The Clare Echo 21/11/24 by The Clare Echo

Farmers & livestock terrorised as illegal hunting persists

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

ELECTED representatives in North and West Clare are seeking a meeting with Gardaí over illegal hunting of animals and alleged intimidation towards farmers.

A vehicle and six lurcher dogs were seized by Gardaí in North Clare on Monday evening following reports of illegal hunting.

Speaking on Tuesday, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) said, “Very serious and dangerous illegal activity is taking place over the last four to five months in Liscannior, Doonbeg and the Loop Head area”.

He said families were travelling from Limerick and Cashel to trespass on lands in the locality.

Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) said

Meet the Candidates

the problem is “getting bigger and bigger”. He claimed that the individuals involved burnt down a shed in Limerick, “they are ruthless people”.,

A multi-agency response is needed, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) maintained. “They are out by night and early morning terrorising livestock which is terrorising landowners, it is going on a number of year.

l Taoiseach Simon Harris is presented with a hamper of Co Clare Foods by Alex and Zoe Hill, Ennis as he officially Opens Clare’s New County Library and Cultural Centre

Photo by Eamon Ward

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‘It doesn’t get more elegant or unique than this’ - new €17m county library opens

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE’S new state of the art county library was officially opened by An Taoiseach Simon Harris (FG) on Friday.

Ennis’ landmark 2,321 square metre building is comprised of a library spread over two floors, a 100 square metre art gallery and the headquarters of Clare Libraries and Arts Services.

Council and community” to officially open the de Valera library.

Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) said she was privileged to now have the “distinct memory” of serving as Mayor of the town at the opening of the new library. The new facility will “preserve the past while also embracing the future”. She concluded, “it is more than a library and a gallery, it is a symbol of our shared values and aspirations”.

Construction of the new de Valera library and Súil Gallery commenced on-site on January 6, 2020, beside the existing glór theatre. The €17m building had an original price tag of €14m. The new library opened its doors to the public for the very first time on Monday (November 11) with the Súil Gallery on Saturday (November 16).

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Over 73,000 books for all ages are now housed in the de Valera library with an excess of 2,700 CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks, and sensory resources. In addition to these resources, the new library is equipped with cutting-edge technology and services to enhance the user experience

CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling is to retire from the role next month.

Welcoming the investment

of €17m, the Taoiseach said it wasn’t easy for all General Election candidates to take time away from the campaign trail as he praised the vision of Clare County Council. “Clare has of course elected many important leaders, the Liberator Daniel O’Connell, Paddy Hillery and one of my predecessors as Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera who this library was named after”.

“We couldn’t be more proud,” Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling added. “This new space will be a place of education, cultural exploration, innovation and collaboration for decades to come”.

l LEARNING IN COMFORT: Matheo Boghi and Mark Sexton, Holy Family School, Ennis trying out the newly opened DeValera Library in Ennis. The brand new DeValera County Library opened its doors to the public on Monday morning. The 2,321sqm building on Causeway Link, Ennis comprises a public library over two floors which includes the local studies centre, a 100sqm art gallery and the County Library headquarters

Dowling to retire as Chief Executive

Dowling’s exit had been expected but was confirmed in correspondence issued to the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) on Monday morning. His retirement will become effective from December 31.

Inclusion of a sensory hub was a sign showed “a library

Youth Worker with Clare Diocesan Youth Service, now Clare Youth Service and concluding it as Chief Executive of Clare County Council.

that is truly inclusive in Ennis,” the Taoiseach stated. He praised the decision to rename the Scariff library after Edna O’Brien prier to the death of the Tuamgraney literary icon and he lauded the Council’s work in expanding DigiClare and their network of remote working hubs across the county.

Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) said it was “a significant milestone for our

Construction was halted in July 2020 due to the main contractors L&M Keating going into receivership. They exited the site completely in September 2020. The re-tender process commenced post-COVID and a new contractor, Galway based Coolsivna Construction recommenced work on site in May 2022 and concluded in June 2024.

Celebrate Christmas at the Crescent

Appointed to post in June 2016 on a seven year term, the Knockaderry native arrived in Áras Contae an Chláir in September 2016 as Chief Executive and has since November 2016 lived in Kilkee with his wife Rose. The 61 year old is a father of six.

“It has been my privilege to serve the Council and the county for almost eight and a half years and it is my earnest hope that I have made a positive contribution to the reputation and standing of the organisation and the county. Working with Clare County Council has represented the pinnacle of my career and I thank all the members, present and former for their support and co-operation during that time.

THE holiday season begins at Crescent Shopping Centre with a series of festive events for the whole family. Kicking off the season on Friday, November 22nd, at 5:00 pm, is the magical Christmas Lights Switch-On. Irish Olympian Sharlene Mawdsley will be on hand to light up the centre, joined by DJ Valerie Wheeler from Spin South West and carol singers from Gaelscoil Sáirséal.

Following this festive start, Black Friday on November 29th promises not only great discounts across participating retailers but also a special fundraiser with St. Gabriel’s Foundation. Therapist and experienced rower Kate Healy will attempt to set a world record by rowing for 24 consecutive hours, starting at 11:00 am on Friday and concluding at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 30th. This inspiring effort aims to raise funds for an Innowalk device, which enables children in wheelchairs to experience dynamic movement and participate in physical activity.

In March 2023, he informed the Department of Local Government and the Public Appointments Service that he wished to avail of the option of a three year extension to his seven year appointment. Twenty months on, he has announced he is to retire from the role. It means his first and last jobs were based in Co Clare, having started his career as a

owen Mall entrance before leading a merry parade to his Grotto on City Mall. The Grotto theme for 2024 is “Santa’s Candy Wonderland,” promising an enchanting experience for children and families alike.

Feirme and rural development with Kildare Leader Company.

Ilovelimerick will be present to capture the joy of the season, with live music and

In 1983, he graduated with a degree in European Studies from the National Institute for

“I look forward to ob serving the exploits of Clare County Council from my home in West Clare and I wish you all well for the future,” he said in correspondence of elected members of the Council on Monday morning.

Glowing tributes were made by county council lors at Monday’s meeting of the Council where he also received a standing ovation.

entertainment adding to the excitement.

Before moving to Clare, Pat was Deputy Chief Executive for Limerick City and County Council with responsibility for Social Development. His first role in local government was in 1999 when he joined the Limerick Corporation, previously he worked with Clare Youth Service, National Youth Council of Ireland, Macra na

The season’s festivities continue with the arrival of Santa Claus at 1:00 pm on Sunday, December 1st, where he’ll greet families at the Garry-

Adding to the holiday cheer, the famous Coca-Cola Truck will stop by Crescent Shopping Centre on Sunday, December 8th, from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Positioned in the City Mall Car Park (by Milanos), this classic Christmas attraction will make for a truly magical afternoon. Visitors can also enjoy a stunning custom ‘Crescent’ mural at the Garryowen Mall entrance, painted by local Limerick artist Patrick Hartnett. Be sure to stop by and capture a pho-

placement while in uni versity was in the European Parliament. He received a bronze medal for exceptional achievement when graduating.

As Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat oversaw the transfer of the Shannon Heritage tourism sites to the local authority which he previously described as “one of the biggest risks” in the 125 year history of the Council. He was involved in the multi-million euro redevelopment of the Vandeleur Walled

to with this unique artwork celebrating Crescent Shopping Centre! Follow Patrick on social media to see more of his creations @peedge.art Visitors can take advantage of Crescent’s free parking, new high-speed E-car chargers, and 12-screen cinema for a full day of shopping and entertainment. Crescent Gift Cards are available at the information desk and can be used throughout most of the centre’s stores, making for a perfect holiday gift. Crescent Shopping Centre Manager, Brian O’Leary, expressed excitement, stating, “We’re thrilled to bring back our traditional Christmas events at Crescent Shopping Centre. We look forward to welcoming and celebrating with the local community. Wishing everyone a joyful Christmas and a peaceful New Year.”

Garden in Kilrush; and the most significant tourism project to be undertaken in East Clare with the development Inis Cealtra visitor centre. On two occasions during his tenure, Clare County Council was named local authority of the year.

He was also to the fore in Lahinch’s hosting of the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open serving as a major success.

Crescent Shopping Centre Marketing Manager, Eimear Dwan, added, “There’s so much happening at Crescent this Christmas, and we’re eager to share the joy with everyone who walks through our doors.”

Also under Dowling’s watch, the County Council has voted to implement the highest charge of local property tax on a consistent basis. He has always stressed the importance of the Council maintaining a balanced budget and noted his pride at the local authority never recording a deficit during his tenure. He previously issued promises that issues at Blake’s Corner would be solved during his term as Chief Executive and has been a central figure in the creation of the Ennis 2040 Designated Active Company (DAC).

An Taoiseach Simon Harris (FG) at the opening of the new De Valera Library

Photo by John Mangan

Photo by Eamon Ward

LIG LIG AT AT

No guarantee of Fianna Fáil Minister says Tánaiste

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

TÁNAISTE, Micheál Martin (FF) has said there is no guarantee of a Clare Minister if Fianna Fáil elect two TDs.

As part of their pitch to the electorate, the Fianna Fáil trio of Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) and Cathal Crowe TD (FF) have been stating that if two of them are elected then the county is sure to be rewarded with a Ministry.

During a tour of Co Clare on Sunday, the Tánaiste told The Clare Echo that no such agreement has been reached or discussed. “The more TDs we elect, the more opportunities we have to put Ministers around the cabinet table so we have to win the two here for that to become a reality but I’m not sort of making it any commitments in every single constituency I go to, the bottom line is we need more seats. If we have more seats, we have more ministers”. Martin said both Dooley and Crowe “advocate all the time for Clare and they’re not shy”.

When addressing an Ennis Chamber briefing in June, the Tánaiste predicted a Clare versus Cork All-Ireland hurling final. Speaking in Lissycasey on Sunday with his General Election prediction for Clare, he commented, “I think Fianna Fail, are in a good position to win two seats. We take nothing for granted. It is a very competitive race. We have very strong candidates, we have three very strong candidates in outgoing deputy Cathal Crowe, Senator Timmy Dooley and of course Cllr Rita McInerney who is very strong here also, I just picked that up from the large crows that are turning out and she clearly has a strong support base in West Clare”.

Deputy Crowe believed if Clare elected two TDs that a Ministry was to be expected. “There have been some excellent outcomes for our county the last few years, but there are also been days I felt it would have been great if we’d had a Minister at the table to. I’m fortunate that I have a really good relationship with Micheál Martin, I’m able to ring him up and have a chat with him. I’m able to convey things at the parliamentary party, I’m able to as a back bench TD I have a bit more latitude to speak up in the Chamber. If you’ve a Minister you’re in the very hub of decision making and I think that would be quite essential if we’re going to have a Minister, I would love at some point to be a Minister because that is really the hub of decision making”.

On which Clare candidate would get the nod, the Meelick native commented, “I have no idea. I don’t think it should be an election fought on electing ministers or who might be ministers. It is important, of course, it’s important. It would help our county hugely if there was a minister in our county”. He added, “It’s the product of the party leader, many things, I think, are brought into consideration, geogra phy comes into it, gender comes into it, years of experience comes into it, vote getting ability comes into it but I think above all, it’s, one’s personal ability to you need someone at cabinet who has leadership traits as well. Parties can of course aspire to have ministries and, I hope at some point in my career to be

elevated to the office of Minister but right now my focus is on political survival here trying to get re-elected to continue my work in the county and I think in all honesty, that’s the focus of everyone in the county”.

Similarly Senator Dooley was confident the return of two TDs would give “a great chance of having a Minister, of course I’d like to be that but I’m conscious that either of the two candidates have their own strengths, I think any of the three of us could be a Minister but people will make up their own mind as to who might have the most experience in that regard and they will decide on that, that will be for the future, have we enough seats across the country to form a Government with somebody else. As a county if we want influence to deliver on the issues that we think are important for the people of Clare then we need to put our best foot forward in terms of attempting to have a Minister in the county, I think the best way to do that is to elect two Fianna

l FIANNA FAIL TRIO: Cathal Crowe, Rita McInerny and Timmy Dooley [inset image Michael Martin]

Home Gallery celebrates their Christmas Launch

Pictured are The Clare Echo staﬀ Lisa Mullaly, Denise Quinn and Stuart Holly with owner Des Curley

Pictured are Kim Bennis, Ryan Bennis, Michelle Shannon (support worker, Brothers of Charity) and Damian Farrelly , Classic Hits Radio presenter

Pictured are Layla and Tyler Healy

The Home Gallery staﬀ. Pictured are Brian Alfred, Evan Hennessey, Aga Wtodarczyk, Simona Marcinauskyte and Des Curley

7 years in prison, Shannon man assaults girlfriend

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

A 35-year old Shannon man with a ’serious streak of violence’ who told his then girlfriend while she lay on the floor covered in blood ‘look at you now b*t*h, you are going to be dead soon’ has been jailed for seven years and one month.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford has imposed the 100 month prison term, with the final 15 months suspended on Mark Hayes of Aidan Park, Shannon for the unprovoked and ‘callous’ St Patrick’s Day assault on the woman at Rineanna View, Shannon that hospitalised her and left her with a broken eye socket, broken ribs and a collapsed lung and a separate assault causing harm offence on a Co Clare man on April 10 in Shannon.

The woman required a plate to be inserted for her facial injury and a consultant surgeon’s report read out to the court stated that the woman could have died without medical intervention.

The medical report stated that the woman’s facial injuries “will result in long term disfigurement and stigma” and “her chest trauma and multiple rib fractures may cause her long-term physical pain and discomfort”.

The woman remained in hospital at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for eleven days after her assault on St Patrick’s Day.

Judge Comerford imposed a 70 month or six year ten month prison sentence for Mr Hayes’s assault on his then girlfriend and a consecutive 30 month prison term with the final 15 months suspended for an “unprovoked, random, vicious and irrational” assault from behind on a local resident, Denis Galvin on April 10.

Judge Comerford said that Mr Hayes’s “sustained attack” on his then partner was borne out of his own internal resentments and insecurities and the injuries are at the highest level of assault causing harm offending.

The court was told that as the woman recovered from her injuries , Mr Hayes sent her a message via Facebook saying “I hope you have a speedy recovery”.

Mr Hayes pleaded guilty to both charges but when first interviewed by Gardaí on the assault on his then partner, he denied any knowledge of it and told

Gardaí “that’s a complete fabrication. She has made it all up. She must have let a psychopath into the house”.

When shown photos of the injuries he inflicted on the woman’s face, Mr Hayes told Gardaí “are you sure she hadn’t fallen? how is she”?

In evidence, Det Sgt Kevin O’Hagan of Shannon Garda Station told the court that Mr Hayes’s then partner while laying on the floor covered in blood, she thought Hayes was going to kill her and pleaded with him ‘please don’t leave my kids without a mother’.

In evidence, Det Sgt O’Hagan said that the two had been out drinking on St Patrick’s Day and they returned home to her house at Rineanna View.

Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL (inst by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the woman was in the kitchen and Mr Hayes came into the kitchen and “he punched her straight away in the face and and knocked her to the side and smashed her head against the kitchen tiles and starting stamping on her ribs”.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that Mr Hayes threw a kitchen table at her and he smashed her over the head two or three times with a small round blue table.

Ms Comerford said that Hayes told the woman that he was “going to smash her teeth back in her face and leave her destroyed”.

Ms Comerford said that while Hayes was beating the woman, he took a blue handled sharp knife that was ten or twelve inches long and he traced it along her back when she was on the ground but he was saying he was go-

Home Trends Ennis Black Friday Sale

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ing to stab her.

In her statement, the woman said Hayes didn’t cut her but told her ‘soon enough I will stab you’.

As part of what Judge Comerford described as a “cunning and callous assault”, Mr Hayes grabbed the woman’s hand and made her hold the knife and said that he was putting her fingerprints on it so if Gardaí came to the crime scene he could say that she attacked him and it was self-defence.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that the bloodied woman ran out the front door of her home and was spotted by her teenage daughter at the opposite side of the green who ran to her mother’s aid. Mr Hayes fled the scene.

In her victim impact statement, read out by Det Sgt O’Hagan, the woman said, “I am just happy to be alive but I have severe mental health problems”.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that the woman was still too traumatised by the assault to come to court for the sentencing.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that Mr Hayes has prior convictions for violent assaults and received a three year prison term in 2015 for a 2013 assault at a Shannon hotel.

Det Sgt O’Hagan told the court that Mr Hayes has been before the courts for “three separate instances of an extremely violent nature”.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that Mr Hayes has “a serious streak in violence in him at certain stages”. In all Mr Hayes has 20 previous convictions.

Judge Comerford backdated Mr Hayes’s sentence to April 12 when he was initially brought into custody at Limerick prison.

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lBLACK FRIDAY: Finbar & Eileen Keavney of Home Trends, Ennis

l Mark Hayes at Ennis Circuit Court

JESSIE MONOCO NADINE

‘Sinn Féin were extremely misogynistic towards women in Clare’ claims former member

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SINN FÉIN in Clare was “extremely misogynistic towards women,” a former member who is contesting the General Election in Clare for the Social Democrats has said.

For three years, Hilary Tonge (SD) was a Sinn Féin member, she worked primarily on election campaigns of Ballyvaughan native Noeleen Moran in 2016 and 2019 and served as chair of the party’s Ennis cumann.

Recalling her time with Sinn Féin, Hilary said, “I found personal difﬁculties with the party” which “absolutely” prompted her exit from the party.

Transparency has been a word used to describe the Social Democrats in their own literature, Tonge said it could “never” be attributed to Sinn Féin.

She told The Clare Echo, “I would just say that when I was there, I found it extremely misogynistic towards females at a local level and all over actually”.

Hilary said, “Obviously I could have joined Sinn Féin if I wanted to but I don’t want to, I never will and I think the Social Democrats are centre-left, Sinn Féin for the last how long it has been scandal after scan-

dal, I’m not surprised, therefore that is not a party I’d be aligned to”.

In February 2022, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) left Sinn Féin claiming she was subject to “psychological warfare”. She stated, “This is not a decision that I have taken lightly and I have battled with the party for many months now trying to avoid this course of action as I wholeheartedly believed in them. My membership has become untenable knowing that what we see is not what is experienced on the ground and therefore I cannot be the only one who is experiencing or will experience such difﬁculties in the future. My un planned preg nancy was also a further stick to beat me with and I am truly con cerned for women who may want to come for ward for Sinn Fein in the fu ture, in Clare”.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) said she never experienced misogyny within Sinn Féin at a local level. “I never experienced any of that, in fairness to the party I’ve always got the help that I’ve needed, I’ve always had my word respected, anything I do say is taken on board, I’ve never come across anything like that in my own personal stance in the party ever”.

McGettigan added, “I’m sure Violet-Anne said the party didn’t help her out, now it is up to her to go face the electorate and they will vote based on her record now, I don’t know how they felt, I wasn’t involved in their direct relations with Sinn Féin.

I know Hilary, I would salute Hilary and we would be friends, I don’t know where the stories are coming from, I was not

Locating GP services in the heart of villages ‘becoming more challenging’

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS’ continued fight to get a GP service back to the village was referenced at last Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council.

Since June 2020, Carrigoran has been used as a medical practice following the retirement of Dr Colum Hackett in May 2019 following forty two years of service as a GP in the village. The premises used for his practice in the Fair Green of Newmarket-on-Fergus has not been used in a commercial capacity since.

Saffron and Blue Medical Centre have provided the GP service from Carrigoran after receiving a contract from the HSE.

In a proposal before Clare County Council, Cllr David Griffin (FF) called on the Department of Health and the HSE “to outline their plans to ensure long term access to GP care in rural towns and villages in Clare and around the country”. He stated, “it is no secret that my own area of New-

market-on-Fergus had to fight to get GP access”. He admitted he had nothing wrong with the principle of commercial healthcare premises taking on GP contracts “so long as the quality of care is there”. Situating GP services on the main streets of villages “is becoming more challenging,” the Stonehall man acknowledged.

A quarter of GPs in Ireland are over the age of sixty, Cllr Griffin flagged. “I know the HSE and GPs are working on a solution, we as local representatives need to keep the spotlight and the pressure on”.

Community development is reliant on social and community infrastructure, Cllr Griffin said. “The current trend which pools multiple GPs together in the one radius may be the answer, it is a clinical question that needs to be raised, we represent communities that are rural”. He added, “GPs are at the heart a private business but many newly qualified GPs don’t want the hassle of being self-employed or

the red tape of being a sole trader”.

Seconding the proposal, Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) commented, “We need to think outside the box in getting doctors, a number of qualified doctors can’t practice here. We need to look at trying to incorporate our new people and provide educational purposes in English language to somehow provide help in the system”. Services need to be broadened around GPs, maintained Cllr Rita McInerney (FF). “Often it is the services around it that make their lives more difficult or better,” she said. Four nursing homes in the West Clare Municipal District are all serviced by different GPs, she flagged, “the GPs assigned to the patients are already under pressure”.

Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) proposed that representatives of the Department of Health and HSE be brought before a meeting of the County Council to answer questions, a call which was supported by Cllr Michael Shannon (FF).

Hilary Tonge Social Democrats

Clare Christmas Events Guide

A MAGICAL CLARE CHRISTMAS AWAITS!

This holiday season, Clare is filled with festive cheer, offering a sparkling array of events for families, friends, and couples to enjoy. Here’s a guide to some magical events across the county.

VISIT SANTA FOR MAGICAL MOMENTS

This Christmas, Clare is brimming with magical ways for families to meet Santa! Start the adventure with Santa’s Workshop at Aillwee Cave, where children journey deep into the cave to visit Santa and his busy elves. At Bunratty Castle, families can delight in a festive Breakfast with Santa, complete with treats and sing-alongs. Or, book to step into Santa’s Grotto at Bunratty Castle for a traditional Santa experience. The magic continues with the Santa Land Experience at Treacys West County Hotel in Ennis and the Santa Experience at Moher Hill Open Farm in Liscannor, both offering plenty of seasonal treats for children. For something truly special, enjoy an overnight ‘Santa stay’ at the Armada Hotel—wake up to a magical day with Santa himself, surrounded by festive treats and activities. For little aviators, Santa’s Aviation Wonderland at Shannon Aviation Museum offers a unique Christmas celebration with Santa and his flying friends. And at Vandeleur Walled Garden & Visitor Centre, children can explore a twinkling winter garden before meeting Santa in his charming grotto.

LIGHTS, PARADES, AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Clare’s towns and villages shine bright with festive light displays and parades. The Bunratty Village Christmas Parade is a magical spectacle of lights, music, and festive characters, perfect for the whole family. Join the Switching on of the Christmas Lights in Ennis for an evening of carols, festive cheer, and Santa’s grand arrival by horse-drawn carriage. In Shannon, the Christmas Lights SwitchOn at Shannon Town Park adds to the holiday glow, complete with carol singing and treats for all.

CAROLS, BANQUETS, THEATRE, AND CHRISTMAS SPECIALS

Clare’s Christmas season offers a mix of traditional and festive entertainment. The Magical Christmas Evenings at Bunratty Castle provide an enchanting evening of food, song, and storytelling. Join the Advent Carol Service at St. Flannan’s Cathedral in Killaloe for a beautiful musical celebration of the season. At glór in Ennis, the Christmas season brings a range of festive shows and performances for the whole family. For something thrilling, Gerbola’s Christmas Circus at Clare Mart in Ennis features world-class circus acts with a festive twist. Clare residents can also enjoy free entry to the Cliffs of Moher Experience (when booking online), a perfect way to enjoy the natural beauty of the season.

MARKETS AND GIFTS

Clare’s Christmas markets are perfect for finding unique gifts and supporting local businesses. Visit the Burren Family Christmas Fayre Weekend in Lisdoonvarna for local crafts and festive food, or explore the Clare Crafts Association Christmas Fairs at Templegate Hotel in Ennis. The Chapel Lane Art & Craft Markets in Ennis and the Ballymorris Christmas Fair in Cratloe offer a treasure trove of handmade goods, while Irish Seed Savers in Scarriff and the Mountshannon Christmas Market present nature-inspired gifts. For even more unique finds, check out Airmid in Ennistymon, Burren Smoked Salmon and Gift Hampers, Doolin Inn Gift Vouchers, and Doolin Cave Pottery. Don't miss the

Carrygerry Christmas Shop and Burren Fine Wine & Food Christmas Hampers, each offering a selection of local treats and handcrafted goods, perfect for sharing the spirit of Clare with loved ones.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Take a moment to unwind and rejuvenate with wellness events around Clare. Ciúnas Wellness Centre in Feakle offers a Winter Warmer Special, while Shannon Estuary Way Retreat hosts several wellness days, including a New Year’s Day Wellness Retreat, Winter Solstice Yin and Sonic, and a New Year’s Eve Winter Wellness Day Retreat. These events provide the perfect opportunity to restore balance and start the new year feeling refreshed.

FOOD, FESTIVE DINING, AND NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS

Ring in the New Year with style and flavour! The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon offers a luxurious New Year’s Eve Escape to start 2025. For festive gatherings throughout December, the Park Inn by Radisson Shannon Airport serves up seasonal menus and options for group celebrations.

FREE CLARE CHRISTMAS EVENTS GUIDE ONLINE

For full event details and dates, visit www.VisitClare.ie/christmas and get your free Christmas Event Guide.

Interim

Chief Executive of Council to be appointed next month

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

AN INTERIM Chief Executive of Clare County Council is to be appointed at the beginning of December.

Pat Dowling’s exit from the top role of the local authority was announced at Monday’s meeting of the Council with the Kilkee resident bringing his eight and a half year stint to an end.

