m most satisfied with the resilience shown during COVID and how those investigations, a number of murder investigations occurred when COVID was at its peak, I remember seeing the re silience then, there was so many absences and Gardaí getting sick but the job got done, to see the resilience in times of huge crisis and stress of the Gardaí and sup ported by the Garda staff in getting good outcomes. Separate to that, seeing the relationships with our partner agencies, our stakeholders, I’m genuine when I say it was very comforting to know that support exists in the county of Clare and I’ve no doubt it exists in other di visions but from what I can see it was outstanding”.

For a full in-depth interview, subscribe to The Clare Echo at cla reecho.ie

O'Sullivan appointed Chief Superintendent

care for

whole

SEÁN Colleran’s promotion within the Garda ranks means that a new Chief Super intendent is to be appointed for the county, writes Páraic McMahon

Galway native Colleran has been ap pointed Regional Chief Superintendent of the North Western Region. He will be based at Monaghan Garda Station. Colleran was appointed to Chief Supt in Clare in June 2019 succeeding Michael Gubbins who was three months in the role before landing a promotion to run An Garda Síochána’s spe cial crime operations. He became the third Chief Supt in the space of six months fol lowing the retirement of John Kerin.

Prior to the Clare role, Seán worked in senior roles in a number of Garda stations in the West of the Country such as Superin tendent in Westport and Superintendent of the crime hub in the Galway Division.

He oversaw the Clare Garda Division during the pandemic, a time which saw lo cal Gardaí pay regular visits to cocooning elderly members of the population. He had initially expressed his desire to oversee the merger of both the Clare and Tipperary Di visions. His first major event in the county was the DDF Irish Open held in Lahinch in 2019.

Former Ennis and Ennistymon Superin tendent, Derek Smart moves from his role as Chief Superintendent of the Tipperary Garda Division back to the Limerick Gar da Division. The Limerick City native spent three years working in the Clare Garda Di

vision.

It’s part of the planned amalgamation of the Clare and Tipperary Garda Divisions with Chief Superintendent Colm O’Sul livan announced as the Chief Supt for the merged units. He is to be based at Ennis Garda Station.

Cork native O’Sullivan previously had a spell as Superintendent in Ennistymon. He is noted for his experience in major emer gency planning. In 2015, he was appointed as the regional officer at the Risk, Compli ance and Continuous Improvement Office in Cork.

O’Sullivan will become the first ever Chief Supt of the joint Clare and Tipper ary Garda Divisions. He will be the fourth Chief Supt based in Co Clare in the space of under four years (46 months).

Meanwhile, two-time All-Ireland win ning Clare hurler Ollie Baker has been pro moted to the role of Superintendent. He will be assigned to the Nenagh Garda District.

Superintendent Dermot O’Connor, a na tive of Ennis who is based at Henry Street Garda Station in Limerick City will as sume responsibility for the Limerick Crime Functional Area. He previously served in the Clare division. A similar promotion has been extended to Superintendent Kier an Ruane, he moves to Mayorstone Garda Station and focuses on the post for Per formance Assurance Functional Area, he formerly served as Inspector and Detective Inspector.

lSALUTE: Chief Supt, Seán Colleran Photo by John O'Neill

Enduring Powers of Attorney

Cashin Clancy Solicitors explain how this vital legal document works

HAVEyou ever given thought to what would hap pen if you were no longer mentally capable of making decisions for yourself, for example if you developed dementia, or an acute brain injury?

An Enduring Power of Attor ney is a legal document that sets out who you would like to man age your affairs should you reach a point in your life where you can no longer do so. It only comes into effect if you lose the ability to make such important decisions for your self.

Creating an Enduring Power of Attorney is a straightforward legal process.

1. Nominate Attorneys

You can nominate one or more Attorneys to “step into your shoes”, usually close family members, to manage your affairs if needed.

2. Choose what decisions your Attorneys can make

You can authorise your Attor neys to manage your finances, pay your bills, maintain your house, to include selling it, if necessary and

also to make personal care deci sions on your behalf such as where you should live, whom you should see, etc.

3. Consult your Solicitor

Your Solicitor will prepare the legal documents necessary to cre ate the Enduring Power of Attor ney.

4. Meet with your Doctor

Your Doctor will have to sign a

Medical Statement confirming you have the mental capacity to under stand what you are doing.

5. Sign the Enduring Power of Attorney

You will have to sign the legal documents. Your nominated At torneys will also have to sign doc umentation confirming they are accepting their roles, and notice is also given to certain family mem

bers.

lSOLICITORS:

object to the registration if you or they feel it is appropriate to do so. Importantly, the Enduring Power of Attorney can be revoked if you subsequently become capable of managing your affairs.

All too often, we leave it too late to put in place the proper struc tures to best protect us in the fu ture. Creating an Enduring Power of Attorney when in good physical and mental health is a very wise move and will make life easier for you and your loved ones in the un fortunate event of becoming men tally incapacitated.

If you become incapacitated in the future, your Attorneys must apply to the High Court to regis ter the Enduring Power of Attor ney to “step into your shoes”. They must also have confirmation from your Doctor that you are no lon ger mentally capable of managing your affairs.

They must notify you and fami ly members giving opportunity to

Clare premises searched in Garda and INTERPOL operation

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

PREMISES in Clare were searched by Interpol and An Garda Síochána as part of a worldwide clampdown into online scams including romance frauds.

An Garda Síochána and INTERPOL combined with law enforcement agen cies across 13 countries on four conti nents under Operation JACKAL.

A total of nine premises between Clare and Dublin were searched, 11 persons were arrested and detained under organised crime legislation, 23 persons were arrested for the purpose of charging, 62 charges of money laun dering were made and three organised crime offences.

As part of this, a week of interna tional Law Enforcement action was planned for the week commencing the 26th of September 2022. Led by the Garda National Economic Crime Bu reau (GNECB) due to the volume of arrests/ detentions/ charges in Ireland, the period of action commenced in mid-August. The searches and deten tions were conducted by GNECB. The arrests for charging were conducted by local districts such as Tallaght, Tralee, Portlaoise, Navan, Limerick, Cork and Waterford. An Garda Síochána opera tions were supported by two seconded members from INTERPOL.

Operation JACKAL is called Op eration SKEIN in Ireland, it is an on going investigation into international Business Email Compromise (BEC), invoice re-direct, romance fraud be ing committed from Ireland, and the laundering of the proceeds through ac counts in this jurisdiction.

It is the assessment of GNECB/ IN TERPOL that this Criminal Organ isation is the Black AXE, a Criminal Organisation formed in West Africa in the mid-1970s and which is now oper ating worldwide.

This investigation began with a re quest for assistance from an EU coun try, via EUROPOL in early 2020. €1.1 million was stolen in a BEC fraud and laundered through Asia. The fake emails originated from Ireland. Elec tronic devices seized during this in vestigation, analysed in co-operation with International Law Enforcement indicated for the first time that this Criminal Organisation was operating from Ireland and not just laundering through Ireland.

To date, investigations can link just over €40 million as having been stolen and so laundered. In excess of another €10 million laundered using the same MO is being considered as to whether it is connected to this Criminal Organ isation. A previous GNECB investiga tion, called Operation JOGGLE, iden tified another €14 million as laundered

in the same fashion.

It is the current assessment of GNECB that all these are connected which shows that over €64 million has laundered through Ireland. The assess ment of GNECB is based on briefings received from Police forces worldwide on the MOs used, intelligence received and the results of analysis and assess ment of evidence gathered as part of this ongoing investigation. This evi dence is from bank accounts uplift ed, arrests of suspects and analysis of phones and other devices seized.

To date, over 40 devices containing valuable intelligence, information and evidence have been seized, download ed, assessed and analysed. Assistance was sought from international Police Forces through EUROPOL to assist with the examination and analysis of these phones. GNECB have worked with INTERPOL on this investigation and have attended and briefed interna tional Law Enforcement at operational meetings.

The bank accounts used to launder this €64 odd million money belongs to Irish residents who are recruited as money mules by what are known as mule herders. Money mules are re cruited via social media or through friends or at parties. On some occa sions, young people with drug debts pay off their drug debts by allowing their accounts to be used.

For further information visit our website www.cashinclancy. ie/wills-and-epa/#epa or contact us on 065 6840060 or by email to enquiries@cashinclancy.ie and we will gladly guide you through the process. This article does not con stitute legal advice and where an opinion is expressed, it is the per sonal opinion of the author only and not of the firm or the paper.

Clare County Council is currently inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the below competitions. 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.

• Executive Technician

(Active Travel Programme) Panel, 2022

Completed applications must be emailed to: recruitment@clarecoco.ie not later than 4.00 p.m. on Tuesday 8th November 2022

• Executive Librarian

(Grade 6) Panel, 2022

Completed applications must be emailed to: recruitment@clarecoco.ie not later than 4.00 p.m. on Tuesday 8th November 2022

Application forms and further particulars may be obtained by requesting same from the Human Resources Department, Clare County Council at 065-6846432, via e-mail: recruitment@clarecoco.ie or can be downloaded from the following website: www.clarecoco.ie

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

Scriobh chugainn as gaeilge más fearr leat.

Cashin Clancy's Sheila Lynch, Pamela Clancy and Angela Woulfe Photo by Natasha Barton

Clampdown needed on buses using 'rat runs' to get to Cliffs of Moher

the problem with buses on rural roads,” he stated. Referencing the presence of both Cllr Shane Talty (FF) and Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) on the Cliffs of Moher Board, he asked if they would “consider taking action”.

Seconding the proposal, Cllr Talty said “a coordinated approach is key. We can keep bringing it up and keep talking about it but if there is evidence which you will see you if park at the cross for a day, who do you give the file to”.

Serious issues surrounding mobility in North Clare have been caused as a result, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) observed. “We have north of Ennistymon the most visited and trafficked area for tourism in the county and the most marketed area. We can see there are very problematic rat runs, the most fa mous is between Kilfenora and Doolin, it is the most unsuited road to be used as a hiway.”

lBuses squeeze by each other on a narrow road

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

BUSoperators who did not use al located routes to the Cliffs of Mo her should not be allowed to part at the visitor centre, a North Clare councillor has argued.

Cllr Liam Grant (GP) has flagged that nu merous bus operators are “using unsuitable roads to travel to tourist attractions in North Clare”.

He urged the Council to contact the National Transport Authority requesting “stricter enforcement of the allocated routes. I would also request that the Cliffs of Moher consider not allowing bus operators who do not take the allocated routes park at the vis itor centre”.

Acting senior executive officer in the West Clare Municipal District, John O’Malley outlined, “if there is evidence that licensed tour operators are not complying with the li censes on the routes that they are taking this

should be highlighted to the NTA and Clare County Council. The Cliffs of Moher are re sponsible for managing their facility. Simi larly licensed tour operators are required to comply with their licenses and where issues are highlighted this is communicated to the NTA. Not all coaches that visit the Cliffs are licensed due to the nature of their opera tions”.

Cllr Grant questioned what evidence the local authority was looking for and how it could be highlighted properly. “We all know

Sat Nav companies are causing “a prob lem,” Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) agreed. He cited the route off the right of Kilnaboy NS as not having the capability to deal with heavy traf fic, “several buses have tried to take the turn to come back and have been caught, inex perienced drivers have suffered greatly with hedgerows in the area. It is something we need to be proactive on”.

Concerns of the elected representatives were acknowledged by senior executive engi neer, Enda MacNamara, “we all agree there’s issues in some instances with licenced oper ators”. He said that local authority staff met with the NTA on the subject of unlicensed operators last year, when incorrect routes are abused the Council is to flag the matter with the NTA, “we have a contact, they have enforcement officers to go to the location and stop the operator where they are using routes they shouldn’t”. On the spot fines are not possible, MacNamara confirmed.

SHANNON NEWS

in association with

Caution advised on Drumgeely Rd changes

A SHANNON councillor has said the local author ity should “err on the side of caution” to the potential provision of a pedestri an crossing in Drumgeely, writes Páraic McMahon

Staff in the Shannon Mu nicipal District have con firmed that the location on the Drumgeely Rd in Shan non at the bus stop above the Gort Rd cross will be nominated for a low cost safety measure scheme.

Senior executive engineer, Tom Mellett advised, “if suc cessful (this) will deliver a pedestrian crossing in 2023”.

He added, “there is limit ed fund allocated from 2022

GMA (General Municipal Allocation) which will be used to enhance accessibili ty at the bus stop this year”.

Provision of a pedestrian crossing had been sought by Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF).

“At certain times of the day people find it hard to cross the road at this bus stop,” he explained.

Inspiration to pen the pro posal came after Cllr O’Gor man was out for dinner one evening with a friend where certain issues were relayed back to him.

“For 70 per cent of the day there is no issue but with the traffic and people coming to and from work there is an

issue at peak times.

"Hopefully it will be a suc cess going forward”.

While he seconded the motion, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) urged the Council to “err on the side of caution”.

He continued, “I have a lot of friends and family using it and there hasn’t been any complaints.

"Motorists are very sensi tive to people who are using the bus shelters which we were delighted to get.

"Be careful what you do with the road, we fought long and hard to keep it open as an emergency en trance”.

Regular maintenance of River Walk will entice 'more outsiders'

PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

OVERGROWTH

along the Riv er Walk in Shannon Town is hindering outsiders from par taking in the weekly Park Run, an elected representative has claimed.

Calls for Clare County Council’s envi ronmental section to put in place a regular maintenance contract to maintain the River Walk were made by Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) at a recent sitting of the Shannon Municipal District.

He said that other recreation facilities used by the public in the area should also be included in this maintenance work.

He stated, “The current maintenance ar rangements are more reactive to complaints rather than a strategic approach to the regu lar maintenance of public facilities”.

Senior executive engineer, Tom Mellett explained that the maintenance of public

realm areas under the Council’s control falls within the remit of the MD offices. He out lined, “Shannon Municipal District Office has been carrying out maintenance along the river walk and is exploring ways to im prove on current practice. Significant works have taken place in recent months through the outdoor recreation infrastructure fund and this office is committed to continually exploring ways to further enhance this pop ular amenity”.

“This is a bigger issue, it needs to be tack led from a resources point of view,” Cllr Flynn responded. He recalled the “success ful” facilities implemented by the Council during the pandemic. “Maintenance is one of the biggest issues troubling public rep resentatives, they see us as the face of Clare County Council and they get vexed with us”.

Informing the meeting that she volunteers at the River Walk “most Saturdays with the Park Run,” Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) said organisers have “been applauding the work done which has been great for them but they can’t get people outside of Shannon in be cause of the overgrowth”.

lAMENITY: Shannon Municipal District Office has been carrying out maintenance along the river walk

Donnelly cold on prospect of Ennis Hospital upgrade

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

MINISTER for Health, Stephen Donnelly (FF) has said an upgrade of Ennis Hospital to model three status is unlikely but expressed hope an elective only hospital can be constructed in the Mid-West region.

Ennis Hospital has been sug gested as a remedy to the ongoing problems of overcrowding at Uni versity Hospital Limerick (UHL) which is the only model three hos pital for the entire region.

Calls to upgrade Ennis and re open its emergency department have been voiced locally by health

activists, most notably the MidWest Hospital Group. However such bids continue to meet politi cal and departmental resistance.

Speaking at UHL on Thursday, Minister Donnelly all but ruled out a second model three hospital for the Mid-West region, serving as a blow to the calls to utilise either Ennis, Nenagh or St John’s in this capacity.

Instead, Minister Donnelly be lieved a new consultant contract would aid both model two hos pitals in the Mid-West. He was at UHL to turn the sod on a 96 bed block at UHL that is set to take two years to complete.

Minister Donnelly was more optimistic on the prospect of an elective only hospital for the re

gion. The Taoiseach, Micheál Mar tin (FF) has said he is in favour of such a facility and now Minister Donnelly has hinted it may be ex plored further by Government. The Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar (FG) has said the delivery of an elective-only hospital would take take six years from start to finish.

Proposals for a new 150-bed pri vate unit to be built in Limerick with the University of Pittsburgh are at the pre-planning stage.

On Wednesday morning, UL Hospitals Group appealed to the public to consider all other care options before presenting at the emergency department in UHL, with over 270 patients having at tended on consecutive days this week.

North Clare man charged with dangerous driving causing death of Lisdoonvarna woman

by GORDON DEEGAN

A 38-year old North Clare man has appeared in court charged with the dangerous driving causing the death of Stephanie Fitzpatrick. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday (October 19), Damian McNamara of Lis satunna, Ennistymon appeared after being charged with the dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Fitzpatrick at Cloonaveigh, Lahinch Rd, Ennistymon on Saturday, Feb ruary 19th this year.

Ms Fitzpatrick was a front seat passenger in the 05-D registered car at the time of the fatal road crash. In evidence of arrest, charge and caution at 10.10am before court at En nis courthouse on Wednesday, Sgt David O'Connor of Ennistymon Garda Station told the court that Mr McNamara made ‘no reply’ after caution.

Judge Mary Larkin granted legal aid to so

licitor, Daragh Hassett to represent Mr Mc Namara in the case.

Mr Hassett said that it was “a serious mat ter”. Mr Hassett said that he had no ques tions for Sgt O’Connor on the arrest, charge and caution of his client.

Sgt Aiden Lonergan stated that the Direc tor of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has direct ed that the case go forward on indictment to the circuit court. Sgt Lonergan stated that Gardai had no objection to bail provided that Mr McNamara surrender his passport and have no contact with material witnesses in the case. Mr Hassett said that he had no issue with the conditions for his client.

Sgt Lonergan said that the case could be adjourned to November 9th when Mr McNamara is due in court concerning a summary matter that will be dealt with by summons.Judge Larkin remanded Mr Mc Namara on bail to appear at Ennis District Court on November 9th.

lBEDS: Clinical Director Cancer Services UL Hospitals Group Dr Denis O'Keeffe, right, with ULHG CEO Prof Colette Cowan and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly Photo by Don Moloney

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

has been described as “a very confusing place for a pe destrian”.

Kilmihil 'a very confusing place for pedestrians' KILMIHIL

Installation of footpaths along the main street in Kilmihil from the entrance of the People’s Park up past the HSE health centre was sought by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) at a recent sitting of the West Clare Municipal District. His call was sec onded by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG).

Senior executive engineer, Alan Kennelly said a footpath is in place on the southern side of the main street between the People’s Park and the HSE health centre.

However, he explained, “the footpath lacks definition in places as there are sever al accesses crossing and houses of different set back distances. There is also an ESB pole right in the middle of one narrow section of the footpath which impedes access”.

