‘I REALLY LIKE TONY’ The Liam MacCarthy comes home to Clare
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
LIAM MACCARTHY has returned to Co Clare ending an 11year wait.
Clare’s senior hurlers came out on top in a game for the ages, beating Cork by a single point after extra time in Croke Park on Sunday.
Captain Tony Kelly produced a man of the match display scoring
what has been hailed as the greatest 1-4 in history.
“In Clare, hurling is like a religion and Brian Lohan is like our God,” was the gospel according to Kelly as the Ballyea man gave his speech from the steps of the Hogan Stand.
Lohan has become the fourth manager to guide Clare to AllIreland glory but the first
to win the All-Ireland championship and National League in the one year.
Huge crowds have turned out in force for homecoming events across the county to applaud the achievements of Clare’s hurling heroes with 36,000 plus in the Fair Green on Monday evening.
l Tony Kelly, Clare captain, celebrates Clare’s All Ireland hurling win with his manager Brian Lohan. During his victory speech, the Ballyea clubman said that in Clare hurling is like a religion and Brian Lohan is like our God
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
Call: 065 - 6719021
CONTACT US news@clareecho.ie
Email: editor@clareecho.ie or
kieran@clareecho.ie
36C Abbey St., Ennis, Co Clare ross@clareecho.ie denise@clareecho.ie
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Press Council’s Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Press Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie
‘We
really appreciate all the work done by volunteers’
CLARE GAA’s Head of Operations acknowledged the contribution of voluntary club officials following issues with online sales of All-Ireland final tickets.
As first reported by The Clare Echo, a technical glitch emerged with the online sales of All-Ireland final tickets. 16,000 tickets were allocated to Clare GAA for the final and the apportioned amount was not impacted by the system fault. After an online link went live for members of GAA clubs on Friday last, a failing in the system allowed some persons to obtain more tickets than they were allocated and others were left with half of what they were awarded. In some instances, persons who were looking for four tickets could only get two and those attempting to get two tickets could only obtain one.
When the matter was flagged with club secretaries, the message was relayed to Clare GAA officials who took steps to disable the links and codes issued to club members. There were no such technical glitches for clubs in Cork attempting to source their tickets. Club members were also separated from their family in some instances with the allocation of tickets. Club secretaries who are volunteers were then furnished with a report “showing all codes used and number of tickets purchased” which assisted them in identifying persons who purchased more than their allocation. The onus was left with the club administrators to try retrieve tickets and they were not successful in all instances. As it was holiday season, some of the club secretaries were carrying this out while in Spain and Italy while others ended up working day and night to try rectify the matter.
Requests from club secretaries for all codes to be cancelled and for the process to be restarted were rejected. “Secretaries have been wronged, they’ve made us fall out with our own club members over it,” one volunteer
told The Clare Echo In correspondence to the County Board, club secretaries urged the GAA chiefs to take control of the matter going forward. “Somebody has to talk to the powers that be as regards future issues. We have unsupervised children scattered around Croke Park, we have secretaries sitting with their family in restricted viewing seats and Chairpersons sitting on their own with wives and partners and friends elsewhere.
“I thought the process would be Clare and Cork had first pick outside corporate premium, players etc, and all remining seats would then go to clubs worldwide. Instead we have loyal Clare members separate from families and friends in the worst seats”.
Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating in correspondence to club secretaries advised that they were not competing with Cork GAA for the same seats with the allocation approximately split for 10,000 between the three stands and 6,000 in the terrace, of this 2,000 from the Hogan and Cusack Stands was set aside to be used for players families, management, referees, volunteers, officers and sponsors. He said 400 of the allocation were to be used at fundraising events.
Speaking at Monday’s homecoming event, the Head of Operations commented, “It is amazing to see the people of our county out tonight. I want to pay particular tribute to all those who work in the clubs and particularly those who worked on the distribution of tickets in the last two weeks, there are some people with full-time jobs who spent hours upon hours, countless time trying to ensure as many Clare people as possible had a ticket. We really appreciate all the work done by the voluntary officers in the club, we are honoured those who work for you to try do our best for you every day, we really appreciate I suppose the bond that is between all Clare people and our wonderful players and our exceptional management team”.
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
lTICKET WOES: Clare supporters in Ballyea on Tuesday evening Photo by John Mangan
‘Our hearts have swelled in Clare’ with success of county’s hurlers
by Páraic McMahon
HEARTS have swelled in Co Clare following the success of the county’s hurlers in winning the All-Ireland senior championship for the fifth time.