A permanent appointment is expected to be made in the ﬁrst quarter of 2025 but in the interval Dowling will hand pick his temporary replacement and collaborate with them on a handover for the month of December.

Currently, the senior management of the Council is comprised of Director of Finance and Support Services, Noeleen Fitzgerald, Director of Economic Development, Carmel Kirby, Director of Social Development Jason Murphy, Director of Physical Development Alan Farrell, Director of Tourism Development Siobhán McNulty and Acting Director of Rural Development, Ann Reynolds.

One of the ﬁve full-time Directors will be appointed to the interim Chief Executive post with both Fitzgerald and Kirby anticipated to be those most likely to get the nod.

He told the November meeting of the Council, “At a practical level while I’m retiring in a few weeks, it is important that provision is made for

the future”. Dowling added, “None of us can achieve without our people, we’re very lucky to have the people that work towards a common cause”.

Appointment of an interim Chief Executive will come into effect from December 2nd “to ensure effective overlap, secondly, the competition for the new permanent Chief Executive will be run from the Public Appointments Service”.

Dowling continued, “the process will take a number of months but I’ll try make sure it is sped up as soon as possible, the recommendation from the Public Appointments Service is made to the Corporate Policy Group and then it is gone for approval of Clare County Council. Most deﬁnitely that will go into the ﬁrst quarter of next year, we will make sure stability continues until the next person comes in”.

It is the latest exit from the top table of Clare County Council. Liam Conneally was Director of Economic Development until his appointment as Chief Executive of Galway County Council in March 2023, Leonard Cleary headed up the Tourism Development Directorate until he became Chief Executive of Galway City Council in March 2024 and Anne Haugh took early retirement in August of this year leaving her role as Director of Social Development.

No voting pact agreed between Eddie Punch & former Independent Ireland colleagues

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

NO VOTING PACT has been agreed by two former Independent Ireland candidates and Eddie Punch.

In June, Matthew Moroney (IND) and Kevin Hassett (IND) both contested the local elections under the Independent Ireland banner as did Eddie Punch (II) for the European elections in Ireland South.

Neither of the trio prevailed in their respective campaigns but Moroney and Hassett subsequently left the grouping which was founded by three TDs, Michael Fitzmaurice, Michael Collins and Richard O’Donoghue.

Of the trio, Punch is considered the strongest candidate but Moroney put up a fight in a very traditional Killaloe Munciipal District.

2020 candidate, Joseph Woulfe (IND) has come on board in an advisory

capacity for Moroney and Hassett.

There is no voting pact in place between the three men for the November 29th General Election in Clare.

Punch told The Clare Echo, “There isn’t any voting pact but they would have a lot of similar ideas and similar constituency to me so I would imagine that if somebody voted for me, they might trans fer to them or if they vot ed for Matt Moroney or Kevin Hassett potentially they should transfer to me. I can’t speak for their agenda but their back ground is somewhat similar”.

He said he did speak with both Moroney and Hassett before they joined the field of twenty candidates in Clare. “It didn’t come as a huge surprise to me, I

know that Kevin in particular wasn’t sure whether he was going to run or not but I think Matthew always had it in his head that he was going to run, they both got a taste of it in the Council elections, neither of them got elected but they got a taste for it anyway so I guess they have a sense they have built up a core of support and I guess they would want to be building on that.

paddle our canoe, it might be a good profile piece for them, they might get elected who knows”.

When asked if there is some arrangement in place with Moroney and himself, Hassett stated,

“Not really. We won’t say no to anyone giving us a one and a two”.

Matthew explained,

We all have to

“There’s no voting pact. Myself and Kevin we often speak, I’m not going to do any harm to Kevin Hassett, he’s not going to do any harm to me, I’d welcome his number twos if they come and I’m sure he will welcome mine, there’s no voting pact. Joseph Woulfe has come in behind us to give us a hand on both sides which has been very fair of him, he’s well known in the county from his time in the Beef Plan and from running himself so that’s a great boost”.

Cumann na mBunscol county champions

24 TEAMS from across the county came together to showcase their hard work, teamwork, and passion for Gaelic football in the Cumann na mBunscol football finals last weekend.

Two action packed days saw an admirable dislay of skil, poassion and determination from these young GAA players from every corner of Co Clare.

This years Cumann na mBunscol champions are:

Boys div 1: Bareﬁeld NS

Girls div 1: Gaelscoil Mhíchil Cíosóg

Boys div 2 Clonmoney NS

Girls div 2 Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire

Boys div 3: Inagh/Cloonanaha

Girls div 3: Clonmoney NS

Boys div 4: St.Aidans

Girls div 4: Inagh/Cloonanaha

Boys div 5 Kilfenora/ Kilshanny

Girls div 5: St.Sennas

Boys div 6: Kilnaboy NS

Girls div 6: St. Tola’s

Cumann na mBunscol an Chláir would like to extend a massive thank you to the referees, Jim and Noel, and their teams of um-

pires for ofﬁciating the games with fairness and professionalism.

To the teachers, principals, coaches, mentors, and GAA Development Coaches (GDCs), the parents, families, and supporters -míle buíochas. Here’s to another fantastic year ahead for Cumann na mBunscol an Chláir, we’re already looking forward to our hurling and camogie county ﬁnals in June!!

It’s bareroot season, here’s what you need to know

BURR it officially feels like winter yes, I mean it’s cold but hey we are halfway through November and are after having a nice few weeks.

So hopefully you have had some time to get the garden winter ready. Here are some reminders od what you should be doing in your garden on the lead up to winter; mulching will help to protect your plants and shrubs, make sure to bring in all the tender geraniums and do a little tidy so the place looks lovely and clean and fresh.

Bareroot season has arrived and so have the plants, and we have a nice selection of hedging to choose from

in stock.

What is bareroot?

It’s when plants are soil without soil around the roots. Benefits are they are more cost effective cheaper than a potted plant. They are also easier to transport. Without soil they are lighter and easier to move. There is a good selection of hedging to choose from. When planted they quickly establish strong root system. Bareroot is typically from November to march while plants are dormant. If you have a hedge to do or even just add some to an existing hedge now is a good time to plan and act.

So we have a nice selection of plants available to top up your pots with and one of them is Hellebores a hardy perennial known for its long lasting early blooming flowers.Often referred to as Christmas rose they are excellent for their ability to thrive in partial shade and bring colour to the garden in late winter to early spring. We have a selection in stock and not just the classic white flower but a range of others to choose from with a variety of colours. The Christmas cactus (Schlumberger)is a popular houseplant known for its vibrant blooms and easy care making it a festive favourite

we have a variety of colours available and they make the best presents.

A reminder too that the birds need an extra hand this winter to stay feed and watered so with a range of feeders available and lots of offers on bird food it’s a nice addition to the garden to see them coming and enjoying some food.

With a busy few weeks ahead if you need any help with dressing pots or want to avail of special offers pop in we are happy to assist. We are now taking bookings for our wreath making classes you can get info on our Facebook and Instagram page.

lWINTER FLOWERS: bedding ﬂowers available all year round

lDiv 6 boys fotball winners Kilnaboy NS

lDiv 3 girls football winners Clonmoney NS

l Photos by: Tom Micks

Taoiseach welcomes ‘healthy competition’ as disappointment voiced by Cooney & Nolan

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

COMPETITION among Fine Gael candidates in Clare has been welcomed by the Taoiseach with frustration bubbling beneath the surface over a map that is keeping certain parts of the county out of bounds.

Fine Gael’s three candidate ticket is comprised of Leonora Carey (FG), Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) and Dr Tom Nolan (FG). Carey’s native of Clarecastle along with Newmarket-on-Fergus and Quin is kept sacrosanct for her with Cooney’s territory marked as Bodyke, O’Callaghans Mills and Kilkishen while Dr Nolan’s area of Kilrush, Kilkee and Miltown Malbay is not to be canvassed by his party colleagues.

Cllr Cooney admitted he was “disappointed” with the map that has kept him out of Quin, an area he has been elected to represent since it joined the Killaloe Municipal District in 2019.

He told The Clare Echo, “I didn’t know it when I come into the campaign, I hadn’t a clue about it, I did think there would be restrictions from where the different candidates came around their own area, but what was agreed only happened last week and there was a good bit of canvassing done before the agreements came in, we can’t do anything about that, the agreements are there now and we just move forward”.

Cooney added, “It is what it is, and we go with it end of story. We’d all love to have maybe the free run of the whole county, but that’s not the situation so we just work with what we have”.

An Taoiseach, Simon Harris (FG) upon hearing of Cooney’s disappointment, remarked, “I love when there’s a bit of competition going on between the candidates.

I’m really excited about that. We have three superb candidates with three very different backgrounds. Leonora, Joe, and Tom, I’m grateful to them all. I’m supporting all of them. I’m asking people in County Clare to go out and vote 1, 2, and 3, in order of their preference. And once it remains healthy, tension, which I think it is, that’s always a good thing”.

Indeed Cooney’s addition to the ticket after he had ruled himself out saw the party scramble to find an addition which saw Dr Nolan enter the field. On his reaction to the former Mayor of Clare’s reversal, he said, “Hand on heart, I was disappointed”.

Nolan continued, “I didn’t feel I was sold a deliberate pup. I think there are issues for the people who made the decision that that brought Joe Cooney back in, whether or not that was the right thing to do but I’m not going to comment really on whether this was good politically, good for Joe Cooney, or what the optics would look like but as you say, it does mean that I’ve been it does look like I’ve been used. From my perspective, I see it as I’ve been given an opportunity to accomplish something that I was not in a position to do three weeks ago, I’m taking that opportunity and I’m pushing the agenda to get this job done”.

Leonora refuted claims that the Carey camp put barriers in place to Fine Gael adding potential candidates over the past six months, “the opposite actually”. She said no meeting was sought with the party executive following the addition of her running mates. “I don’t know what my vote is because I’m out canvassing and out asking people to vote for me. From the night of my selection convention, what I want to do is maximise the Fine Gael vote, I’m delighted Joe Cooney and Tom Nolan are there with me to be able to work as a team, between the three of us as candidates we will appeal to different demographics to different people and

lCllr Joe Cooney (FG) and Dr Tom Nolan (FG)

59 year old Ennis homeless man who hasn’t washed in six months fails to secure

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

A 59-year old homeless man has told a judge that he hasn’t washed in six months when making an unsuccessful appeal for bail.

At Kilrush District Court on Tuesday, Denis Higgins was appearing concerning two public order charges that are alleged to have occurred at Wood Quay, Ennis town centre on Monday, November 18th.

In giving evidence of arrest, charge and caution, Garda Éanna Fallon said that Mr Higgins said “I am sorry Garda”.

Garda Fallon said that Mr Higgins of Laurel Lodge, Clare Rd, Ennis was highly intoxicated and highly aggressive when arrested by Gardaí at 12.15pm on Monday at Wood Quay, Ennis.

Gardaí were opposing bail for Mr Higgins after Sgt John Burke told the court that Gardaí have no faith in Mr Higgins’ ability to turn up to any adjourned court date.

Solicitor for Mr Higgins, Daragh Hassett told the court that unless Mr Higgins cuts back or stops drinking alcohol, “he won’t see Christmas and I have told him that”.

Mr Hassett said, “He is not well”.

Mr Higgins has been living in a homeless hostel, Laurel Lodge on Ennis’s Clare Rd and Mr Hassett said that Mr Higgins must leave the hostel at 9am each day and not return until 9pm.

Mr Hassett told Judge Gabbett that Mr Higgins has asked him to ask the judge to direct Laurel Lodge to allow him stay there longer than what is currently allowed.

Mr Higgins said, “I haven’t washed in six months. For three days I have been standing out in that rain. If they took me back and tried to look after a small bit - just for a couple of weeks and then I would be alright”.

He said, “I was sitting down in the wet all day long. I had to drink, I just couldn’t handle it.”

Judge Gabbett told Mr Higgins that he was not well enough to abide by any bail conditions and remanded him in custody to Limerick prison to appear before Ennis District Court on Wednesday where all matters that Mr Higgins is facing will be disposed of.

l Laurel Lodge

Photo by: John Mangan

Milford Care Centre: Light up a Memory Ceremony

MILFORD Care Centre is hosting its annual “Light Up a Memory” ceremony on Sunday, December 1st at 6 p.m, a meaningful tradition and fundraiser for the Centre.

This year, for the first time in five years, the event will be held in person on the Milford Care Centre grounds, V94 H795.

For over 25 years, Milford has invited the community to sponsor a light on its Memory Tree in memory of loved ones. This symbolic tree will be illuminated from December 1, 2024, through January 1, 2025. Each light celebrates the memory of someone cherished, reflecting the bonds of family and friends during the Christmas season.

Mary O’Brien, CEO of Milford Care Centre, shared her gratitude for the ongoing support of this event, noting that last year, lights were dedicated to about 20,000 loved ones.

She added, “We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back to Milford’s grounds this year. Light Up a Memory gives us all a way to remember and honour those who are no longer with us, and it plays a vital role in supporting the care we provide to the Midwest community. We hope you’ll join us on De-

cember 1st.”

Milford Care Centre thanks its event partner, Cook Medical, for their continued support. Bill Doherty, Executive Vice President EMEA at Cook Medical, expressed the company’s commitment to the event, acknowledging Milford Care Centre’s special place in the community.

You can sponsor a light on the Memory Tree for €5, and each sponsorship comes with a commemorative “Light Up a Memory” card to honour a loved one’s memory.

To sponsor a light, please visit www.milfordcarecentre.ie or call the Fundraising Department at 061 485859.

Milford Care Centre warmly invites everyone to join this year’s Light Up a Memory ceremony, whether in person or in spirit, to honour and remember loved ones.

lA CHRISTMAS MEMORY: the staff of Milfod Care Centre getting ready for the Light up a Memory event 2023

Retro black forest trifle

INGREDIENTS

n6 egg yolks

n50g caster sugar

n50g plain ﬂour

n450ml whole milk

n150g dark chocolate

n425g tin black cherries in light syrup

n400g fresh cherries

n4 tbsp Kirsch or cherry liqueur

n300ml double cream

n300ml 50% less fat crème fraîche

n1 pack of chocolate sponge cake

METHOD

Step 1: Put 6 egg yolks, 50g caster sugar and 50g plain ﬂour in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.

Step 2: Pour 450ml whole milk into a large pan and put over a medium-low heat. Heat until just

steaming, then remove from the heat and carefully pour over the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously until fully combined.

Step 3: Pour everything back into the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently for about 10 mins until the custard thickens and holds its shape on the back of a spoon.

Step 4: Remove the pan from the heat. Finely chop 100g dark chocolate and add to the hot custard, stirring until melted and smooth. Cover the top of the custard with a disc of nonstick baking paper to stop a skin from forming and set aside to cool completely.

Step 5: Drain a 425g tin

black cherries in light syrup, reserving 4 tbsp of the syrup. Halve and stone the cherries and put in a bowl. Halve and stone 350g fresh cherries and mix into the bowl with the tinned cherries (if fresh cherries are unavailable, you can use extra tinned cherries or frozen cherries instead. If frozen, defrost according to pack instructions before using). Mix the reserved syrup with 4 tbsp Kirsch, or other cherry liqueur in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 6: Put 300ml double cream and 300ml 50% less fat crème fraîche into a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Remove the baking paper cover from the chocolate

custard and stir a large spoonful of the whipped cream into the custard to loosen the texture.

Step 7: Cover the sponge cakes with half of the mixed cherries, then spread over half of the chocolate custard and half of the whipped cream. Repeat with a second layer of the remaining sponge cakes, syrup, cherries, custard and ﬁnishing with the cream.

Step 8: Grate (or shave with a veg peeler or wide ﬂat knife) 50g dark chocolate over the top, then decorate with 12 whole fresh cherries. Cover the top loosely with clingﬁlm and chill for at least 1 hr, or for up to 3 days, before serving.

Enjoy!

December at

Visual Arts

glór presents Reawakening with Adam Pomeroy and Ian Kelly

Runs in glór gallery from Friday 29th November – Saturday 18th January 2025

Launching on Saturday 14th December at 4pm | All Welcome

Events

DanceMasters School of Dance presents Christmas showcase

Thurs 5 Dec 7.30pm €20/€16 Conc.

Saturday Trad Sessions for all ages with Eoin O’Neill & Bríd O’Gorman

Sat 7 Dec 12 - 2pm Free of Charge, all welcome

Danceperados of Ireland: Hooked

Sat 7 Dec 8pm, Sun 8 Dec 4pm & 8pm

glór presents A Very Clare Christmas Thurs 19 Dec 8pm €28

Réaltbhuíonta/Constellations Sat 21 Dec 8pm

The Ennis Panto presents Cinderella

Sun 22 – Mon 23 Dec & Fri 27 – Tues 31 Dec 2.30pm

Fri 27 & Mon 30 Dec 7pm

Relaxed Performance: Fri 27 2.30pm

€17.50/€65 Family of 4 Duration: 120 Mins (inc. Interval)

Festive Wreath Workshop with Helen Hopkins:

Tues 10 - Wed 11 7pm

Ballet Ireland presents Nutcracker Sweeties

Tues 10 - Wed 11 Dec 7.30pm

€27/€25 Conc./€20 Child/€85 Family ticket

€32/Sunday matinée €32/€14 child Duration: 2hours 10 minutes inc. interval

Duration: 105 Mins (inc. interval) Suitable for ages 6+

Just the Two: Pat O’ Connor & Eoghan O’ Sullivan

Thurs 12 Dec 8. 30pm €20/€18 Conc. STUDIO

glór and Ennis Municipal District present

A “Little” Christmas Time

Fri 13 Dec 11am & 12.30pm Sat 14 Dec 11am

Schools' Shows: €7/Teachers & SNAs Free of charge

Festive Frolics with The Circus Ponies: Fri 13 Dec 9pm

Second Saturday Soundscapes

Family Show: €5 Suitable for Ages 3 - 8 Years Duration: 45 Minutes

Mike Butler, Aidan McMahon & Michael Landers, Clare Community Orchestra & Clare Community Choir

Deirdre O’Kane: Sat 14 Dec

Sat 14 Dec 1pm Pay What You Can!

Followed by a Late-Night gig with Marta and The Squares

Sparks Dance Studio present a Christmas Spectacular

Sun 15 Dec 12pm, 3.30pm & 7pm

€20 Adult/€15 Child/€60 family of 4/€70 family of 5

Livin’ Dred Theatre presents

A Christmas Carol Schools Show: 11am €7/Teachers & SNAs Free of Charge

Family Show: 6pm €10/€35 Family 4

Suitable for ages 7+ Duration: 45 Mins

glór and Sing Ireland present Song Seeking Sessions

Tues 17 Dec 7pm Free of charge and all welcome

Rice College Concert

Wed 18 Dec 7.30pm €15

Tiny Santa Tunes: A Musical Journey for Little Ones

Sat 21 Dec 10am & 11.15am €15 Adult & Child, €5 additional adult

Duration: 45 Mins

Box Office opening hours 10am – 3pm Monday – Saturday

glór Café is open 10am – 2.30pm daily.

One-hour free parking.

Pre-book your tickets on www.glor.ie or on 065 6843103.

Please note that €1 booking fee applies

Turn Black Friday green with Flynn Hotels

IT’S the season to support local, stay sustainable, and take advantage of savings when it comes to your next getaway break!

The Flynn Hotel Collection of award winning, independent, family-owned hotels has announced their 2024 Green Friday Sale, which runs until Monday, December 2nd!

Green Friday at the Flynn Hotel Collection means exceptional value with savings of 20% on bed and breakfast rates in their landmark properties in Kilkenny, Dungarvan and Ennis, in addition to the sale discount, savvy guests booking this sale period will be further rewarded with gifted extras on arrival in the form of local green experiences. These welcome gifts have been thoughtfully selected by each individual hotel property to showcase

their local suppliers and producers as an effort to truly embrace the Green Friday ethos, which encourages people to shop sustainably and think local first. With your 20% saving you could be staying at any of the 4-star Flynn Hotel Properties which includes: The Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, The Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare and The Park Hotel, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

Break away to the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny, this 4-star destination hotel is just 10 minutes’ walk from the vibrant mediaeval city of Kilkenny and has a stellar reputation for superb hospitality and on-site amenities. Here guests will be treated to a complimentary High Bank Farm Organic Apple Gin that is 100% apple and 100% organic as their Green Friday treat! Newpark boasts 25 acres

of parkland with a nature walk, wildlife farm & fairy trail, adventure playground and ‘Jurassic Newpark’ dinosaur attraction and newly added features such as the Dino Den theatre and ‘Jurassic Bounce’ covered inflatable adventure park all making it ideal for families! Or enjoy a chilled getaway on the adult only floor, with hot tubs and a private breakfast terrace!! Their on-site leisure centre, outdoor infinity pool and relaxing spa mean you don’t need to leave the hotel unless you really want to! Snapping up a 20% discount on a stay at Newpark is a great incentive to explore the historic and cultural attractions, shop or socialise in the Marble city

Meanwhile at Ennis’s restored 18th century manor house hotel, The Old Ground, is offering guests a JJ Correy whiskey paired with Tuamgraney chocolates. JJ Correy Whiskey is sourced from the McGuane family farm in County Clare where they have resurrected the lost art of whiskey bonding, while Tuamgraney chocolates are passionately crafted by chocolatiers on the banks of Lough Derg. The Old Ground is the highest rated hotel in Ennis offering guests a luxury stay, unrivalled culinary experiences and a true Irish welcome, all in a central location in the town. With an unrivalled collection of art and sculpture and period charm throughout, this is definitely a hotel for those who love a culture rich and authentic stay. Superbly positioned on the doorstep of The Burren, Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher and many more Wild Atlantic Way highlights the Old Ground is one of the best places from which to experience the natural wonders of County Clare.

The Park Hotel in the harbour town of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford is a bucket list stay for anyone wishing to explore the South East and Copper Coast.

The Park Hotel is set to welcome guests with three craft beers from the renowned Dungarvan brewing company, an ideal way to refresh after a trek on the nearby Dungarvan to Waterford greenway.

Dungarvan is an ideal staging point for coastal drives, scenic beaches, historic points of interest and sporting endeavours such as cycling, golf, fishing, and angling, not to mention shopping and dining in Dungarvan itself!

Breaks booked during the Green Friday sale period (18th November to 2nd December) can be taken from 18th November until end of April inclusive so it’s a great opportunity to book a Winter, Christmas, New Year or Spring break. So, whether you’re looking for a city break, a family getaway, a spa break, self-catering, or an escape to the Wild West, there ’s something for everyone at the Flynn Hotel Collection Green Friday Sale.

Commenting on the sale, one of the owners of the Flynn Hotel Collection Allen Flynn said “Sustainable hospitality is at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves on offering a great experience, creative local food and thoughtful surprises for guests. We are 100% Irish with a genuine and passionate commitment for outstanding employee care, sustainable growth, and protection for the lo-cal environment and community” Terms and Conditions: Selected dates, subject to availability. No date changes once the sale is over. Bookable from Monday 18th November to Monday 2nd December. Availability from 18th November until 30th April inclusive. Each hotel offers its own unique local green experience. To book see flynnhotels.com.

lThe Old Ground Hotel

Thought for the week: Remembering “Ah Sweet Dancer” Road Victim

Spreading

the word of positivity

RONAN SCULLY

AS I write this thought for the week with my remembrance candle lit, I am also listening to the famous Irish musician Michael O’Suilleabhain playing one of his master-

pieces called, “Ah Sweet Dancer.”

It ﬁttingly reminds me at this remembrance time of the year of my beautiful departed niece Aoife who was indeed “Ah Sweet Dancer.”

Just this Sunday gone, the 17th of November was The World Day of Remembrance for Road Trafﬁc Victims.

Close on 25,000 people have died on Irish roads since records began, in 1959. My beautiful ‘sweet

dancer’ niece, Aoife Doyle, was one of them. Every road death, however caused, leaves a family bereaved forever. Many others remain deeply affected by the loss of a friend, colleague, neighbour or member of the community. The effect on the emergency services, who are faced with horriﬁc scenes every day of their working lives is also profound. Road trafﬁc injuries leave behind shattered lives, shat-

Two wonderful Irish language events in Ennis this week/ dhá ócáid iontach in Inis an tseachtain seo

BEIDH dhá ócáid iontach in Inis an tseachtain seo/ There will be two wonderful Irish language events in Ennis this week.

The Clare Peotry collective will have a poetry reading in glor foyer on saturday November 23. The event starts at 12:30pm with ceol (music) from Pheonix and Wolf, followed by some lovely poetry (ﬁlíocht) and a public open mic session.

This event is bilingual, so whether you speak bearla, gaeilge or a little bit of both come along and enjoy the day. This is a free event (saor an aisce) and everyone is welcome (fáilte go gach duine). There will also be a pop-up gaelteach (preab-ghaelteacht) in Ciaran’s Bar (Tigh Ciaran) on November 27. Starting at 9pm there will be pints, conversation and a bit of craic.

l Pop-up gaelteacht in Ciaran’s Bar November 27

Imeachtaí/Events:

lLUIMNEACH – AIFREANN GAEILGE, chuile Dé Domhnaigh, 10.30am, Mainistir an tSlánaitheora, Sráid San Doiminic, Luimneach lClare FM - Cúl-chaint le Domhnall Ó Loingsigh chuile Dé Sathairn, ag 9am ar Clare FM lCILL INÍNE BAOITHE - Ciorcal Comhrá san XPO, chuile Dé Céadaoin ag 7.30pm lINIS – CAINT AGUS COMHRÁ, chuile Dé Luain ag 11am sa gCopper Jug, Dé Céadaoin ag 11am in O’Brien’s, oíche Déardaoin sa Temple Gate (8pm), agus Dé Sathairn i nGlór, 11am-12pm. Déan teagmháil leo ag: caintaguscomhra@outlook.com

lLUIMNEACH – Ciorcail Comhrá. Chuile Dé Céadaoin ag 10.30am, Bialann Eden, Ollscoil Luimnigh.Tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ó Noel ag 086 792 8389. lAN SCAIRBH – Lón i nGaeilge, 1-2pm, CHUILE DÉ MAIRT i gcaifé An Gáirdín, fáilte roimh chuile dhuine.