Cllr Murphy noted, “the critical word is lack of definition. It’s a very confusing place for a pedestrian. The entrance to the People’s Park therein is very clear with a strong defi

nition of what a pedestrian should be doing but from there to the road is a little confus ing. If we’re serious about making people

Activity at the People’s Park is “increas

ing” by the month, Cllr Murphy stated. Drivers on the main street “tend to take it at a fair lick of speed,” the Kilkee representa tive added. “The ESB pole could well do with moving, from the view of someone with a mobility issue or young family with buggy that in itself would be a big start. There is no pedestrian crossing on that road and there are a significant amount of people living on that road, if it could all be built into one package it would be no harm”.

Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) said he has had “a lot of representations” regarding the footpath in recent weeks. “I would hate us to draw a yel low line and think it is finished, if we can do something with Active Travel and combine it to a crossing, it’s a footpath and crossing that needs to be done. It is quite difficult when it comes to crossing because of the lack of a footpath on both sides”. Agreement was voiced by Cllr PJ Kelly (FF).

An application is with the National Trans port Authority (NTA) on a potential Ac tive Travel scheme, “I’m hopeful we can do something with Kilmihil,” Kenneally outlined. “It is another positive brick in the wall,” Murphy responded.

walk to amenities, it behoves us to sort this definition”.

lKilmihil

PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

staffing

levels must exist at the Ennis Injury Unit to prevent sudden clo sures.

Short-term staffing deficits led to the temporary closure of the injury unit in August for one day.

Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) has requested Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly (FF) “to put in

place a contingency plan to ensure staffing levels are in place, so we don't have a reoccurrence of the closure of the Ennis injury unit”.

When announcing the closure, a spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group stated, “This decision has been made to ensure patient safe ty, which we strive to protect at all times.

Patient safety is lacking when West Clare residents have “to trav el an extra half hour for treatment,” Cllr McGettigan flagged.

She noted that attendances at the injury unit have been high since it

opened in April.

“For the people of Clare this is not good enough, there should be no closures,” the Shannon woman commented.

Such closures were “quite fright ening,” Cllr Mary Howard (FG) maintained. “It is worrying for the flu season and a potential COVID spike in the winter,” she said.

“The local injury unit in Ennis is well used, it needs a staffing ar rangement, there will be pinch points and they must be dealt with in a more efficient way,” the Ennis representative added.

Provision of a “fantastic service” has been evident at the unit, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) believed.

He supported the call for the contingency plan and felt the Minister needed to be “sensitive” to the request. “Centres of Excel lence have their place but you also have to have local support units,” he said.

The HSE need to “take note” of the motion, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) opined, “it is important staffing levels are put in place”. Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) remarked, “the injury unit is very effective but it needs to be

properly staffed”.

Sudden Ennis injury unit closures 'easily preventable' ADEQUATE

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) was in agreement, “the injury unit is cru cial to the 120,000 people in Clare and the amount of visitors we have”.Better preparation must be evident from UL Hospitals Group, Cllr Ann Norton (IND) stressed. “UHL are continuously advertis ing the injury unit in Ennis and then close it due to staff difficulties.

"If our CEO knew staff weren’t available, he would have a contin gency plan in place. I do believe UHL need to put a contingency plan in place”.

'Losing over four stone has given me confidence to start a new career with Slimming World'

PAMELA Vaughan (pictured right) had struggled with her weight for years but after discovering Slimming World, she has gained

a new lease of life and decided to completely transform her world.

Before joining Slimming World, Pamela

hated looking in the mirror or at photos of herself and her weight was really im pacting her life. “The turning point for me was when my daughter got sick earlier this year. I knew I’d have to look after her for several months and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it feeling as low as I did then and so unhappy in my self. I made the decision to join Louise’s Slimming World group in the Auburn Lodge in Ennis and I can honestly say, it’s the best decision I have ever made! I now feel amaz ing, and my confi dence is back.”

Pamela was amazed that the changes she had made had such an impact straight away. Even her friends and family were shocked by how much she could eat and still lose weight. She made simple changes to the way she prepared and cooked us ing lean cuts of meats and using a low-calorie spray instead of oil and she was still able to enjoy her favourite family meals such as Pasta Carbonara with chicken and bacon and of course Taco Chips. “The only difference is, they taste even better now,” says Pamela, and her family agrees.

Losing over 4 stone has also given Pamela the self-belief to change her life in other ways too. She is using her success to shape a new career. She has trained as a consultant for Slimming World, Ireland’s largest group-based weight loss organisation and is about to launch a new Slimming World group in Teach Ceol in Ennisty mon on Wednesday 26th October.

Understanding the psychology of weight loss is as important knowing the physiol ogy of how to lose weight and that’s why Slimming World’s expertise and over 50 years of experience in helping people lose weight has proved so successful.

Pamela can’t wait to share this exper tise in her groups starting next week in Ennistymon. She looks forward to showing her members how to make and maintain healthy behaviours and giving them the techniques to build re silience during these chal lenging times. The tools and support members gain at group help them to develop healthy habits for life, equipping them with the skills to face and overcome the inevitable challenges in their weight loss journey – even glob al pandemics – so they can manage their weight in the long term.

As a member, the confi dence and happiness Pame la has gained since joining Slimming World is undeni able. Now as a consultant, using her own personal experience, she hopes to create a warm, friendly group to give her members a sup portive atmosphere where they will have the encouragement to share their own experiences. “As someone who has lost weight myself, I know the challeng es people can face, which is why, along with the group, I will be there to support every one of my members all the way to achieving their chosen target weight”.

Pamela’s Slimming World group will launch on Wednesday 26th October at 5:30pm and 7pm in Teach Ceol, Ennisty mon. For more information, call/text her

PRAWNS PIL PIL

OWN GOAL FOR FLU VIRUS

Kearney Cooks

ILOVE

a five minute dish. I also love sea food. So today I am combining the two and making Prawns Pil Pil. This was always a favourite of mine to cook in restaurants I worked in as it took four minutes to do and we could get it out to the customer in jig time. The important thing with this recipe is to have all your ingredients ready in advance, because if you start frying prawns and then need to cut your garlic, trust me, you will make a pure balls of the seafood. Another thing to make sure of is that your pan is smoking hot (I'm talking Anna Kournikova hot) before cooking. If you

want to see how I do this dish then have a look at my Instagram @kearneycooks where I will stick up an instructional video at the weekend. Now I suppose we had better crack on.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 200g prawns

• 1 finely sliced chilli

• 3 finely sliced garlic cloves

• A wedge of lemon

• A handful of fresh parsley

• Salt and pepper to season

Step One

Season your prawns with black pepper. Also make sure your prawns are prop erly devained. That means that the little black vein that runs down the prawn's

gut is removed.

Step Two

In a small frying pan, heat your oil until it's smoking hot. Horse in the chilli, garlic and prawns. Cook until the prawns are pink all over, moving the pan around so that the garlic doesn't burn. This should take roughly three to four minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice and a pinch of salt right at the end of cooking.

Step Three

Serve it up in a fancy bowl, with a little bit of crusty bread, a wedge of lemon and a nice glass of white.

Enjoy Steve K

Spooks galore at Bunratty this Samhain

TIME travelling twists, creepy crypts and pagan roots are afoot at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park this year for a special Sam hain festival, writes Elaine Tubridy Focusing on old Irish traditions and a few modern twists, visitors are invited to come and experience Samhain from Octo ber 29th to November 2nd.

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Events Manager Marie Brennan said, “Hallow een is always an exciting time for us here at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, with lots of activities for all the family to enjoy, from the Creepy Crypt, and “Head Will Roll and Thriller” mini disco to the Halloween Spook Train ride, and our Fearsome Fairy Village where unpleasant creatures abide."

Visitors are warned to be on the lookout for the weird and wacky creepy characters who could just appear out of nowhere, among them the Frankenstein, The Minis ter of Death, an escaped convict and terri fying witches on the prowl. Visitors to the park will hear from the Bean an Tí’s, who will explain the types of food that typically would have been eaten in Samhain of old, including homemade Apple Pies, Bram brack, a slice of which must be left outside before you go to bed so that any passing Fa eries or Spirits may feast as well as bestow good luck upon your household.

Samhain activities at Bunratty run from October 29 to November 2. Visit www. bunrattycastle.ie/halloween for tickets.

lVACCINE: Marty Morrissey and @fabulouspharmacist Laura Dowling, along with team #flunited, launched a new campaign to highlight the importance of the children’s flu vaccine this winter. The ‘Flunited’ campaign is encouraging parents and guardians of children aged 2–17 years old to join the ‘Flunited’ team and make a collective effort to give flu the red card

Pilgrimage reflections

CAMOGIE COUNTY CHAMPIONS

RONAN SCULLY

Thought for the week

THE following thought for the week is a reflec tion from my recent pilgrim age to the amazing peaceful prayerful Medjugorje that made me look on and think about what are my values, hopes, morals, prayers and dreams for the future.

So the following are some meanderings of what I think are important val ues to lead a good, caring, prayerful, compassionate and loving caring life in service of my fellow human beings on our journey or pilgrimage of Life and to be only all for Jesus.

Prayerful Meanderings

When out and about each day look at the beauty of the sky no matter what the weather, time or the season; to do so draws you up and out of your thoughts whether they are good or not so good. Look at the Seas, Lakes, Rivers or Streams; in their flowing tides and ripples, and see its calms and its storms an analogy of what our lives can sometimes be for it will give you a sense of perspective. Look up from the ground as you walk and meet the world with compassion, love, care, faith, empathy, acceptance, prayer, forgiveness, hope and mercy. Live seasonally, healthily and sensibly if you can and enter fully to the joy and the beauty of each of our seasons, winter, summer, autumn and spring as they arise and then do not cling to them as they bid you farewell.

There is nothing you can do about the passing of time except to learn from the past and then be grate ful and live in the present and hope and pray for the future. Experiences with out reflection, prayer and meditation are just events. Experiences with reflec tion, prayer and meditation become wisdom and life

giving. Know the differ ence between the tears that purify and the tears that do not. Never hold back the former. Touch, taste, smell, feel, see, pray, meditate and listen deeply to all that is, remember, if it exists it has meaning even if it does not reveal it to you.

Living plants and flowers are better than cut plants and flowers but always try and have a little bit of the God given beauty and life enhancing forces of nature near you. Live so as to cause as little harm to other human beings as is possible especially to our children. Protect our chil dren and their chance of a good childhood always for they are a true gift of God. Advocate and stand up for our faith in God, the weak, marginalized, homeless, orphaned, abandoned, the downtrodden, the diaspora, the refugee and those on the edges of our societies and be only all for Jesus.

Pray always Rise if you can with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray often. Go to mass and confession. God will listen, if you only speak. Be tol erant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance. Search for yourself, be yourself and be the person God wants you to be. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road and yours alone.

Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It

is not yours. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth - whether it be people, animals or plants. Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week be the first to help those most in need. When a new day begins, be the first to smile gratefully. When there is darkness, be the first to shine a light. When there is injustice and inequality, be the first to condemn it. When something seems difficult, be the first to do it anyway. When life seems to beat you down, be the first to fight back. When there seems to be no hope, be the first to find some especially in Our God.

When you’re feeling tired, be the first to keep going. When times are tough, be the first to be tougher. When love hurts you, be the first to love again. When someone is hurting, be the first to help them heal. When another is lost, abandoned, orphaned, homeless or refugee, be the first to help them find the way. When our soldiers, our farmers, our nurses, our emergency workers, our doctors, our teachers, our gardai, our elderly, our homeless, our lost, our people in direct provision, our refugees, our diaspora, our aban doned and those excluded to the edges of our society and all their families need our help and support, be the first to help and sup port them. When a friend falls, be the first to extend a hand.

When you feel great, be the first to help someone else feel great too. When the day has ended, be the first to feel as if you've done your best. Be the best you can be and show gratitude at all times and Pray for what is right not for what you want and always pray to do the right thing and be only all for Jesus. Finally; before all else and above all else; act justly, love tender ly and walk humbly with your God. Amen.

lWELL DONE: Alison McGee and Lynda Daly are congratulated by Scariff/Ogonnelloe coach Pat Minogue following their success in the Clare senior camogie championship final on Saturday

Photo by Ruth Griffin

Malbay Studios toget MÓRglór award

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

AMILTOWN

Malbay fami ly are to be honoured this weekend with the prestigious MÓRglór award.

Malbay Studios under the direction of Martin, Anne and Sean O’Malley on Saturday will receive the an nual accolade.

With the vista of the Atlantic as a back drop, Malbay Studios is an integral part of the musical landscape of Clare. Under the careful and patient stewardship of Martin O’Malley, Malbay Studios has a reputation of distinction in recording, production and mastering since its establishment in 1997. Malbay Studios hosts music makers from many musical traditions, and from many places; most especially, it has con tributed immeasurably to the community of traditional music in County Clare.

O’Malley musical genes run deep in West Clare and the studio builds on those solid foundations in the 21st century. By way of Dublin roots and Boston travels, settling in Miltown Malbay was a home coming for Martin and his wife Anne, his partner in the business. Joined by his son,

Seán O’Malley, Malbay Studios is truly a family enterprise.

With almost 30 years’ experience, Mar tin’s distinction as a sound engineer is matched by his standing as a songwriter and musician. That musicianship is key to his success as a sound engineer, bringing technical and musical mastery to record ing and live event engineering.

Though on the edge of Clare, Malbay Studios is central to the music communi ty and includes an enviable roll call of art ists, including the Kilfenora Céilí Band, Tommy Peoples, Josephine Marsh, Donal Lunny & the Atlantic Arc Orchestra, and Cherish the Ladies, among many others.

Martin’s vision for a first-class studio space where any fiddler, singer or piper would feel welcome and thrive, has been fully realised. Malbay Studios is a testa ment to Martin’s dedication to excellence, to place and to traditional music.

This Saturday, musicians across the country along with the people of Clare will come together to acknowledge a depth of gratitude to Malbay Studios for their enormous contribution to tradition al Irish music with a concert in glór fea turing the family, friends, and extended family, along with some of the most re nowned traditional musicians and sing ers in the county and the country.

Colomer explores local scenes and lockdown life

lWATERCOLOUR: Ennis based Ana Colmer was the latest artist to take part in Sweet n Green's art exhibition series. Ana works as a community artist and arts educator. She is a tutor for Creative Youth (LCETB), Creative Associate for Creative Schools (Arts Council), and also an Associate Artist for Helium Arts. Ana’s creative practice includes puppetry, animation, film, and multimedia installations that combine three or four elements, but her formal training and her passion has always been painting. She uses different techniques and themes, but watercolours and portraiture are two of her favorites. Work exhibited at Sweet n Green consisted of urban watercolor landscapes depicting Ennis and some acrylic portraits on canvas. These portraits somehow reflect human behaviour during the lockdown in recent years. Website: www.anacolomer.com

'Concert with a difference'

MOUNTSHANNON will host a harp concert with a difference this Saturday (October 22nd), writes Páraic McMahon

Erin Durrett and Christina Tourin will join to gether to present ‘Songs of Hildegard and the Ear ly Saints’ with Blossom Harps and guests from the USA. The event is hosted by Mountshannon Arts at St Caimin’s Church in Mountshannon, commenc ing at 7:30pm.

Internationally renowned harp educator, Christi na Tourin is one of the most accomplished harpists of her generation, delighting audiences with her performances worldwide. Soprano Erin Durrett who loves music of all times, genres, and cultures with a special passion for scared chant is Director of Music Ministries at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Vashon Island. Blossom Harps is di rected by Lizzie Affolter who initiated the Blossom Harp Festival in Tuamgraney in 2016, which has now become the Tuamgraney Harp Festival.

Hildegard of Bingen was a saint, composer and poet and it's only recently that her songs, writings and remarkable life and visions have been rediscov ered. She was born over 900 years ago and for most of her 80-plus years was shut away in an obscure hilltop monastery in the Rhineland. She left behind a treasure-trove of illuminated manuscripts, schol arly writings and songs written for her nuns to sing at their devotions.

Interest in Hildegard started to grow around the 800th anniversary of her death in 1979, when Philip Pickett and his New London Consort gave possibly the first performances of four of Hildegard’s songs.

Tickets costing €10 are available on www.mount shannonarts.ie.

lMUSIC MAKERS: Sean, Anne and Martin O’Malley

GREEN CLARE

Scariff based Seed Savers celebrated in new book

PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

ASCARIFF

social enterprise working to conserve Ireland’s plant genetic resources has been celebrated in a new book.

Irish Seed Savers Association was the venue in recent days for the latest in-person launch of ‘Other Stories, Cultural Heritage & Society’. The Association’s Scar riff hub was a hive of activity as the local group gathered with representatives of In ternational Council on Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) Ireland and many others who contributed to the book.

ICOMOS Ireland funded the free book which showcases the work and importance of 15 culture, heritage and society projects on the island of Ireland.

Head of Irish Seed Savers Association, Elaine Bradley, welcomed the publication and the vital role it plays in showcasing the community-led approach to heritage con servation at Irish Seed Savers. “Not alone does Irish Seed Savers curate the heritage seed and apple trees entrusted to our care, but we preserve the stories and memories

of those who have tended and maintained these vital plant genetic resources through generations. In this time of catastrophic bio diversity loss, the plant genetic materials we hold are the building blocks of future food systems and the stories associated with them are the blue prints for their use – wisdom gleaned over generations,” she said.

Speaking at the launch, Fidelma Mullane, President of ICOMOS Ireland, commented, “The Faro Convention emphasises the im portant aspects of heritage as they relate to human rights and democracy. It promotes a wider understanding of heritage and its re lationship to communities and society. The Convention encourages us to recognise that objects and places are not, in themselves, what is important about cultural heritage. They are important because of the meanings and uses that people attach to them and the values they represent.”

The publication captures the invaluable work done by Irish Seed Savers Association and examines how it and each of the fea tured projects started, what sustains them, and their broader impact as well as how they give us all a much greater appreciation of heritage and its relationship to communities and society.

The launch is part of a nationwide tour which also visits Mayo and Fermanagh

and ends in Dublin in late November. Free copies of Other Stories are available at each event, thanks to the support and funding from the Heritage Council, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dub lin City Council and Dublin Port Company.

The specially selected projects included in the book are X-PO, 14 Henrietta Street,

The Bridge Street Project, Kilmuckridge Song Project, Diamond War Memorial, Foyle Punt, Meitheal Mara, Battles, Bricks and Bridges, Headford Lace Project, Great Western Greenway, Irish Seed Savers, Tho mastown Community River Trust, Bi Ur ban, Migrant Women: Shared Experiences, Missling on the Tobar.

lCOMMUNITY APPROACH: Irish Seed Savers Association was the venue in recent days for the launch of ‘Other Stories, Cultural Heritage & Society’.