Crowds of 36,000 welcomed home their hurling heroes at The Fair Green in Ennis on Monday evening with a sea of saffron and blue taking over the county town.
Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) in a passionate speech at the homecoming first resembled a
South American soccer commentator when issuing her cheer of ‘Up the Bannerrrrrr’ as opposed to “goooooool”.
She said, “it is a very proud woman I am to be standing on this stage with so many talented Clare hurlers, the 2024 All-Ireland senior hurling team. I was at Croke Park and we were in a very strong Cork stronghold, by God in the first fifteen minutes we saw this crimson wave and I said ‘oh Lord’ but by God did we stop that crimson wave for sure”.
Efforts of the local authority in
broadcasting the game via a big screen at the Fair Green on Sunday, organising the homecoming in Ennis and decorating the county with bunting was hailed by the Quin native. “I also want to thank the County Council, the Ennis Municipal District, they have been hard at work for the last two weeks for this All-Ireland final, they have decked out the whole town in the buntings, the banners, the up the banner and all those flags that have been flying high knowing that we were going to take up the Liam MacCarthy Cup for sure and we did it, we did it”.
A neighbour of centre-forward Shane O’Donnell, Clare said, “There was many a tear that was cried for sure yesterday and it was a tear of joy, there was also so many hearts that swelled so big at pride at these incredible team of hurlers, it would make you want to cry right here right now”. Special praise for Clare’s captain was issued by the Mayor of the Ennis MD. “I want to pay a special tribute to the captain, Tony Kelly from Ballyea. I was also privileged to attend the victory gala dinner and listen to Tony speak about his
team of players and speak about the management team, the level of bonding, the level of respect and attention is palpable, it is why we are the winning team of the All-Ireland for 2024, that is no doubt in my mind. I’m going to finish off by thanking you for coming here to applaud these fabulous hurlers and their management team for the incredible success they have brought back to the Banner County after eleven long years, well done to you all”.
Hurling success results in Banner bounce for economy
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
A “FESTIVAL weekend” was experienced by businesses in the county town off the back of Clare’s success in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship.
Pubs, takeaways and restaurants in Clare were the big winners from an economic perspective as celebrations began on Sunday and entered right across the week.
Supporters unable to secure tickets or make it to Croke Park for the final provided plenty of atmosphere in pubs and bars across the county where strong sales were recorded, this continued into Sunday night.
Crowds in excess of 36,000 attending the official homecoming in Ennis on Monday evening offered a further lift, particularly to the Ennis economy.
CEO of Ennis Chamber, Margaret O’Brien told The Clare Echo, “Everyone across the Banner delighted in the Clare Senior Hurlers
All-Ireland victory at the weekend, not least the businesses operating in the Evening & Night-time Economy (ENTE) in Ennis.
“It was like a festival weekend from start to finish in the county town, and then there was the bonus of the ‘homecoming’ on Monday. The pubs, take-aways and restaurants were ‘wedged’ across town from Monday afternoon until the early hours. We checked-in with several of our member businesses yesterday (Tuesday), they were exhausted but thrilled with the lift in business over the weekend,” she added.
Clare’s win has provided a timely shot in the arm for the Ennis economy, Margaret flagged. “Ennis is not alone in experiencing a downturn in its night-time economy post Covid, it’s a trend across Ireland and further afield. Given that backdrop the boost that the AllIreland win has given to the local economy is very welcome and
much appreciated. With the profile of Ennis riding high, there is now a great opportunity to promote Ennis, to encourage domestic tourists to the town and county over the coming weeks and months”.
Ennis hotelier, Paul Madden told The Clare Echo, “people that I know that are away or living abroad have been contacting me to see what is the mood like in Ennis and the one thing I keep saying is that everybody and anybody is on cloud nine”.
Members of the Clare panel stayed in The Temple Gate Hotel on Monday evening, “we were delighted to have an association with the team following the All-Ireland success. We’ve been feeding the team following all of their Munster championship games since Brian Lohan came in as manager and we were delighted that they came back here following the homecoming on Monday evening”.
Clare’s hurlers along with their
partners and family had a private event at the four star hotel following the homecoming. “The players really appreciated getting to stay together as a group to celebrate the win, we can’t underestimate how special this was for them to be together before they all split up and went off in different directions”.