AN BHFUIL SCÉAL LE ROINNT AGAIBH ?!

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tered families and shattered communities.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK World Day of Remembrance for people killed on our roads is a time for each one of us to reﬂect on our own behaviour on the roads and how that impacts on the safety of other road users. Every time you sit behind the wheel, get on your bicycle or motorbike, or head out for a walk, consider what you can

do to improve your safety on the roads. On this special remembrance day we also pay tribute to our dedicated, amazing, fabulous front-line staff, the Gardaí, emergency crews and medical professionals that deal with the aftermath of these collisions.

Please remember them and all our loved ones and everyone who has paved the way for us especially Aoife, “Ah Sweet Dancer.” Amen.

LE MACDARA Ó CONAOLA

Macalla an Chláir

Clare County Council provide 33 new homes in Scarriff and Sixmilebridge

TWO NEW social housing developments in County Clare, with a total approved budget of €11.2 million, were officially opened yesterday by the Cathaoirleach of County Clare, Cllr Alan O’ Callaghan.

The developments in Scarriff and Sixmilebridge provide 33 new homes through direct build schemes and are funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The new homes comprise of a mix of one, two, three-bedroom dwellings designed and built to the highest standard and provide a high-quality living environment for their residents. The units feature a high-specification finish with an emphasis on energy efficiency.

The developments are being delivered as part of Housing for All, the Government’s plan for housing to 2030.

The Droichead Nua development in Scarriff, is made up of 18 social housing units and has been provided through a direct build scheme by Clare County Council. This development had an approved budget of over €6.2 million. This project was completed this month by the Clare County Council appointed contractor Coolsivna Construction Ltd. The design team for Droichead Nua was Hassett Leyden Flynn & Associates, Tom McNamara & Partners and Don O’Malley & Partners.

The Baile Uí Loideáin development in Sixmilebridge, provides a further 15 social housing units for the county through a second direct build scheme by the local authority. This development had an approved budget of almost €5 million. The appointed contractor for this project was Jada Construction Ltd and it was also completed this month. The design team for his project

was EML architects Ltd, Tom McNamara & Partners, P. Coleman & Associates and Moloney Fox.

Officially opening both housing developments Cllr O’Callaghan said, “Today marks a significant milestone for County Clare, in particular the communities of Sixmilebridge and Scarriff, as we officially open these social housing developments, providing high

Over 500 properties left without water due to watermains fault

Uisce Éireann is working to restore water to over over 500 properties in East Clare after a watermains fault.

On Tuesday December 19

Uisce Éireann identiﬁed a burst in a watermain in Co Clare which has left approxiamtly 50 properties across Whitegate and Mouthshannon without water.

Dedicated water service crews are working to complete the repair and every effort is being made to reduce the impact on homes and businesses and restore normal water supply as quickly as possible. Due to the nature of the repair, it could take until Wednesday afternoon for normal water supply to be fully restored to all areas, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.

Repairs are expected to be completed by 3pm today, Wednesday 20 November. Typically, it takes two to three hours after this to restore normal supply to all customers affected by an unplanned outage.

As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source

of water for sanitation purposes.Uisce Éireann’s Darragh

Conneely commented: “The repairs are being conducted as quickly and as efﬁciently as possible to minimise disruption and restore the water supply to homes and businesses. We understand the inconvenience an unplanned outage can have on our customers and appreciate their patience as we work to return normal water supply as quickly as possible. We would also wish to apologise to all road users impacted by the repair works and appreciate their patience and understand-

ing.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from the company for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.

Customers may experience discolouration to their supply as a result of the repairs. In the event of discolouration, running the tap for several minutes will usually restore water to a clear colour.

For more information, please customers can visit www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-issues/discoloured-water/.

quality, sustainable homes for residents. These new homes are a foundation for stability and growth, ensuring that families and individuals can thrive in our community.” Clare County Council Director of Service for Social Development Jason Murphy said, “As Director of Service for Clare County Council, I am delighted to be part of the official opening of these two social housing developments. These homes reflect our commitment to addressing housing needs in county Clare. The projects reflect the strength of collaboration between our staff, contractors and the wider community – ensuring quality housing that meets both present and future needs.”

Meanwhile Chair of the SPC for Social Development Cllr John Crowe said, “The addition of this proposed development of residential social housing units will further address the social housing needs in the county, delivering homes for those most in need.”

Chair of the Killaloe Municipal District Cllr Joe Cooney added, “This is an exciting project that will provide families with secure, high-quality A-rated homes in the heart of sustainable and vibrant communities and further endorses Clare County Council’s commitment to delivering and meeting our targets under Housing for All.”

l33 NEW HOMES: Cllr Alan O’ Callaghan and Cllr Joe Conney at the opening of new housing development in Scariff

Ennis: Talk of the Town

Ennis Players annual supper theatre returns to the Old Ground Hotel

THE Ennis Players annual Supper Theatre will return to the Old Ground Hotel next week.

This unique theatrical event marks the start of the festive season for Ennis audiences and once again promises to be a memorable evening of great theatre and excellent food in the unique, intimate setting of the Old Ground hotel.

This year’s line-up features two short plays that are sure to entertain and delight audiences of all ages. Following the performances, the renowned Old Ground Supper will be served.

First up is The Chip Van Plays Dixie by Robert Iles and directed by Joe Moran. This poignant comedy is set on a bench outside a cemetery at closing time. Gary, played by Aidan O’Gara, is a local man who has lost his wife and meets Babs, played by Charis Perry who is a woman on her way to Australia. They soon find they share more than a love of chips!

l ENNIS PLAYERS: Aidan O’Gara and Charis Perry rehearsing “Chip Van plays”

NOTICE OF AGM 2024

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of the members of St. Francis Credit Union Limited will take place via Zoom Webinar on Monday, 2nd December 2024 at 6.00 pm.

Members wishing to attend the Virtual AGM need to request an invitation to join and apply via email to: agm2024@stfranciscu.ie and include the following information in your email: www.stfranciscu.ie

Dragonflies by Limerick author Liam McCarthy is directed by Laura O’Brien and is Ennis Players’ entry in the 1-Act Festival circuit, competing in Ballina, Kiltimagh, Doonbeg, Carrigallen and Tubbercurry.

In Dragonflies we meet the Pery Players who are rehearsing for tomorrow night’s opening performance of ‘The Mayflies’ but everything is not going to plan. One of the leading ladies can’t remember her lines, or even to show up. The director and her husband are at loggerheads and everyone seems to be in love with the wrong person!

The cast features a mix of new and seasoned members - Clare Fitzimons, Edel Halliday, John O’Sullivan, Gillian Dunphy, Conor Lynch and Richard Donnellan.

‘Supper Theatre is an annual highlight of

the Ennis calendar, bringing together theatre lovers, friends, and families to celebrate the magic of live performance,” said Chairman of Ennis Players, Eddie McCourt.

“The support of The Old Ground Hotel and the warm reception from our audiences year after year mean so much to us. Last year we were sold-out a week before the event, so I urge patrons to book early to avoid disappointment at missing this special and unique event.’

Ennis Players Supper Theatre will take place in The Old Ground Hotel, Ennis from Mon 25 – Fri 29 Nov 2024, nightly at 8pm. Tickets are €25 (including supper) and are expected to sell out quickly. Tickets are available from the glór box office 065 684 3103 or the glór website.

Ennis Musical Society launch plans for The Witches of Eastwick

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

ENNIS MUSICAL SOCIETY held a launch night recently in advance of their upcoming production ‘The Witches of Eastwick’.

Taylor’s Bar in the Market in Ennis was the location for the launch night as Ennis Musical Society continue their preparations for the much awaited next production which is to take place in April.

Members of the production team including Sarah Kenny (director), Laura Jane Allis (choreographer), Michael Hennessy (musical director) and Eilis O’Neill (choral mistress) were among those promoting the show and upcoming auditions.

Chairperson of Ennis Musical Society, Ciara Lynch said she was very excited for their next production

which is a more mature turn for the Society which has seen great success in recent years with productions of Legally Blonde and The Wedding Singer.

Sarah Kenny, who will direct next year’s show, described how she has fallen in love with the relatively unknown show, based on

the 1987 ﬁlm starring Jack Nicholson and Cher, and is eager to get to work once rehearsals start in January. The Witches of Eastwick will take to the glór stage from April 2nd to 5th with further details to be shared on the Society’s Instagram and Facebook pages in advance.

lSLEEP-IN: Maura McMahon from Focus Irealnd with Rice College TY students

l THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK: Aislinn Keogh, Vanessa Kirwan, Ciara Armstrong Lynch, Sinead Armstrong Lynch, Claire Curtin

€2.8m fire station opens in Athenry

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

A NEW state-of-the-art

€2.8m new fire station has been opened by Galway County Council and Galway Fire and Rescue Service in Athenry.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Anne Rabbitte TD (FF) and Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway Councillor Albert Dolan (FF) performed the officially opening of the 400m2 facility, which replaces the old station on Crowe Street which has been in operation since the 1960s.

Funded by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on a site at Ballygarraun South that was purchased from the IDA in 2021, the station includes significant training facilities and provides for the introduction of new capabilities, including unmanned ground vehicles for remote firefighting and hazardous materials response.

The development represents another milestone in the Galway Fire and Rescue Service capital infrastructure

development programme following on from the opening of new fire stations in Clifden (2010), An Cheathrú Rua (2015) and Tuam (2018).

Mountbellew-based Coolsivna Construction Ltd was the main contractor for the project while the Design Team Lead was led by Vincent Hannon Architects from Galway and supported by Tobin Engineers, Coffey Consulting Engineers and Tom McNamara & Partners.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Junior Minister Rabbitte said, “This investment isn’t only about buildings and vehicles, it’s about developing a national fire service that can adapt to our changing world. On a national level, plans are in place to establish Regional High-Capacity Pumping and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) capabilities. Galway County Council and Galway Fire and Rescue Service have been chosen as one of the regional hubs for these essential services.

“This hub will serve not only Galway but will be available as a regional hub to serve all surrounding counties in west and north-west, and working in conjunction with other regional hubs across Ireland. This regional approach emphasises the National Directorate for Fire and

Emergency Management’s commitment to ensuring that no matter where emergencies arise, our fire service personnel are prepared to respond with the best resources available”.

Cllr Dolan commented, “Investment in our emergency services is a key priority for Elected Members who recognise the importance of maximising the capacity and ability of our firefighters to respond effectively to emergency incidents across County Galway. I want to thank our Fire and Rescue Service teams for their invaluable contribution to making our communities safer”.

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council said, “The development of this modern and well-equipped facility represents a significant boost for the infrastructure of Athenry and surrounding areas, which is set to benefit from the €6m Athenry Public Realm Enhancement Project, has recently benefited from the opening of a new social housing scheme, and is the location for a new global manufacturing facility being developed by Dexcom. More importantly for members of the community, the firefighting capability of the local service will be greatly enhanced through the provision of this

new facility”. He acknowledged the support of the NDFEM and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in their financing of the project.

He continued, “I also want to acknowledge the staff of Galway County Council and Galway Fire and Rescue Service for bringing the project to a successful conclusion, as well as thank the Elected Members and local Oireachtas Members for their continued support.”

Uinsinn Finn, Director of Services at Galway County Council confirmed that a number of other Fire Service capital projects are at varying stages of development. “A new fire station in Loughrea is currently at planning stage and we anticipate it will go to tender for a main contractor next month. Elsewhere, a design team is expected to be appointed shortly for a new Fire Service Mechanics Workshop in Athenry with an anticipated start date of late 2025. Furthermore, preparations for a much-needed new central fire station and headquarters in Galway City are well underway and this project is likely to cost in the region of €18m”.

Addressing those in attendance at the official opening of the new station, Chief Fire Officer for Galway City and County Gerry O’ Malley acknowledged the work of retired Chief Executive Jim Cullen and retired Chief Fire Officer Michael Raftery “in relation to their earlier but vital contribution to the project”. He said, “This new facility will allow us to improve community fire safety and underpin the safety of the Athenry crew. I also want to thank local partners under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations, namely Galway Port Company, Circle K, COLAS CBE West, Tynagh / GE Energy and ALS Minerals for their financial support of the unmanned ground vehicle project”.

The new Athenry Fire Station became operational on 25th October 2024.

Collection of new art work opens in Gort

An Exhibition of new works by Galway based artist Tadhg Ó Cuirrín will open in Gort on Thursday November 28.

The exhibition entitled; knownunknown_unknownknown aims to considers how we make sense of the world around us by exploring the idea of what are things we don’t know, we don’t know? The collection will be on show in The Cash Shop in Gort until January 26 with the opening reception taking place on 28 November from 6-8pm. Many of the pieces in this exhibition begin in a domestic setting. Bedsheets, curtains, envelopes, raincoats, bin bags, moonlight in the garden. Over time these everyday elements, by some sleight of hand, are conceptually turned inside out. Ó Cuirrín is looking for something, and it is hoped that by parsing their everyday existence as art, that some deeper understanding of the world will arise; art as the accomplishment of knowledge in action. Ó Cuirrín holds a BA in Fine Art, Painting from the Limerick School of Art and Design. He works in a variety of media, and his work was recently shortlisted for the Hennessey Craig Award at the RHA 192nd Annual Exhibition, and was included in TULCA Festival of Visual Art in Galway in 2022. Recent solo and two person exhibitions include “It is happening again” in March 2023 at the Custom House Studios in Westport, and “Magic, Metallic Saliva” with Karen Conway at 126 Artist Run Gallery in March 2022. Upcoming exhibitions include the Galway International Arts Festival in 2026. His work is supported by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, the Arts Council of Ireland, and Galway County Council.

lATHENRY FIRE STATION: Uinsinn Finn, Director of Services, Infrastructure and Fire Services, Galway County Council, Cllr. Albert Dolan, Cathaoirleach, Co. Galway, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, Gerry O’Malley, Chief Fire Ofﬁcer, and Liam Conneally, Chief Executive, Galway County Council

Photo by: Murtography

lUNKNOWN: blind spot googly eyes and spray paint on canvas by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín

Ennis: Talk of the Town

Ennis Players annual supper theatre returns to the Old Ground Hotel

THE Ennis Players annual Supper Theatre will return to the Old Ground Hotel next week.

This year’s line-up features two short plays that are sure to entertain and delight audiences of all ages. Following the performances, the renowned Old Ground Supper will be served.

NOTICE OF AGM 2024

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of the members of St. Francis Credit Union Limited will take place via Zoom Webinar on Monday, 2nd December 2024 at 6.00 pm.

Members wishing to attend the Virtual AGM need to request an invitation to join and apply via email to: agm2024@stfranciscu.ie and include the following information in your email: www.stfranciscu.ie

Name / Member Number / Member Address

2024 Report is available on the Download Section of the Website

The cast features a mix of new and seasoned members - Clare Fitzimons, Edel Halliday, John O’Sullivan, Gillian Dunphy, Conor Lynch and Richard Donnellan.

‘Supper Theatre is an annual highlight of

the Ennis calendar, bringing together theatre lovers, friends, and families to celebrate the magic of live performance,” said Chairman of Ennis Players, Eddie McCourt.

Ennis Musical Society launch plans for The Witches of Eastwick

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

ENNIS MUSICAL SOCIETY held a launch night recently in advance of their upcoming production ‘The Witches of Eastwick’.

Taylor’s Bar in the Market in Ennis was the location for the launch night as Ennis Musical Society continue their preparations for the much awaited next production which is to take place in April.

Chairperson of Ennis Musical Society, Ciara Lynch said she was very excited for their next production

which is a more mature turn for the Society which has seen great success in recent years with productions of Legally Blonde and The Wedding Singer.

Sarah Kenny, who will direct next year’s show, described how she has fallen in love with the relatively unknown show, based on

lSLEEP-IN: Maura McMahon from Focus Irealnd with Rice College TY students

l THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK: Aislinn Keogh, Vanessa Kirwan, Ciara Armstrong Lynch, Sinead Armstrong Lynch, Claire Curtin

l ENNIS PLAYERS: Aidan O’Gara and Charis Perry rehearsing “Chip Van plays”

Mud matters in the battle for Hastings Farmhouse

THE Battle to rebuild Hastings’ Farmhouse in Shannon has been given a boost through a series of successful workshops by renowned heritage conservation engineer, Chris Southgate.

The Tullyvarraga farmhouse, home to the Hastings family from the 1840s to the late 1960s, was made famous during the War of Independence when it hosted Brigadier General Cuthbert Lucas who had been captured by the IRA. The Hasting’s house was vandalised in the 1970s shortly after the death of John Hastings and its thatched roof set on fire.

The walls, made from mud dug out of a nearby hill, which were exposed to the elements, deteriorated badly and were almost completely lost to mosses, weeds and ivy.

‘Mud Matters’, the theme of the workshops run by Chris Southgate and his associates, traditional craft mason Eoin Madigan, and lime-rendering specialist Damien Condon, have shown that the test sections of mud are perfect for the planned restoration.

“We’re very lucky here to have very fine material and aggregate to compact very easily. You can just pick it up in your hand and you can see that it’s going to work. So, we’re able to dig it out of the ground fairly dry and compact it, and that means we can take the shutters down immediately. If it was in concrete, you’d have to wait three days. So, it’s a very practical way of building,” the conservation specialist explained.

“This mud material decays though with moisture, and in order to have a good structure, we

have to have a roof on it, all the sills correctly done and details and plastering of lime-washing on the outside finished, for the mud to stay dry enough,” Chris added.

Craft Mason Eoin Madigan demonstrated how to select the most suitable clay and took the group of keenly interested participants through the principles of constructing walls with mud using very basic tools, while Damien Condon burnt the lime out of limestone rocks and added dyes from iron-rich stone, gravel and carbon to make a display of coloured washes.

“You wouldn’t have to go near the shops to build a house in the old days,” Damien said, and Eoin pointed out that all the neighbours were involved in the hands-on labour when the old farmhouse was constructed.

The battle to restore Hastings Farmhouse got underway in 2012, when Dúchas na Sionna began a conservation project to protect the remains of the house and a group of local volunteers cut away the greenery and mortared the walls to protect the ruins.

“We knew it was here and we knew the connection with the War of Independence story and we felt it was part of Shannon’s heritage, and unless somebody took responsibility to do something it was just going to continue to deteriorate and disappear altogether,”

explained Dúchas na Sionna Secretary, Olive Carey.

The heritage group now plans to fully restore the farmhouse, situated as it is on the proposed Shannon to Bunratty/Sixmilebridge/

Limerick greenway, as a heritage centre, exhibition space and community meeting venue with a training centre element.

Dúchas chairman, John O’Brien, is hopeful that planning permission and the finance to continue will be in place by the end of February next and that work will be well underway before the summer.

“It depends too on the number of people available. It’s really labour intensive and maybe there might be some community involvement at that point,” John said.

Chris Southgate is delighted with the technical progress they’ve already made on the farmhouse restoration through the weekend workshops, which were enabled through the funding by The Heritage Council under the Community Heritage Grant

“We’ve proven the process of rebuilding in structurally viable material, now we’re trying to perfect the work method to make it as viable and as practical as possible from a financial point to view.

“We can innovate by using mechanical loaders and will be able to do long stretches of wall at a time,” said Chris, adding that he found it inspirational to build something of value to the community and to show just how easy it was to build environmentally with mud and lime.

“Mud is challenging to build with and is also inspiring. At theend of the day ‘Mud Matters’ because it basically gives us a connection to the earth and it’s a natural way of building for the future,” he added.

Fáilte Solar backing green with Irish cricket

FAILTE Solar has announced they will be #BackingGreen both on and off the pitch as the Primary Sponsor of the Ireland men’s cricket team.

With terms in place for a deal of up to 10 years this is the longest sponsorship of this nature in Irish cricket history, and highlights the Shannon based solarproduct manufacturers commitment to Irish cricket as Ireland Men continues to grow in stature both at home and around the world.

The partnership unveiling took place at Fáilte Solar’s newly opened headquarters in Shannon, County Clare, where the company was

founded by Indian native Abhilash Borana in 2019, at the same time as he was completing his master’s degree in International Commercial Law at the University of Limerick. To mark the partnership announcement, Cricket Ireland President Stella Downes, CEO Warren Deutrom and several Ireland Men’s players; including Test Captain Andrew Balbirnie, vice-captain Lorcan Tucker and talismanic all-rounder George Dockrell visited Fáilte Solar headquarters, participated in a tour of the facility, enjoyed a meet and greet and Q&A with the Fáilte Solar staff, before having a playful hit

on the lawn.

Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom, said “today’s event in Shannon marks a big step forward for Irish cricket, and one which will see an Irish business success story support our Men’s side in 2025 and beyond.”

“Fáilte Solar is a company that shares our goal of becoming a major sport at home, and a major cricket nation around the world, just as they themselves continue to grow rapidly both in Ireland in other markets around the world to make sustainable energy solutions more cost-effective and accessible.”

Founded in 2019, Fáilte Solar is already the leading

distributor of photovoltaic equipment in Ireland, with the company’s achievements generating recognition for its founder Abhilash Borana, who was a 2023 EY International Entrepreneur Awards Finalist and Forbes “30 Under 30 Europe” inductee in the 2022 Manufacturing and Industry category. Borana said “at Fáilte Solar we are on a“As an entrepreneur driven company, we cultivate a culture of togetherness which makes Irish cricket a natural entry point for us, and we cannot wait to begin #BackingGreen and supporting the Ireland Men’s team as they continue to challenge the status quo on the world stage.”

l John O’Brien, chairman, Dúchas na Sionna, Olive Carey, secretary, and Tom Chamber, treasurer, checking out the ﬁnished block at the Mud Matters workshop at Hastings Farmhouse, Tullyvarraga, Shannon

lBACKING GREEN: George Dockrell, Warren Deutrom (CEO, Cricket Ireland), Andrew Balbirnie, Abhilash Borana (Founder, Failte Solar), Lorcan Tucker

Murphy rows in fully behind Rita’s campaign

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

EX COUNCILLOR, Cillian Murphy (FF) has nailed his colours to the mast and rowed in fully behind the campaign of Cllr Rita McInerney (FF).

Murphy who served for five years on Clare County Council up until losing his seat in June has publicly declared his support for the Doonbeg woman in a bid to try have a West Clare voice in Government. It comes as momentum appears to be growing in West and North Clare to elect a candidate from the area with support understood to be rising for Cllr McInerney, Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) and Dr Tom Nolan (FG) in recent days.

A drop in Murphy’s vote from 1,100 in 2019 to 1,011

in 2024 saw the Kilkee man emerge as one of the big casualties for Fianna Fáil in the June local elections.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin (FF) told The Clare Echo in the aftermath of this setback for the party, “I was very disappointed at losing Cillian Murphy”. He added, “it is an awful pity. I didn’t get into the specifics of every local electoral area, there is a constituency committee that examined it, they got some right and they got some wrong but we will evaluate that, it is one that got away and we should not have lost that seat”.

Fianna Fáil’s leader was in Clare for a canvass with all three of their General Election candidates, Cllr McInerney, Cathal Crowe TD (FF) and Senator Timmy Dooley (FF).

After meeting the Tánaiste

in Kilrush on Sunday, Murphy in a statement to The Clare Echo outlined, “It was great to meet Tanaiste Micheál Martin this morning while out canvassing for Cllr Rita Mc Inerney and I fully support her bid for the Dáil in the upcoming General Election”.

Work of the county’s Oireachtas members was acknowledged by Murphy. “Credit where it’s due, for my term as a councillor Cathal Crowe TD never left a single call or email from me unanswered, but the facts are, these are a basic function of any TDs office, and any TDs office can do it”.

Cillian continued, “What we really miss here in West Clare is a voice at the Government table that prioritizes West Clare when those really really big strategic decisions, that will deliver long

term future benefits for us, are being made. With the best respect in the world, it is only natural that those voices from other parts of the county will prioritise their own patches, we need a Government representa tive who has a real life lived experience of West Clare, who drives our roads, turns on a tap, flushes a toilet, runs a busi ness, buys a house or plays sports, in other words someone who can really relate to the issues we face every day, because they live them every day, same as us, not just once ev ery few weeks”.

Electing a West Clare TD for a potential Gov ernment party is “in our own hands,” he stressed.

“We can continue to do what we have been doing for the last 20 years, and continue to give out about the lack of meaningful Government investment in West Clare, or

making sure significantly more of these 10,000 ‘out of area’ votes are cast in favor of one of our own, a West Clare candidate from a government party, Cllr Rita McInerney”.

Well-regarded for his involvement in community groups, Cillian’s backing of Rita comes as a blow to both Crowe and Dooley. Outgoing TD Crowe had been involved in Murphy’s unsuccessful re-election attempt to the Council and subsequent to this the tourism consultant had been linked as a potential parliamentary assistant for the Meelick man following James Mulhall’s exit.

Three month prison term to 63 year old woman who sold counterfeit designer goods

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

A 63 year old west Clare woman convicted for selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Victoria Secrets designer goods for knock-down prices has escaped jail.

This follows Judge Alec Gabbett imposing a suspended three month prison term on Eileen Bracken of Woodﬁeld Drive, Kilrush after she pleaded guilty to 11 separate counts of selling or offering for sale counterfeit designer goods from her home on dates between October 31 to December 12 2022.