Hiring of biodiversity officer will help county in emergency

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

ANEWbiodiversity officer is to be appointed in Co Clare.

Clare County Council is one of 10 local authorities awarded funding for the new position in a national roll-out of officers to deliver and drive local action for biodiversity.

Each officer will have a wide variety of responsibilities. They will be required to de velop and implement a county biodiversity plan, advise the local authority on biodiver sity related issues and the authority’s obliga tions in relation to protecting biodiversity, establish a county biodiversity forum, assist the local authority departments in integrat

ing biodiversity into their actions and pol icies through training and supporting in formation dissemination and promote new biodiversity initiatives based on best conser vation practice.

Once appointed, this will bring the to tal number of biodiversity officers employed in local authori ties around the country to 14 with funding for a further 15 officers to be provided, as part of efforts to take greater action for biodi versity at the local level.

A full national rollout is expect ed to be completed in the next three years. The scheme will be evaluated in 2025 to inform future provision.

Minister of State for Heritage and Elector al Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD (GP) said the addition of the next tranche of biodiver sity officers was “fantastic to see”. He stated, “These 10 new posts, and the funding for a further 15 that I announced as part of Budget 2023, will have an enormous impact on the ground in help ing to deliver action for na ture at the lo cal level. The declaration by the Dáil of a bio diversity emergency

in 2019 sent a clear signal of how seriously we as a country need to take the biodiversity challenges ahead, and our objectives in the Programme for Government demonstrate this urgency”.

In a statement to The Clare Echo, Sen ator Roisin Garvey (GP) highlighted how she hosted Junior Minister Noonan in the county three times since he took on the role.

“Having a Biodiversity Officer for our coun ty will not only help protect the wonderful biodiversity we already have but will help us protect, enhance and increase the county’s biodiversity through having an expert to ad vise the County Council and communities who more and more want to help with the biodiverstiy emergency we are facing,” she commented.

NORTH CLARE

MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE

NORTH CLARE

WHO KILLED FR GRIFFIN?

THE North Clare Historical Society continues its current lecture series with a talk by Pat O’Looney entitled Who Killed Fr Griffin?

On a ‘wild night of wind and rain’ in November 1920 a former curate of Ennistymon parish Fr Griffin was abducted from his home in Galway by three men. He was taken to Lenaboy Castle, the base of the Auxiliaries, where he was shot dead by a single bullet through his head. Six days later his body was found buried in a shallow grave in a bog near Barna.

A military inquiry declared that Fr Griffin died ‘as the result of a gunshot in the head, fired feloniously, wilfully and with malice aforethought by some person or persons unknown and that person or persons are guilty of murder’. This talk will explore the following questions:

• Who was Fr Griffin?

• Who abducted him and why?

• Who fired the fatal shot that killed him?

Pat O’Looney, author of A Zealous Priest, will attempt to answer these questions in his talk.

Pat O’Looney was born in the Kiltoraght, Kilfenora.

He lives at Loughrea, Co. Galway where he taught for many years. Since retiring he has taken up the study of local history and graduated from UL with a Certificate in Local History earlier this year.

After retiring from teaching he edited his parish’s Killeenadeema, Loughrea History & Heritage. In 2018 he published a memoir At Least Once a Year followed in 2020 by his first historical research publication A Zealous Priest based on the killing of Fr Griffin.

The talk will be held on Monday, 24th October at the Courthouse, Ennistymon at 8pm.

COMMUNITY GAMES

ALL STAR AWARDS

THE St Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games All Star Awards for 2022 will be held on Friday 28th October in Treacy’s West County Hotel, Ennis. Thirty-eight children from 15 areas across the county will

COUNTY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

THE St Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 1st November in Treacy’s West County Hotel at 8pm. Areas should be forwarding their Motions, Recommendations and

KILNABOY

FREE IRISH CLASSES

AN IRISH language course will begin in the X-PO Killinaboy on Wednesday 19th October at 7:30pm. Each class will last 90 minutes. Doolin-based Mick O’Riordan is the múinteoir. Mick has many years experience teaching the language.

The class atmosphere will be

SCARIFF

SCARIFF Community College will host an autumn/winter fashion show next Friday (October 28th), writes Páraic McMahon

To fund the school’s ambitious astro development, the fashion show will serve as one of the upcoming fundraisers aimed at improving facilities in the East Clare community college.

Taking place in the hall of Scariff Community College, the fun will begin at 7:30pm with prosecco on arrival and goody bags, full of mysteries to be discovered.

receive awards for their achievements during the year in their events. The All-Star presentations are the social highlight of the Community Games. Proceedings will get underway at 8pm. Several Special Guests will present the children with their awards.

Nominations to the County Secretary to be included in the Annual General Meeting agenda.

Each area is requested to have at least one delegate at the meeting as their input is important to the running of the calendar of events for the coming year. Nominations are welcome for each position.

relaxed. Craic is guaranteed as well as learning.

The aim is to develop confidence in conversation with a little teaching involved. The lessons are free of charge and donation to X-PO is welcome but voluntary.

Tuille eolais (more information) is available at 087 216 23 51.

Once seated, guests will be treated to a variety of outfits showcasing autumn/winter’s hottest trends from boutiques such as Ailish McElroy, Joanne’s Killaloe, Frocks, Fine Rags, I-Spy clothing, Carraig Donn, All Occasions, Love it fashions and many more.

Martina’s Mark will be on hand on the night to offer some style tips and tricks. A five-star getaway is the prize for the most stylish guest on the night while there will be a bumper raffle and auction with dozens of prizes taking place at the interval.

lSKITTLES STARS: Lisdoonvarna/Doolin/Kilshanny/Kilfenora represented Clare in the Munster u14 Skittles Final and took home the silver medals. Back Row (l-r): Alannah Morgan, Ella Enright, Patrick Byrne O'Connell, Aidan Garrahy with team manager Pat O'Connell. Front row (l-r): Caoimhe McCarthy and Mèabh McCarthy.

lFr Griffin

lCAP & GOWN: Titi Olagunju of Ennis, Clare with Amanda Major pictured recently at the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) programme conferring at Mary Immaculate College Photo by Brian Arthur

ENNISENNIS

BRIDGE

HARMONY Bridge Club meet every Friday at 7.30 at Ennis Bridge Center, Harmony Row, Ennis. New

ENNIS

IBTS CLINIC

THE Irish Blood Transfusion Service are holding a Clinic at the West County Hotel in Ennis spanning the following dates: Thursday October 20, Monday October 24, Tuesday

ENNIS

LIONS CHARITY AUCTION

ENNIS Lions Club are hosting a charity auction with all proceeds to be donated to Bushypark Addiction Treatment Centre, Ennis, towards the construction of a new Health and Wellness facility, writes Páraic McMahon

Through their dedicated auction website, a wide range of products, vouchers and service offerings can be browsed and bid on by members of the public.

The auction and individual listings have been promoted on Clare FM across the week, culminating in an outside broadcast finale event this Friday between 9am and 12pm.

Trips to the Aran Islands, visits to family attractions,

SHANNON

DISNEYLAND GIVEAWAY

SHANNON Airport is gifting one lucky family a once in a lifetime trip to Disneyland Paris, writes Páraic McMahon

From Tuesday, Shannon Airport has the bucket-list trip up for grabs on their social media channels from in a bid to bring a little magic to a family of four, in celebration of World Kindness Day next month (November 13th).

Launching the prize, Mary Considine, CEO, The Shannon Airport Group said, “We have decided to make ‘dreams come true’ for one special family with an all-expenses paid trip to Disneyland Paris. We all know the last two and a half years has had a huge impact on travel and the aviation industry, but the support of our passengers has always kept us smiling and feeling positive. We want to give back and help create a special life memory for a family of four, by sending them to ‘the happiest place on earth’ Disneyland Paris, for a well-deserved break. We will be announcing the winner of this magical trip on World Kindness Day”.

“We are very fortunate here in Shannon to have incredible support from everyone across the region. We receive many kind messages from passengers and the public through our social media channels, thanking our staff for their warmth and celebrating

members welcome. Congrats to last week's winners, 1st Theresa Madden and Ann O'Callaghan, 2nd Marie Matthews and Pauline Casey.

October 25, Wednesday October 26. Each clinic runs from 16:45 to 20:00.

Appointments may be booked on 1800 222 111. Existing and new donors are welcome!

retail vouchers, gym memberships, rounds of golf, beauty treatments, paving work, business consultancy advice and fuel are among the many items to go up on the auction.

Established in 1976, Ennis Lions Club is a non-profit voluntary service.

With 40 active members locally from all levels within the community, they have been involved in servicing the needs of the elderly, youth and disadvantaged of the greater Ennis area.

To pledge a contribution, please contact auction@ ennislionsclub.ie.

Your contribution should have a stated value.

If special instructions or terms and conditions apply, these can be included.

ENNIS

TABLE QUIZ

THE Irish Red Cross Clare will hold a Table quiz on Saturday 12th November 2022 at the Grove Bar & Restaurant – Tulla Road, Roslevan, Ennis, starting at 9pm. Teams of 4 €40.00 or €10.00 per person. All funds is for our Irish Red Cross Clare Community Transport,

ENNIS

CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY OCTOBER 20 at 8.15pm in Maria Assumpta Hall, Ennis.

Thomas J Westropp: a centenary lecture (1860-1922).

supporting the People of Co. Clare with medical appoints traveling to all corners of Clare to hospitals all over Ireland including Northern Ireland. We need your support to keep the wheels rolling. Tell a friend and bring a team and lets have some fun.

new routes with us, like our recent announcements this month of Chicago, Béziers and Newcastle. As well as receiving heart-warming stories from families about the ease of travelling through Shannon Airport because of initiatives like our new security screening system, which halves the time spent in this area, our Awareness Programme, and our sensory room,” she added.

Worth €2,500, the prize consists of return flights to Paris from Shannon for a family of four, free parking at Shannon Airport, two-day passes for all the family to Disneyland Paris, a threenight stay at the 4-star Grand Magic Hotel, which includes free shuttle rides, just eight minutes away from the theme park, and transfers from Orly Airport to the hotel.

It's never been easier to get to the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland Paris, since the launch of Shannon’s new twice-weekly Paris Orly service with Vueling airlines, in September. The two-hour direct flight takes off from Shannon every Monday and Friday, landing at Paris Orly airport, which is just 13km from Paris city centre.

For a chance to win the unforgettable trip courtesy of Shannon Airport, simply go to the airport’s official Facebook page - Shannon.Airport. Official for more.

Presented by Liam Eirwin. Liam Eirwin is the retired Head of History at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick and also Editor of the North Munster Antiquarian Journal. He has

ENNIS

ART EXHIBITION CLARE Arts Office in conjunction with the Clare Museum is delighted to present a joint exhibition of paintings by Yeni, artist from Ukraine, and Gráinne Moloney.

Yeni was born and raised in a small town. From an early age, she began to draw portraits of classmates, design posters and engage in all kinds of artwork at school. She participated in many art competitions and design classes, teleconferences and wrote, both on the walls and on canvases.

Most of all, Yeni is inspired by nature, the world of animals, characters from children's cartoons, love between mother and cubs, and she also likes to depict a family idyll on her canvases. For her work, she has received a large number of awards and was written about in the local newspapers. She studied at the Moscow University of Arts.

In 2009 she organised an exhibition in Kyiv. Her paintings were bought by clients from Croatia, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the US. Yeni’s works are in the offices of Ukrainian politicians, collections of Taiwanese entrepreneurs

published extensively on J.T. Westropp. The meeting will take place in Maria Assumpta Hall, Ennis and also via Zoom. For those attending via Zoom a link can be accessed on www.clareroots.org under the meetings/ lectures section shortly before the meeting commences.

and local NCKU professors, private homes of art lovers, restaurants, and some Irish families.

Yeni says “it is a huge pleasure to enjoy participating in art exhibitions here in Ireland” and she invites everyone to come and see her wonderful exhibition in the Clare Museum.

Through this exhibition Yeni would like to raise funds for Ukraine so proceeds are going to medical care for injured soldiers in Ukraine.

Gráinne Moloney is an artist based in County Clare. Having graduated from the Crawford College of Art, Cork, in 2002, she went on to complete an MFA at the Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK. Gráinne’s background is in print, photography and mixed media. In recent years, she has worked primarily in paint.

Gráinne’s work is firmly rooted in rural Ireland and is centered upon its landscape, inhabitants and way of life. ‘Girl with Hen’ was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize in 2021.

This free exhibition runs from 11th October to 11th November 2022 and all are welcome.

lYOUNG RIVALS: Youngsters practise their battle cries at the Ballyea v Eire Og U6 end of year academy blitz, which took place on Friday, October 7

BUSINESS AND RECRUITMENT

CONTACT US WE’RE ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM #CE

Zimmer hosts WIN event

Laya Healthcare.

ELAINE TUBRIDY news@clareecho.ie

SHANNONand Oranmore based Zimmer Biomet re cently hosted a Women’s Inspired Network (WIN) event, in line with the company's committment to cre ating, supporting and celebrating diverse, equal and inclusive work places and communities.

Organised with the support of both Shannon and Galway Cham bers of Commerce, the event at tracted an audience of over 60 peo ple – women and men – from both Zimmer Biomet and the broader business community. Attendees from the Mid-West included rep resentatives from Aerogen, Azon Recruitment, Grant Thornton and

In March of this year, Interna tional Women’s Day celebrated the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of wom en globally. This year’s theme, #BreakTheBias, invited everyone to come together to reimagine a future free from bias, stereotypes and discrimination, a world where difference is valued and celebrat ed, regardless of gender identity. The Zimmer Biomet event was designed to advance that conver sation within an Irish context and local setting.

Guest speaker at the event, Sports and TV Personality Anna Geary, spoke about her experience of breaking the bias both on and off the sports field before discuss ing the importance of having the right mindset and achieving a pos itive state of wellness. A panel dis

cussion, featuring Caroline Healy, Medtronic and Lisa Casserly, Zim mer Biomet also took place fol lowed by questions and answers.

Welcoming the group, Liz Cor ry of Zimmer Biomet’s Manufac turing Operations in Ireland said, "We understand the value that di verse perspectives can bring as we work towards our mission to alle viate pain and improve the quality of life for people around the world. We continue to embrace diversi ty and inclusion within our own team and are keen to collaborate with other companies, share best practice and make new connec tions.

"It is important to say that we need male allies and we want to hear from and involve the men in our industry, too. Together, we will increase diversity and ignite even more innovation.”

lINCLUSIVE WORKPLACE: Liz Corry (Zimmer Biomet), Anna Geary (Guest Speaker), Christine Watson (Zimmer Biomet) and Aisling Davis (Zimmer Biomet)

Winterage Festival to host Burren food producers

lFlaggy Shore Oysters

Photo by Eamon Ward

LOCAL

producers and chefs will come together at the end of the month to showcase their wares at the Burren Food Fayre, which will be held as part of this year's Win

terage Festival, writes Elaine Tubridy.

This year’s event will be held on a farm at the start of the Cattle Drive near Lough Bunny on Sunday 30th October. It will in clude, tastings, cooking demos, storytelling

and music with plenty of opportunities for people to sample and purchase the products before and after the cattle drive is complete.

The Food producers taking part include Aillwee Burren Gold Cheese, Burren Distillers, Burren Smokehouse, Burren Beef, Clare Jam, St Tola Irish Goat Cheese, Flag gy Shore Oysters and Burren Free Range Pork, Doolin Pantry and Ha zelwood Bakery.

Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Bur ren Ecotourism Network said: “We are delighted to be hosting this year’s event at the Winterage Festival. Many of our producers are farmers or from an agricultural background so it’s a natural fit for the network.”

The Burren Winterage Festival, which is organised by Burren Beo celebrates the ancient custom of out-wintering cattle on the upland areas of the Burren. It has developed into a five day festival, which begins on Wednesday 26th October and features a range of farming, heritage, cultural and family events, conclud ing on Sunday 30th October.

Visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ burrenbeotrust/761620 for tickets.

NOTICE

Clare County Council have completed a draft design for a public realm upgrade of the square at Clonlara and also the approach roads to the square.

Traffic calming, active travel facilities, landscaping and extensive paving design.

The Council will be displaying the design and exhibiting a proposed surface finish on Thursday 27th of October 2022 between 14.00 and 17.00, in Clonlara Community Centre.

Members of the project team will be in attendance to discuss the project and would welcome any feedback from you.

Details of the Draft Design can also be viewed online at www.clarecoco.ie

Beating the banks

Honan Financial Services Director Darach Honan gives the latest Irish market updates

ASA result of interest rate hikes from the ECB, Banks have increased their interest rates on lending across the board this year. While in terest rates have increased on the lending side, they are still offering nothing to the saver who has mon ey on deposit. With most banks setting savings rates as close to 0% as they can, money that is left on de posit is not growing and is being di minished by the high inflation.

Inflation

lDarach Honan

in Ireland is currently running at over 8% for the year and this has a major affect on individ uals and companies’ sav ings. If an individual had €100,000 on deposit with the bank in January and still holds that money to day, they have effectively lost €8,000, as their pur chasing power has dimin ished. By leaving money on deposit at these rates of interest and inflation, we are guaranteeing a loss. So, what are the alter natives? At Honan FS we have started an in vestors club which will allow regular savers and those who have built up a lump sum, to con tribute monthly to a savings plan which has an excellent track record of growth. We have identified two funds, the Zu rich dynamic fund and top

tech 100 fund which we recommend to clients.

The dynamic fund was launched on 01/11/1989 and has returned on av erage a very impressive 10.6% per annum. The top tech 100 fund was estab lished on 16/08/2001 and has returned an average of 9.4% per annum.

While these funds can be volatile and unpredict able in the short term, they are good investment options for someone who is targeting long term growth and is fed up of re ceiving no return from the banks. You can start your investment journey with contributions as low as €100 per month. There are no huge barriers to entry and you don’t have to con tributing massive money to qualify. This fund is for anyone who is able to save on a regular basis and is happy to leave the money untouched for 5 years or

more. We charge a small set up fee of €100 and ad vise on the policy on an ongoing basis. Contribu tions are flexible and you can increase, decrease or pause your contributions entirely if your circum stances change.

The best outcomes will come to the investor who contributes consistently despite short term market conditions. Bad news is amplified, especially in fi nance but if you can tune out the noise and stay fo cused on your long-term goal you will be rewarded.