Activity in the town has increased but so has support for the county team, Paul noted. “I can notice a huge sense of people supporting this Clare team under Brian Lohan the support that he has garnered is incredible, I haven’t seen it before and I can remember back to 1995 and 1997”.
Given that the condition of Ennis Town Centre and access to the county town has been criticised in recent months with the €11.5m Ennis public realm works ongoing, a positive story for the county town is to be welcomed, Paul said. “I don’t think anyone in Ennis Town Centre on Sunday or Monday made
one reference to the roadworks in Ennis Town. Clare County Council and the Ennis Municipal District did great work in organising the homecoming as did the clubs in Clarecastle and Shannon who put in a huge effort”.
Owner of T O’Donnell Sports, Tommy O’Donnell said the sale of Clare jerseys was strong and keeping them on their toes to maintain stock in their store on the heart of Abbey Street. The Crusheen man admitted it was “hard to say” if demand for Clare gear exceeded levels of 1995 and 1997 but flagged the two week lead-in for the All-Ireland final was difficult for businesses to ensure they had an adequate amount of stock for the demand of such a big sporting occasion.
Photo by Eamon Ward
Invalid eviction notice served against Clare TD for Clarecastle property
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
CLARE TD, Violet Anne Wynne (IND) had an invalid eviction notice served on her by her landlord.
Patricia Warshell who has been letting a property on the main street of Clarecastle to Deputy Wynne and her family for €1,200 a month since August 2023 told a tribunal hearing that beds being suspended from the ceiling was the “last straw”.
Having rented the property through the Repair and Leasing Scheme, it meant the family could live there for 10 years if repairs were carried out to the Clarecastle property. Shortly after the tenancy commenced, a dispute arose.
When bringing a case to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the landlord claimed Ms Wynne was overholding in the house after a notice of termination had been issued. She also sought compensation “for damages in excess of normal wear and tear”.
Ms Warshell told the RTB that her property had been vacant for some time as it was in “poor condition” and had no working boiler. She considered letting it through the Repair and Leasing Scheme, which seeks to bring vacant properties in need of refurbishment back into use for social housing. It is aimed at owners who cannot afford to carry out repair works themselves.
Ms Warshell said she contacted Ms Wynne to discuss the scheme as she was
aware she had dealings with the Council through her role as a Clare TD. She claimed Ms Wynne indicated she had been made homeless and was looking for somewhere to live.
Her partner, John Mon-
taine, works as a tradesman and Ms Wynne said he would be able to carry out the necessary repairs to the property.
In May 2023, a lease signed with the tenancy due to start in August and a de-
posit of €1,200 was paid to hold the house. An agreement was reached that the tenancy would last 10 years and repairs would be carried out throughout that time.
Speaking before the RTB, the landlord said she called to the house on September 25 and “was taken aback by the condition of the house”. She said beds had been suspended from the ceiling and claimed she “had never agreed” to this, describing it as “the last straw”.
Ms Warshell subsequently issued a warning notice, claiming the tenants were in breach of their lease by carrying out “unauthorised works” and asked them to remedy matters straight away.
An undated eviction notice was then sent in October.
In her evidence, Ms Wynne said her personal and political life had been interrupted as a result of her housing situation and she could not meet the requirement of attending the Dáil for 120 days.
She said they had to use spray foam to repair holes in the ceiling and also had to get Rentokil in as there was evidence of a rodent problem in the attic area.
Ms Wynne enrolled her children in the local school and intended to start repair works in July 2023. The Clare TD said communication with Ms Warshell was “very poor” as claimed she would “continually change her mind” and appeared to forget agreements made between them.
When the RTB asked why they had not compiled a list
of the agreed works that needed to be carried out, she said Clare County Council carried out an inspection and produced a report setting out what was needed to bring the house up to a proper standard.
Ms Wynne said she sought advice from housing charity Threshold, which said the notice of termination was defective as it had no date. She said she did not remove the beds from the ceilings as the landlord had told her to “make the house their home”.
She told the RTB they had improved the property and it was in a “much better condition” than when they first moved in.
The RTB ruled that the notice of termination was invalid. It said that a tenancy can be terminated if a warning notice has been issued and the tenant fails to comply with it.
However, the warning notice required the tenants to restore the property immediately, which the RTB found was “not a reasonable request”.