The offences are contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1996 and some of the counterfeit labels that Ms Bracken pleaded guilty to selling or offering for sale include Louis Vuitton, Prada, Northface, Gucci, Tommy Hilﬁger, Victoria Secrets, Adidas, Alexander McQueen and Chanel.

At Kilrush District Court today, Judge Gabbett said that he would impose the suspended prison term on one count on account of Ms Bracken having no previous convictions and a Probation Report concluding that she was at a very low risk

of re-offending and hasn’t come to Garda attention since the matter ﬁrst came to Garda notice two years ago.

Judge Gabbett said that he would be taking the remaining counts into consideration.

Judge Gabbett said that the three month suspended prison term for 24 months was in place as a deterrent against this type of future offending.

Judge Gabbett said: “If her entrepreneurial streak starts to come out again the suspended sentence will put a stop to that.” He said: “Whether people like or not, the trademark system is very important and protects people’s rights and the owner of the trademarks are entitled to their rights and use of their logos and the offences are clearly in breach of all of that.”

Solicitor for Ms Bracken, Patrick Moylan said that a fine would be difficult for his client given her financial circumstances and Judge Gabbett did not impose any fine.

Sgt Frank O’Grady previously told the court that Gardai under warrant seized a large amount of counterfeit designer items at Ms Bracken’s home in Kilrush.

Sgt O’Grady told the court

that the estimated cost of the designer items from the 11 brands was €23,170 and Eileen Bracken was selling them for €1,455 resulting in an estimated loss of €21,715 to the companies. He said that Gardai received statements from the different trademark companies conﬁrming that the items Ms Bracken was selling and that she was advertising to sell were counterfeit items and she was not authorised to sell or advertise the trademark designer items.

Mr Moylan said that Ms Bracken had purchased the goods from Turkey to sell to local people. He said that Ms Bracken’s family came under ﬁnancial pressure at the time and “she thought this might be some new way to earn some money.””

Mr Moylan said: “The guilty plea is hugely valuable in the case because if I was to put the State through their paces, we could be here a week with witnesses coming in from far and wide from the companies concerned.”

Mr Moylan said that Ms Bracken hasn’t engaged in any selling since Gardai seized the goods.

lEx-cllr Cillian Murphy, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and cllr Rita McInerney

Carey political dynasty in Leonora’s hands

HOPES OF the Carey clan in continuing as Clare’s political dynasty rests on the shoulders of ﬁrst-time candidate Leonora Carey (FG) Joe Carey’s (FG) retirement from politics in August 2024 paved the way for the entry into the ﬁeld of his sister Leonora. A four-term TD, Joe had been on sick leave since the previous March before announcing that medical advice recommended that he not seek a return to Leinster House.

Leonora and Joe’s father Donal was a TD from 1982 to 2002, serving as a Junior Minister on two occasions. She was for four terms on the Fine Gael Executive Council, the last year of which she was Chairperson but this will be her ﬁrst time vying for public ofﬁce.

One of Leonora’s ﬁrst comments when setting out her stall after emerging as the only nominee at Fine Gael’s selection convention was “I’m not my brother”. She explained,

Fact File

“Everything I do is not my brother because if I was to do everything like my brother then I’d be a clone of my brother, I’m not that.

“What I’d like to be able to do is to move forward with the people of County Clare on the issues that concern them the most.”

She did not believe there was anything that could have been done by Joe which he didn’t complete during his 17 years in the Dáil. “I’m slightly biased as his sister. It is not for me to critique my brother or my brother’s performance, that is something which the public would do, therein I think Joe every day that he went out to work and represent the people of County Clare whether it was as a county councillor or as a TD.”

A member of Fine Gael and Young Fine Gael for the past 35 years, she outlined the differences she will bring to the fold, leaning on her 26 years working in healthcare. “I worked in Milford Care Centre as manager for 13 years, as the outpatient therapy manager with UL Hospitals Group for the last four years. I’ve a reasonably good knowledge of how the health system works not only in County Clare but across the Mid-West. I’ve staff reporting to me who work in the six hospitals in the Mid-West so that is a different life experience to what Joe had, I bring that, I am a carer to my Dad who is 87, I’m a female”. She described herself as “an articulate, determined problem-solving woman who can deliver for the people of Co Clare”.

UL Hospitals Group is an organisation which doesn’t necessarily have the backing of the public given its management of UL Hospitals Group. “I think there’s certain aspects of the hospital group which don’t have the conﬁdence of the public. When I think back on the vast majority of people, nearly every person I’ve met on the campaign trail so far, the biggest issue that comes to the fore for them is about getting access through the emergency department.

“Nearly everybody says once they get in past the emergency department, they talk very highly about the experience they have had”.

A greater integration of the acute hospital system within the primary care system and more clarify on patient pathways in the MidWest require examination, she felt. Additional beds in Ennis are urgently required, she said. “If it has additional beds then that can support the expansion of the Medical Assessment Unit to operate 24/7. For them to be properly functional there needs to be proper stafﬁng and proper access to diagnostics.

“The HIQA group are reviewing the MidWest to see if there will be a second ED and if there is a need for a model three, both of those are needs that the people of Clare would like to have, for me those are things we need to work towards over a period of time”.

Whether it is feasible for Ennis to be a model three hospital by the conclusion of the next Dáil is depen dent on the ﬁndings of the HIQA report, Carey said. “I would be in favour of it being a model three hos pital but it needs to have the beds, the stafﬁng resources and the diagnostics.”

With “a really good knowledge base about the components of the health system,” the Clarecastle woman said the ability to work with people along with sourcing funding

is central to improving health services in the Mid-West. She stated, “I will have a better capacity to understand and question and query in a better way why certain decisions are being made and why particular timelines are happening in ways”.

Following Cllr Johnny Flynn’s (IND) retirement from politics and exit from Fine Gael in February, the local elections could have been a dry-run for Leonora but this wasn’t considered, she said “because we have a wonderful local councillor called Cllr Paul Murphy”. She said there has been no criticism on the doors but only well-wishes for her brother Joe. Fine Gael’s inability to get a replacement candidate for Flynn in Ennis for the local elections is not a sign of a dipping support for the party in the county town, she stated, “I’ve had a very positive response on the door in Ennis so the short answer is no. There isn’t too many candidates coming from the Mid-Clare area or from the Ennis area, I think the people of Ennis would like to have a local TD, I very much would like to be the local TD

Within the past fortnight, she has reopened Joe’s constituency office on Francis St which shut in the days after his retirement. She confirmed that the family do not own the building and that she has paid for its reopening “out of my own pocket”. Commonly written off when it comes to elections, the Careys are noted for their ability to mount a strong canvass. In their first profile on the constituency, RTÉ predicted Leonora would take the Fine Gael seat in the county.

‘Talk to Joe’ campaign gathering speed

HAVING delivered poll-topping performances in the local elections, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) is playing ‘senior hurling’ now as he prepares for his first General Election.

A U-turn at the beginning of November saw the O’Callaghans Mills man re-enter the election race, a move which livened up the battle to decide who will be Clare’s four TDs. Among those to press Cllr Cooney to change his mind were the Taoiseach, Simon Harris (FG) and ex European Commissioner, Phil Hogan (FG).

Cllr Cooney said he was not offered a Ministry as a result of coming back into the fold. “I am not a man that has to be offered anything to be able to make up my mind, I make up my mind myself and I always do it for the good of the people I’m serving and in fairness, I’ve been serving the people of the Killaloe area for the past 20 years in Clare County Council.

“If I do get elected on November 29, from after this election, I’ll be there for the

people of this county and to do my utmost and my best for them.”

No external pressure influenced his call, Joe said. “I felt at this stage, it was now or never, if I didn’t give it the opportunity at this stage, I might be disappointed in the

future if I didn’t give it the opportunity so I said, yes.”

Dubbed the ‘Dyson of East Clare’ on The Electoral Chair following his poll-topping performances at a local level in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024 where he was elected on the first count, Cooney is set to

face his stiffest test to date.

His five-year stint as Chairman of Clare GAA concluded in December 2020, he refuted the view that some decisions made during this spell could cost votes. “I was vice chairman for five years, and I was chairman for five years and I worked with every club to support the clubs to try and achieve and work and make clubs better places for the young people of this county, which is very important, and never did I have any issue with any club whatsoever.

“I must say, the facilities we have here in this county, in all clubs in Clare GAA for the young people of this county is simply fantastic, it took hard work, time, and commitment by a big amount of volunteers for those to happen”.

Housing is the “major” concern in the county, the former Mayor of Clare said. “A lot of people are in a catch 22 situation, they don’t qualify for a social house because their income is too high, they don’t qualify to get a loan because their income is too low.

“A lot of people don’t qualify for affordable housing unfortunately so housing is a big issue at the moment, and

Fact File

I’m getting a lot of calls on the housing issues and housing concerns, and more so for the young people trying to get on the housing market so it’s not an easy one.”

Over 12 months ago, he stepped back from his role with East Clare Construction Ltd. On what could be done within the construction sector to accelerate housing delivery, he said, “There is a lot of things that could be done, but the big problem is the lack of infrastructure in towns and villages where you’re not allowed to build houses”.

Cllr Cooney continued, “Take Kilkshen alone, 60

houses were refused this time last year because of the lack of capacity in the wastewater treatment unit, with another 60 houses in Tuamgraney refused by An Bord Pleanálan with certain issues as well so when the infrastructure is not there, that’s a serious setback, and in this county alone, we’ve over 50 settlements that don’t have the proper infrastructure, and that’s very disappointing, and that’s not helping our situation here in Clare. Also, we’ve to look at the increase in the population, also the number of Ukrainians and refugees is coming into our country and our county, they go on the housing list as well after a certain amount of time, and that is putting a major pressure on, the allocation of houses throughout our county”.

‘Talk to Joe’ has become the tagline for Cooney’s own social media which has been launched in the past fortnight. “Other people might be concerned what’s said about them on social media, but the most important thing is you go out and you give the commitment to work for the people”.

PICTURED: Leonora Carey Photo by John McDermott

l Cllr Joe Cooney

Photo by John Mangan

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Vote like your LOVED ONES’ RIGHTS depend on it. Vote like your LOVED ONES’ LIVES depend on it.

Clare’s TDs must battle for Ennis Hospital - Crowe

OUTGOING TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) is feeling the heat in his bid to be re-elected and said he won’t be drawn into “what ifs” on whether he will put his party whip on the line for the cause of Ennis Hospital.

Crowe helped to kick off one of the big issues of the 2020 election when calling out the planned RIC commemorations whereas five years on his campaign has yet to catch fire. He recalled that his stance on the RIC was “very genuine and heartfelt” and almost resulted in his resignation as Mayor of Clare.

Former Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen (FF) has already issued the warning sounds on Crowe’s “tricky” re-election bid. “I have to work my way out of that South-East Clare corner, and there’s several candidates in front of me, all very credible candidates that I have to try to outperform and uphold and then, on top of that I’ve had people trying to tell the electorate that I’m safe as houses, which is very much

the opposite to how my campaign team and I feel.

Services in Clare in health have not improved during his time in the Dáil but he said strides have been made with the county’s education sector. “There’s been, a lot of capital investment in our health care, and yet a huge amount more needs to be done. We’ve seen local link services throughout the county, transport, and I’m

particularly proud, to have played some role in terms of trying to reinvigorate Shannon Airport as it has, tried to emerge from the slumps of Covid”.

Fianna Fáil’s commitment to lift the passenger cap in Dublin Airport as part of its election manifesto was flagged by Leonora Carey (FG) who said it was “a betrayal” of Shannon. “I was surprised to see Leonora

Carey issue a statement on it because, the position of her party leader is to remove the cap and it has been for several months.

“Leonora and I have the same challenge, I believe that the Dublin Airport cap should remain”. He is his party’s spokesperson on aviation but his views on the passenger cap appear to have been ignored.

Clare’s TDs need to be ready for the “battle of all battles” to try get a model three hospital in the county following the publication of the HIQA review next year.

“The worst decision for this region in my opinion was the 2009 decision taken to close Ennis, Nenagh, and St. John’s accident emergency departments.

“There was a justification given at the time that it would lead to a centre of excellence, the regional hospital as it was then known in Limerick. Had that materialised, I don’t think there would be a huge debate about it, but there was a hollowing out of funding, investment, recruitment over a decade”.

On whether he would put the party whip on the line in

this argument, Crowe stated he would do “whatever it takes”.

During his first term as a TD, a planning controversy emerged and he was denied permission for a new home in July. “One’s efforts to build a family home has nothing to do with politics and I have done everything in accordance with, with all the rules here and I have no further comment to make”.

UL’s move to withdraw a designation for a strategic development zone in SouthEast Clare is “devastating and, I’m quite critical of the new Mayor of Limerick on this, John Moran. He’s a good man, but I think he and oth-

er councillors have read this wrong because, it was being spun for many months that to develop an SDZ would hollow out Limerick City, quite the opposite. This was something that was going to complement the university, not compete with the city centre.

“It would have done an awful lot to unburden the population, the housing pressures of Limerick. Castletroy, Lisnagry, Annacotty and I went to UL for years, most of the housing stock there is tied up with student accommodation, and that shouldn’t really be the case.”

OCCUPATION

Public representative, former primary school teacher

TOP PRIORITIES

To push for a new model three hospital with accident and emergency care within this county

Older people being left behind, says Dillon

Mahon to become one school. We can see football teams merging because they haven’t the numbers to field on their own. So I would see a steady decline in lots of different ways, socially, building and businesses, I would see that and with the healthcare side of things I’d see people getting very stressed about healthcare and having to go down to Limerick”.

An admiration for Peadar Tóibín inspired June to join the party. “I think he’s very common sense, he holds people to account, he’s the only one you will see in the Dáil Chamber when there’s no-one else there asking parliamentary questions and he looks after people, he looks for groups that are vulnerable. He asked the Minister for Justice about children who were going missing in care, dying in care and being injured in care, he has brought a lot of that up and he has brought up a lot about immigration figures”.

DECLINE of services in rural Clare is impacting on all ages but is leaving a particular scar on the elderly, first-time election candidate June Dillon (AON) has warned.

Living in West Clare for the past 14 years, the Kilmurry McMahon woman is a native of East Cork. She is Aontú’s first General Election candidate in Clare and the party’s second ever candidate to contest an election in the county. She joined Aontú earlier this year.

Over her 14 years in Clare, June admits to witnessing “the decline over that time”.

“Shops closing down, post offices closing down or the post office going into the corner of a shop or that kind of thing. The bank closed down in Kilkee, schools have closed down like Tullycrine school down by us which amalagamated with Kilmurry Mc-

Married to Kieran Dillon, June felt now was the time she could try make a change to improve the quality of life and services in the county.

Dillon continued, “I was reading your paper and they were predicting two Fianna Fáil and two Fine Gael, maybe it will happen but I’ve to speak up for the people who need it and I do see people who are vulnerable and they need help.

“If I can use this platform that whoever is elected in will hear a bit of it and try get a fleet of wheelchair taxis in around West Clare and a decent road from Ennis to Kilrush, our roads are shocking, if you want to go anywhere at all, people have different activities in Ennistymon or Shannon but the road over to Ennis is a disaster”.

Aontú’s formation came after Tóibín over

his pro-life stance in advance of the Eighth Amendment referendum. Dillon claimed she “hadn’t heard” that this stance is one of the main items people associate with the political party. “I hear people talking about housing. I hear people talking about immigration. I hear people talking about cost of living. I hear people talking about health care, but that doesn’t come up.

“We’re very much about government accountability and people know that. We’re very much about, government spending and wastage. We’re very much about that and so are people, and they hear us more talking about that.”

Farmers in rural Clare are “on their knees with bureaucracy,” she claimed. “They’re trying to bring the Mercosur Trade Deal, they’re trying to undercut farmers here and that is a worry to farmers, they hardly even have an income to live on, like their income is down a

third or something and like they have a nearly 20 percent suicide rate, if you look up HSE dying to farm you see there’s the report on farmers and their mental health so I suppose people have a lot of issues, and that’s what we are dealing with on the doorsteps, and that’s what we want to change”.

Having first completed a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration, June worked in offices before travelling to Ethiopia and then returning to study to become a nurse. She recently completed a masters in older person rehabilitation from UCC. “I saw what’s needed and it’s clear older people are just left behind. A lot of it is due to transport issues. They can’t even get to appointments. They can’t get to any activities, like the Kilrush Resource Centre has brilliant activities for older people but they can’t get from their laneway down to the public transport to get there, they’re not able so rural transport is a massive thing for older people and it really excludes them from society”.

She continued, “You cannot get a wheelchair taxi from Kilfenora to Loop Head to Ennis.

“Older people are so forgotten and you see because there’s no work back here, their families are all going away working and so the poor families are worrying about their parents, and the parents are at home and trying to cope, it’s just it’s very isolating. I’ve seen enough what I feel really now, an awful lot of social isolation, yeah, in West Clare and access to services. It’s a huge problem”.

l Deputy Crowe

Photo by Natasha Barton

l June Dillon

Photo by John Mangan

by Páraic McMahon

McMahon

Provide financial support allowing parents to chose whether to mind their children at home or use childcare

Stronger and swifter immigration system

Expand services at Ennis General Hospital & enhance primary care and disability services

Prioritise homebuilding to enhance our communities.

Strong advocate for farmers, regional & rural communities

Greater accountability for taxpayers’ money

Abolition of means test for carers allowance

Vótáil June DILLON

Crowe TD

Health: Fight for a Model 3 hospital for Clare with 24-hour accident & emergency care.

Education: Ensure schools are properly resourced, especially regarding special education.

Rural: Better supports for the farming community, continued roll-out of fibre broadband, better funding for roads and access to public transport.

Shannon Airport: Continue to push for extra flights & design policies that increase Shannon’s overall market share.

Towns & villages: Prioritise supports for our communities including the delivery of new sewage and water schemes.

Housing: Increase supply of private, affordable and social housing to buy and rent.

Job creation: Support local entrepreneurs to set up businesses that retain 3rd level graduates in our county, continue to attract FDI to the county and reduce bureaucracy for SMEs.

Dooley back with a vengeance

DEFEATED IN 2020, Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) is back with a vengeance as he tries to reclaim a seat in Dáil Éireann, writes Páraic McMahon.

A dramatic 10th count in February 2020 saw Clare’s four TDs elected in the one full swoop but it was also the moment when Dooley’s 13-year stint as a TD came to an abrupt end.

Standing in The Falls Hotel on that occasion was a lowpoint in his political career, he acknowledged. “I never felt resentful, I was most disappointed for my family, friends and supporters who worked tirelessly through wet, wind and cold. I felt I had let them down and that I had taken a decision in the interest of the party, their only focus is to see you elected”.

to score all the points and starring themselves and the team lose. I’ve always felt if team Fianna Fáil in Clare is stronger and wins then the county wins because we’ve the potential for a Minister rather than an All Star performance where we head the poll and not bringing in a running mate”.

In 2016, he topped the poll with 10,216 ﬁrst preferences but the vote dipped to 7,763 in 2020. “We had to go try win two seats, we didn’t make it narrowly. We have an opportunity now with the beneﬁt of hindsight to do it differently and we’re trying to win two seats, I’m hopeful we do it this time. I’ll need to bring back a little bit of the vote that I lost, I don’t need a lot but if I get a few hundred extra votes on number ones then I can make it”.

Mountshannon native Dooley is in no doubt that the strategy to divide the county between candidates is what lost him his seat. “I was the person with the highest number of ones in the country that didn’t get elected, nobody got more number ones across Ireland than I and didn’t get elected, there was a differ ence of about 250 votes at the end. We managed it very tightly but too tightly for me. I had to accept that, I couldn’t blame anybody else”.

seek it or come back into the area’, thankfully they are now rallying around me and saying they won’t make that mistake again so it is clear to me that the support is there”.

It’s open country for Fianna Fáil this time, he said. “I haven’t been asked by the party leader to restrict my canvassing on this occasion nor has any from headquarters asked me to... obviously I’m not going into Doonbeg or the area around Rita because it is her home base, neither am I canvassing in Meelick which is where Cathal comes from originally but he lives in Westbury so I’m staying out of those areas out of respect for those”.

Key priorities for him this time include, “resolving the health crisis in the Mid-West”, the future of Shannon Airport and Moneypoint’s development for floating wind energy.

and specialities as part of it, of course I and everybody else that is elected for Clare will be ﬁghting to have that hospital in Co Clare”. His own preference is for a model three hospital on a greenﬁeld site and to retain Ennis Hospital also.

Given that he was a Government TD when Ennis was downgraded from a model three hospital, there is still backlash from the public towards him on the matter. He said the downgrading “wasn’t a political decision” but one made by the HSE “because they couldn’t get consultants to work in Ennis”. Dooley was adamant no more of a ﬁght could have been put up by Clare’s TDs at the time.

He added, “I felt bad for them that the decision I made to go after two seats impacted negatively on them but from a party perspective and in the broader interests of the county, I felt I had done the right thing. There’s no point in a player going out to win an All Star by just being greedy and hungry, attempting

He continued, “We didn’t see the tide for Sinn Féin at the time, it caught us unaware and by the time we could see it I had already ceded ground so I didn’t travel into South-East Clare or West Clare, I met many friends, supporters of mine and people who I helped over the years and am meeting again now who have said ‘oh God if we had to know that you needed our support then we would have been with you but you chose not to

Work has started to improve the health services in the region, he maintained. “There’s additional beds going into Ennis, there has been a very signiﬁcant increase on beds going into Limerick, there’s been over 1000 employed since Stephen Donnelly became the Minister for Health in the Limerick hospital but it is not enough because the infrastructure is creaking. “We’re waiting on the HIQA report to establish what we know the need is for an additional accident and emergency department in the region but that can’t come in isolation, it has to be part of a model three hospital because you can’t have an A&E without the disciplines

Last November, Timmy threatened not to run in the General Election unless Broadford and Cooraclare received approval for inclusion in a €50m national pilot wastewater scheme, their inclusion was conﬁrmed a month later but works have yet to start. “The money has been allocated and the project is now back ﬁrmly and squarely with Clare County Council to deliver for both Cooraclare and Broadford.”

Five years ago, he had to compete with Michael McNamara (IND) for votes in East Clare and now he is battling with Cllr Joe Cooney (FG). “There is always going to be somebody contesting, what I’d like to think that I have is a countywide base.

“I’ve worked in communities across the county, I’ve assisted people across the county, people know me for good or ill across the county, they know what I can do and they know what I have done. They will make their decision based on that, they will also reflect on what are the best chances of having a representative in that sphere of influence, I think they will be looking to people with Oireachtas experience.”

PICTURED: Senator Timmy Dooley

Garvey gunning for chance to make history

FROM the high of the Green wave in 2019, Senator Roisin Garvey is confident the junior coalition partner will ride out any storms heading their direction.

Inagh native Roisin is in contention for the fourth seat in Clare where she would become the first Green TD in the county. She was the first woman and Green councillor elected in North Clare in 2019. Fresh from winning a €15 voucher for the Tulla butchers in a raffle from the Feakle Women’s Shed, Roisin is hoping for much bigger success and what would be a major political win.

Pitching herself as “a strong voice for Clare,” she said her five years in the Seanad have been fruitful. “I don’t know any Senator who’s achieved as much as me in the last four and a half years, I do pre-budget submissions every year. I got millions for local enterprise offices, for small businesses, for Local Links, for awnings and furniture for small businesses. I got money for Digi Hubs.

“I do the work, I do the maths. I do the research. I use the CSO, and I make a pitch with different ministers. I got money off Heather Humphreys, off Leo Varadkar, off Simon Coveney. Nothing off Peter Burke this year, of course, he was the first Minister for Enterprise that would not meet me, I’ve always been focusing on rural development and small medium businesses because I’m an enterprise trade and employment spokesperson and

there’s plenty in the big parties taking care of the multinationals, nobody’s taking care of the small businesses”. Garvey is not short of confidence when predicting what she could do as a TD. “If I can achieve X amount as a senator, if I had a constituency office ... I think I would achieve a lot more for Clare and a lot more for climate and nature”. As the smallest party in the coalition, the Greens are expected to lose seats, pundits such as Ivan Yates have

predicted a wipeout which was news to Roisin. “Nobody is predicting a wipeout, they are just saying we won’t get them all back in, we’re still on five percent, we’re not down to one or two like the PDs and Labour were in previous governments. You’re actually the first person that has mentioned a wipeout. RTÉ, Newstalk and all the journalists in the last few days that I’ve met, nobody else has used that word, I’d push back on that word, we will definitely get some people returned,” she told The Clare Echo

When asked how many seats the Greens will win, she responded, “I’m not a psychic but we’ll win one in Clare anyway”. The deputy leader of the party said they are hopeful of winning seven or eight seats which will be down from their current tally of 12.

In 2020, she polled 5,624 first preferences which was more than then Junior Minister Pat Breen (FG) but not enough to cause an upset. “The Greens weren’t in government the last time, and I had only been a councillor a year so 5,000 was very good for somebody who’s only

been a councillor a year”.

A narrative that presses Garvey’s buttons is that the Greens haven’t helped rural Ireland. “I’m so sick of that question. If I go out my door and I go right, my neighbour has gone into organic farming, who swore he never would, and he’s an organic farmer now, he’s 62. If I go left I have two people in their eighties that have solar panels and an electric car...so tell me how that is bad for rural Ireland”. She added that no farmers in Clare have criticised her on Green policies.