Currently the news cycle is extremely negative, and we hear all the time about the poor performance of markets. If you invested in the Zurich dynamic fund and held your investment to this day, you would have seen 39.99% growth on your fund.

*Figures are accurate as at 18/10/2022

Passing on assets to your children & minimising tax

CURRENTLY in Ireland, we can inherit up to €335,000 from our parents without any tax implica tion.

Once this threshold is exceed ed, we begin to pay tax at 33% of the excess. This can lead to large tax bills on inheritance if there is a large estate to pass on. However, there are some under-used tax-efficient ways of passing on assets to your chil dren while minimizing the tax liability. The most effective way of doing this is to utilise the gift tax exemption.

Everyone is allowed to gift €3,000 annually to anyone, without any tax liability on the gift. Therefore, a couple can gift €6,000 each year to each of their kids and grandkids tax free.

This can even be paid into an investment account for your kids which allows them to grow the funds you have gifted to them over many years. This has the potential to save hundreds of thousands in inheritance tax for families who are passing on large estates.

Take for example a couple, Joe and Mary, who have a fam

ily home worth €335,000 and €234,000 in savings with the bank. They have one child and two grandchildren. If they die there will be an inheritance tax bill of €77,220. The value they have passed on net of tax is then €491,780.

A more tax efficient way would be to pay €6,000 per an num into a Zurich savings plan in their child and each of their grandchild’s name. This would allow them to pass on €18,000 in total each year tax free. Af ter 13 years they would have passed on €234,000 with no in heritance tax implications. They could even invest in the dynamic fund through this plan which has averaged an annual return of 10.6%.

If they had done this the funds passed on would have grown to €429,859.

After exit tax is paid there would be a fund of €349,556. Added to the house value of €335,000, by utilising the gift tax exemption, Joe and Mary have managed to pass on an estate net of tax to the value of €684,556 versus €491,780.

What to do with an old employer pension

AN OFTEN overlooked element of leaving a job is what to do about retained pension ben efits. There are a number of options available. Do nothing. This can be the most common approach, but it is usually not the best. There are a couple of things to consider: How much control will you have over your pension? Will you be able to make investment choices, usually as a deferred member this is difficult? There are cases where deferred members benefits are moved out of investment and sit in cash once they leave. Once you account for fees and inflation these such cases are certain to lose money. Your former employer can also move the pension to a new provider without consulting with you. As a deferred member you will have no input into how it is invested at this point. It is common for em ployees to receive financial advice on their pensions when they are employed but once they leave, they will usually lose this benefit. Now is a great time to review the quality of the pension. Has it performed well? Are the charges reasonable? Is the provider respon sive, informative, and transparent?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, it may be time to take your pension funds with you. The next option is to move the pension to your current scheme. This is not always doable as some schemes will not allow it but moving pensions from previous em ployment to your current scheme has the ad vantage of keeping everything together. This can be a good option for someone who has built up a small pension fund with a previous employer. You have less pension pots to keep track of and you have full visibility.

Cons include missing an opportunity to move the pension into your own name. The same arguments around control, charges and investment choices persist. You are bound by scheme rules around access which are usu ally more stringent than a pension which is owned exclusively by you.

Option three is to move your fund to a pen sion in your own name. This is usually done using a personal retirement bond (PRB) but there is also the option of a personal retire ment savings account (these are usually more expensive). This option allows you to have the pension in your own name. You have full autonomy over where your fund is invested (with the help of your financial advisor) and you can choose from a vast range of differ ent PRB providers. The biggest advantage to moving the pension to an account in your own name is around access. When part of a company pension scheme you are bound by scheme rules which in most cases will not al low you access until age 65.

When you invest in a PRB you can access your 25% tax free lump sum from age 50. This flexibility of access is a huge draw to using a PRB. By keeping it separate from your cur rent pension this also means that you could decide to cash in a smaller portion of your pension. The PRB is a great option for many who have left a pension with a previous em ployer, however, each person’s circumstances will differ and the most important thing to do is get good financial advice around your options. A good financial advisor will point you in the right direction and develop a plan specific to your needs.

20-10-22

CLARE INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

'This means so much to Kildysart'

NOEL O’GRADY, KILDYSART INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL MANAGER:

“I’m absolutely delighted for these lads really. I suppose we don’t do things the easy way but we put a bit of steel into these boys and they promised us today that they wouldn’t give up and I think they showed that out there today.

“We had to do it the hard way and with the weather there today, credit to both teams who went at it hammer and tongs in difficult conditons and we’re just so relieved to come out on the right side of the result.

“As you can see this means so much to the people of Kildysart. We haven’t always had the rub of the green especially in finals but I’m a big believer in hard work, that if you work hard, you’ll get your reward and we had to work hard today to get over a very good Cooraclare team.

“It’s a great day for the players, supporters, families and the whole parish but today is our day and we’ll enjoy it.”

MICHAEL GARRY, COORACLARE INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL MANAGER:

“It’s so disapointing but to be fair to Kildysart, they were really up for it from the word go. We just couldn’t match their inten sity in the first half and we tried to rectify that in the sec-ond half but it just didn’t hap pen for us.

“We just couldn’t get in front at any stage and even towards the end of it there, we just

FACTFILE

KILDYSART Frees For: 16 (7/9)

Wides: 11 (9/2)

Scores from Play: 0-8

Spread of Scorers: 5

Top Scorer: Jamie Evans (0-3)

Own Kick-Outs won: 12 from 16 (75%)

COORACLARE Frees For: 11 (5/6) Wides: 9 (4/5) Scores from Play: 1-3

Spread of Scorers: 5 Top Scorers: Ciaran O’Donoghue (0-3 1f 1SL), Sean O’Donoghue (1-0) Own Kick-Outs won: 15 from 21 (71%)

REFEREE: Barry Keating (Lissycasey)

couldn’t bring it to extra-time.

“As I said before the game, Kildysart were going to bring the battle to the final as they had been through all these extra-times and refixtures. So they were battle-hardened and had momentum behind them whereas we were sitting waiting for two weeks to get go ing. They just brought sa big, big battle to us and we just weren’t able to match it.

“When you’re in a final, you want to win them but we’ll just have to regroup again and see what happens. But fair play to Kildysart, they had a good season this year and the best of luck to them going forward.

SIXMILEBRIDGE’s Jamie Shanahan is poised to take the honours in The Clare Echo / MD MyClub.ie top scorer award.

Niall Deasy, Danny Russell, Shane O’Don nell, Tony Kelly and David Reidy are still in contention but need to get tallies of 0-15, 0-15, 0-16, 0-16 and 0-24 respectively to knock Jamie off top spot.

Anything is possible especially with O’Don nell’s ability to get hat-tricks on the big day while Kelly also has history of shooting the lights out when the pressure is on.

l CELEBRATION: Kildysart captain, Keith O’Connor proudly shows off the Clare IFC title alongside James Cleary; (below) players and backroom team Photos by Gerard O'Neill

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

Kildysart 0-10 Cooraclare 1-06 Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis

Compiled by Eoin Brennan

SHC TOP SCORER

Jamie Shanahan

Photo by Gerard O’Neill

CLARE SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINALS

Ennistymon never say die

well then it’s worth anything.

“We’ve had injuries all year but we concentrate on the next man in, we never mention anyone we’re missing, we mention who we have because we back our panel, it’s a big panel of players, we’ve needed every one of them in the championship.

“It wasn’t easy, every game we’ve been in has been a ferocious battle, it is standing to us too. We embrace the dog fights, it’s great to see a team doing that and it’s all you can ask of them, once they do you’re deadly proud then.

“When all is said and done, every bit that every one is putting in you’re doing it for the pride of your commu nity, you’re doing it for your parish, you’re doing it for En nistymon people and by Jesus if you wanted a representation of who you are and where you come from, your townland, your parish and your commu nity that was it today.”

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

SFC TOP SCORER

GAVIN COONEY remains in pole position to become The Clare Echo / MD MyClub Shop.ie’s winner in the top scorer award for the Clare SFC.

Éire Óg captain Cooney kicked 1-05 as Paul Madden’s charges booked their spot in the county final for the second year in a row. His teammate Mark McInerney is the closest challenger to him but is nine points adrift.

While Ennistymon will be hoping to up set the odds in the final, Brendy Rouine will need to kick more than sixteen points and hope Cooney is kept scoreless if he is to bring the piece of silverware back to North Clare.

8. Jamie Stack (St Breckan’s) 1-17

9. Ciaran Downes (Kilmihil) 1-16

3. Mark McInerney (Éire Óg) 5-15

4. Keelan Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane) 2-22

5. Cathal McInerney (Cratloe) 1-20

6. Conor Finucane (Lissycasey) 1-18

7. Brendy Rouine (Ennistymon) 0-20

10. Shane Griffin (Lissycasey) 3-06

11. Tom McDonald (St Joseph’s Doora/Bar efield) 1-12

12. David Tubridy (Doonbeg) 0-14

13. Cormac Murray (St Joseph’s Miltown) 0-14

FACTFILE

ENNISTYMON

Frees for: 44 (16/17/3/8)

Wides: 3 (0/3/0/0)

Scorer spread: 5 Scores from play: 2-03

“Every emotion known to man is going there, I don’t know what to think, I’m very conscious of the losing team to go out on penalties, I am conscious of that, it is a hard way to go out. Our fighting spirit has been our biggest thing all year and it’s not the first time I’m saying it to you, that’s why we’re in a county final, that’s our great est strength, our spirit, our resilience and our never-say-die attitude.

“I know about our resilience because I’m seeing it in more than the matches, I see it every night, the way they train they are a ferocious bunch of trainers, every night is like a championship match to them, you know it is in them, you know when you have that then you have an awful lot, all they do then is go out and empty themselves and see what way the cards fall, we enjoy what we’re doing, we have a laugh, we train awful hard and see what way the cards fall after that but when you’ve a group that is prepared to go to the

Top scorer: Brendy Rouine (0-06 4f 1’45)

Bookings: Cathal O’Reilly (51), David Fitzgerald (80)

Own kickouts won: 14 from 21 (67%)

KILMURRY IB'

Frees for: 22 (4/11/4/3)

Wides: 9 (8/1/0/0)

Scorer spread: 5

Scores from play: 1-07

Top scorer: Keelan Sexton (1-08 4f)

Bookings: Keelan Sexton (29), Daniel Walsh (31), Michael O’Dwyer (52), Joe Campbell (68)

Own kickouts won: 12 from 13 (93%)

REFEREE: Jim Hickey (Cratloe)

life' out of Corofin

Éire Óg 1-11 Corofin 0-03 Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis

(4/3)

from

scorer:

(0-01),

O’Loughlin (0-01),

(0-01

Bookings:

(7/4)

(17)

kickouts

from

“The first mantra of a team is that they work for each other, we said it at the start of last year and we said it before every training session game that if you outwork the guys that you’re playing you have a chance, if you don’t and maybe we saw it in the other semi-final result, workrate and ev erything is key.

“I didn’t realise we didn’t concede a score in the second half, that’s impressive in fairness. The de fence starts at number fifteen, we got some turn overs there, I’m very happy with the second half and to be in a county final. If we had won 0-03 0-02 in the worst game known to man I wouldn’t care because for the next two weeks it will be about being in the final.

(55%)

PAUL MADDEN, ÉIRE ÓG MANAGER:

“At half-time we weren’t overly happy with where we were, we were slightly ahead but it was very even-steven in the first half, we didn’t executive everything as we should have, our kick passing wasn’t great and shot selection but you have to hand it to Corofin too they won most of the fifty fifty balls in the first half. At half-time we said to the lads they could up the ante and drive on or surrender the title, in fairness to them they dug deep in the second half.

“We got a couple of good scores at the start of the second half to push us ahead, I thought when we were 0-08 0-03 up we started to control it a bit better, there was a brilliant move for the goal and a great finish, we worked from back to front and I thought once the goal went in, maybe we looked more comfortable and their passing though it was under pressure wasn’t executed as well as it was for them in the first half. When we got the cushion it helped.

“We’re into a final and it’s where you want to be, we have to be happy with it."

DOUGLAS HURLEY, COROFIN MANAGER:

“We were in the game at half-time but we just didn’t come out at all in the second half. Éire Óg squeezed the life out of us, they were more physi

cal than us and we didn’t score in the second half, 0-03 in the course of sixty minutes isn’t going to be good enough when you come from getting 1-19.

"I thought by holding them to 1-11 we would be much closer but we didn’t perform. We were in

Compiled by Páraic McMahon

the game at half-time, we gave ourselves a great chance.

“They are a serious squad, we didn’t perform, we didn’t come out in the second half, we carried the ball into contact which just suits them, they swallowed us up, a few little things like dropped balls here and there. It’s an experience, we’re a young side, it was our first year back senior, hopefully we can learn from it, that second half definitely was a chastising experience.

“Inside at half-time, we were giving ourselves every chance of winning, if we came through to day we would have given ourselves every chance the next day.

"Éire Óg are a serious side, they are on the road a good five years, Paul is on the road with them and they were three years trying to get past the quarter-final, they will take serious beating and gave us a fair lesson in that second half.

“We have a massive gap to make up with the likes of Éire Óg if we want to be competitive next year, that’s all I’m pulling from today, maybe lat er on in the week we might look back on the year in a more positive way but we’ve a good gap to make up.”

Ennistymon 2-08 Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-11 Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis Compiled by Páraic McMahon (Ennistymon win 4-3 on penalties)

MARK SHANAHAN, ENNISTYMON SENIOR FOOTBALL MANAGER:

Darragh Sexton wins a high ball and Brendy Rouine loses his footing

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Gavin Cooney Photo by Gerard O’Neill

Éinne O'Connor pushes the ball away from Gearoid Kelly Photo by Gerard O'Neill

CLARE SENIOR CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Scariff-Ogonnelloe key players stand tall

ALPHIE RODGERS, SCARIFF/OGONNELLOE MANAGER:

“I would say they are one of the top three or four franchises in the county in many re spects if you use the American term. When the opportunity came I couldn’t turn it down after thinking about it. I would have felt I wouldn’t have been able to do it, to be honest but thankfully today dispels that myth.

“The things that make great teams are the intangibles, they have them in abundance, they stay at it and never give up, today when the need was at its greatest our key players stood up, Amy Barrett got the blocks, Abby Walsh caught ball, Lynda Daly and Ciara Doyle got through tremendous work, there is no X-factor about hard work.

“We knew today if it came down to it that we were battle-hardened in many respects. If we had won the semi-final by any distance, people would say ‘ah Jesus’ but today a lot of people would have backed Truagh/Clon lara which is fair enough, a lot of champions have been knocked off their perch this year, we’re lucky to have been able to retain it.

“The second quarter was the difference, we scored 0-08 on the trot, our discipline was good, we gave away a few scores around the middle and we tidied that up, we had a goal given away, a soft enough goal so we conced ed 1-02 in the first half and 1-03 in the sec ond half, you’d be happy enough from that perspective. We were happy with all those aspects, it’s not one individual thing, it’s all those things and that’s what they brought to the Park today”.

FACTFILE

SCARIFF/ OGONNELLOE Frees for: 14 (8/6)

Wides: 6 (3/3)

Spread of scorers: 7 Scores from play: 1-10

Top scorer: Mairead Scanlan (0-06 5f)

Bookings: None Own puckouts won: 8 from 13 (62%)

TRUAGH/CLONLARA Frees for: 14 (8/6)

Wides: 6 (2/4)

Spread of scorers: 4

From play: 2-02

Top scorer: Laura Foley (0-03 3f), Roisin Begley, Ellen Horgan (both 1-00)

Bookings: Becky Foley (51)

Own puckouts won: 14 from 20 (70%)

REFEREE: Jim Hickey (Cratloe)

“It’s very hard. I just said to the girls if ever a group deserved it more, all year long what they’ve put in but today just wasn’t their day, we didn’t show up in the first half, the things we worked on all year long and were doing right just didn’t come to fold. In the second half, we were excellent and just held them to a point, we couldn’t get enough scores so it’s very hard to take but we’ll be back again hopefully.

“Look at the scoreboard, we got 2-05, we know there is so much more in us, we were creating 30 to 40 scoring chances in games, we were lucky to have 20 today, it’s bitterly disappointing. We’ll go again next year who ever is involved whether it is myself or who ever, hopefully the players will still be there because they deserve it”.

Amy applauds Scariff-Ogonnelloe desire in back-to-back title success

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

VICTORIOUS Scar

iff-Ogonnelloe captain, Amy Barrett has hailed the hunger and resilience of the East Clare side after they re corded back to back senior championships.

Scariff/Ogonnelloe over came Truagh/Clonlara on Saturday’s decider with Barrett producing a pow erful second half display, stepping up with vital hooks and blocks when their op ponents were trying to claw their way back into proceed ings.

She pointed their mental strength when reflecting on their latest success. “Do you know what it is, it’s mental ity to be able to come back off last year which was a really successful year but to do it all again against an un believable Truagh/Clonlara side is really rewarding, it’s

such a relief to be able to come off and hold our heads up high after that performance”.

When accepting the Mc Mahon Cup from Clare Camogie Chairperson, Joe O’Donnell, Amy paid trib ute to Alphie Rodgers for stepping up to the mana gerial role following David Sullivan’s exit.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, she admitted that it was a setback for them to start the year without a management. “I’m not go ing to lie, it was so late in the year and everyone else had managements secured, then we came off our campaign without any. Credit to Al phie, we cannot thank him enough, he’s took training on his own so many teams in the year and he’s been so professional, he’s brought a different dimension to our team which is really excit

such a pleasure to have him on board”.

To have survived their semi-final clash with Inagh/

Kilnamona served as a “mas sive” aid when it came to preparing for the final, Amy said. “More than we realise, not that we were complacent going into the Inagh/Kilna mona game, not at all, we’re not like that, we didn’t get that level of intensity all year that they absolutely put us on our arses if I’m honest as it should be, that was a mas sive eye-opener into the lev el that we need to bring up, our hurling is there natural ly but you can’t come and play against a side like that and not be 100 percent, you need to be physically and mentally there, thankfully we got over the semi-final and we could produce that again today”.

Last year, the former Clare midfielder was joint captain alongside Mairead Scanlan, in 2022 she is th sole cap tain but this has resulted in little change, Amy stated.

“Mairead is always there, she’s fantastic in the dressing room, it’s a privilege to step up after Mairead, she has been such a good role mod el, a great captain for years and years, she’s been so suc cessful and I’m so happy for her, Mairead is right beside me in the dressing room, she’s still there”.