The fact there was no date on the eviction notice was “fatal to the validity”. The landlord’s claim for damages was also rejected.
Deputy Wynne told The Irish Independent she is still living in the property in Clarecastle and has lodged her own dispute with the RTB regarding the standard and maintenance of the house. She said the beds were suspended to create more space for her children to do homework and play in the rooms as there were only three bed-
rooms in the property. Prior to her election as a TD in February 2020, it emerged that Ms Wynne and her partner had rent arrears of €12,126 over a four year period dating to June 3rd 2016. Under the letting agreement dated December 1st 2011, a weekly rent of €63.64 was set. The family remained in the Tullycrine house for six years. The Offaly native insisted that the couple paid twelve months rent and a deposit until they began to experience financial difficulties.
In an interview with The Clare Echo last year, Deputy Wynne said her personal housing situation was no longer up for public discussion in interviews. She also commented that the constituents of Clare don’t focus on this aspect of her life and only the media do.
“I don’t get asked those questions from the public, it is just media who raise it with me but constituents don’t, they only want to engage with me about my work and what I’m doing, if they know I’m experiencing any difficulties in the past but we don’t tend to mention anything and just get on with the job at hand, that’s what I spend every day focusing on, just doing the work, whatever is going on in my personal life does not deflect or distract me from what is going on in my job because it is such a privilege to be a TD in itself and to be able to represent people, to be able to raise issues, for me everything else comes after that”.
Mountaine blames ‘no filter’ TD partner for test delay
THE partner of Clare TD, Violet Anne Wynne (IND) has blamed her upsetting "a lot of people" as the reason he hasn’t been able to get an appointment for a driving test in almost four years, writes Gordon Deegan At Kilrush Circuit Court on Tuesday, John Mountaine (42) of Pella Rd, Kilrush unsuccessfully pleaded with Judge Francis Comerford not to affirm the three month driving ban that was imposed on him in the District Court in June.
After Judge Comerford said that he would be affirming the three month ban imposed on Mr Mountaine for driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence at Lack West, Kilmihil, Co Clare in October 2021, Mr Mountaine’s solicitor, Patrick Moylan told Judge Comerford that Mr Mountaine would like to personally address the court.
Mr Mountaine told Judge Comerford, “The reason why I didn’t apply (for the driving test) until 2020 was because I couldn’t afford it before then to do the test”.
Violet Anne Wynne was elected a TD for Sinn Fein for Clare in the February 2020 General Election and Mr Mountaine said, “My wife got a job and I applied for the test”. Mr Mountaine told the court, “Unfortu-
nately she is a politician and there is no filter from the brain to the mouth and she has upset a lot of people and I believe this is why this has taken so long”.
He said, “I don’t understand why it has taken so long - that is the only reason I can come to”.
Appealing to Judge Comerford not to impose the driving ban, Mr Mountaine said, “I need me licence to be able to get to work. I am asking, impose any fine on me you would want but please let me keep my licence because it affects me majorly”.
However, after hearing Mr Mountaine’s personal plea, Judge Comerford said that he would affirm the ban and said that he could sit his driving test after the ban expires.
Judge Comerford said that he was affirming the ban as he said Mr Mountaine’s course of events about waiting for a driving test appointment for almost four years was “inherently improbable” without providing any
correspondence to back it up.
Judge Comerford noted that Mr Mountaine was first convicted of driving without a provisional licence unaccompanied in 2013 and he still is without a full licence.
State Solicitor, Aisling Casey said that a cursory look at the Government website in question show that Mr Mountaine could be invited to sit a driving test in October.
In reply, Mr Moylan said, “There is no getting around that Mr Mountaine made a driving test application in November 2020 and we are now in July 2024”. He said, “The Shannon Driving Test centre has not provided him with a date despite what it might be saying on the website”.
Mr Moylan said, “Whatever their website is saying, Mr Mountaine is the reality here judge. Almost four years and he has not got his test”.
Mr Moylan said that the almost four year
wait “is extraordinary - it is in his interests and no one wants more to get his test than Mr Mountaine”.
Judge Comerford commented that there would be thousands of Clare people who have sat their driving test in that period.
Earlier Ms Casey told Judge Comerford that Mr Mountaine has a number of road traffic offence previous convictions and four previous convictions under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mr Moylan said that Mr Mountaine has now withdrawn his application for a driving test at Shannon and has applied for a test at a Dublin test centre.