Liam Grant’s (GP) narrow loss in the Council elections

Senator and Deputy Leader of the Green Party TOP

Taking care of the people of Clare, we need a strong voice and I don’t think we have one at the moment. We need a TD for North Clare

in June have left the Greens without an elected voice on the local authority. It has made Garvey more determined to win a seat in the Dáil. “We need green voices everywhere now. We have the wherewithal to deal with flooding and all these things that we’ve been saying. Like, the way we’re doing it at the moment is we’re pretending Midleton is not going to happen somewhere else, are we waiting for it to happen in Ennis or Ennistymon? Because that’s what’s coming down the tracks and we need people who actually take it seriously”.

Photo by Tom Micks

l Senator Róisín Garvey Photo by John Mangan

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Hassett wants increased border controls

ONE OF six Independent candidates on the ballot paper, Kevin Hassett (IND) has said the Government have “a Pandora’s box which they are unable to control” regarding immigration.

A father of two, the Kilkee native is on a ballot paper for the second time in five months after contesting the elections in the Kilrush local electoral area where he polled 448 first preference votes and was the third candidate eliminated in a field of 13.

Development of the infrastructure in West Clare has been underlined as a key focus for Kevin in his campaign. “I’d love to see West Clare take off between Moneypoint, we’re in bad need of housing back here especially the likes of Kilkee, we’ve wastewater treatment and so many areas to address.

“The N68, the N67, I’ve addressed how we’re only getting one percent of a €5m budget, I’ve been on about it since the local elections, it’s the same thing, the lack of funding not coming into Clare and deﬁnitely not coming into West Clare, I want to represent every town, North Clare,

Ennistymon, these all count, we need to get Moneypoint up and going”. Moneypoint’s Green Atlantic plans serve as “our last chance at bringing something worthwhile to West Clare,” he maintained.

Forecasts of 600 staff for this project heightens the

need for the locality to be prepared with a housing stack in order to reap the beneﬁts in Kilrush.

In June, he ran under the Independent Ireland banner, on his reasons for flying completely independent this time round, the farmer explained, “I suppose we had our little

differences, you know, I suppose I’m a bit stronger on immigration where I want to see it going than, you know, I want to see more control in our borders”.

He said, “There’s a red carpet laid out in Mount Street, we’re talking about illegal economic migrants moving freely through the UK, through the north and entering Ireland.”

Control of the Irish borders has been listed as one of his election commitments. “The problem I have is we have a housing crisis, it is just exasperating the problem,” he said. “We just can’t accept them. Here in Kilrush with the

last IPAS house which came in here, most of them are Nigerian, we’re talking about North Africa which has the most of a 600 million population, Ireland cannot address a problem of 600 million”.

When asked if persons should be allowed entry into Ireland if fleeing war-torn countries, Kevin replied, “In a population of 600 million, to be realistic you’re going to have feuds. We can only accept people through the proper channels. Everything else is illegal”. He claimed the Department of Justice are facilitating “easy entry with everything provided, three meals a day, free accommodation”. He said, “If you come here and contribute to society, pay your taxes, coming here as a freeloader, this is not the way our immigration worked out of Ireland”.

Running for the Dáil had been his focus even when contesting the local elections, he conﬁrmed, “I had always intended to contest it”. He continued, “My commitments are the same. I still believe we have to address what happened last June, entering into migration pact, I don’t agree with it, we have opened a Pandora’s box that this Government are not able to control. We went through

the referendum earlier on in the year, and, you know, the people were quite upset taking mother out of our constitution, I think they got their answer”. Both the Migration Pact and Hate Speech Bill should have gone to Refernda, he believed.

On what he has done to build his vote since June, Hassett said, “I’ve been active in the immigration here locally and I’ve met senior management with the ESB”. This meeting with the ESB occurred as part of an open day at their Moneypoint site.

On his following of 10,500 on TikTok, he remarked, “I believe I’m onto something”.

Touching on his involvement in the protests to the housing of 27 male asylum seekers at The Central B&B in Kilrush, Hasset said an ensuing meeting between a group of locals with the Department of Integration was “absolutely useless”. He added on his Dáil bid, “I believe I’m experienced enough, I’ve seen enough of life, we’ve reared our children. I’m experienced in building and farming, I have drive, I have initiative and I’m a very positive person”.

l Kevin Hassett

Photo by John Mangan

Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Leahy inspired by Donald Trump’s ﬁghting spirit

US. PRESIDENT elect

Donald Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt was the inspiration for Michael Leahy (IFP) to keep fighting in the political arena.

Leahy will contest his second General Election on November 29 but he revealed that he was very close to not putting his name on the ballot paper in the wake of a taxing European election campaign.

Corofin based Micheal polled 12,259 first preferences in Ireland South before his elimination on the 10th count. He said the presence of two “very strong” Clare candidates in Michael McNamara (IND) and Eddie Punch (Independent Ire-

Fact File

land). “I didn’t get a particularly good vote in the European election, I put a lot of effort into that, a lot of time into it, I was at that for six or seven months. We went up and down Ireland South and we had a very good social media campaign, you know, and we’re quite successful. But, I thought maybe the people aren’t ready for this, maybe it’s not a very popular position so, I have to say I was disheartened about it, but then I thought better of it. I said, look I have a bit of name recognition. It’s time to have a final stab at it”.

Inspiration was provided from Donald Trump in July during an attempted shooting in Pennsylvania. “I think his reaction when he was shot, his willingness to fight on. I mean, this is a guy who’s had the full power of the most powerful state in the world thrown at him by a completely corrupt judicial system... I mean, what they’ve done to this man is just extraordinary but he’s kept going. Now if he’d walked away, they’d probably have left him alone but he kept going because he knows that America’s democracy is on the line and unless he can protect it, it is finished.

“He’s managed to make an extraordinary comeback, very inspiring and I met him twice. When he

l Michael Leahy

was in Doonbeg last year I shook hands with him twice and we had brief words, I felt what this guy is doing”. Ireland needs to return to common sense “to put the Irish people first in terms of our national policy, to secure freedom and liberty in every sense of that term, in terms of freedom of speech, and in terms of making a settlement with the Ulster policy people. It’s going to be coming at us very, very quickly,” he said.

Clare people being replaced by immigrants - Loughrey

RETIRED stonemason, Michael Loughrey (IFP) has never lived in Co Clare but claims we’re being replaced by immigrants, writes Páraic McMahon In June, Michael received 127 ﬁrst preference votes when running in the Ennistymon local electoral area, the fourth lowest return of all 59 candidates who put themselves forward for the Clare County Council elections. Part of The Irish People Party, it has merged under the National Alliance for the General Election.

Pro-lifer Michael ﬂags housing as a big issue, which affects his own family with his two children who “can’t start families because they’re worried about housing, social hous-

ing, all that kind of stuff and they’re living at home”.

Loughrey, whose main sources of news are Facebook and X (Twitter), says Covid-19 was “one big hoax” and when asked if he has ever been involved with community groups, Loughrey replied, “I’ve got bigger issues than tidy towns, you’re having me on, I’ve been raising my children, mate”.

North Clare’s electorate who didn’t vote for Michael in June have “been so brainwashed by the mainstream media,” he claimed.

“We’re living in a cult and you know what a cult is don’t you? When you’re controlled from the television, they lie on television, and it’s in their faces every day and even if they’re not watching it, it’s subliminal, they’re hearing it and they’re brainwashed from it”.

Immigration is a subject which gets London-born Loughrey particularly vexed. “I don’t want Third-Worldism in Ireland, do you see what they’ve done when they came in here? We gave everything. We were very generous people...these people coming over here from the third world, the Africans, the Muslims and they’re looking at [Irish generousity] and now they’re giving us a hiding, aren’t they”.

Securing ten percent of the first preference vote and amassing a return in the region of 5,000 to 6,000 votes is the target for the architect. He does not expect transfers to be “terribly useful” in his case. “One of the things I missed out on last time is I because I didn’t get a sufficiently high vote, I was not able to determine whether I was transfer friendly particularly from say the third Fianna Fáil or third Fine Gael candidate, if I stay ahead of them this

time we might see if I am transfer friendly, that’s very important”. Caricatures of his posters with a moustache akin to Adolf Hitler have appeared in the county, an act which “doesn’t surprise me,” he admitted. “I think anybody who would compare a party which has entered the fray in order to protect free speech clearly knows nothing about the nature of fascism. It’s a remarkable tendency of the left that they always accuse their opponents of what they do themselves, so when they accuse me of voting hate, I would have to suggest to these parties of the left which are primarily engaged in voting hate and risk, would they accuse me of being authoritarian.”

According to Leahy, the people of Ireland got a glimpse of fascism during the Government’s response to COVID, “that’s fascism pure and simple.”. He confirmed to The Clare Echo that he did not take the vaccine for COVID-19.

He defines The Irish Freedom Party as a right and conservative party but disagrees with those who say they are far-right.

PUTTING IRISH PEOPLE FIRST

an employer in Ennis since 1986. He is a former President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce and a former Board Member of An Bord Pleanála

HOUSING

We propose double tax relief on mortgage interest payments, as well as full VAT exemption for ﬁrst time buyers. We will end all tax advantages for vulture funds

DEMAND RADICAL IMMIGRATION REFORM

Open-door policies are pricing Irish people out of homes, straining services, and eroding our cultural identity. We will enforce opt-outs, and ensure deportations

ENNIS HOSPITAL

Extend Ennis Hospital hours, fully fund a Medical Assessment Unit, and progress toward a 24-hour A&E with full theatre facilities

PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SEXUALISATION & GENDER IDEOLOGIES

Parents must have the ﬁnal say in their child’s education, ensuring schools focus on age-appropriate, values-based content

PROMOTE RURAL IRELAND

We will ﬁght to repeal the cattle cull and unfair practices in the meat industry. Planning rules will need to be simpliﬁed to allow local people to live in rural areas

AN CHEIST NÁISIÚNTA

We must advance a border poll to unite the island of Ireland, ensuring any settlement protects the rights and identity of the Ulster Unionist community

Photo by John Mangan

Michael Leahy graduated as an Architect in 1981 and has been

Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Bike shed a Major gripe for Clare candidate

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

MISMANAGEMENT of taxpayers money has prompted Amanda Major (IND) to vie to become one of Clare’s first four TDs.

Unsuccessful in running for the local elections in 2019 and 2024, Amanda was motivated to run by a continued mismanagement of the public purse strings. “I’m just tired of seeing the mismanagement of taxpayers’ money, and nobody’s held accountable for it”. Of particular frustration to Amanda was the €336,000 spent on a bike shed to store 36 bicycles at Leinster House. “This was the one for me that I just said no, this is more than what I can take, it’s a bike shed, the cover and everything to cost that amount, that is a big disgrace and the people of Ireland to just keep quiet about that, there should be accountability, somebody should be held responsible for that”. She said someone needs to be held accountable for the overspend.

She questioned the location of the €2.2bn National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, “millions have been put into that hospital and it is still not completed”.

Clare’s health system needs to be upgraded, she maintained. “We need something to be done about that, we need Ennis Hospital to be upgraded to a model three hospital, we need another ED in the Mid-West”.

To highlight the pressure on services, Amanda referenced the case of her mother who she claimed was wait ing six years for a dentist’s ap pointment in Ennis.

“I decided to run because I want to make change, I can not just keep quiet and just complain,” she told The Clare Echo. “It’s everything, the bike shed, the housing, the hospital, you know everything”.

An additional emergen cy department for the Mid-West is also among

her list of priorities, an area where other politicians have tried to deliver and failed.

396 first preference votes were amassed by Amanda in June of this year compared with the 200 of 2019. She said she will continuing working to try increase her vote further to be in contention for the General Election. “It’s the people’s choice, I’m not going to impose myself, and I’m not going to get sad about it if they don’t pick me, the people has the right to choose who they want to choose, you know, without anybody being biased or angry about it. You know what I mean so what I would not do is I would not forgive myself if I sit down and don’t do anything. It’s either I’m voting or I’m putting myself forward”.

Groups Amanda is involved with include the Association of Nigeria in Co Clare, the women’s network, Clare PPN and the Clare Volunteer Centre. An Irish citizen since 2015, she has previous-

ly lived in Direct Provision and has resided in Shannon and Scariff before her current base in Ennis.

She felt the health system and housing crisis in Ireland needed to be fixed before the country could keep taking in refugees.

“My stand will be we just hold on for a while, and let’s get this sorted out.”

Fact File

Donna ‘quietly confident’ Sinn Féin swell will return

SINN FÉIN elected a Clare TD five years ago and they are “quietly confident” Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) can match the 8,987 first preferences received by the party’s candidate five years ago.

There was a swell of support for Sinn Féin which helped to elect Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) for the party in February 2020, she left the party two years later citing a campaign of “psychological warfare”.

In the same month that Wynne was elected to the Dáil, McGettigan was co-opted to Clare County Council, taking the seat of her good friend, the late Mike McKee (SF). She was the second candidate elected in the Shannon Municipal District in June’s local elections after polling 1,141 first preferences. “We were absolutely delighted to be elected second and to have a surplus.

“Everyone was saying to us in interviews afterwards that Sinn Féin had a bad day but we were thinking that we just doubled our representation on Clare County Council, we didn’t lose any, we lost members but not numbers, we didn’t have a bad day, I thought we had a good day”.

Compared with five years ago, the momentum of support is not yet behind Sinn Féin but Donna is confident her work ethic will win over voters before November 29. “I’m working on the ground and people know I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, helping to clean up or what-

ever, my two pillars are family and community”.

From Shannon, she is familiar to voters in Ennis, having run for the 2019 local elections in the Ennis Muncipal District where she polled 277 first preferences.

“It was about familiarising myself with the people of Ennis because it is a massive county, you can’t stay very parochial and stay within Shannon, you have to get out and about so that was a good exercise in meeting people who you don’t know and trying to buy into them”.

Several scandals have hit Sinn Féin in recent weeks which have not been ideal for Donna’s efforts to become a TD. “We’re not hearing it on the door, very little because what we’re hearing on the door is what is affecting people and not what is affect-

ing outside their own home... and what can be done to help them with their own issues and what our policies can do for them, that is what we’re hearing on the doors.”

She added, “I feel that the party dealt with what they were doing in the correct manner, Niall Ó Donghaile’s case was dealt with straight away and handed over to the relevant authorities, we did all we could.

“I think people see me and know I’m not involved in any of that. What I’m doing on the doors isn’t directly affecting them so I don’t get frustrated because I think we dealt with it right”.

Historical issues of sexual offences within Sinn Féin are frequently cropping up. On why it appears to be linked to the party, McGettigan commented, “I think you will get

Fact File

that it every party whether it is a political party or another grouping, you will always get those kind of issues that will crop up and if you deal with them the right way and properly then you are dealing with it right and people will see that.

“I don’t believe in the kangaroo courts, that is just a saying that was thrown out. If these kind of things come forward we deal with them so you have to ask other parties how they do deal with them, is there any other stories that are going to come up in any other party or any other group”.

On her chances of claiming 15 percent of the first preference vote as was achieved by Sinn Féin five years ago, the Shannon woman said, “We’re quietly confident, we’re in it to win it but it is a huge challenge, there is an awful lot of people on the ballot paper, as the only candidate for us it is a huge area to cover, we have to be here, there and everywhere but we’re up for it and we’re getting out there”.

McGettigan continued, “In the last two weeks people are saying on the doors about our policies so they are reading our stuff, looking into it and questioning us, they are

ready for us which means they are looking into us, it feels like they say it is time for change and we believe it is time for change. They say they are sick to death of having to fight for every service.

Even in the older generation because they are having to take in their kids and grandkids back to their homes when they are sitting down and ready to settle down but they are feeling it because they are directly affected by the lack of housing and when you have vulnerable children that don’t have services, people are saying to us they are sick to death of the same old same old, we just say to them give us a chance if you don’t agree with us vote us back out, vote for change but it is up to the people to do that, we can’t do but they can”.

With 71 candidates across the county, she said the party is the only viable alternative for the electorate, “it will for us have to be a Sinn Féin led Government”.

Use of Shannon Airport by the US military has been criticised by Sinn Féin and Donna is opposed to their presence in her native town.

“We’re supposed to be a neutral country, we have said for long enough that there was

no military arms coming through there but that has been discovered that there may have been so you can’t turn around and say there may have been or there may not have been, it is a civilian airport, if that has a direct hit, it is not built to withstand a direct hit, it is gone and the whole town is gone, all the jobs are gone, it should not be used in that manner, it really shouldn’t because we are a neutral country, we should stay neutral”.

“We believe even redirecting three percent down from Dublin to Shannon would be a major factor in that, that is something we actually believe in, regional balance would be that. You’d have less security at the airport because you wouldn’t be securing those flights and the military coming in, that is a lot of money which has been spent which people don’t take into account, we would have to have a regional balance with flights coming in and flights going out to Shannon”. If Sinn Féin are put into Government, she is confident of having a strong input that can positively impact Co Clare. “if you’re going to vote back in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael then you’re going for more of the same. If you look back on after the war, we were a broke country, we had no money at all yet Fianna Fáil were our Government at the time and they built houses, to me it is stale because they are complacent now, the political will isn’t there anymore, you need to look at who has the political will to make changes”.

PICTURED: Amanda Major Photo by John Mangan

l Cllr Donna McGettigan Photo by Joe Buckley

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Appetite for West Clare to have TD - Rita

WEST Clare’s desire to get a TD in the Dáil is boosting the chances of Cllr Rita McInerney (FF), writes Páraic McMahon

Having been an underdog in the local elections in a highly competitive Kilrush local electoral area, Cllr McInerney ended up topping the poll in a tremendous performance which saw her yield 1,340 votes.

Spurred on by this showing, she has defied the advice of some of her key political mentors and opted to once again contest the General Election. Rita feels she owes it to the people of West Clare to try give them a voice in Dáil Éireann. Those suggesting she hold off, “a minority” in her words were of the view that she should build up more experience in the Council before running in four or five years.

She told The Clare Echo, “There was a variety of opinions within the party, I had people ringing me saying ‘you have to run, it’s wide open’, me in my heart and in my gut I would never have forgiven myself if I didn’t run this time because I feel

so strongly that the west and north of the county have representation.”

Employing 12-15 people at her shop in Doonbeg, Rita said the business developed during COVID which has left her in a more stable position to try win a seat in Dáil Éireann. Fianna Fáil has the same General Election ticket as 2020. Rita polled 4,136

votes on that occasion, her transfers of 1,281 to Cathal Crowe (FF) helped him win a seat while 1,163 of her votes went to Senator Timmy Dooley (FF).

Prior to the 2020 election, she opened a constituency office in Kilrush and there was plenty of learnings from the campaign. “I was pleased with the votes I got given that

Dear Voter,

As a proud seventh-generation Clare woman, my deep connection to this county drives my dedication to fighting for you, in both our towns and countryside. Your vote will strengthen my resolve to deliver the funding, services, and opportunities Clare needs to thrive.

We have all seen broken promises leave health, housing, roads, and infrastructure neglected. It’s time for real, lasting action. As a local business owner and former Ennis Chamber CEO, I understand our community’s struggles because I’ve lived them. As your County Councillor, I have worked hard to bring results and am ready to do even more.

This election is about our shared future. With your support, we can achieve real change together. A vote for me is a vote for proven results and genuine progress for Clare.

Yours sincerely,

Rita

Fact File

I wasn’t a councillor.

“I see the campaign in 2020 as part of my journey, there are many famous politicians defeated many times including Churchill and Thatcher, even the late Mary O’Rourke told me the stories of her strive for election and her defeats.

“She would have encouraged me always to keep going so it would never deter me. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Financially she felt she didn’t receive enough support as her colleagues five years ago. “You won’t receive if you don’t ask so again that was part of what I learned from the campaign, you need to be asking, you don’t need to be demanding but you need to be asking”.

Issues such as housing, healthcare, the cost of living have worsened over the five years, she lamented.

“It is important that whoever represents West Clare is part of a bigger team that can possibly get a Ministry for the county, work in tandem. If you’ve two or three TDs from the one county all working together and singing off the one hymn sheet fighting for what Clare needs, then that is when we see work done.

“One of my canvassers is prone to saying ‘if we don’t do something we might as well put the gate up in Lissycasey’, West and North of the county is being forgotten about, not purposely but I don’t think there is a cohesive approach in terms of

OUR

PRIORITIES FOR A BETTER CO. CLARE:

Health: 24-hour A&E services to ensure life-saving care within the golden hour. Bring more GPs and dentists to reduce wait times and improve community healthcare.

Infastructure: Develop housing solutions for all generations, ensure reliable water supply, improve road networks, and support a planning system that benefits families and businesses.

Farming: Support farmers by ensuring timely payments, reducing bureaucracy, retaining the nitrates derogation, managing TB effectively, and stabilising costs.

Moneypoint: Implement the Designated Marine Area Plan for green energy projects, creating jobs and educational opportunities to benefit all of West Clare.

Shannon Airport: Transform Shannon Airport into an aviation centre of excellence, supporting the full lifecycle of aircraft.

political strength and clout to bring what needs to be brought to these parts of the county.

“That was evident in the recent capital grants that did not come to Kilkee and Kilrush, if there was a local TD advocating and fighting for that, would the outcome have been different? I think it would have been”.

In 2015, she left her role as CEO of Ennis Chamber to begin a Masters in Politics at the University of Limerick. She is not afraid to say the Ennis 2040 strategy “didn’t bring the business community with them enough, there’s different views within the business community. It all comes back to communication, business moves so fast and changes so fast, it did particularly during COVID, the consultations done in the early stage were mute by the time it got to after COVID because the business model is changing constantly, Ireland is the highest rate of online sales in Europe”. A transition fund may have helped businesses in the town centre cope during the reduction in trade experienced during the ongoing €11.5m public realm works, she suggested.

l Rita McInerney

Photo by Eugene McCafferty

Moroney sole focus on Ennis Hospital A&E

REVERSING the decision to close down the accident and emergency unit at Ennis Hospital is no longer an option, Matthew Moroney (IND) has declared.

Since the 2009 decision to downgrade Ennis from a model three hospital resulting in the closure of its A&E, promises have been par for the course in election literature from candidates in the last three general elections.

Broadford native, Matthew Moroney (IND) has nailed it to the mast as his red flag

issue. “I’ve been looking at models of Kerry, Tipperary, different counties where there is a good few independents, and we don’t see any health care crisis in those counties, nothing to the state that we have here with UHL in Limerick and all that. I think that’s down to the strength of independents and that’s what I’d like to see, this model brought into play.”

An insufficient amount of lobbying of the Taoiseach’s office has kept Ennis Hospital off the agenda, he claimed. “I think that the office of the Taoiseach should have been lobbied, for ages back l so they could reverse the decision that was made to close down the A&Es in Ennis and indeed Nenagh.”

He told The Clare Echo, “I won’t stay quiet until this is reversed, that’s my view on this, this is why I’m so strong and so passionate about going. I’m not going to take no for an answer on this.

“Obviously, I haven’t been in Dáil Éireann before so there is bits and pieces that I will have to learn, there is legislation that will have to be got around but I honestly believe there is no task impossible.”

He explained what is entailed in the ‘whatever it takes’ plan, “funding has to be prioritised and put into this project. I’ve seen an awful lot, we’ve spent billions in the county in the last couple of years, all for great projects, don’t get me wrong but I think it’s time that health took priority. It’s great to see a new pitch opening and a new building going up for, you know, whatever it maybe but the reality of it is that people’s health should take priority over all these things and I think there

Murphy to fight for rural Clare

TULLA native Paddy Murphy has lived in Lahinch since 1997 where he is the general manager of the 19th Bar and owns a coffee shop Anna & Co.

When election posters initially appeared in Lahinch, it was presumed to be a hoax but Paddy is serious about running for ofﬁce. “I’m standing in the election because I believe that the political establishment in this country are promoting and implementing a national agenda at the expense of basic services in this county, and it has also had a dramatic effect on the livelihoods and the quality of life of the people of Clare. I’m talking about health, immigration, tourism, law and order, housing, and public transport”.

Notions of running were ﬁrst teased on TikTok where he has over 1,500 followers. “People seem to know me as the TikTok man. How big is the following? I don’t know, but I’m getting the impression that I’m very well known”. He added, “I put a humorous element into it, but I get my message out, if you understand what I mean. Don’t be under any illusions. I’m a serious operator. I run a very good establishment here, well known in the county, consistent, well run, no rubbish”. Immigration’s impact has been experienced in coastal Clare, he outlined. “We give away over 30% of our bedrooms. We give away Lisdoonvarna which was the biggest

hub for the whole of the county... now we’ve seen an explosion in day tour coach buses from Dublin, a procession coming down subsidised by Care County Council because they have to be there by a certain time, early in the morning, in and out, gone, you can’t see Clare in an hour or two.”

Prior to the local elections, Paddy presented a petition from local businesses to one North Clare representative who placed the document in his pocket and never engaged with Murphy on the matter since. “I am one of the silent minority that is sick of this political rhetoric, waffle. I’m the one that’s here with direct debits going out, seeing cost go out of control, seeing business eroded and I can only take so much of it, and I can’t listen to lines anymore about integration.”

Of particular concern to Paddy is the lack of a Garda presence in North and West Clare. He continued, “37% of the population lives in West Clare of this county, very rural and yet we have seem to have thrown them under the bus and there is a big fear factor there. Our guards are not preventing crime... They don’t have the presence because they don’t have the resources.” Access to health services has also left the people of rural Clare neglected, he added.

isn’t a person in the county that wouldn’t agree with that”.

Five years ago, Michael McNamara (IND) also put health to the forefront of his campaign. When asked how Moroney could achieve where the Scariff barrister hadn’t, he responded, “I don’t have all the answers. I have set it out in my head, my plan for what I want to do, and that’s exactly what I will be

doing if I get to Dublin. Now I know there’s going to be different ways of coming around it, but I have I have a clear focus of what I want to achieve at the end of it. Whatever way I could get around it, I will get around it and that’s my promise to the people of Clare”.