Getting the opportuni ty to compete in Munster again will be embraced by Scariff/Ogonnelloe, she said. “We love it, absolutely love it, there’s something about playing outside of Munster that you can play different teams and you don’t know who you’re playing against, it is so much more enjoy able to be able to go out and get some more cups back to Scariff/Ogonnelloe”.

PICTURED: Ciara Doyle and Amy Barrett with the McMahon Cup Photo by Gerard O’Neill

RYAN MORRIS, TRUAGH/CLONLARA COACH:

l DESIRE: Amy Barrett makes a block to stop Eimear Kelly

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

ing and attacking, it’s really positive to play in, he brings such a positive mentality to our dressing room and it’s

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

Scariff-Ogonnelloe 0-14 Truagh-Clonlara 2-05 Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis

Compiled by Páraic McMahon

Doyle: This one means so much

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

FRESH from winning a third senior championship, Ciara Doyle wore a smile from ear to ear across her face.

A key pillar in their cause on each occasion that they’ve captured the McMahon Cup, Cia ra remained at the heart of the Scariff/Ogonnel loe defence and once again managed to curb the influence of Truagh/ Clonlara danger-wom an Eimear Kelly, their final duel is almost proving to be an annual clash at this rate.

Whether it was under Jim Minogue (2019), David Sullivan (2021) or Alphie Rodgers (2022), the influence of Ciara has been central to Scariff/Ogonnelloe reaching the summit of club camogie in Clare.

While this is the third senior championship won by the East Clare

outfit, this is the first instance that they’ve completed back to back titles. “This one means so much. A lot of peo ple had us wrote off all year saying that we were in the weaker group but we came up against challenges that really benefitted us and we’re glad to come today and put back to back titles together and show we’re the best team for a sec ond year running and hopefully now we can go and represent Clare well in Munster”.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, Ciara outlined that the goal of win ning back to back ti tles was one they were anxious to achieve. “At the start of the year we took every match as it came, when you get the success you never want to let go of. That Cup was ours until the final whistle went today and unless we lost it

we weren’t going home without it, we held onto it and made sure it was going back to Scariff/ Ogonnelloe again”.

Unity is a vital tool in their engine, the Bo dyke native flagged. “I just think as a whole we are a team with such belief in each other. I

know it’s a cliché but we are one big family, we see each other week in week out and never get sick of seeing each other, we do it for each other and we want to win for each other, for our parishes, our club and our families”.

Clare minors of 97 are honoured

CLARE’s All-Ireland minor winning side of 1997 are to be honoured on this county final weekend, writes Seamus Hayes

The 1997 All-Ireland minor hurling championship will always hold a spe cial place for Clare GAA. The 67th staging of the championship since its establishment by the GAA back in 1928 marked Clare’s first success in the competition.

There was another first in that season’s competition. It was the first time that the All-Ireland competition was won by a team which had been defeat ed earlier in the campaign.

Clare GAA had assembled a strong backroom team which saw Kev in Kennedy (St. Josephs) as the manager and which included Clonlara’s Colm Honan (coach), Ennis native Louis Mulqueen (trainer), Tom Hogan (Kilmaley) and Bodyke’s Sean O’Halloran as selectors. Hogan and O’Hal loran were deeply involved as officers with the underage hurling board

Clare’s championship started on May 8 with a provincial semi-final win over Cork on a scoreline of 2-12 to 0-10.

On the previous day defending champions Tipperary qualified for the final with a 1-15 to 0-13 semi-final win over Limerick. The premier outfit had defeated Waterford, 3-9 to 1-12, in the first round on April 12. In the Munster final on July 6, Tipperary, the defending champions were one goal winners over Clare, 2-13 to 1-13

In the All-Ireland semi-final Tipperary were dethroned by Galway. Fol lowing their Munster final loss Clare faced Antrim in an All-Ireland quarter final and the Banner outfit won this one, 0-13 to 1-4 on July 26.

This saw Clare through to the semi-final and a meeting with Kilkenny which Clare won by three points, 0-13 to 1-7 on August 10.

The All-Ireland final against Galway took place on September 14 when Clare emerged with a two point win, 1-11 to 1-9 starting off what was to prove a great day for Clare as the seniors were also crowned All-Ireland champions, defeating Tipperary by a point in a repeat of the Munster final which Clare also won.

The Clare team which made history on that occasion and which was captained by Sixmilebridge’s John Reddan was Ger O'Connell (Clonlara); Wayne Kennedy (Parteen), Kenneth Kennedy (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Danny Duggan (O’Cal laghans Mills); Brian McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), John Reddan (Sixmile bridge), Gordon Malone (Whitegate); Stiofan Fitzpatrick (Sixmilebridge), Gearoid Considine (Cratloe); Patrick Moroney (Scariff), Conor Earley (Tubber), Colm Mullen (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield); Mark Lennon (Wolfe Tones), Donal Madden (Tul la), Brian McMahon (Kilmaley) Subs: Joe O'Meara Clarecastle) for Earley; John O' Meara (Sixmilebridge) for Lennon; Martin Brooks (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield),Paul Collins (Clonlara), Ronan Cooney (Éire Óg), Eric Minogue (Whitegate), Dar ragh O’Driscoll (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), David Considine (Wolfe Tones) and Brendan McMahon (Crusheen)

Clare camogie richer for presence of Jimmy, poorer for his passing

CAMOGIE circles in Clare were plunged into mourning following the sudden passing of Jimmy Kenny, writes Páraic McMahon

Kilkenny native, Jimmy who resided in Cloughleigh died suddenly on Friday. He began to feel unwell earlier that day when working at Fr McNamara Park, the Clare Camogie grounds and the location in which supporters of all ages became acquainted with him. He was field manager at the county grounds, putting in several hours to the up keep of the facility along with his good friend Mike Duggan.

He served as a Development Officer with Clare Camogie and had been involved with several underage teams at county level.

Before the start of the senior and interme diate camogie finals which took place in Cu sack Park and Fr McNamara Park respec tively at the weekend, Clare Camogie PRO Brid MacNamara paid tribute to Jimmy with a minute’s silence also held in his memory.

Jimmy Kenny Photo by David Dillon

Brid said the entire camogie community in Clare was in “deep shock”. She stated, “Jimmy was a true gift to Clare Camogie. A constant presence in Fr. McNamara Park where he looked after the development of our County Grounds, from cutting the pitch, lining the field, parking our cars, the mainte nance of our club house and grounds and his secret love, umpiring for numerous ref erees”.

For development blitzes be it in Clare or

further afield, Brid recalled how he “always had his bag of treats and cookies for the

players”.

She added, “Jim may have hailed from Kilkenny but he had thick Banner blood run ning though his veins. A current coach to the Banner Gaa Ennis Ladies Junior Camogie Team his skills were many. His kindness to all shone through, whether it was finding a missing hurley in Fr Mc Park or squeezing another car into the carpark so someone didn't have far to walk. Jimmy never sought the limelight and ran a mile when he saw a camera”.

“A familiar face to many in the Camogie circles, we were most definitely the richer for his presence and are now the poorer for his passing,” the Ruan woman concluded.

Moments after helping Scariff/Ogonnelloe win the senior camogie championship, Ci ara Doyle took a moment to pay tribute to Jimmy. “There’s a lot of darkness over to day and I can’t go without mentioning the passing of Jimmy Kenny, he was such a stalwart of Clare camogie, he was the first person you’d always see coming in the gate of Fr McNamara Park and the last person you’d see leaving. I was privileged to be in volved in an U16 team with Jim many years ago and I got to train an U14 team with him, his kindness knew no end, he is such a loss and will be a huge loss to the Clare camogie community”.

Ciara Doyle embraces Pat Minogue at the final whistle Photo by Gerard O'Neill

SYSTEMS GO FOR CDSL LEAGUE CUP FINALS

CLARE CLUBS POWER FORWARD TO THIRD ROUND OF FAI JUNIOR CUP

Woodstock ladies masters title for O'Regan

by SEAMUS HAYES

WOODSTOCK GOLF CLUB:

The ladies masters 18 hole stableford com petition at Woodstock, sponsored by the late Jack Heaslip, was won by Niamh O’Regan with 34 points.

Mary Gleeson with 32 points was second fol lowed by Mary Morgan with 28 points, Chaye Kelly with 27 points, Mags Nash with 24 points and Kathleen McEnery with18 points.

The non playing qualifiers were Mariann Hintz, Mary Howard and Marianne Mc Gough. The presentation will take place on Sunday Oc tober 30 at Hotel Woodstock at 4.30pm.

Last week’s club singles was won by Michael Coughlan (26) with 46 points from Dennis Mc Carthy (17) with a similar score. Sean Williams (15) with 40 points was third.

In a similar competition the previous week, Ross Kenny (17) won with 45 points from Jon athan Clohessy (15) with 42 points and Gerry Kelly (5) with 41 points.

This weekend’s competition will be a fourball betterball.

KILRUSH GOLF CLUB:

Derek Garvey (12) was the winner of the men’s 18 hole singles stableford competition at Kilrush at the weekend with 40 points.

He had two to spare over John McGrath (12) with Michael Ryan (7) in third spot with 37 points followed by Danian Carey (18) also with 37 points.

A similar competition for the ladies was won by Claire Pyne (22) with 38 points from Mary G Nolan (22) with 37 with third place filled by Fiona Kinsella (16), also with 37 points.

The category winners were Ann Marie Don nellan (16) with 37 points Olivia McCarthy (25) with 37 points and Anne Cooper (31) with 31 points. The 12 hole winner was Hanora O’Dea Kilkenny with 27 points.

The ladies competition on Thursday, spon sored by the Bank of Ireland was won by Celia O’Grady (37) with 41 points from Mary Nolan

(19) with 38 points and Margaret Clancy (17) with 37 points.

The category winners were Fiona Kinsella (15) with 37 points, Claire Pyne (21) with 33 points and Mary Keating (32) with 35 points.

ENNIS GOLF CLUB:

Last week’s 9 hole stableford competition was won by Maureen Moloney (20) with 18 points from Bridie Keane (17) with 16 points with Mary McMahon (10) in third spot with 16 points.

In last week’s ladies senior competition the winners were Therese Lillis, Mary McMahon and Liz Kelly with 49.1 points. In second place with 49.3 points were Patrice Ryan, Ann Casey and Bernie Brooks with 49.3 points with third spot filled by Brid Cunningham, Marie Dilleen, Pat Leacy and Eileen J Corry with 54.1 points.

The men’s singles at the weekend was won by David Pender(10) with 42 points from Ger Donohue (17) with 41 points. Damian Pilkington (15) was third with 40 points followed by Mat thew Kennedy (12), also with 40 points. Kieran Fox (5) won the gross with 33 points.

The category winners were Andrew McGloin (9) with 36 points, Daire Meehan (12) won cate gory B with 39 points while Gerard Hannon (27) won category C with 38 points.

Niall Murphy (17) won the Friday open sin gles with 41 points from Ray Keogh (4) with 40 points.

The annual hampers competition will take place this weekend.

Due to the temporary closure of the bar and restaurant, the Ryder Cup event, scheduled for the October bank holiday weekend has been postponed and a new date will be confirmed for the New Year.

DROMOLAND GOLF CLUB:

Hugh O’Neill was the winner of the golfer of the year competition off the blue tees at Dro moland with 70 from David O’Brien in second place with a similar score. Diarmuid O’Connor with 72 was third followed by Eamonn Power with 84. The gross was won by Jason Ryan

with 71.

In the ladies Autumn major the winner was Anne McMahon with 41 points from Michelle Bennett with 36 points. Mairead Bergin was third with 31 points followed by Anne Fahy with a similar score. Leslie O’Flynn won the gross with 21 points.

Cora O’Toole won the long drive with Niamh McDermott winning nearest the pin. The nines were won by Siobhan Fitzpatrick with 16 points and Lisa McKnight with 28 points. Joan Dunne won the 9 hole competition with 17 points.

GORT GOLF CLUB:

The ladies Christmas hampers competition last week, an 18 hole singles stableford event, was won by Roisin Walsh (20) with 41 points from Marcella Killeen (24) with 40 points. In third spot, also with 40 points, was Phil Mulk errins (27) while the gross was won by Hannah McInerney (7) with 28 points.

EAST CLARE GOLF CLUB:

Last week’s ladies team of three scramble at East Clare was won by Noreen Doyle, Mary Hogan and Helen Downey with second place filled by Tricia Kerr, Mary Stillman and Margaret Lynch.

In the ladies 18 hole stableford competition at the weekend, Breda McCarthy was the winner. The mixed scramble continues every Friday morning at 10am.

JUNIOR GOLF:

The 2022 Claregolf.ie junior golf season will draw to a close at the end of this month after the staging of its final two junior events. The first of these events, the under-13 short-course junior league will take place at Shannon Golf Club on Sunday. The second event takes place on Sunday October 30 at the new look Dromoland Castle with the staging of the u14, u16 and u18 County Matchplay finals.

Stephen Jordan dinks the ball into the danger area

Photo by Natasha Barton / CDSL

SCAN HERE FOR FULL ROUND-UP

CDSL: MALONEY GARDEN MACHINERY PREMIER DIVISION

l MOTORING INTO THE FINALS: CDSL League Cup Finals 2022: the launch of the Clare District Soccer League Cup Finals sponsored by Liam Cleary Motors Kilrush Road Ennis, which will take place this weekend and next, with 2nd Division Ennis Dons V Hermitage on Friday 21st October, First Division Shannon Town B V Shannon Hibs on Saturday 22nd October and Third Division Fair Green Celtic V Fern Celtic on Friday 28th October Photo by Natasha Barton

Podium finish for Cratloe's Eoin McMahon in Longines FEI Jumping World Cup

PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

CRATLOE’s

Eoin Mc

Mahon got his 2022/23 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup season off to a flying start, notching a podium finish in Sunday’s opening round of the series in Oslo

Riding the 12-year-old mare Chakra, McMahon was one of 11 combinations to make it into the jump-off after a clear first round.

Drawn first to go in the jumpoff, Eoin posted an impressive clear in 46.13 seconds against the clock, which would be good enough for third place at the finish and 15 league points for the Irish man.

Victory went to Switzerland’s Bryan Balsiger and Dubai du Bois Pinchet with a clear in 41.38, while Norway’s Victoria Gulliksen and Equine America Papa Roach fin ished as runners-up in 43.62. Tip perary’s Thomas Ryan was also

among the starters, and finished with one fence down in the first round with Springfield.

The second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, Western European League takes place in Helsinki next weekend.

Since 2018, Eoin has been train ing from the stable of four time Olympic gold medallist, Ludger Beerbaum in Germany. He made his Irish senior team debut in 2020 and championship debut in 2021. He finished in the top ten of his first European championship in 2021, riding Chacon 2 to eight place.

Both of his parents, John and Patricia were keen riders while his younger brother Conor is current ly based in England with Richard Howley.

Double delight for Michael Browne

by MICHAEL MAHER

CREE’s Michael Browne had double delight in Galway on Saturday night with Burnpark Max and Burnpark Ronaldo took top spot in their respective races.

On Saturday night’s Galway card, the Mi chael Browne of Cree owned Burnpark Max made it three career wins from six starts in the S7 graded sprint contest the fourth race on the card as he proved a length and three parts too good for Blaze Fire More in 19.39. The winner, a son of Pat C Sabbath and Burnpark Leanne, was away smartly from trap six and despite keeping wide on the home bend the winner was always in con trol racing up the home straight.

The Browne Kennel double was complet ed in the S2 graded sixth comets as the Mi chael and Alanna Browne owned Burnpark Ronaldo recorded his fourth career suc cess as he led on the crown of the home bend on his way to a three and a half length success over Anna Be Slick in 19.13.

In race two, all six runners were away on terms for this A8 graded contest with Burn park Sabbath showing the best pace along the inner to lead by three lengths at half way. Between the final two bends the lead er ran wide to allow the Martin Cronin and Jack Markham of Ennis-owned Cragbrien Best (Ballymac Best-Bills Mistletoe) to slip through on his inner to win going away at the line by four and a half lengths in 29.81.

In the early strides of the Novice 350 yards contest Glamorous Woohoo and An other Cool Sky were both prominent with Five Alley Din close up on the inner as they raced towards the opening bend. Rounding the bend Glamorous Woohoo took a defi nite advantage as the John Quinn of Gort owned Fast Fit Dixie made rapid progress round the wide outside.

Rounding the home bend the leader ran

quite wide and switching inside Fast Fit Dixie (Pestana-Port West Pop) led off the home bend and stayed on well to prevail by one lengths at the line in 19.58. The Mull ins-Curtin Syndicate of Gort owned Almost There made it two wins from two career starts in S4 graded contest on Thursday as he proved five and a half lengths too good for Jumeirah Mick in 18.99. Trapping well in company with Astro Kevin and Gone South the winner showed plenty of pace to lead from Jumeirah Mick approaching the opening bend. Tracking well around the bend though the son of Sonic and Mrs Will extended his advantage as he drew right away for and impressive success.

Having been collared close home the last twice having led the Kieron and Aaron Nu gent of Ballyea owned Killerk Black gained his due reward in the A5 graded contest as he proved three parts of a length too strong for Mellon Rosa at the line in 29.75. Away well, rounding the bend Brosna Bay led by half a length and this became a length nearing halfway. At this point the even tual winner went to the front and despite moving weed off the home bend the son of Ballymac Best & Dynamic Cool Sky was always in command close home.

In the concluding A4 graded contest Erril Star and Bumblebee Queen both showed pace along the inner on the run towards the opening bend and rounding the bend the Frank Casey of Newmarket-on-Fergus owned Erril Star took a definite advantage. Racing down the back Erril Star showed the way to Bumblebee Queen with Tre anmanagh Lad trying to close on the pair passing halfway. Racing towards the open ing bend Treanmanagh Lad began to close but Erril Star(Toolatetoosell-Snow Eva) saw the trip out well to score by a length and three parts in 29.60.

l Eoin McMahon

Expert preview: Eibhear Quilligan

Eibhear

Quilligan, Clare senior hurl ing goalkeeper, Feakle senior hurl ing goalkeeper, and 2020 All Star nominee, gives his verdict as Ball yea prepare to take on Éire Óg in this Sun day’s Senior County Hurling final.