Mr Moylan said, “He is a 42 year old man who has a partner and six children ranging in age from 14 to 2. His driver’s licence is something that is very important to him”.
Mr Moylan added, "He commenced a carpentry business, Monty’s Carpentry and it has taken off and he is doing very well. He wants nothing more than to get his driver’s licence. If he is disqualified from driving, he can’t do his driving test”.
l (Pictured left) John Mountaine Photo by John Mangan
l Violet Anne Wynne TD (IND) Photo by Arthur Ellis
Niall Gilligan repeatedly struck 12 year old with a stick court hears
FORMER All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan allegedly repeatedly struck a 12 year boy with a stick causing a series of injuries, a court has heard, writes Gordon Deegan At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, State Solicitor for County Clare, Aisling Casey told the court that one of the injuries the boy was treated for in the aftermath of the alleged ‘stick assault’ by Mr Gilligan (47) was a fractured left hand. Solicitor for Mr Gilligan, Daragh Hassett told the court that the sequence of events set out by the State is not accepted by his client and “there is a complete dispute in relation to what is alleged to have happened here”.
Ms Casey said that the DPP had directed that the prosecution against Mr Gilligan be heard in the District Court. However, after hearing an outline of the State case against Mr Gilligan from Ms Casey to determine which court the case will be heard in Judge Alec Gabbett declined District Court jurisdiction.
Judge Gabbett has directed that the case against Mr Gilligan of Rosroe, Sixmilebridge, now go forward
to the Circuit Court where more serious penalties apply on conviction for assault causing harm.
As part of the State case, a medical report and photos of the boy’s injuries were handed into court and Judge Gabbett said, “I am looking at photographs here and what I am seeing is a child with significant injuries over and above what the District Court should be dealing with so I am going to refuse jurisdiction”.
Farmer and auctioneer, Mr Gilligan is charged with the assault causing harm of a 12-year old boy at the Jamaica Inn Hostel, Mt Ivers Rd, Sixmildebridge contrary to Section 3 of the Offences Against the Person Act on October 5th last.
Mr Gilligan is also charged with producing a wooden stick during the course of a dispute contrary to Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act at the same location on the same date. Mr Gilligan denies both charges.
Outlining the background to the charges against Mr Gilligan, Ms Casey said the charges relate to a matter alleged to have happened on October 5th 2023 at 5.30pm.
She said that the alleged injured party, who was aged 12 at the time
was with a friend also aged 12 and they were on a disused property, the Jamaica Inn in Sixmilebridge owned by the acused. Ms Casey said, “When the boys were on the property, it will be alleged that the accused confronted the two boys and produced a wooden stick and the boys attempted to flee”.
She said that it will be alleged that the alleged injured party “slipped
on muddy ground and while lying on the ground, it will be alleged that the accused struck him several times with the wooden stick he had in his possession”.
Ms Casey stated the boy returned home on foot and was brought first to the VHI clinic and subsequently transferred to University Hospital Limerick that evening. Ms Casey said that the injuries reported was a loss of consciousness by the boy on the occasion along with significant bruising at the top right shoulder, the buttocks and lower back. Ms Casey said that injuries also included a 2cm long wound was on the boy’s forearm and a 2cm long wound to the right shin which both required suturing
Ms Casey stated that following orthopaedic intervention, a fracture was identified on the boy’s left hand and he made a full, uneventful recovery concerning the hand injury.
Asked for his observations by Judge Gabbett, Mr Gilligan’s solicitor, Daragh Hassett said, "My role is limited here, save to say that the sequence of events set out by the State is not accepted”.
Mr Hassett said that Niall Gilli-
gan "volunteered a full account to Gardaí some time back". He said, "There is a complete dispute in relation to what is alleged to have happened here. That is for a different day and perhaps for a different court”. Mr Hassett said that he had no role on the issue of jurisdiction "so I will hold my fire”.
After declining jurisdiction, Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to September 18th to allow a Book of Evidence to be served on Mr Gilligan. Ms Casey said that as juveniles are involved in the case, she was anxious that matters be expedited as soon as possible.
She confirmed that both juvenile witnesses will give evidence by video link in the Circuit Court.
Judge Gabbett further remanded Mr Gilligan on bail to re-appear before court on September 18th.