Farming since he was a child, Matthew has been managing the Arrabawn Co-Op in Killaloe for the past four years. He previously worked as a butcher in Broadford, with local contractors and had a car sales business based out of Broadford which ran until the onset of COVID-19.

He secured 860 votes when running for Independent Ireland in the Killaloe Municipal District for the local elections. On what he has done build his profile since, he stated, “Obviously people like to back a winner but I still turned up, I got 860 first preference votes and with transfers I ended up on 1,335 votes, I believe some candidates in other parts of the county got elected with less votes than that so I think I put in a fair showing in the local elections, I narrowly missed out”.

Moroney added, “Judging by the canvassing and judging by the response from people on the doors, you know, they want change, they really, really want to change because of the big issues like the hospital, the cost of living and housing, they are the top three priorities on the doorstep. I think people want change and I think if they come out on the day and vote there will be change, we saw it with the recent referendum, they came out and they voted, they voiced their opinion, and they got the result they wanted.”

l Matthew Moroney Photo by John Mangan

Ní Cathain the anti-war candidate

KILMALEY’S Caitríona Ní Catháin (SOC) says she is pitching herself as “the anti-war candidate” in Clare for the General Election.

Highlighting the war in Gaza is the primary aim of CaitrÍona’s entry into the field. “I’m an anti-war candidate and what that means is that I stand against oppression and economic inequality both in Ireland and abroad. The fact that Shannon is located in the constituency of Clare means that this is a highlight. This is an absolute priority, for my campaign.”

Based in Limerick for the past seven years where she works as a Spanish teacher, Caitríona is a former Coláiste Mhuire student and the eldest of nine children born to Maura and Conor. Over the past four years, she has become “very politically active”. She states that Covid-19 radicalised her, saying it showed how “Government policy really has an impact on workers, but also on our youth and on children as well”.

Contesting the General Election follows her unsuccessful bid to become the Directly Elected Mayor in Limerick, she received 886 first preference votes on that occasion.

An opportunity to advocate for the people of Clare is “very exciting,” she admitted. A low-key campaign has been followed by Ní Catháin who has been busy canvassing for Mick Barry (PBP/SOL) in Cork. Such an approach may not increase her awareness among Clare voters. “I’m not really too I’m not too concerned about that, to be honest. I think the main thing really is that I’m on the ballot. My political program is there, people can look up the socialist party if they like. I’m out at the protests regularly in Shannon, here in Ennis and also in Limerick. What I’m really more concerned about or what I care most about in this campaign, is putting forward an option for people. Do they want to go for this attractive program, that factors in housing, that factors in equality, that factors in genuine health care. And if they want to, they can do

NAME Catriona Ní Cathain

PARTY

Socialist Party (falls under voting block of People Before Proﬁt/Solidarity)

LOCATION

Kilmaley / Limerick City

Dr Nolan: A&E in Ennis ‘realistic’ goal

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SEEKING a seat in Dáil Éireann is one last roll of the dice for Dr Tom Nolan (FG) in battling to overturn the decision to downgrade Ennis Hospital.

Returning an accident and emergency department to Ennis is “completely realistic”, the Kilrush GP said. The HIQA review is “indicating second thoughts on the whole process that’s dominated the health agenda here for the last 15 years” and “the need is obviously there through the awful tragic events that are happening all the time in UHL”.

Dr Nolan had been an active volunteer of the Ennis Hospital Action Group for up to seven years which fought unsuccessfully against the removal of the A&E in Ennis. “The signal that the down-

grading was coming went out in 2003 with the Hanly Report which set about reconﬁguring smaller hospitals, in the case of our area, Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s.

“The process that led to the ﬁnal closure of acute services in 2009, obviously took that length of time because I was active, as were other people in the Ennis Hospital Action Group, which stalled, frustrated, debated, and highlighted the, problems, that were coming on foot of the reconﬁguring for Ennis and for the peo ple of Clare”.

Formerly a 10-year Independent member of Kilkee Town Council, he added, “I’m back in the arena after all these years. [Fine Gael] need-

ed a candidate and somebody with a high proﬁle in the area of the hospital, which they felt was a topic that would be relevant to the election and I said yes because my colleagues in the former hospital action room said it’s an opportunity to revisit our failure to secure A&E acute services for Clare”.

Clare elected doctors to the Dáil in 1992 with Moosajee Bhamjee (LAB) and in 2016 Michael Harty (IND). He accepts that the county’s health services didn’t see a visible improvements as a result. He added, “I hope I can ﬁll the jersey of accomplishing the goal of the Ennis Hospital Action Committee”.

D.O.B 31-10-87

OCCUPATION

Secondary tchool teacher

TOP PRIORITIES Gaza, Gaza, Gaza

He credits his parents with fostering his sense of social justice.

“It is time West Clare had a TD, I’m not saying it has to be me but I’d like it to be me, I think I have the vision, the energy to deliver.”

Throughout the 1990s, he was part of the Cross Loran C Action Group in Loop Head who staved off Government efforts to erect the 720 ft Loran

Eddie wants to be Clare ‘surprise’

for

in health, tourism, small business, infrastructure and our Airport

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

THERE’S MORE to Ireland than Dublin remains the message of Eddie Punch (II) as he pitches up another election campaign.

20,751 first preferences went his way for the European election in Ireland South as Eddie was eliminated on the 14th count. He was the10th candidate left standing in a constituency which elected five people including former Clare TD, Michael McNamara (IND).

Europe was never intended as a warm-up for a Dáil Éireann bid, he admitted. “I’d love to tell you there was a huge strategic plan but there wasn’t really. After the Europeans I wasn’t sure what I’d do ... I suppose the fact that this has come after the other is probably a factor in this, I know a lot of people said to me I did well enough in the Europeans for a firsttime candidate, I had built a profile and shur I had a few posters left at home doing nothing”.

Reflecting on his attempts in Ireland South, he recalled the European election as “colossal”. “The first lesson is you would want a year to prepare for a European election unless you had a huge high profile and were a long-standing politician maybe, but for someone like me, you would want a year to prepare for it.

“The second thing you’d learn is you can be hitting everything in spots and not achieving anything in depth, it is not easy. It is great to have learnings but to implement them after is another matter”.

Media coverage of elections in Ireland was criticised by the Cratloe farmer. “We cover elections badly in this country, there was virtually no media debate, there was more debate around the Limerick Mayoral Election than there was about the Ireland South Constituency, that is more a criticism of RTÉ and our national media”.

Running as an Independent Ireland candidate, Eddie explained that you’re still effectively an independent but with a banner behind you. “There is no money out of it for me from Independent Ireland, anyway they are from the point of view they don’t qualify for the Government funding of parties so from the funding point of view they are three single TDs trying to arrange an alliance.

“They are trying to style it as a party but it is not a party in the conventional sense and it is not a party in the financial sense either. If we get ten TDs elected which I think is possible then it is a bloc to negotiate a Programme for Government or alternatively it is a bloc to be a coherent opposition. There is a lot of sense that there has been very little effective opposition from the current Dáil... without an effective opposition the Government ultimately becomes complacent”.

His chances of becoming one of the ten TDs predicted appeared to be greater prior to the addition of Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) into the field. “Joe Cooney’s entry into the field has upset the headspace of all candidates but ultimately it slightly changes the dynamics from the point of view that it slightly strengthens Fine Gael’s hand but also on the other hand if you look at it, Clare generally returns at least one of the four from outside the conventional parties or the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael bracket, we’ll say. It’s been a long, long time since

there’s been two Fine Gael and two Fianna Fáil, I think it happened once back in the 1980s if memory serves, we’ve had all sorts of surprises in Clare”.

Though not a seasoned politician, Eddie maintained his familiarity of Oireachtas hearings puts him on bar with some of his opponents. “Experience matters, I’ve been in a lot of Oireachtas hearings as a witness as opposed to a questioner. I know the Oireachtas committee procedure pretty well having survived a lot of those hearings. I’ve been in Brussels and I know how EU legislation works coming down to the Dáil.

“I’ve experience in terms of the actual process of decision making and policy making, I’ve had to work with civil servants through lobbying with ICSA which means I understand the minds of civil servants on almost any piece of policy and legislation, which essentially is what will DPER think, which is jargon for public expenditure. I understand all of that stuff...I haven’t been twenty five years at this to not know how a lot of this stuff works at Dáil Éireann level.

“I think Clare needs a strong Independent voice, lots of counties outside of Dublin have discovered for a long time that having at least one good independent for the county is really important towards fighting for a fair share for whatever the county, I’m saying a fair share for Clare”.

Punch is adament that the progress made by Brendan O’Regan and Shannon Airport in the 20th century has “slowly been eroded” in the last 10 to 20 years.

“There is no connectivity to Europe from Shannon, we have no connectivity to Amsterdam, Brussels, none of the main German cities like Frankfurt, Munich or Berlin, only a little bit to Paris and that is hugely disadvantageous to us in terms of inward investment, building businesses here, the choice of location for foreign direct investment”.

On why he left the ICSA where he was general secretary for politics, he commented, “Twenty five years lobbying government and politicians and eventually getting frustrated that lots of them are not that ambitious for agriculture, they’re not that knowledgeable for agriculture, I’ve taken it as far as I can take it, I think I can make a contribution at this level”.

If this election bid doesn’t work out, his plan is to “eat some seabass in Kuşadası in Turkey and drink some nice wine”.

l Eddie Punch

C mast.

O’Donovan wants

change

LAST to enter the battlefield for the General Election in Clare, Barry O’Donovan (RAB) has said governing parties are not serious about wanting to fix the housing crisis. He will be Rábharta’s first candidate to run in Clare. The party is a splinter group of the Greens and Barry has been a member sicne June 2021.On his reasons for entering the fray, the Limerick native explained, “If you’re not happy for someone else to represent, you’re going to offer to represent yourself and represent other people”.

A serious appetite to tackle the housing crisis does not exist among the main parties, he claimed, adding “nobody’s willing to take a chance on doing anything that might stop house prices increasing”.

He admitted that he gave “serious thought” a year ago to mounting a more credible election campaign but has instead opted to go with a run-in of a fortnight. “Am I expecting to get elected? Probably not. Will I get to say a few things? Maybe. Will anybody listen? Probably not. Having run in the locals ﬁve years ago, I spoke to a lot of people, I probably got answers on 3,000 doors and I did reasonably well, I mean a quarter of these people gave me their ﬁrst preference, I think that was very, very good”.

Fact File

Health top of Tonge priorities

HILARY TONGE is the Social Democrats’ first General Election candidate in Clare and she is confident that the party is striking a chord with voters in the county.

A co-founder of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign alongside Noeleen Moran and Marie McMahon, Hilary has listed health as “top of the agenda”. “It is going on too long, too many people on trolleys, we could open the Ennis injuries clinic 24/7 and the MAU 24/7, at least if we had that much we would relieve the pressure on UHL straight away”.

She has been endorsed by the Mid-West Hospital Campaign but has been snubbed by the Friends of Ennis Hospital in their list of persons that voters should give backing to.

With a rising population in the Mid-West, the case for a model 3 hospital in Ennis is getting stronger, Hilary said. “The way it is going to go with the population rising consistently, by the time we get around to building a hospital it will have to be model four, we will have to have a proper ED and an ambulance base so it probably won’t be where the hospital is now”.

When representatives of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign met with ex-taoiseach Leo Varadkar (FG) they were asked, if an ED was to be reopened tomorrow, where should it be?

Their answer of saying one in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary has been criticised by health activists in Clare. “Eventually North Tipperary will have to have an A&E, that is the same position we’re in, the reason I’m pushing for Clare is I’m going for election in Clare, I feel Clare has a bigger population, will have a bigger population and will need about 300 beds”.

On the length of time the delivery of a new

hospital could take, Hilary commented, “For a new hospital, if we’re going on anything like the Children’s Hospital in Dublin, I fear for us but under a different Government it will be quicker, we saw the response during COVID, things can be done quicker if necessary and this is necessary”.

Having contested local elections in 2019 and ‘24, the Social Democrats have yet to elect someone in Clare. Despite this, Tonge disagreed with the view that the party hasn’t struck a chord in Clare and quipped of the party taking nine years to field a General Election candidate in the county, “maybe they were just waiting for the right one and here we are”.

On the doors, the big issues are split between “health and housing, childcare and disability services”.

In June, the party received 2.25 percent of the entire first preference vote in the county.

“I think we were possibly a little unknown but I think I’ve helped to change that over the last few months, when I knock on doors now people do know who we are, Holly Cairns has done an amazing job in the Dáil even in the last couple of weeks, she has worked really hard, that has made a difference too”.

A member of the Social Democrats for two years, Hilary had previously been a Sinn Féin member for three years where she worked closely with Noeleen Moran.

On how she can build on her 528 first preferences from June, she said, “We’re working really hard to get the Social Democrats on the map, it is really important that we get some change. I’m very proud of those votes because it was my first time out with a party that wasn’t as well known down here”. Hilary is targeting a return of six percent of the first preference vote for the General Election.

l Hilary Tonge Photo by John Mangan

OneBill.ie: The Irish Tech Platform Revolutionising Household Bills

HOUSEHOLDS across Ireland are struggling to navigate the rising cost of living, with energy bills, broadband costs, and other essential services becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

However, a new tech-driven solution, OneBill.ie, is quietly transforming how people approach their utility bills—offering not only substantial savings but also a simple, automated way to ensure you’re always on the best deal.

An innovative platform founded by a team based right here in Ennis. They’re passionate about helping the community save on utility bills.

SAVE IN SECONDS

OneBill.ie makes the process refreshingly straightforward. Users simply upload their gas, electricity, or broadband bill to the platform, and in under a minute, OneBill’s Bill Analyser evaluates their usage and preferences, identifying better deals. The potential savings are striking: while some users might save €300–€400 annually, others have reported reductions of over €2,000.

OneBill achieves this by checking every tariff from every suppli-

er, every day, and comparing these against the individual’s actual usage. Unlike other services, it is entirely independent, refusing commissions from suppliers to ensure customers always get the best deal, not just a curated selection of offers.

MAKING RENEWABLE ENERGY WORK SMARTER

As renewable energy becomes a bigger part of Irish households, OneBill.ie is also helping users optimise technologies like solar power and electric vehicle tariffs.

For homeowners with solar panels, the platform works seamlessly with feed-in tariffs and battery storage solutions, ensuring users are always on the most cost-effective plans to maximise their energy savings.

OneBill has also partnered with solar installation companies, offering their customers the ability to AutoSwitch to the best tariffs automatically. This ensures that homeowners not only benefit from their renewable energy systems but also reduce the complexity of managing fluctuating rates and contracts.

EXPANDING BENEFITS BEYOND HOUSEHOLDS

OneBill’s innovative approach is also gaining traction among property and real estate companies. By providing a dedicated portal, OneBill enables landlords and agents to help their tenants save on utilities, adding significant value to their offerings.

For businesses, OneBill collaborates with employers to deliver financial wellness packages for staff. By helping employees save on household bills, companies can boost morale and support their teams’ financial health.

TECH

BEHIND THE SAVINGS

The platform’s power lies in its AI-driven automation. OneBill doesn’t just find the best deal for users—it also switches them seamlessly, managing every aspect of the process from start to finish. By monitoring tariffs daily, it ensures users stay on the best deal even as market rates change. This proactive approach eliminates the “set and forget” trap many consumers fall into with fixed-term contracts.

MORE THAN JUST ENERGY BILLS

Currently, OneBill focuses on gas, electricity, and broadband. But its scope is growing: the platform plans to extend its services to include mobile phone contracts, TV subscriptions, bin collection, and home security systems. With these expansions, OneBill is positioning itself as a comprehensive solution for managing household bills.

A SMARTER APPROACH TO UTILITY MANAGEMENT

For households looking to combat rising costs, OneBill.ie offers a straightforward, independent, and tech-savvy solution. By focusing on transparency and automation, it empowers users to save both time and money. But beyond individual savings, it’s helping businesses, property companies, and renewable energy providers create more value for their customers and employees. For anyone curious about how much they could save, the process starts with a single step: grab a bill, upload it to OneBill.ie, and discover what an automated approach to utility management can deliver.

Wynne hoping for another upset?

AKNACK for causing political shockwaves has proven to be a feature of Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne’s (IND) time in politics, writes Páraic McMahon

From causing one of the biggest upsets in a General Election in February 2020 to her subsequent exit from Sinn Féin, Deputy Wynne has

never gone about doing things in a quiet way.

During her time in the Dáil, she has regularly flagged lack of medical services, pyrite, waiting lists and inordinate waits for patients to access treatment.

Regrettably, Deputy Wynne was the only one of the 20 candidates in Clare that opted against doing

an interview with The Clare Echo as part of our election supplement.

“Since being elected you have shown in various articles that you do not approve of my position as a TD. You crossed the line between politics and personal therefore there can be no trust or confidence in you and what you print,” she said when declining an interview request.

In 2019, she was the second candidate eliminated in the Kilrush LEA after amassing 385 first preference votes. One of her opponents on that occasion was Mike Taylor (FG) who later became her parliamentary assistant but prior to this called for her resignation as a TD.

Unlocking the Value and Securing Our Future

MEMBERS’ INFORMATION

MEETINGS

Kerry Co-op has reached agreement with Kerry Group plc on the terms of a proposed phased buyout of Kerry Dairy Ireland by the Co-op while also releasing €1.4bn worth of Kerry Group plc shares directly into the hands of members to hold or sell at a time of their choosing.

Following its announcement on 5th November, Kerry Co-op has organised a number of information meetings to be held in various locations over the coming weeks. All Shareholders are encouraged to attend these information meetings so they can gain an understanding of the proposed transaction and what it means for them. Questions will be addressed from the floor at each meeting and the intention is that eligible voting shareholders will be in a position to make an informed decision at the Special General Meeting to be held on 16th December.

Schedule of Shareholder Meetings

Less than a year after her local election setback, the Offaly native caused a political earthquake when securing 8,987 first preference votes to top the poll, she was the second candidate elected in Clare and the third ever female TD for the county.

Speaking to The Clare Echo in March 2023, she confirmed that she would be seeking re-election to the Dáil. “I didn’t enter politics for any other reason other than the sheer motivation of wanting to be able to stand up for people and for those who feel broken, those who feel exhausted or aren’t being directed in the right way.

“As someone who has that experience, I didn’t want anyone to have that experience ever again and that’s what brought me into politics. I don’t think that has changed, it has probably got worse for people since the elections with all the emergencies we are facing as a country, we’ve the cost of living crisis, the levels of poverty and deprivation in this region has been the most deprived in the country, I can’t see that changing unless Ministers start stepping up for Co Clare”.

She added, “I don’t mind scrutiny or any of that, I came into that knowing it was part of the role but the personal bit has been difficult, your family don’t put themselves forward for election and don’t want to be a public representative, most often your families keep to themselves, love their privacy and want to get by in the way that they do. That can be hard and listening to others speaking on this as well.

“It’s not just TDs and Senators, it’s county councillors, you don’t want mind yourself being scrutinised but it can be difficult when it’s your family, there isn’t a need for that kind of scrutiny on your family members because what’s going on in your personal life or what’s happening in your family’s life does not have any impact at all especially if you’re grounded in trying to stand up for people and speak up for people, that’s your motivation in politics”.

Deputy Wynne joined Sinn Féin in 2012, one year after

moving to Co Clare. In June 2022, Violet-Anne said she, her partner John and their six children were homeless after receiving a notice to quit from the Kilrush property they had been renting. Deputy Wynne said she had been seeking alternative accommodation prior to the General Election of February 2020. Before becoming a TD, she was on social welfare and worked as a carer for her son.

As a TD, Violet-Anne is paid €101,193 and as a Clare-based representative, she is entitled to €31,365 a year in travel and accommodation allowances. However, she said in an interview in June 2022 that failure to pay rent at a previous rental property and her partner’s use of medical cannabis may be preventing them from finding a family home.

Violet-Anne and her partner John had rent arrears of €12,126 over a four-year period dating to June 3, 2016 for a property at Tullycrine. A commercial loan of €12,126 was given by Sinn Féin to Deputy Wynne. Rural Resettlement Ireland (RRI) took a case against Ms Wynne over the failure to pay rent but the housing charity no longer existed when details of the TD’s debt emerged after her election to the Dáil in February 2020.

In the biography ‘Mary Lou McDonald: A Republican Riddle’ by Shane Ross, Wynne spoke of a feeling of being snubbed by McDonald stating that her feminism was “a façade” with the book also revealing that Sinn Féin paid the rent debt owed by the Kilrush woman.

l Violet-Anne Photo by Natasha Barton

Vote VioletAnne Wynne Prioritising the Basics

I am a tried and tested Independent

fighting for our hospital to be upgraded and maintained kept urology services running during the embargo brought a new CAMHS team to Clare fighting for housing capacity in the Dáil and beyond 40+ consults a week to help constituents like you

I am a Special Needs Mother, a Public Transport User, and Formerly Homeless. I know what I’m fighting for. Do you know what you’re voting for?

Ferns Wellness customer loyalty programmes

FOLLOWING on from the success of our one-year anniversary celebrations (a big congratulations once again to Mary, Joan, Sadie, and Lisa!), we thought it would be the perfect time to share a little more about our family run health store and what makes it so special.

We are proud to be one of the select few health stores in Ireland offering a loyalty program for the gold-standard Terra Nova supplement range. Terra Nova combines the best of nature and science, blending real food and freezedried ingredients with scientifically validated nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, coenzymes, and amino acids. These high-quality supplements are designed for the whole family and are free from preservatives and harmful binders often found in cheaper brands.

Our loyalty program is straightforward and rewarding: simply collect 5 stickers to receive a complimentary product worth up to €25. You’ll earn 1 sticker with each small supplement bottle and 2 stickers with each larger bottle.

Tracey, who loves this service, says, “It’s such a genuine way to give back to our customers. It doesn’t require personal information, just a name to identify each card.”

“We’re thrilled to offer this as a way to show appreciation to our loyal customers and are delighted that dozens of people are availing of it.”

The products available as part of the loyalty scheme include a variety of Terra Nova favourites, such as Turmeric, Probiotics, Rhodiola, Full Spectrum Multivitamin Complex, Zinc, Vitamin C, Living Nutrient Complex, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, and Digestive Enzymes. With each bottle containing 50 capsules, there’s truly something for everyone.

Laura adds, “We’re also really excited to roll out a brand-new loyalty program for the much-loved A. Vogel range! It works just like the Terra Nova loyalty scheme, and we can’t wait to see everyone enjoy the benefits.”

Alongside our range of premium supplements and whole organic

foods, we also offer a selection of household cleaning products that are free from harsh chemicals like phosphates, chlorine, and artificial fragrances. “They’re much safer for your family and kinder to the planet”.

When Laura was diagnosed with cancer back in 2009, it made all of us stop and think about what we were putting on and in to our bodies. We really had no idea the reali-

ty of things until then. It wasn’t just about the shampoos and soaps we used, but everything from deodorants and cleaning sprays to washing powders, and, of course, processed foods. They all can contain substances that are harmful to us.

That experience really opened our eyes and deepened our commitment to providing cleaner, safer alternatives for our customers, with a focus on health and sustainability.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to supporting your wellness journey. Whether it’s through our rewarding loyalty programs, our thoughtfully curated selection of eco-friendly household products, or our focus on providing cleaner, healthier alternatives, we’re here to help you live your best, most vibrant life. From our family to yours, we’re grateful for the opportunity to offer products that support both your well-being and the planet. We truly appreciate your trust in us and we look forward to continuing this journey together!

Denise’s Inspiring Transformation: 6 Weeks of EMS Workouts Leads to Stunning Results

DENISE Quinn, a vibrant woman in her early 50s, embarked on an incredible ﬁtness journey, proving that determination and the right strategies can lead to amazing results.

After starting her weight loss path with Slimming World, Denise decided to take things to the next level by incorporating EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) workouts into her routine. The results? A stunning transformation in just six weeks!

The Starting Point: Slimming World Success

Denise’s initial goal was to shed excess weight and build healthier eating habits, which she achieved through Slimming World. By following the program’s structure and support, Denise successfully lost some weight and laid the foundation for her ﬁtness journey. But while the pounds were dropping, she found herself wanting more. She wanted to tone her muscles, reduce stubborn fat, and elevate her ﬁtness level.

“I felt stronger and healthier thanks to Slimming World,” Denise shared, “but I wanted to look and feel even better. That’s when I decided to try EMS workouts.”

The Challenge of EMS Workouts EMS workouts are high-intensity sessions that stimulate muscle contractions using electrical impulses, allowing participants to target muscle groups effectively in a short amount of time.

Despite being in the midst of premenopause and ﬁghting off a virus during her six-week program, Denise stayed consistent and pushed through.

The Results: 6 Weeks of Dedication

Denise’s commitment paid off, and her body measurements reveal the impact EMS training had on her transformation:

Weight: From 79 kg to 72.5 kg

Body Fat Percentage: From 45% to 41%

Muscle Percentage: From 23.5% to 25.5%

Visceral Fat Level: From 9 to 8

Waist: From 100 cm to 92 cm

Hips: From 112 cm to 105 cm

Thighs: From 60 cm to 58 cm

Arms: From 36.5 cm to 33 cm

Beyond the numbers, Denise noted a dramatic increase in her energy levels, conﬁdence, and overall strength.

How EMS Helped Denise Achieve

Her Goals

EMS workouts allowed Denise to engage her muscles more effectively than traditional workouts in less time. The sessions helped her improve muscle tone while also burning fat, making them an excellent complement to her initial weight loss with Slimming World.