“They are probably the best two teams in the competition. How they play, their phys icality and athleticism are the reasons they are there, they are the stand-out traits really. On Sunday, the middle third is going to be some fascinating watch, it’s where the game is going to be won. Both teams have good

Éire Óg Inis

sets of scorers, Ballyea are playing Tony Kel ly inside a good bit, Mossy Gavin was sav age the last day with 0-06, Aaron Griffin is another scorer and then on the other side you’ve Shane O’Donnell, David Reidy and Danny Russell. Whoever can win the middle third and get the supply into their forward line will win the game.

“The match-ups are going to be really in triguing. Shane O’Donnell and Paul Flana gan is going to be a huge one. Paul has had a year of all years, he has been unbelievable, if anyone is going to quieten Shane you’d

fancy Paul to do it because he’s playing so well. If he is man marking it will be a differ ent role for him because with Ballyea he has been building the play from the back, you’d imagine he’d be back on. That is a hard bat tle to call, Paul could have a super game and Shane could still score 1-03, you won’t limit him to nothing, you have to take it as a given he will do damage and try limit him as best you“Wecan.played Éire Óg last year and the year before in the senior championship, from seeing their games this year Matt Shannon and the management they seem to have it tactically spot on. The last day when Sead na Morey went back on Shane O’Donnell, they tried to move him around and then they moved Reidy in, every move they seem to make works, they don’t leave it late to make a switch, they do it early.

have been making a real impact which hasn’t been the case.

“The two centre backs, Jack and Aar on Fitzgerald will have a big say on who wins. The centre forwards, Pearse Lillis and Cooney will roam and be really busy, Pearse has brought a scoring threat that he hasn’t in other years and Cooney is the same, both centre-backs will have a decision to sit back or push up, if they push up both full-for ward lines have serious potential to do dam age, it’s stick or twist for both centre backs and a decision they have probably already made on whether they push up or not. .

County Senior Hurling Final

“Éire Óg have built a squad which they didn’t have last year. Gavin Cooney is going to be playing around the middle third, he will probably be centre-forward roaming around with Jack Browne who likes to sit back as the opposing centre back, all those match-ups will decide the game. Éire Óg have got more from Cooney this year and from Oran Cahill since he went to wing-back, the lesser lights have stepped up and guys coming off the bench

“It’s a tough one to call, there’s no doubt about it but Ballyea will perform. They have big game players all over the field, they will perform but I think if Éire Óg perform that they might shade it. There is maybe an odd question mark here or there because they haven’t been there before but I think maybe the foot ball final last year and winning that will stand to Éire Óg, a lot of them would also have played in big inter-county games before, I think if Éire Óg perform they might just shade it”.

Verdict: Éire Óg

Donnellan & Corry take charge of finals

JARLATH Donnellan is to take charge of his first Clare SHC final this weekend, writes Páraic McMahon

Wolfe Tones clubman Donnellan will be the man in the middle for the novel final pairing of Ballyea and Éire Óg in Cusack Park this coming Sunday.

A dual-referee, Donnellan has taken charge of county finals at underage level while also refereeing semi-finals at the se nior grade in the county. The Shannon man is on the provincial panel for hurling referees and has been a referee locally for over sev en years.

Though on duty for last year’s county final between Ballyea and Inagh/Kilnamona, Jar lath was linesman to Johnny Healy of Smith O’Briens. His solid performances throughout this year’s Clare SHC and his continued rise through the ranks at provincial level have seen him rewarded with the honour of refer eeing the county final.

Donnellan refereed Ballyea’s third round win over Clarecastle and their quarter-final tie against Clooney/Quin while he has notofficiated any of Éire Óg’s games in this year’s race for the Canon Hamilton.

Sixmilebridge’s Kevin Corry is to referee the Clare IHC final between St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield and Tulla on Saturday. A referee since 2018, Corry has officiated games at all levels in adult and juvenile, this year he was tasked with games in the senior championship on a frequent basis having previously done finals at Senior B and Minor grades.

Although he has been the whistler for

games in the penultimate stage of the inter mediate championship, Saturday’s encoun ter will be the first time that the popular post man is in charge of an intermediate final.

PICTURED: Jarlath Donnellan Photo by Gerard O’Neill

O’Donnell eager to add to his sole Éire Óg success: ‘I can still name that U15B team’

by DEREK DORMER

SHANE

O’Donnell has achieved much his hurling career and hopes to fulfil a dream of claiming a Clare SHC medal as Éire Óg take on Ballyea in Sunday’s decider.

There is no doubting that O'Donnell is one of the best hurlers ever produced in the county. Who will ever forget his 3-3 in the 2013 All-Ireland final replay helping to secure Clare's fourth Liam McCa rthy. A winner of three All-Ireland U21 titles and more man of the match awards than one could ac count for, O'Donnell would walk onto any team in any era.

Despite all the success, he has a burning desire to win a coveted senior championship with Éire Óg. Given all he has won, it is re markable that one of his fondest memories is winning an U15B title with the Ennis club, one of the few hurling medals he has at club level.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, Shane outlined, “A club champion ship is everything, it's the pinna cle really. I mean 11 years playing senior without success is horrific really. I've only ever won an Un der 15B title and I can still name the team, the scorers, the subs that came on. I was also there when we won an intermediate title but was injured for the final. We are all acutely aware of the timeline, 22 years since the last final, 32 years since success, it's way way too long.”

Preparing for the big day must be soaked up, he acknowledged. "We have to enjoy this, embrace it, revel in it, enjoy the build up, the fanfare and all that comes with it. We've been so close losing semis and quarter finals by a point or two, so although it's great to be there we have to take the oppor tunity.”

Success of the Éire Óg foot ballers last season has lifted the

hurlers and the entire club, SOD admits.

"We had the watershed mo ment of the football last year and the dual players with their suc cess have brought a relaxed at mosphere. We don't feel pressure, only from within our own group to succeed. Mattie [Shannon] and Paul [Madden] with the foot ballers, their professionalism is amazing. Our management team have left no stone unturned. We all love coming to training, we have great craic and banter but we can be focused when we need to be and that's the culture our manage

ment team have brought. Enjoy every moment but be ready when we have to be and that's just, in my opinion a fantastic way of doing things.”

It is very evident to see the prog ress made in recent years and how the group, both management and players as a whole, have matured but how is it for Shane himself?

"Personally, I'm really enjoying it. I came back in April and to be hon est there was a long period where I thought I might never hurl again. I had a few conversations with Bri an [Lohan] about getting back on the pitch and I did. But for me it

was all about that moment where I stopped fearing I was going to get another hit. The shackles sort of came off and the love of the game came back tenfold."

O'Donnell shows tremendous character, bravery and application after what can only have been a dark period that very few people can fully fathom, after missing the entire 2021 inter-county champi onship with a concussion injury.

“I now think what's the worst that can happen? I miss a shot or shoot a wide, it doesn't mean anything after what I went through. I now play the game the way I want. Be

fore people would mark me and think I would always pass it off and not take on the point but now I will. I have freedom in myself and I suppose I might be a bit harder to mark now," he smiles.

Asked about how he feels Bally ea will approach marking him, he is modest about his own impact and fulsome in his praise of his colleagues. "David Reidy was in credible the last day, probably his greatest performance in an Éire Óg jersey with each of his scores an essential one. Cian O’Dea did all the hard work for my goal, all I had to do was shoot. You've Dar ren O’Brien, Danny Russell, Gavin Cooney to name just a few that will take marking. We have a terrific bunch of lads and we will die for each other”.

O'Donnell admits some of his Ballyea rivals on Sunday are like another family to him. "There is no bad blood at all amongst anyone in the Clare set up. We are like a fam ily. We get on so well and the ban ter will be great but all bets are off when that ball is thrown in. What happens between the lines will al ways stay between the lines, even the last day the ‘Bridge lads were saying things while we played but afterwards we met up and it was back to being great friends. That is the beauty of hurling.”

Success of Paul Madden’s foot ballers in 2021 has strengthened the belief of the entire club, Shane said. “To see the whole town here last year, the flares going off in the dark, the party atmosphere. We have to replicate that. We simply must give it everything and we will give it everything.”

Pushed for a yes or no answer on will they win, O'Donnell smil ing simply says, “yes”. Only time will tell if O'Donnell is granted his wish. What is for certain though, is no real hurling supporter would begrudge one of Clare's greatest sons a senior championship medal.

l Shane O’Donnell has been one of Éire Óg’s most effective players during the championship

Photo by Gerard O’Neill

Football title lights spark for Reidy: ‘we have to take this opportunity’

by DEREK DORMER

DAVID

Reidy has been playing senior hurling with Éire Óg for 11 years and is relishing the opportunity to end a 32-year famine for the club this Sunday.

Winner of three All-Ireland U21 titles plus several years playing for the county senior side under three managements, Reidy has more ex perience that the majority of his Éire Óg teammates when it comes to big days on the hurling stage.

Last year, he lined out at centre forward on the Éire Óg football side managed by Paul Madden who were crowned county cham pions. He feels that winning ex perience is a huge factor this year.

“Loads of lads played in last year’s football decider, we might not have Ballyea’s hurling finals experience but we are not lacking in county final experience and that’s a huge plus for us.

“We know the preparation that went into last year’s day, what worked, what might need a tweak here or there so that will stand to

us because you just can’t buy expe rience. It’s a massive part of being successful. Our preparation will be A1 because that’s how Mattie and

the management team work. They will consult with Paul Madden and we will work from there.”

He doesn’t believe the sense of

occasion will affect some of the Ennis players. “We will definitely enjoy the build-up, the fanfare, the flags and everything else that goes with it. You’d be crazy not to enjoy it but we have done it last year as I’ve said and we have loads of in ter-county players in both codes who have played on the biggest stages in the biggest of games. Mattie does huge work to get us right for each day we go out.”

When discussing the semi-final extra time win over Sixmilebridge and his man of the match perfor mance, he gives special mention to Shane O’Donnell. “I was lucky enough that things went well for me on the day but I knew I had to step up. Shane has been doing it for us for what seems like forev er. He is remarkable. But we will need others to stand up on Sunday and there’s plenty of candidates in this group. We have a lot of quality hurlers and more importantly they are quality people.”

On the opposition, David says there is great comraderie and ban ter but he will be focused on the job in hand come throw in. “Bal

lyea are a serious team, top players and we know them so well. We’ve played together on development squads, for Flannans and for Clare. We respect each other and we have great banter. Shur Jack Browne is living in my estate so he’s basically a townie now,” he laughs.

“We are neighbouring parishes, there is huge rivalry but we must embrace that, enjoy it for what it is, but remember it’s just sport. Yes we will do everything to win come Sunday and we have to relish that county final day. We will always remember it but as recent events have shown there is more to life.”

David also feels that the mantra of a rising tide lifting all boats can most certainly be applied to Éire Óg. “Last season’s success has lit a spark in everyone, the club are enjoying every competition. The Junior A team were in the coun ty final, the footballers are at the business end and now finally after what seems a lifetime the senior hurlers are in the county final and I can’t wait for the throw in. It’s been too long for our club. We have to take this opportunity.”

l David Reidy’s scoring prowess could be crucial to the outcome of Sunday’s county final Photo by Gerard O’Neill

‘Seeing kids excited for Éire

makes journey to county final all the sweeter’

by DEREK DORMER

COROFIN

native, Matt Shannon could become an honorary Ennis manif Éire Óg are crowned Clare SHC champions.

Shannon is a hurling man through and through. When he’s not training teams, he’s watching matches. When he’s not watching matches, he’s talking about hurl ing. He loves the game and craves success.

Speaking about Sunday’s final, he tells The Clare Echo, “It is great for the club, great for the kids and that’s what it’s about really, they will all have their local heroes be it Shane O’Donnell, David Reidy, Danny Russell or whoever it is but they can see their heroes, talk to their heroes. It’s about the feelgood factor winning brings. I have been made feel very welcome here and accepted here since I took over.

“It’s been a journey and enjoying that journey as a group makes it all worthwhile, all the hard work, all the sacrifices. There’ll be bunting everywhere, flags everywhere and all the fanfare. You must embrace that, to see all the kids excited, that’s what it’s all about. I have a daughter myself and she is so ex cited. Seeing that makes the jour ney to get here all the sweeter.”

County finals can be lost before a ball is pucked with teams getting caught up in the occasion. Shan non is adamant this won’t be an issue for Éire Óg and credits Paul Madden in this regard. “Paul is a thorough professional and we have always worked together on every thing. It has never been about foot ball or hurling but only what’s bestfor Éire Óg as a club, as a whole club. The success of the footbal lers last year will be vital for us.

“They’ve tasted county final day and everything that goes with it and they know what it meant for the town to see Gavin Cooney walk into the clubhouse with Jack Daly last year. We have a lot of dual players so come Sunday we will be comfortable with all the proceed ings and more importantly be ready when the sliotar is thrown in”.

This view was echoed by se lector, Ronan Cooney. “22 years without a final and 32 years with out success is mind boggling.

There’s a huge appetite for hurling in the town and the success of the football has only increased this appetite. What Paul Madden has achieved is inspiring and thanks to his exploits our players have expe rienced county final day. We have some truly exceptional players in both codes. That football victory lifted everyone in the club, players, coaches, parents and it is up to us now.”

A member of the 2000 team which lost out to Sixmilebridge, Ronan is astonished by the ef fort levels put in by players today.

“What players do nowadays with strength and conditioning, diets, nutrition, training, matches, telling your partner you can’t go out this weekend as you have a gym ses sion at 6.30am. It’s just ridiculous really, the effort they put in and I have nothing but respect and ad miration for all players. The bar is there, it’s a high bar and if you don’t at least meet those, what are now minimum requirements, you will be found wanting.”

Although Éire Óg were relegated from Division 1B in the Clare Cup, Matt was not worried this form would materialise when it came to championship. “To be honest league form means nothing, no body ever remembers who wins the league. It has and always will be about championship. Yes, we struggled but it was because we have so many inter-county players in both codes that we lacked num bers. We battled on and it gave a chance for younger players to stake a claim and get senior expe rience. We lost most of our games by only a few points so honestly, we were happy enough with our performances. The split season gives us a more specific calendar and when your inter-county play ers walk through those gates it lifts everybody.”

Now in his fourth season as manager of the Townies, Matt oversaw their run to the quarter-fi nals in 2019 and back-to-back

semi-final appearances in 2020 and 2021. He doesn’t feel a sense of pressure to deliver in his first time managing a side in the senior county final.

“The only pressure we have is from within. You will always have aspirations to reach a certain stage and we always set our stall out to be successful. We have been hitting the crossbar with quarter finals and semi finals but I’m a firm believer that if you keep knocking on the door it will even tually open. Our backs were to the wall after the Kilma ley match. We knew there were no more chances so we’ve really played four knockout games at this stage and that will stand to us. It builds confidence and confi dence leads as I see it to success,” he told The Clare Echo.

In the semi-final David Reidy had a huge game and the switch of him to the full for ward line paid immediate dividends as he raided for 1-1 almost in stantaneous ly. That must have been pleasing as a manager to make a crucial switch and see it pay off. “You’re always learn ing, like the golfer, you’re always trying to get bet ter and you should be getting bet

ter with experience but that switch came from the stand if I’m being honest about it,” he admitted.

Suggestions may be made from the stand but the man ager has the job of making the actual deci sions. “When it works it’s great, you get applauded but on the flup side, when

you get it wrong it’s not so great. Remember there’s not much in it between a pat on the back and a kick a few inches lower,” he laughs.

Shannon added, “The key is to stay humble, either in victory or defeat, I mean we were 30 sec onds from being out of the cham pionship.”

On the opposition he will face Sunday he has nothing but respect for his counterpart Robbie Hogan and Ballyea as a unit. “They are a very balanced team, more so now than ever before in my opinion. Robbie has done a terrific job and is a great hurling man. They have a lot of athletes and of course they have Tony Kelly. Without doubt he is the marquee player, proba bly the best hurler in the country but they did win it without him last year so that shows the test it will be. We just have to focus on our game, play the way we want to play, it’s obviously a huge test but it’s a test we as a group will relish”.

PICTURED: Éire Óg manager, Matt Shannon Photo by Gerard O’Neill

Bua

Kelly calls on Ballyea to make most of golden generation with another title

by EOIN BRENNAN

“FROM

talking to people, I think ev eryone is just really looking forward to the game. I sup pose the two teams tend to just go at it and it’s great in a sense for any neutral going to the game that it’s probably a very hard game to call.

“I mean, you wouldn’t be sur prised if either team won it or even if there was a draw so that’s always a bonus going into a county final. Also for any neutrals, it’s two teams that haven’t really met before in a knock-out game so it’s something new to look forward to and I’m sure both teams will leave every thing out there to try and win Sun day’s final.”

That wasn’t a county final press release on behalf of Clare GAA or a ticket sales pitch from Clare’s new Commercial Manager, but actually Ballyea talisman Tony Kelly giving his honest assessment of a histor ic first final between his defend ing champions and their ravenous neighbours Éire Óg who have been waiting 32 years to lift the Canon Hamilton trophy once more.

Back-to-back All-Star Kelly, who is in line for a fourth national nod this time next week, only needs to look at their opponents’ intermina ble 22 year gap between senior final appearances alone to re-emphasise that it’s pivotal for Ballyea’s golden generation to win as much as they can while on top.

“Going back seven years ago when we won the first, we were try ing to capitalise upon that break through and hopefully make the most of being on top. The group that was there for the first one in 2016 is still by and large the same lads that are there now, with the addition of younger players that have come through the ranks in the last few years, so we know that this won’t last forever and therefore

it’s about trying to win as much as we can while we’re near the top of the ladder.

“You don’t know how long this will last as there is going to be a barren spell where we’re going to go from getting to a county final back into the middle of the pack or even down fighting to stay senior.

“So it’s all cyclical and we’re just fortunate enough that we’re in a prime cycle for the club at the min ute but we’re under no illusion that the wheel will turn at some stage. We’re just try to make the most of it and capitalise on it while we can”.

A fourth title since 2016 would

not only equal Sixmilebridge’s haul in the past eight seasons but also make Ballyea only the fourth team in 30 years to have garnered suc cessive championship crowns.

“It’s not something we talk about ever, we have never set out at the start of the year talking about win ning a championship or anything like that and I’m sure most clubs are the same. It’s really only when you get down to the latter stages that you begin to say to yourself that there’s a chance here now and you try and ensure that everyone gives hell for leather and see where it takes us. And luckily enough for

us this year, that got us back into a county final in the hope of winning it again. When you get there, obvi ously anything can happen but it’s about taking that opportunity with both hands as there’s no guarantee that you will ever get back there.”