Mr Gilligan was a star forward for the senior Clare hurling team which defeated Tipperary to win the 1997 All-Ireland Final and was named an All-Star in 1999.
The Sixmilebridge clubman also won two Munster titles with Clare and multiple honours with his club over a long, distinguished hurling career.
l Niall Gilligan
‘I find it hard to understand how they have such a disregard for life’
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
ON THE first anniversary of the death of her beloved husband, Jerry O’Connor, Lisdoonvarna woman Helga Himmelsbach has said the amount of near-misses on the roads of North Clare is only increasing.
Jerry O’Connor (71) was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday July 27th when the motorbike he was travelling on collided with a car on N67 in Ballyvaughan. The driver of the other vehicle, a French tourist Olivier Le Bozec has appeared before Ennis District Court charged with dangerous driving.
Since Jerry’s death, his wife Helga has campaigned to try improve the road network in North Clare but has found the lack of progress incredibly frustrating.
This Saturday to mark the first anniversary of Jerry’s death, a free concert will be held in Ballyvaughan from 3pm to 4pm in an event that has been titled ‘musicians for road safety’. The meeting point is opposite the church at 2:45pm. “Jerry loved music, and I feel at this stage ever that really everything concerning road safety has been communicated to the authorities, who continuously have promised changes and to look into and today have not done anything to make the roads safer. If anything, they have become more dangerous because the amount of traffic is increasing day by day,” she said.
Meetings with officials from BurrenGeo Park have been promised to her since November but not delivered upon, Helga claimed. “99.9% of tourists coming to Clare are going to the Cliffs at some point. There is some point of transport which contributes hugely to the congestion and danger on our roads and I think the management of the GeoPark should have an obligation to get these roads safer. Traffic needs to be reduced, better public transport for tourists towards the cliffs and back again. We are on a dinosaur system”.
She told The Clare Echo, “this hasn’t been my best year career wise and not really being able to work. Jerry did so much all around, he did the whole internet thing around, advertising, maintenance man, he also worked with me as a therapist, wherever I turn wherever I look I just see the lack of Jerry and feel very vulnerable”.
Numerous accidents have been witnessed by Helga on the roads of North Clare since her husband died, she said. “The roads are absolutely lethal and that goes for evey road, traffic is way too large. You see the big red signs in Ennis slow with the ramp, they can have them there, why can’t they have it here in the Burren”. She continued, “Timber lorries are extraordinary there and they don’t even slow down”. Commenting on the trial clock-
wise route introduced by Clare County Council for the summer season, Helga outlined, “I think any effort is great, and again there has to be stress in that its effort from a community group. It’s a good start but they also need to reduce the volume of traffic so these buses and camper vans shouldn’t be a the coast road driving through, if they are not booked into a facility to stay
let’s say a minimum of two nights. I think they shouldn’t and if they do want to have their privilege, I think there would need to be a hefty tourist tax. That is discussed everywhere around Europe. Mallorca already has a tourist tax, same in Germany, and Spain, we don’t even have a tourist tax for people who want to come and see the beauty of the country and that tax in those
countries is used to finance the transportation in their countries, cleaning, water waste management all of that”.
Despite this initiative and that the most discussed item at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District was transport and road safety, Helga said there was not enough energy or action visible from the local authority and elect-
ed representatives. “They have no interest in doing anything. I find it hard to understand how they have such a disregard for life. Jerry was killed and are they going to wait until it happens to more to put up a sign on which side of the road to drive. We need to make the authorities see what they are creating here”.
l Helga Himmelsbach Photo by John Mangan
‘Polite ’ man held down girlfriend during vodka-fuelled assault
A 38-year old man described in court character references as ‘friendly, polite and compassionate’ held down his girlfriend and told her ‘you are not leaving this house bitch until you are dead’ during a vodka-fuelled assault, a court has heard, writes Gordon Deegan.
At Kilrush Circuit Court, Garda Johnathan Ryan said that the 27 year old woman fled from the apartment on Ennis’ Parnell Street by foot and ran down Abbey Street to the local Garda Station where she presented herself at 11.55pm on May 26th 2023 with bruises all over her body after the one hour ordeal.
In the case, Colin Curtis - formerly of Horseshoe Grove, Crusheen, Co Clare - has pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm and threatening to kill the woman on May 26th 2023 at an apartment on Parnell Street, Ennis.
In her statement to Gardaí, the woman said that during the assault, Mr Curtis held her to the floor and told her ‘You are not leaving this house bitch until you are dead'.
Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly SC (instructed by State Solicitor, Aisling Casey) said that the woman described Mr Curtis punching her in the face and pulling her around the sitting room “like a rag doll”.
Mr Connolly told the court that the woman presented at the Garda station with numerous injuries to her head including a lump on her forehead and swelling on both sides of her jaw.
Mr Connolly said that the woman’s chin was bleeding while she also had marks on her neck, arms and fresh bruises on both of her legs.
Garda Ryan said that the woman told him that she had just been assaulted by her boyfriend and he said that one injury to the side of the woman’s upper face was particularly noticeable.
Garda Ryan said that Gardaí then went to the apartment where they found blood spatters inside the door and various locations around the kitchen.
Garda Ryan said that Gardaí had to break down the locked door to a bedroom where they found Mr Curtis asleep.
Garda Ryan said a neighbour in the adjoining apartment heard a woman’s voice saying ‘stop it, stop it’ and the screaming went on for an hour.
Garda Ryan said that Mr Curtis was not fit to be interviewed that night but when interviewed the following day, he was co-operative and admitted the assault.
Garda Ryan said that when shown photos of the woman’s injuries, Mr Curtis was apologetic and very remorseful.
Garda Ryan said that two bottles of vodka were drunk on the day with the two sharing the first bottle and Mr Curtis drinking the contents of the second bottle by himself.
Garda Ryan said that Mr Curtis
has 25 previous convictions which are mainly for road traffic.
Garda Ryan said that there has been no communication since between the two and that the woman doesn’t wish to make a victim impact statement.
In the court hearing on Tuesday afternoon, counsel for Mr Curtis, Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor, Tara Godfrey) told the court that Mr Curtis wishes to apologise to the woman.
Mr Whyms said that what occurred was “a bad incident”.
Mr Whyms said what occurred “is out of character - there is no previous offending of this sort at all but he knows he can’t get a pass on bad behaviour because of that”.
Mr Whyms said that Mr Curtis has €3,000 in court for his victim and an additional €1,500 is available and can be paid over to the woman if she is willing to accept it.
Mr Whyms then presented a number of character references on Mr Curtis including one from a former girlfriend and a second from his current girlfriend.
Mr Whyms said that from his current partner, she describes their relationship as loving and caring and confirms that Mr Curtis has stopped drinking and using drugs.
Mr Whyms said that Mr Curtis was in a previous relationship with a woman from 2006 to 2018 and in her letter to court she said that there was never any violence within the relationship and the reason the relationship broke down was because of his drinking.
Mr Whyms also provided a character reference from Mr Curtis’s unnamed employer, a garage operator.
M Whyms said the employer described Mr Curtis as friendly, polite "and always willing to go the extra mile".
Mr Whyms said that the author is aware of the background to the situation and says that “should the worst happen, we will keep Colin’s position open for him”.
Mr Whyms also provided a letter from Mr Curtis’s terminally ill grand-father who said that Mr Curtis is a compassionate person and has been a lifeline to him.
The man said that with Mr Curtis’s bail conditions meaning that he has to remain outside Clare, he has missed him greatly.
Mr Whyms said that Mr Curtis moved to Ireland from the UK in 1999 and had lived in Dublin and Galway before moving to Co Clare.
Mr Whyms said that Colin Curtis is a person who had been drifting from one small crisis to another and this escalated to drink and drugs and this serious matter.
Judge Comerford remanded Mr Curtin on counting bail and said that he would sentence him later this week.
LUASTEORAINNEACHA
TRÉIMHSIÚLA (ALT 9(5) DEN ACHT UM THRÁCHT AR BHÓITHRE, 2004)
FÓGRA I dTAOBH COMHAIRLIÚCHÁN POIBLÍ AR FHODHLÍTHE UM DHRÉACHT-LUASTEORAINNEACHA TRÉIMHSIÚLA
Iarrtar aighneachtaí ón bpobal ar na dréacht fodhlíthe um Luasteorainneacha Tréimhsiúla arna n-ullmhú faoi alt 9(5) den Acht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 2004. Beidh feidhm ag an luasteorainn speisialta 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 tabhairt isteach bheartaithe na luasteorainneacha tréimhsiúla sna suíomhanna seo a leanas:
• An N68, Scoil Náisiúnta Chathair Aodha, Cathair Aodha, Contae an Chláir.