Overcoming Challenges:

Menopause and Health Hurdles

Adding to Denise’s triumph is her resilience in the face of challenges. Navigating perimenopause brought hormonal ﬂuctuations that could have made weight loss and muscle toning more difﬁcult. On top of that, battling a virus during the six weeks could have easily derailed her progress.

A Story of Determination

Denise’s journey shows that with the right tools, mindset, and support, it’s possible to achieve remarkable ﬁtness transformations, even in the face of challenges. Her combination of Slimming World’s nutritional guidance and the cutting-edge technology of EMS workouts created a perfect formula for success.

Now, Denise not only feels healthier and more toned but also serves as an inspiration for others who might be hesitant to take the ﬁrst step. Her journey is proof that transformation isn’t just about numbers on a scale—it’s about building strength, conﬁdence, and a healthier future.

Denise Quinn I am delighted with my results in such a short period of time.The personal 1-to-1 support from Anna has really helped me to be successful. I really enjoy my weekly sessions as they are fun and short and Anna tailors them to suit my

needs which re ally is the icing on the cake for me. My body is changing all the time and I feel Shamaz ing! The best I have felt in years. I feel this is also helping my menopause journey as it makes me feel like I am in control. I would highly rec ommend this programme to everyone and wish every one the same success I have had.

l NO FUSS LOYALTY CARD: Save up to €25

Prostate Cancer – Know the Signs

INTERNATIONAL Men’s Health Day takes place on November 19th and provides a reminder to us all of the importance of men’s health, encouraging men to take proactive steps towards their well-being.

Men’s health encompasses a wide range of issues, from mental health to chronic diseases, and addressing these can lead to longer, healthier lives. Engagement in physical activity is vital as it helps reduce the risk of numerous health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Regular exercise also boosts mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Let’s use this day to encourage the men in our lives to prioritise their health and well-being and as always, men are encouraged to consult with their doctor if they are in any way concerned about their health and wellbeing.

Cancer in Men

More than 1 in 2 men will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. The most common cancers in men are lung, prostate, bowel and skin cancer. Finding cancer early means patients are more likely

to survive. Cancer can cause changes to how your body normally looks, works or feels. If you notice anything that is unusual for you it’s important to contact your GP without delay.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is a gland that lies just under the bladder. It is normally about the size of a golf ball and gets bigger as you get older. The prostate helps to make semen and aids fertility.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is when the cells of your prostate gland grow in an abnormal way to form a lump (tumour). It is the most common cancer in men in Ireland, with almost 4,000 men diagnosed every year in Ireland. Most cases occur in people aged 50 and older.

Cases of prostate cancer are mainly not life threatening and many do not need any treatment. Of those cases that do need treatment most can be treated successfully when found early. The good news is, survival for people with prostate cancer is very good.

Who is most at risk?

The risk of prostate cancer increases:

• as you get older

• if you are of African ethnicity

• if you have family members diagnosed with prostate (father or brothers) or breast (mother or sister) cancer.

Symptoms of a health problem with your prostate

Contact your GP without delay if you have any of these symptoms:

• Passing urine more often

• Getting up at night to pass urine

• Difficulty passing urine

• Having a weaker flow of urine

• Feeling that you can’t empty your bladder fully

• Straining to empty your bladder

• Blood in your urine or semen

• Bone pain

• Weight loss when you are not trying to lose weight

Most men with these symptoms will NOT have prostate cancer. It is still important to talk to your GP so that they can find out what is causing your symptoms

Having your prostate checked

The HSE National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) have developed a guide that provides information on prostate issues and outlines the potential benefits and risks of a prostate check. There are several reasons why someone might wish to have their prostate checked, such as concerning symptoms or a family history of prostate issues. This guide was developed to provide clear and easy to understand information about prostate checks, to help people make that decision.

Available at:

Visit www.hse.ie/findcancerearly

Men encouraged to take care of their health and wellbeing

MEN on the Move (MOM) is an HSE-funded physical activity programme delivered by Clare Sports Partnership.

It is a fun, community-based gym programme specifically for men aged 30 and over. Whether you’re new to exercise or looking to get back into it, MOM provides a welcoming and supportive environment to help you improve your fitness and overall well-being. What’s Involved?

lWeekly Sessions: Led by qualified instructors, designed to suit all fitness levels.

lFlexible Locations: In 2024, we delivered in Shannon Leisure Centre, KFitt Kilrush, Lahinch Leisure Centre, and Muscle and Motion Ennis.

What Participants Say: “Thank you, this was a great initiative. I really needed the kick, both mentally and physically, to get back to exercise again. Very well

run, helpful advice. Look forward to participating in another programme” — Noel, Shannon “Men on the Move is a brilliant initiative. Sometimes it’s hard to be motivated on your own but when a group of you come together, of all different abilities and backgrounds, it gives you incentive, fitness and comradeship. The shared laughs over each other’s struggles and achievements create a great atmosphere! Thank you” —Mike, Ennis “Fantastic Programme. The instructors are very personable and make the sessions very interactive. I would recommend everyone to give it a go” —Paul, Lahinch How to Join Contact Mary Taylor, MOM Programme Lead on 0874904103 or mary@claresports.ie

Community Environmental Protection Alliance still waiting on response to Knockshanvo Windfarm planning application

THE CEPA (Community Environmental Protection Alliance) are still awaiting a response from the Taoiseach on a submission made to An Bord Pleanála on the Knockshanvo Windfarm planning application in County Clare at the end of October

The CEPA had a meeting with the Taoiseach over more than four weeks regarding the impact that windfarm developments are having on Irish communities. While the Taoiseach acknowledged the problem, there appears to be no movement towards a solution.

With a general election campaign underway, CEPA are curious to know if the Taoiseac plans to address the issue of windfarm developments before a new Government comes into place.

Taoiseach Simon Harris was briefed by members of CEPA at government buildings on the fact that the HSE are not being notified of An Bord Pleanála windfarm planning applications. It is concerning, as the two most recent wind farm applications for which the HSE were notified, Seskin and Lackareagh, were both refused on public health grounds, and the planner deemed the noise assessment inadequate.

The Taoiseach was also notified of the need for statutory regulation for windfarM developments for the protection of human health, and the CEPA members requested that health study to be carried out with communities directly affected by living beside windfarms.

“It is shocking to discover the

vast majority of windfarm planning applications have not bee sent to the HSE,” said CEPA spokesman Stephen Keogh.

“Planning is a statutory process and it is clear the HSE must be notified, and in man windfarm planning applications, An Bord Pleanála did not list the HSE as a prescribed body.

“Clearly an urgent review is needed because public health is continuously put at risk. We al rely on the HSE’s contribution to planning and the HSE currently recommends the Worl Health Organisation’s 2018 guidance (a maximum of 37 decibels) to be the most appropriat criteria for noise assessment, to protect health.”

Gum Litter Taskforce’s ‘Bin It!’ Roadshow visited Clare primary schools

THE GUM Litter Taskforce (GLT) Bin It! Roadshow is back on the road and visited Clare this month to drive positive behavioural change around attitudes to gum litter amongst students.

Throughout the Clare stop, students from Holy Family Senior School Ennis and Kilrush Community School Kilrush took part in the hour-long workshop, where they learned more about correct litter disposal and the important role they can play in caring for the environment.

The Bin It! Roadshow is an integral part of the Gum Litter Taskforce’s (GLT) gum litter education campaign, which uses fun actor-led workshops and interactive learning materials to promote the responsible disposal of gum litter to schoolchildren.

Young people are increasingly eco-conscious, however even among this demographic, some 14% continue to litter their gum. Across all age groups, males are found to litter more than females.

Research has shown that lifestyle patterns and habit formation begin at an early age, with schoolchildren thought to be most be susceptible to social inﬂuence from ages 11 to 14 years of age, meaning the Roadshow plays a key role in developing proper litter disposal habits.

Over the eight-week roadshow, the Gum Litter Taskforce’s Bin It! education programme will travel across 25 counties and deliver a total of 78 performances across 68 schools, both primary and secondary.

Avril Donlon, Chair of the GLT said: “It is such a pleasure to be launching the

Bin It! Roadshow for 2024 with the largest schedule to date. We are looking forward to the continued success of the roadshow and engaging with young people across Ireland to highlight the environmental impacts of littering in a positive and interactive way. We are delighted with the expansion of schools year on year, with a record 78 performances planned for this year. The continued success and demand for the tour is a great indication of the value add of the programme, and a credit to the Bin It! team for creating such an engaging and informative performance about gum litter.”

Anne Sheeran Corporate Affairs Specialist Mars Ireland said: “The Bin It! Roadshow is an exciting and extremely important part of the GLT campaign, given its focus on young people. We are delighted be visiting 25 counties and reaching nearly 8,000 students this year. The Bin It! Education Programme provides us with a great opportunity to target that small cohort of young people who continue to litter gum and we are looking forward to seeing this year’s results.”

lKNOCKSHANVO WINDFARM: CEPA concered as HSE sidestepped

Experts fly over 200 soil samples to UK as part of survey for rare snail at Trump Doonbeg

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

ECO-experts employed by US President elect, Donald Trump’s Trump Doonbeg golf resort in flew over 200 resort soil sub-samples for analysis to the UK this year as part of a survey for the tiny 2mm protected snail at the resort, the Vertigo Angustior.

That is according to a new report lodged with Clare County Council on behalf of Trump Doonbeg which states that new upgrade works for the golf resort will not impact the EU protected Vertigo Angustior.

The report forms part of Mr Trump’s TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd’s updated planning application which is now a scaled down version of what was first proposed earlier this year.

The application lodged in February of this year proposed the change of use of Doughmore House at the resort from office/administration use to leisure/recreation use and the scheme included the construction of pickle ball courts, a basketball court and two soft play areas at Doughmore House. However, in the revised plans now lodged with the Council, a planning report states that no works are proposed at Doughmore House and “this adjustment reduces the project’s potential impact on the surrounding area, including sensitive environmental areas”.

There are tens of millions of the tiny snail at the course and at Shannon Airport in 2014 shortly after purchasing the resort, Mr Trump told reporters that he would be a friend to the Vertigo

Angustior at the site.

The Council stalled the project in April due to the impact the project could have on the Vertigo Angustior and other planning issues.

Now, in a new report prepared by planning consultant, Conor Healy of Cunnane Stratton Reynolds for TIGL Ireland Enterprises, he states that the proposed works at O’Dea’s Barn and Healy House at the resort will not affect Vertigo Angustior within the Carrowmore Dunes Special Area of Conservation.

Mr Healy states that survey findings which cover the habitat conditions at both O’Dea’s Barn and Healy House confirm that neither site contains suitable habitat for Vertigo Angustior.

Highlighting the painstaking work to determine

the conservation status of the Vertigo Angustior, survey and monitoring of Vertigo angustior at Doonbeg was carried out on 6th and 7th May this year.

The report states that the 200 subsamples - approximately 20kg in total were flown to the UK and at a lab, each subsample was laid out in an aluminium tray, and dried for several weeks.

Once dry, each subsample was teased apart, agitated, and sieved vertically and a total of 133 Vertigo angustior shells were counted from the 50 sampling locations, an overall increase from the previous year.

The report by Dr Chris Gleed-Owen concluded that monitoring at Doonbeg in 2024 suggests that Vertigo angustior is in terminal decline in the maritime grassland of the dune Special

Area of Conservation areas.

The report states that “conversely, Vertigo Angustior now appears to be more common within the golf course per se”.

The report states that where the habitat is a suitable grassland community, and a build-up of thatch has not occurred, Vertigo An-

gustior appears to do well in a range of sward heights. The report states that based on the Conservation Objectives for the SAC site at Doonbeg (which lies outside the golf course) the conservation status of Vertigo Angustior at Doonbeg is currently unfavourable.

lA FRIENDS TO THE SNAILS: Doughmore Beach

Photo by: Arthur Ellis.

Green Clare

Shannon Airport wins Best Customer Experience award for second year running

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

FOR THE second year in a row, Shannon Airport has won Best Customer Experience in the transport category of the Customer Experience Awards. At a gala dinner in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire in Dublin, Shannon Airport was announced as the winner. This latest recognition follows Shannon Airport claiming the top spot in the travel category of the recently published Ireland Customer Experience Insights (CXi) Report, while it ranked 4th overall for its excellent customer experience out of 150 top brands nationwide, scored by customers.

Shannon Airport is also shortlisted under the Customer Focus Achievement Award at the Aviation Industry Awards which take place on December 5th.

Head of Operations at Shannon Airport, Pamela Brooks stated, “We are thrilled to have won this award for Best Customer Experience in the Transport category for a second year running. This is a fantastic acknowledgement of the world class service our team provide to our passengers every day. Our promise of “making it easy” ensures we strive to provide a seamless, hassle free and convenient airport experience to all our passengers from around the globe”. l

LUASTEORAINNEACHA SPEISIALTA (ALT 9 DEN ACHT UM THRÁCHT AR BHÓITHRE, 2004)

FÓGRA I DTAOBH COMHAIRLIÚCHÁN POIBLÍ AR DHRÉACHTFHODHLÍTHE UM LUASTEORAINNEACHA SPEISIALTA/TRÉIMHSIÚLA

I bhfeidhmiú na gcumhachtaí a thugtar di le halt 46 den Acht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 1961 (Uimh. 24 de 1961), arna leasú le hailt 4-9 den Acht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 2004 (Uimh. 44 de 2004), agus leis an Acht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 2024 (Uimh. 10 de 2024), tugann Comhairle Contae an Chláir fógra leis seo faoi thograí le haghaidh luasteorainneacha speisialta a thabhairt isteach nó a leasú ag na láithreacha atá liostaithe thíos i limistéar riaracháin Chontae an Chláir ar mhaithe le sábháilteacht ar bhóithre.

• N67, Crois an Charnáin – St. Theresa’s Nursing Home, Cill Rois, Co. an Chláir

• N67, Cill Chaoi – Maigh Sheasta, Co. an Chláir

• N67, Béal Átha – An Dún Beag

• N85, Eidhneach, Co. an Chláir

• R463, Crois an Lorcánaigh, an Pairtín, Co. an Chláir

• R477, O’Donoghue’s Pub – Geata Trá Fhánórach, Co. an Chláir

• L-1012, Boston, Co. an Chláir

• L-1016, Béal an Chloga, Co. an Chláir

• L-1112, Cill Iníne Baoith, Co. an Chláir

• L-2006, L-2016, L-6054, L-6056, An Cuibhreann, Co. an Chláir

• L-60771, Bóthar an Phortaigh, Cill Chaoi, Co. an Chláir

• L-2006, Dún Átha, Cill Chaoi, Co. an Chláir Beidh tabhairt isteach bheartaithe na luasteorainneacha tréimhsiúla ag Scoileanna Náisiúnta ar Bhóithre Réigiúnacha ag na láithreacha seo a leanas:

• R-460, Scoil Náisiúnta Chluain an Átha, Cluain an Fhathaigh, Co. an Chláir

• R-479, Scoil Náisiúnta Mheasctha Dhúlainn, Co. an Chláir

• R-487, Scoil Náisiúnta Mhaigh Mhín, Co. an Chláir

• R-485, Scoil Náisiúnta Chill Mhuire Mhic Mhathúna, Co. an Chláir

• R-463, Scoil Náisiúnta Thuath Ó gConaíle, Co. an Chláir

• R-463, Pobalscoil Náisiúnta Choill an Ráithín, Co. an Chláir

Beidh feidhm ag an luasteorainn thréimhsiúil ó Luan go hAoine le linn téarmaí scoile le haghaidh na dtréimhsí seo a leanas:

Maidin: Tréimhse a thosaíonn 30 nóiméad roimh an am tosaithe scoile agus a chríochnaíonn ag an am tosaithe scoile.

Bailiú luath: Tréimhse a thosaíonn cúig nóiméad roimh an am bailithe agus a chríochnaíonn 15 nóiméad tar éis an ama bailithe.

Bailiú déanach: Tréimhse a thosaíonn cúig nóiméad roimh an am bailithe agus a chríochnaíonn 15 nóiméad tar éis an ama bailithe.

Beidh na dréacht-fhodhlíthe beartaithe ar fáil lena n-iniúchadh ón 22 Samhain go dtí an 23 Nollaig 2024 ag na láithreacha seo a leanas.

• Comhairle Contae an Chláir, Áras Contae an Chláir, Bóthar Nua, Inis, Contae an Chláir.

• Oifig Ceantair Bhardasaigh Iarthar an Chláir, Halla an Bhaile, Cill Rois.

• Oifig Ceantair Bhardasaigh Chill Dalua, an Scairbh, Co. an Chláir

• Oifig Limistéir Inis Díomáin, Bóthar Inse, Inis Díomáin.

• Oifig Ceantair Bhardasaigh Shionainne, Sionainn.

• Leabharlanna Poiblí in Inis, an Scairbh, Cill Rois, Sionainn agus Inis Díomáin le linn uaireanta oscailte. De bhreis air sin, féadfar na dréacht-fhodhlíthe beartaithe a rochtain ar líne ag www.clarecoco.ie Féadfar agóidí in aghaidh na ndréacht-fhodhlíthe beartaithe a dhéanamh trí ríomhphost a sheoladh chuig roads@clarecoco.ie nó trí scríobh chuig:

An tOifigeach Riaracháin, An Rannóg Bóithre agus Iompair, Comhairle Contae an Chláir, Áras Contae an Chláir, Bóthar Nua, Inis, Co. an Chláir. Is é an dáta deiridh ar a nglacfar le hagóidí in aghaidh na ndréacht-luasteorainneacha speisialta ná an 23 Nollaig 2024.

SPECIAL SPEED LIMITS,

(SECTION 9 OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 2004)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON DRAFT SPECIAL/ PERIODIC SPEED LIMIT BYE-LAWS

Clare County Council in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Section 46 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) as amended by Sections 4-9 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (No 44 of 2004) and Road Traffic Act , 2024 ( No 10 of 2024 ) hereby give notice of proposals to introduce and or amend special speed limits at the locations listed below in the administrative area of the County of Clare in the interests or road safety.

• N67 Carnaun Cross – St. Thereasa’s Nursing Home, Kilrush, Co. Clare

• N67 Kilkee – Moyasta, Co. Clare

• N67 Bealaha – Doonbeg

• N85 Inagh, Co. Clare

• R463 Larkin’s Cross, Parteen, Co. Clare

• R477 O’Donoghue’s Pub – Fanore Beach Gate, Co. Clare

• L-1012 Boston, Co. Clare

• L-1016 Bealaclugga, Bellharbour, Co. Clare

• L-1112, Kilnaboy, Co. Clare

• L-2006, L-2016, L-6054, L-6056, Querrin, Co. Clare

• L-60771, Bog Road, Kilkee, Co. Clare

• L-2006 Doonaha, Kilkee, Co. Clare

The proposed introduction of periodic speed limits at National Schools on Regional Roads will be at the following locations:

• R-460 Scoil Naisiunta Cluain An Atha, Cloonanaha, Co. Clare

• R-479 Doolin Mixed National School, Co. Clare

• R-487 Moveen National School, Co. Clare

• R-485 Kilmurry McMahon National School, Co. Clare

• R-463 Ogonnelloe National School, Co. Clare

• R-463 Raheen Wood Community National School, Co. Clare

The periodic speed limit shall apply from Monday to Friday during school terms for the following periods:

Morning: Start 30 minutes before school starting time, End at school starting time.

Early collection: Start 5 minutes before collection time, End 15 minutes after collection time.

Late collection: Start 5 minutes before collection time, End 15 minutes after collection time.

The proposed draft byelaws are available for inspection from the 22nd November until 23rd December 2024 at the following locations.

• Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, County Clare.

• West Clare Municipal District Office, Town Hall, Kilrush.

• Killaloe Municipal District Office, Scariff, Co. Clare

• Ennistymon Area Office, Ennis Road, Ennistymon.

• Shannon Municipal District Office, Shannon.

• Public Libraries in Ennis, Scariff, Kilrush, Shannon and Ennistymon during opening hours.

In addition, the proposed draft byelaws may be accessed online at www.clarecoco.ie

Objections to the proposed draft byelaws may be made by email to roads@clarecoco.ie or in writing to:

Administrative Officer, Roads & Transportation Department, Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare.

The closing date for objections to the draft special speed limits is 23rd December 2024.

FLYING HIGH: Shannon Airport win 2nd year running at Customer Experience Awards

Social finance opportunity for Clare groups

by Stuart Holly editor@clareecho.ie

A SOCIAL finance organisation which has loaned €215m to more than 1,500 projects in Ireland is looking to meet community groups from County Clare this week.

A registered charity, Clann Credo is a social finance organisation with its mission being to support community development through affordable access to loan finance.

Following on from Clann Credo’s National Conference the group is rolling out a series of Social Finance Clinics across Munster.

Everyone is invited to join the Clare clinic on Thursday November 21 from 12-3pm, at the clubhouse of Clarecastle GAA.

The clinic is designed to support community organisations, sports clubs and social enterprises which are currently seeking finance to assist with upcoming projects.

SOCIAL FINANACE

Social finance is an alternative model of investment, differing from conventional models in that it demands investments produce both a social and financial return - guided in its aim of generating a tangible social benefit for the community.

“As a social finance provider, we don’t just look at your accounts, we look at your social impact,” says Sinéad Coffey, Social Finance Executive with Clann Credo.

Clann Credo can support groups in the planning stages of a new project; help in assessing a group’s finances and capacity for future development.

“We know that volunteers have big ambitions but not a lot of time on your hands, so we make our social finance as easy to access as possible - your local Social Finance representative will guide you through it.”

Clann Credo has supported many, many types of projects; community centres, sports facilities, environmental sustainability projects, childcare facilities, social housing, youth projects, community owned tourism attractions, arts centres, and many more.

The group has experienced and regionally-based staff who know your area and provide ongoing supports.

“Our expert team will walk on the journey with you through the whole process, from first vision to final payment.”

No personal guarantees are required on potential loans and there is no penalty to your organisation for early repayment.

BACKGROUND

The group was established in 1996 by Sr. Magdalen Fogarty and the Presentation Sisters following a period of high emigration and unemployment.

Ms Coffey says that all groups are welcome to attend, including those without a “shovel-ready project”.

She told The Clare Echo, “Our staff are regionally based, and we offer a dedicated person assigned to assist through the loan process from application stage to final payment. In the last 28 years we have loaned €215m to more than 1,500 community and voluntary projects throughout the country. Our aim is that ‘lack of access to finance is never a barrier to a community vision or ambition’.

“We offer loans to a wide variety of project types. Our products include: Bridging Loans to assist the drawdown of grants, Term Loans for a wide range of products including but not limited to: property purchase construction or renovation, match funding to complete capital projects, debt restructure/ refinance, working capital. Any project that delivers a social impact will be looked at.”

“We recognise that finance can be a catalyst for good in the community. We are already heavily involved in the Clare region and working with some wonderful groups in a variety of sectors.”

You can drop in on the day or book your place by contacting Tony Marshall - tony@clanncredo.ie / 086 042 9403; Sinead Coffey - sinead@clanncredo.ie / 083 021 9334; or Sarah Leahy - sarah@clanncredo. ie / 086 042 9323,

Event location: Clarecastle GAA, Ballaghafadda East, Co. Clare Time: Thursday, November 21, 12-3pm.

lASSISTANCE: Clann Credo CEO Mary Lawlor, Minister for Finance Jack Chamber and Clann Credo Chair John O’Callaghan at the group’s conference and (below) a playground ﬁnanced by Clann Credo

With the Clare Business Excellence awards taking place on November 27th, The Clare Echo will profile all finalists over the next four weeks.

County Boutique

Best Use of Digital Marketing & Social Media

County Boutique, winner of the Clare Business Excellence Awards ‘Retailer of the Year’ in 2023, is thrilled to be nominated as a ﬁnalist for this year’s ‘Best Use of Digital Marketing and Social Media’ award. Our entry showcases the success of the ‘57 Years at No. 57’ campaign in October 2023. To celebrate this milestone, we took a trip down memory lane, sharing historic photos and stories of the boutique’s family history on social media, with support from The Clare Echo. The campaign resonated deeply with the community, garnering incredible feedback both online and in-store.

A standout moment was the visit from fashion icon

Celia Holman Lee on October 26th, when a video of her outside the boutique amassed over 90,000 views. Thanks to our strategic digital marketing, including weekly emails, Facebook, Instagram, and SMS campaigns, we achieved our highest-ever sales for Q4 2023. We’re excited for this new chapter and would be honoured to win!

O’Connor’s Bakery Best SME

O’Connor’s Bakery was established in 1961 and we employ over 100 employees between our bakery and our 8 shops. We are known for our delicious baked goods, pastries, fresh cream buns and cakes.

All our products are of the highest quality, handcrafted and freshly baked on the day using old family recipes as well as traditional methods.

We are delighted to be up for three awards this year, Best Retailer (Ennis Shopping), Best Use of Digital Marketing & Social Media and Best SME Categories. We always try to ensure that our customers have an enjoyable and an amazing experience every time they come into our

shops. We also set ourselves very high quality standards to ensure all our products are perfect every time.

We use Facebook, Instagram & Tik Tok to promote our products and to interact with our customers. We also have a Click & Collect option for our customers to pre order their goods on our website. Best of luck to all the ﬁnalists!

Gleeson Goldsmiths located in the hidden gem that is Ballycasey Design and Retail Center, Shannon. With over 40 years’ experience we combine traditional master crafting with modern goldsmith methods to design and manufacture our own totally unique jewellery. Independent and innovative, we specialise in high quality diamond and engagement rings in gold and platinum and Munsters largest selection of wedding rings with a variety of metal colours, ﬁnishes and textures to choose from.