Ballyea’s enviable record of three wins from as many final appear ances makes them slight favour ites but having come from behind in every decider they’ve played, Kelly isn’t about to guarantee that their supporters will have any nails left to bite coming down the final straight on Sunday.

“Going out in a final and win

ning by nine or ten points would be great but that has never been the case for us. Take last year for exam ple, all through the championship, every game that we played we won by a point bar one match.

“Even against Cratloe the last day, we were in control for large parts and then Cratloe came at us and only for Barry Coote to make a great save with two minutes to go, it would have been back to a point and Cratloe probably would have gotten an opportunity to level it. So there’s never a relaxing period and especially in a semi-final or final, it’s going to be tight and tense”.

Those two words have been on everyone’s lips over the past ten days when referring to this intrigu ing match-up as 2013 National Hurling and Young Hurler of the Year Kelly is the first to admit that his side will have to play to their optimum to prevail.

“If you look at Éire Óg and Bally ea, they’re similar in terms of their make-up and the number of county hurlers and footballers they have. Definitely trying to plot Éire Óg’s downfall will be tough but with the quality that they have, we need to keep their forwards in check.

“Even to watch them from a distance over the last few years, they’ve been really impressive and are deservedly in the final this year. They’ve played some really good hurling when you consider the cal ibre of teams they’ve met as well so they’ve come through a tough group and had an even tougher semi-final against the ‘Bridge and have momentum behind them.

“On paper it looks like Sunday will serve up a good final but in saying that it won’t bother either of us if it’s a dour affair so long as you’re on the right side of it. Finals are for winning after all and no-one ever remembers the beautiful hurl ing or brilliant gameplan that you planned to play or execute as long as you win.”

l Tony Kelly gets away from Conor McGrath in their Clare SHC semi-final meeting

Photo by Gerard O’Neill

Townies quick to remind Ballyea of 2016 defeat

EOIN BRENNAN

A WARZONE in the mid dle third and who wins the battle in this sector will be crucial to determining the destination of Canon Hamil ton, Ballyea’s manager has predicted.

It’s table quiz season so here’s a handy start ing question. Cuala finally ended Ballyea’s unforget table 2016/17 journey in the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Fi nal. Who were the only other team to overcome the breakthrough Clare champions throughout their 11-match championship charge?

If you haven’t already pieced it together, it wasÉire Óg who bookended their neighbour’s historic adventure in an opening round classic that saw the sides locked in a stalemate after 60 minutes only for the Townies to prevail in ex tra-time by 3-26 to 1-23.

And like any vibrant derby banter, Éire Óg haven’t shied away from reminding them of that fact according to Ballyea manager Robbie Hogan.

“There’s no distance be tween us really, both parish es seem to blend into each other so we all have friends in the town and there would be a natural healthy rival ry there as well between the clubs. Even when we did well in 2016, they were quick to remind us that they beat us so that’s all good honest fun.”

Amazingly for two clubs that have been consistent ly reaching the shake-up for honours ever since, that 2016 clash was Ballyea andÉire Óg’s last championship showdown, until now that is.

“During my time on the backroom team, we’ve played Éire Óg three times, we drew with them twice at Senior B and then in 2016 in the first round...we could not be separated.

“I don’t know how we ha ven’t met even at the group stages in the seven years since as some teams you can’t get out of their way you meet them so often, the likes of Broadford and Cratloe.

“It makes this a bit of a step into the unknown though and likewise for them because we haven’t crossed paths since 2016. By playing a team you can really get a sense of what they are about. Take Cratloe for instance this

year, we learned so much for the semi-final rematch from playing them at the group stages.

“So from watching them over the past few years and videos, we know what Éire Óg are about from afar but actually confronting that on the field is another challenge. So we’re real ly going to have to roll up our sleeves and go at it because Éire Óg are a serious team, with plenty of skill and physicality.”

Hogan’s reference to Cratloe isn’t surprising considering that 13 point group decider reverse was Ballyea’s only champion ship defeat in two years, a timely wake-up call that has spurred the Bally Boys on to remain steely determined on their way to exacting full revenge with a 17 point turnaround last time out.

“I can tell you it was an extremely long day followed by a sleepless night and a bad week,” Hogan recalls following the group game defeat.

“Something that we don’t do a huge amount of is vid eo anaylsis but we all sat down together as a group and looked at the match and realised that our inten sity levels weren’t where they should be and that we let the jersey down.

“That wasn’t the fix of it, that would have to come on the field so in one way we were very lucky because some teams don’t get a second chance. So it was a wake-up call at the right time.”

Ballyea haven’t looked back since as they toppled Group 3 winners Cloo ney/Quin at the last eight stage before faring much better with 14 men in their

Cratloe semi-final rematch a fortnight ago. Éire Óg meanwhile had to deal with their make-or-break cross roads in the first round as contrasting halves against Kilmaley ensured that they have essentially been play ing knock-out hurling ever since.

The resemblances don’t end there though as Ballyeaand Éire Óg possess an ee rie similarity of styles, dual county players, physicality and work ethic which only adds to the intrigue of such a mouth-watering finale according to 2016 and ’21 winning manager Hogan.

“The middle third is go ing to be a warzone. Both teams will be looking to get their finishers on the ball but it’s going to be getting that quality supply into them is where the big gest challenge lies. So we are similar in a lot of ways but fundamentally you just have to keep working on the simple things, the ba sics that you would try and drill into an u10 player. It’s the simple things that win you the game a lot of the time and it’s the team that makes the least amount of silly mistakes that is going to prevail.

“For every score, go back six or seven seconds earli er and you’ll invariably find that someone does some thing somewhere to put that ball into a scoring position whether that’s a hook, a block or a tackle. So at the time it may only seem like a small things but 60 min utes of small things add up to being huge and in a close game as we’re antic ipating on Sunday, it’s the team that implements the simple things more that will emerge on top”.

O’Connor ‘relishing’ rare shot at Townies

AN ALREADY novel derby final pairing be tween Ballyea and Éire Óg also has the dis tinction of being the first hurling decider to have more players with senior inter-county football experience than the hurling equiva lent, writes Eoin Brennan

Twelve players that have represented the Banner under Colm Collins could poten tially line out on Sunday whereas only ten (Aaron Fitzgerald the only dual county star) players have been part of past or current Clare flagship hurling panels.

Ballyea have the highest percentage of Clare footballers in their side (eight in total in contrast to only four hurlers), with Cathal O’Connor being the latest to make a mete oric impact for Robbie Hogan’s side, having only rediscovered his grá for the small ball during the COVID lockdown of 2020.

“I played U21 and then senior until 2010 and then I gave it up but I suppose over lockdown I bought a hurley so that was a good start. Robbie [Hogan] and Reggie [Raymond O’Connor] had been trying to coax me back into it and I said if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it. So I came back anyway and thankfully it was a great decision as we went onto win the championship last year”.

O’Connor’s reintroduction couldn’t have come at a more opportune time in fact as with Tony Kelly sidelined for the latter stag es of last year’s Canon Hamilton race with an ankle injury, O’Connor proudly stepped into the breach.

“It was a step up alright. I played one ju nior game beforehand so it was nice to ease back into it a little before getting my chance at senior level. To be fair, I’m not expected to do anything extraordinary, as long as I do my job, work hard and try to link the play, that’s the key. Essentially getting in those hooks, blocks and tackles as Robbie always says. Anything after that in terms of scores etc are a bonus.

“By winning last year, I did feel more com fortable this season as it wasn’t as completely alien to me. Now in saying that, I do some times still get a bit of a shock when the ball hits the hurley and comes straight into my hand. It’s like ‘wow that actually happened’ so I’m hardly a Tony Kelly but I do a job I like to think”.

That humour and modesty

fits in well with the Ballyea mantra that the team is of paramount importance and indi vidual sacrifices and specific roles have to be executed for that greater good. O’Connor’s tireless work and vast inter-county experi ence has made him a regular on the Ballyea team this year. However, as the Coolmeen native notes, the engine room is likely to get very congested on Sunday.

“Éire Óg are a seriously athletic team and then they have sprinkles of unbelievable tal ent as well. I think we can match them phys ically, especially in the crucial middle third so it could all just come down to the day and whoever gets the bounce of the ball. It will be a fairly titanic battle I’d say because the two of us will not hold back from each other.”

O’Connor is equally familiar with many of Éire Óg’s players as he is likely to cross paths with fellow Banner footballers Ciaran Rus sell, Cian O’Dea, Gavin Cooney and former county-mate Aaron Fitzgerald.

“We’ll relish the chance at the Townies but there’s no doubt either that they’ll relish a chance at the county champions too. It’s go ing to be a serious battle as they are flying it at the moment in both hurling and foot ball. They’re going from week to week and winning every week so their tails are going to be up so it’s up to us to match them and hopefully turn them over.

“I’m really looking forward to it now. Most of the lads are in their

l Ballyea boss, Robbie Hogan on the sideline in Cusack Park Photo by Gerard O’Neill

Expert preview: Mark McKenna

Mark McKenna, Scariff senior hurling manager:

“We came up against Éire Óg this year, they were in our group and they got a good run on us early that day and we did manage to peg it back to three points but looking at them up close, they are a strong and polished outfit, all their key players played well against us and they have continued that form. I’ve watched Ballyea twice this year and when you go to watch Ballyea you know what you’re going to get. The two form teams have reached the county final, I think that’s fair to say and they are two quality teams.

“With the quality on display from both sides, I’m sure backroom teams will try to nullify Tony Kelly, Shane O’Donnell or David Reidy which to be honest I’m not sure is possible but you have to try limit them. Against us, Shane O’Donnell was in a humour which is very hard to stop. A final can often come down to workrate and who works the hardest, the back room teams will have their preparation done to counteract each side. Tony Kel ly’s influence will also be very hard to curtail. In short, it will be about workrate and fronting up on the day, you don’t

have any other choice for a county final.

“Whatever the weather forecast is it will still come down to the team who scores the most. Each set of defend ers will have to be playing the game of their lives with the quality of forwards on display, the forwards for each team are very hard to stop from scoring if they get a run on you. Good weather or bad, it should still be a high scoring game. For me, up front is where this county final will be won”.

“It’s fair tight to call when you think about it. There’s a couple of ways of weighing it up. Ballyea are defending champions and they know what it takesto win, they won’t be beaten easy. ÉireÓg are really in form, this is their first year getting to the county final having come very close with semi-finals and quarter-finals in recent years, they won’t be beaten too easy. I’m going to giveÉire Óg a tentative vote because I’ve seen them up close and I know the fe rocity and firepower they will bring”.

Expert preview: Fergal Lynch

Fergal Lynch, All-Ireland winner in 2013, ex Clare minor hurling manager, current Galway U20 hurling coach:“Éire Óg had a shaky start and were rusty against Kilmaley in the opening round and lost. They’ve slowly progressed since and that came with hurling, they didn’t have a full panel with football and inter-county commitments but they have progressed to be the team with the most gains this year.

“Ballyea have been topsy turvy all year, some of their players haven’t peaked but they are still getting great results, they have a wide spread of differ ent scorers, the return of Gary Brennan will be a huge asset to them. Both the teams in the final are deserving of being there.

“From watching the style of gamethat Ballyea do and how Éire Óg play,Éire Óg seem to work the ball really well through the lines and Ballyea seem to be more direct, they focus on getting it to Tony Kelly. When Ballyea played Clooney/Quin in the quarter-final, Tony started at centre for ward and a lot of space was left around himwhich he punished. Éire Óg won’t leave much space around him, when the space is closed down he drifts to the middle of the field and their whole game is to create as much space as they can for Tony, everyone else is work

ing around him.

“Éire Óg are a ball-playing team, Matt Shannon has a great job done over the last few years, they focus on getting the ball totheir scorers. The key players that Éire Óg have in David Reidy and Shane O’Donnell are really stepping up to the plate and then the players that haven’t stood out in previous years like Gavin Cooney, Tom Downes and David McNamara are going verywell and have really added to ÉireÓg’s team structure. For me, Bal lyea’s main man over the last three to four games has been Pearse Lillis, he makes them tick around the middle, he has an unorthodox style but he is well able to get around the pitch, he is a top consistent performer.

“I fancy Éire Óg because they are on an upward trajectory since the game they were beaten by Kilmaley, they’ve improved every single day. If it’s a dry day, I think they will sneak it by a point or two. It would be nice to see a new name on the Canon Hamilton this year, with the population of Ennis, it’s our largest town it would be great promotion for hurling in the town and for Clare if they were to win and hopefully it would help develop some more players for Brian Lohan”.

Verdict: Éire Óg

Verdict: Éire Óg

Expert preview: Tomás Kelly

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

TOMÁS Kelly, Clare U20 hurling coach, Inagh/Kilnamo na senior hurling coach, and coach of the St Joseph’s Tulla Harty Cup winning team, gives his prediction ahead of this Sunday’s final.

“They are the two most impressive sides going on the performances so far in the championship. Both teams have only had one major blip, Éire Óg in their first game against Kilmaley and then Ballyea against Cratloe in their last group game. They have been the best two teams in the championship.

“Most people will talk about the marquee players, Tony Kelly, Shane O’Don nell, David Reidy and Niall Deasy but a lot of the time games like this are won by the supporting cast.

Gavin Cooney has been very impressive all year for Éire Óg and the same with Mossy Gavin for Ballyea, it’s an unknown quanti ty because you could have somebody coming on from

the bench to make a difference, all these factors

“You could probably ar gue both of the teams have got stronger in the past year. Ballyea didn’t have Tony Kelly in the county final last year and still won. For Éire Óg, the form of Gavin Cooney has been a huge boost, he’s one of their real unsung heroes, he may not be lighting it up on the scoreboard but he’s very hard to pin down as a link man in the middle third.

could end up making the difference.

“It can be very hard to know what to do when it comes to marking the big names. Éire Óg will focus as much as they can on their own game without getting caught up on Tony Kelly, you can’t get focused on one particular player. With the speed and intensity Éire Óg have played at all year they have been outstanding, they have their own man mark ers too and will have some one like Cian O’Dea or Cia ran Russell detailed to Tony.

“The $64,000 dollar ques tion is to try call who will win. If I was to put my neck on the block, I’d have to say Ballyea. They just don’t know when they’re beaten, when it comes to a scrap and the last few minutes of a game they keep going. They of course have Tony Kelly in their ranks, I give them the nod but only by a point, I don’t see much separating them, it all points to going down to the wire. If it went to a replay, I wouldn’t be surprised”.

Verdict: Ballyea

DARRAGH STACK DARREN O’BRIEN DAVID McNAMARA

CIARAN RUSSELL

CILLIAN MORONEY CONOR O’HALLORAN

DANNY RUSSELL

GRAHAM GLYNN

DAVID REIDY

EOIN GUILFOYLE

GAVIN COONEY

AARON FITZGERALD AIDAN McGRATH CIAN O’DEA

CLARE SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: ÉIRE ÓG VS BALLYEA

MICHAEL MOLONEY

NIALL McMAHON

NIALL O’CONNOR

MARC O’DONNELL

KEVIN BRENNAN

KEVIN MOYNIHAN

LIAM CORRY

SHANE O’DONNELL

ORAN CAHILL

PHILLY WALSH

RORY GALLAGHER

JACK LYNCH JAMES LYNE JARLATH COLLINS

MICHAEL HENEGHAN

TOM DOWNES

BARRY COOTE BRANDON O’CONNELL

CATHAL DOOHAN CATHAL O’CONNOR FIACHRA KIRBY GEAROID O’CONNELL

JAMES MURPHY

MARTIN O’LEARY MORGAN GARRY NIALL DEASY STAN LINEEN

PAUL FLANAGAN PEARSE LILLIS PETER CASEY

RYAN GRIFFIN

THOMAS KELLY TONY KELLY

AARON GRIFFIN

CLARE SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: ÉIRE ÓG VS BALLYEA

BRIAN CASEY BRIAN MURPHY

CIAN MEANEY

CILLIAN BRENNAN DAMIEN BURKE DANIEL KELLY EOGHAN DONNELLAN

GARY BRENNAN

JACK BROWNE

JOE NEYLON

MARK CROWE MORGAN GARRY MOSSY GAVIN

TO

by Siomha Perrill

Clooney-Quin

QF: Inagh-Kilnamona SF: Sixmilebridge Score

Compiled by Cathal Culloo

Madden knows what senior return would mean to Doora/Barefield

HAYES

PAUL

MADDEN is one of the most experienced players in the St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield hurling team and the goalkeeper is anxious to see the club regain their senior status.

Ahead of Saturday’s intermedi ate final against Tulla in Cusack Park, he remarked, “Tulla are a very proud traditional club, a physical side and we will have to be at our best if we are to win”.

A Garda based in Kilmihil, Paul has tasted the joy of winning and the disappointment of relegation from the top tier. They have been close to going back up to senior on a few occasions in recent years. After a couple of semi-final defeats, they contested last year’s final and went into that game as favourites but Smith O’Briens (Kil laloe) held the upperhand on the day to devastate Doora/Barefield.

The team’s last line of defence, Paul believes that “whoever wins on Saturday will have to be at their best next year or else they could come backdown as we found out a few years ago. We have gained a lot of experience in the last few years and hopefully this experi ence will stand to us”.

He believes that the future is bright for the club which won the

junior A title a few weeks back while the minors “were unlucky not to get over the line” when they played Clooney/Quin in the final, losing out on extra time. “We would be hoping that a lot of those players will come on and represent the club at adult level. The fact that the underage teams compete at A level bodes well for the future of the club”.

The Parish netminder believes that “there is a good mix of youth and experience in both clubs. Tulla have a very skilful forward line based on what we saw of them this year and if we are to have a chance on winning we will have to be at our best”.

“After the disappointment of last year when we were beaten in the final, the aim since the start of this season has been to get back to the final. Now that we are there we want to go an other step. We were delighted to win this title in 2016 but two sea sons later we were back down in intermediate”, he added.

Madden is one of a small num ber of players not involved with the club’s senior footballers who compete in the senior champion ship

“We are not looking past Sat urday and we will be going out to give it our all and hopefully that will be good enough to get us over the line”, he added.

l Photo by Chris Copley

Guilfoyle gunning to guide

Doora/Barefield back to senior ranks

by SEAMUS HAYES

REGAINING

SENIOR STATUS is essential for St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield’s hurlers according to their manager, Michael Guilfoyle.