We have built a reputation for always being available to discuss, assist, share ideas and listen to what our cus-

tomers want, we are rare in that you can speak with a qualiﬁed goldsmith each timeyou visit our shop. At Gleeson Goldsmiths, individuality is part of our hallmark and it shines bright in the attention-to-detail and award winning customer service we offer.

Gleeson Goldsmiths Best Retailer in Clare

'Scoreboard doesn't lie'

MUNSTER INTERM' CLUB HURLING SEMI-FINAL

Watergrasshill 2-20 Wolfe Tones 2-13

Venue: Páirc Uí Rinn

Compiled by Seamus Hayes

STORY OF THE GAME

WATERGRASSHILL

Frees For: 13 (8/5)

Wides: 15 (11/4)

Scores from play: 2-10

Spread of scorers: 7

Own puckouts won: 14 out of 20

Bookings: Aaron Spriggs; Red Card:Dylan Roche (44)

WOLFE TONES

Frees For: 15 (6/9)

Wides: 5 (1/4)

Scores from play: 2-11

Spread of scorers: 6

Own puckouts won: 18 out of 37

Bookings: Dylan Frawley, Rory Hayes

Red Card: Aaron Cunningham (44)

REFEREE: Alan Tierney (Tipperary)

While clearly disappointed with the result, Wolfe Tones manager Barry Keane readily accepted “the scoreboard doesn’t lie and we were well beaten on scoreboard and we have to accept that”.

Speaking shortly after the final result at Pairc Ui Rinn on Saturday, he said “We had a good start as Watergrasshill had only a six-day turnaround from their county final and we felt if we got going early, maybe their spirit might drop.

"They were excellent and they really roared back into it after we got the goal and they gave a strong response.”

In an honest assessment he said “We were really chasing our tails for a while, We went in at half time and re-set and we were excellent when we returned in the second half. Look, we are really proud of the lads and what we have achieved this year.. and we wish Watergrasshill all the best”.

The Shannon club manager agreed that they “struggled to get past their half back line. We struggled with our puckouts, O’Leary at centre back was really dominant, he was excellent. That was a concern for us. We tried to move players around but we

l Aaron Shanagher

weren't working the ball through the lines like we usually do, even the options for the short puckout weren't there They really dominated that sector of the field.”

Asked about the sending off of full forward Aaron Cunningham and the cancelling of the penalty he said, “it was a turning point. Refereeing is a hard job but how do you go from a penalty to two red cards, Aaron is adamant that his hand just came back. At that time we had all the momentum and were coming back into the game. We felt if we got the penalty and a goal we were right back

into it. Look, referees have a split second to make a decision. The linesman on this side felt he saw something. These things happen and people might feel we got the swing of the ball in the Clare final”.

He added, “We did a lot this year and the plan is to build next year. We have some really young players and talented young players coming through and we are looking forward to getting them into the Clare cup. We wish the lads all the best in the football next week and we will all be there cheering them on”.

Two all-Clare Munster ﬁnals

THERE will be two all Clare ﬁnals in the Munster Inter-club this week, writes Seamus Hayes.

The newly upgraded Shannon court is the venue for both ﬁnals as Kilkishen take on Tuamgraney in the junior B ﬁnal. Kilkishen saw off the challenge of neighbours Newmarket-on-Fergus by a single point while Tuamgraney defeated Liscarroll to reach the decider.

Friday night in the Junior A Clooney-Quin will play Tuamgraney, who defeated Kilworth at semi-ﬁnal stage.

Each ﬁnal will consist of a singles game, doubles game and singles game. The

scores from all these games will combine to determine the result.

The team members are:

Kilkishen Junior B (Henry McGrath, Mike Baker, Kevin O’Callaghan, Sean Murphy)

Tuamgraney Junior B (Cathal McKenna, Tiarnan Slattery, Fionn Slattery, Shane Walsh, Jamie Howard T Tuamgraney Junior A (Paddy Fitzgerald, Seanie Doyle, Ciaran Malone, Conor Downes)

Clooney-Quin Junior A (Sean Coughlan, Pat Nolan, Matthew Coughlan, David Considine).

Clare need a win in Askeaton

by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie

ASKEATON is the venue on Sunday for Clare’s second game in this season’s Oscar Traynor inter league junior soccer competition.

Having suffered a 0-1 loss to Limerick in round 1, a win is important for Clare on Sunday as it would keep their hopes of qualifying from the group alive. Two teams will go forward from the group which also includes the Kerry league who won their opening tie (4-1) against Clare’s opponents on Sunday. Kerry travel to Jackman Park to play Limerick on this Sunday at 2p.m. which is also the kick off time for the

Clare game in Askeaton.

Clare must plan for Sunday’s game without three players who saw action against Limerick.

Newmarket Celtic’s Shane Cusack and Harvey Cullinan were in the starting line up against Limerick while their clubmate Tadhg Noonan was introduced during that game. They are all unavailable for Sunday’s ﬁxture.

On the plus side Avenue’s Cullen McCabe has recovered from injury and is available for selection.

“Of course the lads are a loss but we have known about their absence for a few weeks. We are traveling to Askeaton to win which would put qualiﬁca-

tion from the group back in our own hands. It’s a very important ﬁxture”, according to Clare manager Donie Garrihy.

Clare didn’t play any game in the lead up to their opening clash with Limerick. “We trained a number of times but not having played a friendly game could have been costly”, the manager said this week.

The manager and his backroom team won’t ﬁnalise their team for Sunday’s game until nearer match time but in contention to replace goalkeeper

Shane Cusack are Simon Kilker from Tulla United and Jakub Ruminowicz from Avenue United.

The Desmond league is a long-standing league and pre-

viously won the Oscar Traynor title. They draw their players from Newcastle West, Rathkeale, Broadford, Askeaton and Ballingarry in West Limerick. They are in a similar position to Clare in that having lost their opening game in this season’s competition, they need a win to keep hopes of qualifying from the group alive. With home advantage they are likely to fancy their chances of doing that but Clare have trained well since their ﬁrstround outing and there is an air of conﬁdence in the camp that they can capture the points on Sunday.

Shield win for Ennis 1st XV

by Dearbhla Parry news@clareecho.ie

Senior Men 1st XV Junior Challenge Shield: Ennis RFC 26 – 22 Kinsale RFC

The Ennis Senior Men played an entertaining 26 – 22 game against Kinsale in the Junior Challenge Shield.

Ennis started the stronger team until an interception by Kinsale brought them up to Ennis’ 22. Kinsale then scored a try in the corner, following several penalties conceded by Ennis, bringing the score to 5 – 0 to Kinsale.

A solid Ennis scrum gave them a strong attacking platform and from the following scrum in their own half, Kinsale put the ball through the backs to score in the corner. Ennis continued to attack and Jack Colleran scored their ﬁrst try from a lineout maul, converted by Dylan Kenny. Ennis’ defence remained strong under the pressure and the score at halftime was 10 – 7.

Ennis started the stronger in the second half and Oisín Mangan scored their second try of the game. Ennis kicked through from the following scrum, and Kinsale knocked on to give Ennis an attacking scrum. Following many phases and strong runs from centres Michael McNelis and Jack Dillon, Ennis scored their third try by Jack Colleran, converted by Kenny, bringing the score to 19 – 10 to Ennis.

Ennis won a scrum against the head in the middle of the ﬁeld while Kinsale called a mark form the clearance kick, resulting in an attacking lineout to Ennis. A penalty was called in the lineout and Ennis went to the line again. Ennis’ Barry Loughnane scored another try for Ennis with another conversion from Kenny. Ennis led 26 – 10.

Kinsale came back to score an unconverted try and continued to attack to then score a converted try. With a minute left, Ennis held Kinsale back forcing a knock-on to ﬁnish the game with 26 – 22.

Ennis players included Bence Benko, Jack Colleran, Ruairi Quinlan, Cormac Browne (vice-captain), Matthew McNamara, Seán McDonagh, Dale Watson, Keelan Butler, Calum Barrett, Oisín Mangan (captain), Ben Geraghty, Michael McNeilis, Jack Dillion, Cian Guilfoyle, and Dylan Kenny.

Senior Men 2nd XV Gleeson League: Ennis 17 –12 St Senan’s

Ennis men’s 2nd team recorded another ﬁne victory in the Gleeson League against St Senans in Shannon with 17 - 12.

After some frantic opening passages of play, Ennis took control of the game and went in at halftime two scores up. Tries were scored by Niall O’Brien and Cillian Mullins and conversion were made by Ben Geraghty.

Ennis scored another try early in the second half from Enda Galvin, allowing Ennis to take a commanding 17 - 0 lead. Shannon then scored two well-taken tries to leave a tense remaining 15 minutes with scores standing at 17 - 12. Ennis dug deep with some stellar defence and repelled numerous Shannon attacks. They then managed to dominate the last few minutes and came close to scoring again on a couple of occasions. White line fever denied them a ﬁnal bonus point try, but they still won 17 – 12.

Additional Results:

U16 Girls Munster League: Ennis 14 – 45 Richmond/Scariff

U14 Girls League: Richmond/Garryowen 24 – 42 Ennis

Fixtures:

Senior Men 2nd XV Gleeson League: Ennis v Richmond

Saturday 23rd November, 2:30pm in Drumbiggle

U13 Boys North Munster League: Young Munsters v Ennis

Sunday 24th November, 11am in Young Munsters Tom Clifford Park

Senior Women’s Division 1 Cup: Ennis/Kilrush v Shannon Sunday 24th November, 12pm in Ennis Showgrounds

Senior Men 1st XV Division 2: Ennis v Tralee Sunday 24th November, 2:30pm in Ennis Showgrounds

l Connor Meaney kicked the winning score for Lissycasey Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

by PÁDRAIG MCGRATH

I JUST played Abama Golf Club in Tenerife today for my fourth time ever and I can definitely say it is the pinnacle of golf in Tenerife.

The scenery on the front nine in particular is breathtaking. This course opens with two short par fours to break you in gently but then the third is a very long Par ﬁve followed by a 225-yard beast of a par three. I teed off ﬁrst at 8am this morning so the air was cool starting off but by the time I reached the 6th hole I was peeling layers off swiftly.

I played from the back tees which I would only recommend for longer hitters. On paper this course's yardage looks short but a lot of the holes play uphill and you often end up hitting one to two clubs extra to reach the green surface on the steeper holes especially.

Abama Golf Club is located just beyond Adeje and it sits between Adeje and Los

Gigantes.

The Ritz Carlton Hotel is attached to the golf course which I believe is one of the best ﬁve stars hotels on the island.

Once you arrive at the clubhouse, I highly recommend dining there it is delicious and the clubhouse is the highest point of the course so the views out over the course are stunning with La Gomera island in the back drop.

The greens roll incredibly fast possibly around 10.511 on the Stemp and there are a lot of slopes and tiers on the greens so they are very challenging. Every hole is either uphill or downhill so I highly recommend taking a buggy and also there is quite the long walk to the next hole on some of the holes out there.

The 10th hole, their signature hole in my opinion is possibly my favourite hole in Spain. The tee box is situated beside the clubhouse so it is one of the highest points of the course.

You tee off to a fairway that

is located over a hundred feet below the tee box and it has a water hazard that hugs along the left side of the fairway and runs all the way up the left side of the green. The mesmerising Ritz Carlton Hotel is located just beyond this fairway with La Gomera island also in the back drop so it makes for a fantastic photo opportunity.

Impressive scoring at Dromoland

by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie

DROMOLAND GOLF CLUB

The winner of last weekend’s men’s turkey stableford competition at Dromoland was Daniel Lennon with 43 points. He was one ahead of David McNamara with Cathal Nolan in third spot with 39 points followed by Noel O’Brien on 38. The gross was won by Seamus Cusack with 37 points.

The winner of the 9 hole stableford grand ﬁnal was John O’Neill with 22 points from Darragh McCoy with 21 and Brendan Lennon with 19.

Category A in last week’s senior men’s competition was won by Hugh O’Neill from Jimmy Neville with Niall Cannon in third spot.

Paul Dyar won category B from John O’Shaughnessy with Pat Shanahan in third spot.

The winner of the ladies 9 hole stableford competition was Suzanne McConway with 19 points from Deirdre Cooney who had a similar score with Mairead Bergin a point back in third spot.

EAST CLARE GOLF CLUB

The winners of he ladies Wednesday competition at East Clare last week were Brid Hayes, Mary Bugler and Margaret O'Brien. In second place were Ursula and Mary Hogan and Pauline Nugent followed by Noreen Doyle, Connie McKenna and Mary Collins.

The senior men’s competition was won by Eamon Goode, Jonathan Walsh and Seamus O'Dwyer who were followed by Tom Larkin, Denis Corcoran and Michael Drew with third spot ﬁlled by Michael Heffernan, Donal Fleming and Jackie McHugh.

In the Friday scramble the winners were Pat Duggan, Mary Collins and Breda O'Loghlin from Pat McNamara, Mary

Farrell and Terry Coughlan with third place ﬁlled by Brid Hayes, Noreen Doyle, Ailbe McDonnell and Patrick McNamara.

KILRUSH GOLF CLUB

Joseph Burke (13) won the Christmas turkey competition at Kilrush at the weekend with 33 points.

In second place with 28 points was Michael J. Hogan (13) with third spot ﬁlled by Patrick Coleman (8) who also scored 28 points.

WOODSTOCK GOLF CLUB

Round 2 in the Ozone Health and Fitness Winter league took place at Woodstock at the weekend when the format was singles.

The winner was John Clune (6) with 43 points from Mike Kelly (11) with a similar score. In third spot with 42 points was Liam O'Connor (11) followed by Noel Casey (9) with 41 points, Joseph Keane (6) with 41 points and Ross Darmody (5) with 39 points.

The league continues this weekend when the format will be scotch foursomes over 15 holes.

In the weekend’s club singles competition the winner was Kenneth Fielding (17) with 40 points from Martin White (16) with 39 points and John Dreelan (10) with 37 points.

There will be another club singles this weekend.

Meanwhile the week 3 winner in the ladies 15 hole turkey competition was Mary McNamara.

GORT GOLF CLUB

Tom Casey (29) won the 18 hole singles at Gort at the weekend with 41 points. The category winners were P.J McAllen (4) with 38 points, Richie Glynn (16) with 40 points and Davy Fleming (21) with 41 points The gross winner was Mark Deegan (2) with 32 points.

If you do manage to ﬁnd this fairway you are still left with a difﬁcult approach to a green that has a large pond to the left and three bunkers that protect the right side of this hole, should you try to bail out to the right-hand side.

This is also a two-tiered green with a lot of slopes towards the water hazard so a

two putt is never guaranteed. This truly is a great golf hole in every way and is probably the best golf hole I have ever played on any trip to Spain or the Canary Islands. The course has some stunning oceanic views looking south west and the mountains of Tenerife at the opposite side looking north east. I often get the feeling of be-

ing in Jurassic Park the movie especially when playing the 13th hole looking back towards the mountains in between the trees that surround this hole.

The green fee at Abama is not surprisingly the highest in Tenerife at €225 however I still feel you are getting value for money with the amazing views and the impeccable manicure of the golf course.

If you do travel to Tenerife or if you want to play golf in almost guaranteed glorious sunshine all year round, I highly recommend Tenerife and especially adding Abama to the list of courses to play.

You will be blown away by the course and with the amount of great golf shots you will have to play throughout your round.

With flights direct from Shannon we were here in four hours and the course and Ritz Carlton is under a half hour from Tenerife South Airport so it is very convenient to get to.

12-race programme this Sunday

by Michael Maher news@clareecho.ie

THIS weekend the final of the Irish Derby in Shelbourne Park will be of huge interest however in these parts, the Sunday meeting at Limerick will be the main focus of attention.

This one-off Sunday meeting is the result of planning by members of the Limerick & Clare GOBA committee.

There is a big entry of Clare greyhounds in this 12- race programme with the first race getting underway at 5pm.

In the semi-final of the Mini-Open last Saturday night members of the VHR Syndicate from Feakle, Clarecastle and Newmarket were in full voice when both Highview Bizarr and Highview Ben were winners. At the afternoon meeting at the same venue on Thursday there was further success for Donie Duggan of Tulla when Allaghaun Benji triumphed in 29.18 for Ennistymon native and Galway-based Gordon Vaughan. A son of Good news and Allaghaun Lough, he recorded his 8th career win 29.18.

And the guzzling pints syndicate which comprises of Quin's Seamus and Aiden Duggan got back to winning ways with his 29.21 effort, trained and bred by Myles

Cummins this son of Paddys Magic and Miles Girl crossed the line in 19.21 for career win number 12.

Cooney Kennels

Doubles Up at Galway

There was an exiting finish in the A6 graded fourth contest over 525 yards at Galway on Saturday night as the Donal Cooney & Gerry Maloney-owned Kilddoo Babe just lasted home by an ever diminishing head from Astro Kevin in 30.00. Racing towards the third bend the lead was two lengths as Astro Kevin closed with every stride but Kildoo Lass (Ballymac Anton-Notimetotalk) dug deep along the rail to land the spoils . The Broadford-based trainer completed a double in the A5 graded sixth contest as the Darren Cooney-owned Melbourne Flyer never saw another rival as he made all the running to defeat the staying in Aunty Clare by three lengths in 29.43.

In the opening contest for A8 graded runners Fast Fit Fergie was away well from his trap two berth and racing towards the opening bend the John Quinn of Gort-owned runner led from Fantasy Twobob on his inner and Country Curly out wide. Rounding the bend Fast Fit Fergie held a narrow advantage as Country

Curly moved up on the wide outside as Fantasy Twobob tried to get back on terms along the rails. Approaching the third bend Fantasy Twobob tried her luck along the rails but found the door shut firm as Fast Fit Fergie(Malachi-Fast Fit Maeve) saw off all challengers headed by Fantasy Twobob by half a length in 30.15.

The A5 graded contest was another to produce an exciting finish with this time the pace setting Hanover Luna getting nailed right on the line bye the Stephen Murray of Sixmilebridge trained Nady Eoghan(Pestana-Town Curly) who scored by half a length in 29.46.

The concluding A3 graded 525 yards contest was the feature on Friday night's card at Galway and as the traps rose it was Drombeg Max that trapped best to lead on the run towards the opening bend from Knockanoura Kate and Own Lullaby with Hit The Diss also close. Exiting the far side, the John Quinn & Shane Counihan of Gort owned Hit The Diss was in control and despite the queuing pack the daughter of Pestana & Port West Pop saw them all off to claim a three parts of a length success over Highview Laura at the line in 29.86.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Breda Casey, wish to apply to the above named local authority for planning permission for (a) modifications to an existing dwelling (b) a single storey extension to the side of the existing dwelling and all ancillary site works at Derreen West, Fanore, Co. Clare

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

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Christine Carew and Peter Waldron, wish to apply to the above named local authority for planning permission for (a) modifications to the existing two storey dwelling (b) single storey extension to the existing dwelling (c) conversion of existing sheds to habitable rooms and

all ancillary site works at Cratloe Cross, Cratloe, County Clare.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL, BREAFFY SOUTH, SPANISH POINT, CO. CLARE

Take notice that B. & J. Merrill intend to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to retain the following a) the alterations to the rear extension granted under P07/513 b) the front boundary wall and site entrance as constructed along with associated site works at the above address.

That the planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public

opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL, DRUMELLIHY, CREE, CO. CLARE

Take notice that P. & E. Sanchez intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to retain the following a) the site entrance as constructed b) the increase in the roof height of the dwelling house c) the sunroom as constructed d) the first floor area and additional rooflights along with associated site works at the above address. That the planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority

of the application.

CLARE CO. COUNCIL LISDUFF, NEWMARKET ON FERGUS

Take notice that John Hannon intends to apply for permission for development, the development consists of the construction of a slatted unit and associated site works at the above address.

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

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL 2 SANDYMOUNT, FINTRA BEG, MILTOWN MALBAY , CO CLARE V95EK66

Take notice that Jon O Connell intends to apply for permission to extend the existing garage and change its use to a recording studio with welfare facilities & all other associated site and

ancillary works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL POPPINTREE LODGE, BALLYCASEY, NEWMARKET ON FERGUS, CO CLARE V14KX75

Take notice that Catriona McMahon intends to apply for permission to replace the pyrite damaged dwelling on site with a new dwelling & all other associated site and ancillary works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in rela-

tion to the application may be made in writing to the authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

LUOGH NORTH, DOOLIN , CO CLARE V95YP99

Take notice that Susan Mitchell intends to apply for permission to extend the existing dwelling house, upgrade the existing sewerage treatment system & all other associated site and ancillary works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL FURTHER INFORMATION /

REVISED PLANS

PLANNING REF:

P24/60350

Development Description: erect dwelling house, garage, foul sewer system, percolation area and new site entrance

Location:

Ballynagun West, Cree

Take notice that S. Considine has lodged significant further information in respect of planning application P24/60350. This information and planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority of Clare County Council, Planning Department, New Road, Ennis, Co Clare during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the further information or revised plans may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, not later than 2 weeks after the receipt of the newspaper notice and site notice by the planning authority.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

LATE OF SIXMILEBRIDGE AND TOLA PARK SHANNON CO CLARE

Who passed away on 22nd November 2023.

Sean’s wife Rachel, Daughter Grace and Son Sebastian would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those who sympathised with them on the sudden loss of Sean a wonderful husband and father. The shared memories from all of you at Sean’s funeral along with the floral tributes, mass cards and words of condolence meant a great deal to all of us.

A special word of thanks to the Management and Staff of Shannon Airport and to Sean’s Colleagues for the guard of honour they gave him after the funeral mass. Your support will be never forgotten. Our thanks to Colleagues and Emergency Services who attended to him at the Airport and the Medics in UHL who attended him there.

To McMahons Funeral Undertakers for their professionalism and support in managing the funeral arrangements. Father Michael Geraghty our parish priest and the late Canon O’Donoghue for their kindness and the celebration of Sean’s funeral mass, Michelle our Sacristan and to Annette and Ger for their music.

As it is not possible to thank everyone individually, we hope that this acknowledgement will be accepted as a token of our sincere gratitude.

Sean’s 1st Anniversary Mass will be held on Saturday 23rd November at 6.30pm in Saint’s John and Pauls Church, Shannon Co Clare

ACCOMODATION TO RENT

Reputable Ennis-based company (est. 2003), has an urgent and ongoing requirement to rent accommodation for new professional staff. Eliminate the hassle of advertising and evaluating applicants: call Nick on 0868035570 now, with offers. Immediate response.

Cleary, Conor Kildysart

Liddy, John Newmarket-on-Fergus

O’Loughlin (Columban Fathers), Fr. Michael Ennis

Brigdale, George Clarecastle

Crowe (née O’ Donoghue), Kitty Dysart

McMahon (née Cunniffe), Eileen Clarecastle

Cosgrove, Thomas Oliver Shannon

Egan (née McNamara), Bridie Kilmihil

LILLIS, Maura Cooraclare

Madden(née Neary), Vera Ennis

Recent Deaths

Pavlovskaja, Marija Sixmilebridge

Sexton, The Very Rev. Fr. Seán Inagh

Sexton, The Very Rev. Fr. Seán Kilnamona

Mackey, Pat Ardnacrusha

McMahon (née McCarthy), Janeanne Ennistymon

MOLONEY (née CURRAN), SHEILA Quilty

O’Brien, Pat (Patrick) Newmarket-on-Fergus

Corrigan (née McInerney), Marie (Flowery) Ennis

GALVIN, MARTIN Quilty

Grey, William (Bill) Miltown Malbay

Maher, Beuno Flagmount

Walsh, Peter Labasheeda

Burke, William (Willie) Miltown Malbay

Markham, Noel Cratloe

Cullen, Frank Sixmilebridge

Eustace, Paudy Lahinch

Leyden (née Marrinan), Johanna Clarecastle

Leyden (née Marrinan), Johanna Ennistymon

Chinese Restaurant based in Kilrush,Co.Clare is looking to expand their team. Minimum of 3 yrs experience needed. Full time, permanent position available, 40 hour week. Evenings and weekend work.

Salary €34k - €36k, based on experience. Apply with CV to: Fan Yang, Silver House, 24 Henry St, Kilrush, Co.Clare

The Clare Echo Quiz

Le Cheile is located in what village?

For how many generations had Sherry Fitzgerald McMachon estate agency been a

What was the previous name of the Inn at Dromoland?

How many passengers have used Doolin Ferry in its 54 years of business?

Where is Craggaunowen Castle located?

In what year did Dromoland Castle become a luxury hotel?

The Falls hotel Ennistymon uses hydro power from the river alongside to power the hotel. What is the name of the river?

In what century was Bunratty Castle

Inagh/Cullenagh River River fergus Abbert river

What year did Blackbird open in Ennis?

ANSWERS

Spot the Difference Last weeks Answers

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

Laura Foley leads the celebrations as Truagh/Clonlara players celebrate their win over Gailtir

Photo by Gerard O’Neill

TO JOE COONEY JOE

THIS WEEKS PUZZLES Nov 21

HOW TO PLAY

Sudoku is a logic puzzle where you have to populate the grid with numbers. A number can appear only once in each row, column and house. Each puzzle can be solved using logic from the given information and requires no guesswork.

ACROSS 1. Snow storm(8) 6. Possess(3) 9. Supply with necessary kit(5) 10. Replies(7) 11. Chip shop ﬁsh(7) 13. Cash(5) 14. English county(6) 15. Device for taking photographs(6) 19. Casual trousers(5) 21. Ungainly(7) 22. Sold from the cask(7) 23. Subject(5) 24. Male child(3) 25. Duplicitous(3-5)

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Northernmost American state(6)

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