There is scarcely a weekend that the Feakle na tive is not in a GAA pitch across the county or province such is his interest in hurling. In recent years he has managed his native Feakle and now his adopted parish and he is very well versed on what is required to achieve suc cess at county level. He was adamant Doora/Barefield “need to get back to senior status to elevate the status of the club”

“While our county representation is not huge at the pres ent, there are a lot of players coming through. Currently we have three teams in adult county finals. We are after winning the junior A title and they will be stepping up to intermedi ate level next year when, hopefully, we will have two teams competing at junior C. Numbers are not a problem but we want to make sure we will bring them through”, Guilfoyle who played at all levels for Clare added.

Teams representing St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield suffered narrow defeats in the junior C premier (to Sixmilebridge) and minor A (to Clooney/Quin after extra time) finals in recent weeks and many of those players will be challenging

for places in the coming seasons

The club also competes in football competition at all lev els. “In senior football this year we were involved at the pre liminary quarter final stage in the championship. Guys were going for twelve weeks constantly which is draining on the players and it’s a huge challenge. In addition there were nine hurling and football league games. With such a high game count injuries are an issue”, Guilfoyle told the Clare Echo, adding that “it was very disappointing last year and right now we are back to where we were last year”.

On Saturday, The Parish are “facing an experienced club which won the county senior title as recently as 2007 and some of the players in their panel this year have senior championship medals”, explained Michael. He added “we have a lot of experience in our squad, we have players who have won under 21 championship medals with Clare while the experience of last year is huge”.

Conor Tierney is out of Saturday’s final due to medial ligament damage while there are doubts about Eoin Han rahan and Jarlath Colleran who will undergo fitness tests before the weekend to determine if they can play a part.

“I have seen Tulla in two of their games. They hadn’t great first halves but they brought it together in the sec ond half. They are a tough East Clare team and we won’t

l St Joseph’s Doora/ Barefield manager, Michael Guilfoyle

Photo by Gerard O’Neill

the group stage did we. This is nal game of the pionship and ner take all. We

hopefully it will get over the line”,

Lynch still leading the way for Tulla

by SEAMUS HAYES

TULLA

captain Paul Lynch will lead his side from the full back po sition in Saturday’s in termediate hurling final and he’s in his nineteenth season playing adult hurling with the club.

Lynch first made Tulla’s senior side in 2004 and he was wing back when they won the Clare SHC in 2007.

He outlined, “The goal all along has been to win the intermediate title and get back up to the top di vision. The season didn’t start too well and we didn’t have a good league campaign while we lost our first round game against Ogonnel loe. A couple of things went wrong for us. David McInerney was in jured that day while Tony Leyden was sick. We have improved with every game since then”.

According to Paul “we were very nervous against Inagh/Kilnamona but we then pulled away. We were well up for the Bodyke game, they are neighbours and rivals. Parteen were well on top in the first half and after that we got on top. We are

focussing on getting a good start in the final. We do believe we have a good finish”.

To have been relegated from senior in 2019 was “massively dis appointing. We started the cam paign well but a cruciate injury to Daragh Corry was a blow and we never really recovered. We should have beaten Wolfe Tones, Clare castle were better than us and the Mills were stronger. The last few years haven’t gone well for us,” he acknowledged.

Tulla “won’t be using excus es” this time round, the full-back stressed. “We have numbers now, we have a few lads travelling down from Dublin each week. We have two of the Harty Cup winning team from the local St Joseph’s in the side and they are really stand ing up as leaders and we have more from that team coming through. We have a panel of thirty six or thirty seven. It is important for Tulla to get back up to senior”.

It’s been a few years since these clubs clashed at adult level. “They beat us in the first round back in 2017. Things didn’t go too well for

me that day and that is something I want to correct. Look we are very focussed on this game. The last couple of seasons haven’t gone our way. The winning of the Harty Cup earlier this year was massive for Tulla. It was the stuff of dreams, winning that title with players drawn from a small area. There is massive work going on in our club and the opening earlier this year of our new stand was huge. It’s more than just a stand as there is a gym, there is as meeting room and a physio room and it has really brought the standard up for us. We have the facilities within our own club”, the captain said.

Concluding he said, “we have a huge battle ahead of us. They have as much hurt from the last few years as we have and they will be coming to Cusack Park with the same aim. They have played in a few more finals than us. We are very focussed on this game and we will be going into Cusack Park to win the title”.

Jim Mc targeted intermediate glory from beginning of the year

SEAMUS HAYES

TULLAwas a proud senior club for forty years but were rel egated in their 40th anniversary year, they are determined to return to the top table of Clare hurl ing.

Since the beginning of the year, the men from The Wind swept Hill have signalled their intent of winning the interme diate championship. Should they do so, they will become the fourth East Clare team in a row to claim the Paddy Browne, following in the foot steps of Broadford, Scariff and Smith O’Briens.

“The target is to get back up to senior ranks. We have a good set up and we have got a great response from the players which we are hoping to bring to the pitch on Satur day,” outlined Tulla manager, Jim McInerney.

A member of Clare’s All-Ire land winning senior team from 1995, the Tulla boss told The Clare Echo, “this would be a good time for us to go back up. Fourteen or fifteen of our

panel are under 21. We have some good players coming through at under 14 and under 16 levels and we have some players from the St. Josephs, Tulla Harty cup winning side from earlier this year. These include Sean Withycombe, Tony Leyden, Dara and Fionn Ryan”.

When Tulla won the Clare SHC in 2007, McInerney was manager, some lieutenants from the team which defeated Crusheen in the county final and lost the provincial decider to Loughmore-Casteliney are still lining out for the seniors.

“We have two great servants of Tulla hurling in Sean Torpey and Paul Lynch who were part of the senior championshipwinning team from 2007. Éan na Torpey is back training with the team now and all three have given a valuable contri bution to the club”.

He is satisfied that “apart from a few niggles we hope to be able to call on everyone on Saturday. William Halpin is carrying an injury but we hope to be able to use him at some stage if needed. Daragh Corry and David (McInerney) have managed to sort out their in juries which saw them miss a number of games earlier in the season”.

McInerney explained that they played a lot of league games without a number of players due to injury and ex ams. “We had a lot of players doing the Leaving Certificate examination and we weren’t able to use them until that was over and there were only a few games after that”.

Getting back up to senior level in the same season that the club’s new stand and meet ing room facilities was opened would be “the icing on the cake”, according to the farm er. “It’s a fantastic facility and it would be great to be back in senior ranks in the same sea son that the new stand and meeting rooms were opened”.

That said McInerney stressed that “we are not look ing beyond St. Joseph’s. Our focus throughout this cam paign has been on the next game. While a Munster cam paign would be great, it’s the last thought in my head. While we lost our opening game in this campaign, we have im proved from game to game. Both teams have learned that winning builds confidence.

There is huge interest in hurl ing in Tulla and that’s another reason why it would be great to get back to senior ranks”, he concluded.

l Daniel Vaughan and Paul Lynch on the goal-line Photo by Mark Hayes

l Tulla’s David McInerney will have a big involvement in Saturday’s final Photo by Gerard O’Neill

CONOT TIERNEY

DARA NAGLE

DARRAGH O’SHEA

BRIAN GUILFOYLE BRUCE PIGGOT CATHAL RUANE

CIAN BARRON

EOIN HANRAHAN

DAVY CONROY DONAL O’HALLORAN

EOGHAN TALTY

AARON LANDY ADAM MUNGOVAN BRIAN CLANCY

DOORA BAREFILED INTERMEDIATE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: DOORA BAREFIELD VS TULLA

TOMÁS HEHIR

PETER COLLINS

TOM HANNAN JACK HANNAN

FIONN KELLEHER

JARLATH COLLERAN PAUL MADDEN

EOGHAN THYNNE

MISSING FROM PHOTOS

Darragh McMahon, Evan Creaven, Matthew Power, Senan Crosbie, Cian Lahiffe & Michael Nash

LUCAS DONLON RORY O’SULLIVAN DARA RYAN

AARON SHANAHAN ANDREW CONHEADY CILLIAN DUNWORTH COLIN HOGAN

COLM McINERNEY CONOR MURPHY DAN WITHYCOMBE

DANIEL LANDERS

SEAN McNAMARA SEAN O’CALLAHGHAN SEAN TORPEY

SHANE HUNT

DANIEL VAUGHAN DARAGH CORRY DAVID McINERNEY

WILLIAM HALPIN

TULLA INTERMEDIATE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: DOORA BAREFIELD VS TULLA

TONY LEYDEN

ÉANNA CULOO

ÉANNA TORPEY

FEARGHAL KEARNEY FIONN RYAN JACK McSWEENEY JIMMY O’GORMAN KEVAN CONLON

LIAM McINERNEY MICHAEL RYAN NIALL BOLTON

PADRAIC MULCONROY

PAUL KELLEHER

PAUL LYNCH

RONAN MOLLOY

Anniversaries

In Memoriam

Spokane, where she taught at St. Charles School and served in spiritual direction and as director of the Christus Program at Gonzaga University. She taught for six years in the Baker diocese at Sacred Heart Academy in Klamath Falls and six years in the Portland diocese at LaSalle High School in Milwaukie. Sister Bridget also taught for one year at St. John School, Wasco, in the Fresno diocese; two years at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in San Diego; and one year at St. Edwards School, Corona, in the Diocese of San Bernardino.

MCNAMARA, BRIDGET

Loughborough, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Clare

In memory of Sister Bridget McNamara OSF, who died aged 77 on Friday, August 19, 2022. She was a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 57 years. Prior to her entrance to the congregation in 1963, she was a member of St. Patrick’s in O’Callaghan’s Mills, Loughborough. Sister Bridget professed her first vows in 1965. She earned a B.S. in social services from Marylhurst University and a Ph.D. in spirituality from Gonzaga University. She ministered primarily in education and spiritual ministry. Sister Bridget ministered for 16 years in the Diocese of Allentown at St. Joseph Hospital, Reading. There she served as vice president of mission and ministry and as director of volunteers. Later she remained in the diocese and served as an itinerant spiritual director. She also spent four years in the Harrisburg diocese in spiritual ministry at the Jesuit Spiritual Centre in Wernersville and in advocacy services at the Department of Public Welfare. During her 23 years serving on the West Coast, Sister Bridget ministered for seven years in

In 2022, she moved to Assisi House in Aston, Pennsylvania, where she served in prayer and hospitality and provided occasional spiritual direction until her death.

Fondly remembered and sadly missed by her sister Mary Ann McInerney and relatives.

Anniversaries

HICKEY, MARY, R.I.P 10th Anniversary

In loving memory of Mary who died on 27th October 2012

When I must leave you

For a little whilePlease do not grieve And shed wild tears

And hug your sorrow to you

Through the years, But start out bravely With a gallant smile; And for my sake And for my name Live on and do All things the same, Feed not your loneliness

On empty days, But fill each waking hour

In useful ways, Reach out your hand In comfort and in cheer

Prayer

For the remainder of October remember to say at least one decade of the rosary. St. Jude’s Day – October 28 th begin Novena on 20th October.

Prayer to Saint Jude Saint Jude, glorious Apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus: The name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron of things despaired of. Pray for me, that finally I may receive the consolations and the succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here make your request), and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout eternity. Amen. Saint Jude, Apostle, martyr and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary and of Joseph, intercede for us. Amen.

JOHN AND KATHLEEN MOLONEY (18th and 4th Anniversaries)

Late of 72 Hermitage, Ennis

In Loving memory of my parents John and Kathleen who died on 25th October 2004 and 25th of October 2018. Thinking of you is easy, we do it every day, missing you is heartache and never goes away.

Sadly, missed by your daughter Geraldine, son in law Mattie, 3 grandsons and 3 greatgrandkids xxxx

And I in turn will comfort you And hold you near; And never, never Be afraid to die

For I am waiting for you in the sky.

Always Remembered by your loving family.

Anniversary Mass on Saturday 27th October at 6:30 pm in Ss John & Paul Church Shannon.

TYRES

STORAGE

PLANNING

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL BALLINRUAN, CRUSHEEN, CO. CLARE

Permission for the change of house plan previously granted under P18/572 is being sought by M. Smyth. The plan ning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing a copy, at the offices of the planning authority Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare during its public opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the pre scribed fee of €20, with in the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL AUGHINISH, KINVARA, CO. CLARE, H91 N8YN

Take notice that Mary and Tom Noone intend to apply for permission to extend the existing dwelling house & all oth er associated site and an cillary works at the above address.

The planning applica tion 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 pub lic opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on pay ment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks begin ning on the date of re ceipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL DOONAGORE, DOOLIN, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Magh nus Hartigan intends to apply for permission to change the use of the ex isting office and build an extension onto it, install a waste water treatment system & all other asso ciated site and ancillary works at the above ad dress.

The planning applica tion 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 pub lic opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on pay

ment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks begin ning on the date of re ceipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL FANORE MORE, BALLYVAUGHAN, CO. CLARE, H91 WNV3

Take notice that Gus and Mary Queally intend to apply for permission to add a sunroom to the ex isting dwelling house & all other associated site and ancillary works at the above address.

The planning applica tion 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 pub lic opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on pay ment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks begin ning on the date of re ceipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL CARROWNAKILLY, OGONNELLOE, CO. CLARE

Further Information –Natura Impact Statement Planning Ref: 22/282 Date planning application Received: 30/03/2022 Development Descrip tion: Permission for the construction of a 2-sto rey dwelling, detached domestic garage, onsite wastewater treatment sys tem and percolation area, bored well, connection to necessary services, new entrance together with all associated ancillary and incidental site works

Location of Develop ment: Carrownakilly, Ogonnelloe, Co Clare

Take notice that follow ing a requirement of the Planning Authority, John & Iona McGuinness will be lodging a Natura Im pact Statement (NIS) in respect of planning ap plication P 22/282. This NIS will be available for inspection or purchase, at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority of Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare during its public opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the NIS may be made in writing to the Authority on payment of the prescribed fee €20.00 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the

Authority of the Natura Impact Statement and a copy of this public notice.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

20 MARIAN AVENUE, ENNIS, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Andrew Kearney intends to ap ply for Planning Permis sion to construct an offstreet parking area and dropped kerb including all site services and an cillary site works at the above address. The plan ning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare during its public opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the appli cation may be made to the Planning Authority, in writing, on payment of a fee of €20.00 within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the Planning Application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

BALLYMALEY, ENNIS, CO. CLARE, V95 D6F6

Take notice that John & Meave O’Connor intend to apply for Retention Permission to retain the replacement sunroom, new external doors & windows, plaster finish to front porch, rear el evation and first floor dormers, removal of chimney and the internal re-configuration of the dwelling house as part of the overall energy effi cient upgrading measures undertaken including all site services and ancillary site works at the above address. The planning application may be in spected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis, Co.

Clare during its public opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the appli cation may be made to the Planning Authority, in writing, on payment of a fee of €20.00 within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the Planning Application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL BALLYEA, DARRAGH, ENNIS, CO CLARE

Take notice that Bally ea GAA Club intends to apply to the planning

authority for permission to construct an Astra Turf Pitch with fencing and a hurling ball wall along with flood lighting and ancillary works both above and below ground at the above address. The planning applica tion 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 submis sion or observation in relation to the application may be made to the au thority in writing on pay ment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL CAPPALAHEEN, KILKISHEN, CO.

CLARE

Take notice that Henry Skehan, intends to ap ply for permission for the following works, (A) Demolish an existing fire damaged dwelling and attached shed, (B) Construct a replacement dwelling house, with new effluent treatment sys tem, and (C) Construct new agricultural entrance and farm road accessing the land and farm build ings to the rear of the site, all with associated site works, at the above ad dress. The planning appli cation 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 pub lic opening hours. A sub mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the pre scribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submissions or observa tions will be considered by the planning author ity in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL RINE, NEW QUAY, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Brian Foudy & Associates Ltd of Osprey House, Car mody Street, Ennis, Co. Clare 065 6893565 www.foudy consulting.ie. intend to

apply to the planning authority on behalf of Criostoir Sleator for per mission to Retain (a) Fen estration changes to front of dwellinghouse (B) Site boundaries as construct ed together with all asso ciated site development works and services at the above address. The plan ning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing 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 pre scribed fee within the pe riod of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the appli cation.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL DROMORE, RUAN, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Brian Foudy & Associates Ltd of Osprey House, Car mody Street, Ennis, Co. Clare 065 6893565 www.foudy consulting.ie. intend to apply to the planning authority on behalf of Shanelle Waring for per mission to (a) Renovate and extend existing cot tage to include side & rear extensions (b) Install a new wastewater treat ment system and soil pol ishing filter together with all ancillary site develop ment works and services at the above address.

The planning applica tion may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the plan ning authority during its public opening hours.

A submission or obser vation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee with in the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL KELLS, TUBBER, CO.

CLARE

Take notice that Dermot and Kate Taaffe intends to apply for permission for development, the de velopment will consist of a material change of use from a school, cur rently not in use to part of new dwelling house, the construction of a new dwelling house onto existing school building with new waste water treatment system with percolation area and as

sociated site works at the above address. The plan ning application maybe inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of mak ing 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 with in the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL COOLISTOONAN, O’CALLAGHANS MILLS, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Alan Mc Mahon intends to apply for permission for devel opment, the development consists of the construc tion of a slatted unit and associated site works at the above address.

The planning applica tion maybe inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Plan ning Authority during its public opening hours.

A submission or ob servation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of

the prescribed fee with in the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

LICENCE APPLICATIONS

Case No: D:LIC:ENIS:2022:010366

Courts Licence No: LIC-12351

Revenue Licence No: LIP1160

An Chuirt Duiche

The District Court Licensing (Ireland) Act 1833 Section 6

Intoxicating Liquor Act, 1960 Section 29

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER OF A LICENCE District Court Area of Ennis District No. 12

Carmel Sheridan as Nominee Applicant

TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Appli cant Carmel Sheridan as nominee of Gary Ryan Transport Limited of 1 Church Street, Sixmi lebridge, Clare intends to apply to the Annual Licensing Court to be held at the Court at Ennis District Court on the 25-Nov-2022 at 10:35 for the TRANSFER to the Applicant of the Publi can’s Licence (7-Day Ordinary) licence attached to the premises at Sixmilebridge, Sixmilebridge, Clare in the court area and district aforesaid.

Dated 30 Sep 2022

Signed Stiofan Fitzpatrick

Solicitor for Applicant

Solicitors, The Square, Sixmilebridge , Clare

To the Garda Superintendent, at CourtPre senters.Ennis@garda.ie, Ennis Garda Station, Ennis, Clare, V95 TR83

To the Fire Officer, at fireoff@clarecoco.ie, Clare Fire Station, Ennis, Clare, V95 CD74

To the District Court Clerk, Ennis District Court

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