• An N67, Scoil Náisiúnta na Céibhe Nua, an Chéibh Nua, Contae an Chláir.
• An N67, Scoil Náisiúnta an Rinnín, an Rinnín, Contae an Chláir.
Beidh an chéim comhairliúcháin phoiblí ar oscailt ón 26 Iúil go dtí an 06 Meán Fómhair 2024, agus na dréacht-fodhlíthe um luasteorainneacha tréimhsiúla ar fáil lena n-iniúchadh le linn gnáthuaireanta oibre sna suíomhanna 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 Limistéir Inis Díomáin, Bóthar Inse, Inis Díomáin.
• Leabharlanna Poiblí in Inis, Cill Rois agus Inis Díomáin le linn uaireanta oscailte.
De bhreis air sin, féadfar an plean a rochtain ar líne ag https://yoursay.clarecoco.ie Féadfar aighneachtaí nó barúlacha a dhéanamh i scríbhinn chuig an seoladh seo a leanas:
An tOifigeach Riaracháin, An Rannóg Bóithre agus Iompair, Comhairle Contae an Chláir, Áras Contae an Chláir, Bóthar Nua, Inis, Co. an Chláir.
Nó trí https://yoursay.clarecoco.ie nó le ríomhphost chuig roads@clarecoco.ie
Is é an 06 Meán Fómhair 2024 an dáta deiridh ar a nglacfar le haighneachtaí nó barúlacha ar na dréachtLuasteorainneacha Tréimhsiúla.
PERIODIC
SPEED LIMITS, (SECTION 9(5) OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 2004)
NOTICE OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON DRAFT PERIODIC SPEED LIMIT BYE-LAWS
Submissions are invited from the public on the draft Periodic Speed Limit Bye-Laws, prepared under section 9(5) of the Road Traffic Act 2004. The special 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 introduction of periodic speed limits will be at the following locations:
• N68, Caherea National School, Caherea, County Clare.
• N67, New Quay National School, New Quay, County Clare.
• N67, Rinneen National School, Rinneen, County Clare.
The public consultation phase will be open from 26th July until 06th September 2024 with the draft periodic speed limit bye-laws available for inspection during normal working hours at the following locations:
• Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, County Clare.
• West Clare Municipal District Office, Town Hall, Kilrush.
• Ennistymon Area Office, Ennis Road, Ennistymon.
• Public Libraries in Ennis, Kilrush, Ennistymon during opening hours.
In addition, the plan may be accessed online at https://yoursay.clarecoco.ie
Submissions or observations may be made in writing to:
Administrative Officer, Roads & Transportation Department, Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare.
Or via https://yoursay.clarecoco.ie or by email to roads@clarecoco.ie
The closing date for submissions or observations on the draft periodic speed limits is 06th September 2024.
Beckman Coulter announce plans for €10m investment in East Clare
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
BECKMAN Coulter have announced a €10m investment and the creation of 80 new jobs at its Irish site on the outskirts of Tulla.
As part of the investment, Beckman Coulter will enhance its world-class diagnostics production with the addition of two new fully automated reagent filling lines and upgrades to the site’s infrastructure, boosting both efficiency and capacity.
Hiring is actively underway for 50 open roles while the announcement of 30 additional jobs will be recruited between 2025 and 2027 for highly skilled professionals for key functions such as Production Operations, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, Research & Development.
On Thursday, the hightech site located in the parish of O’Callaghans Mills had an official launch to announce the new plans which was attended by Beckman Coulter’s Ireland-born president Kevin O’Reilly, who was appointed earlier this year to lead the company and its 11,000 employees globally.
European Commissioner-designate Michael McGrath, Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Violet Anne Wynne TD (IND), Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF), Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) and Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) were in attendance along with CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine, CEO of Ennis Chamber, Margaret O’Brien and Ennis Chamber President Sheila Lynch.
Already a significant economic contributor as East Clare’s largest employer with 560 plus employees, the headcount of staff will rise
to 600 jobs, almost doubling since 2018.
An economic impact assessment carried out by inde-
pendent market research experts Repucon revealed that the economic impact of the company was €183 million
based on annual GVA (Gross Value Added) in 2023. The report also shows that the Employment Income Impact of the company for the regional economy in 2023 was €55 million, of which €22 million is provided through its 220 plus employees living in Co. Clare. Over the next five years, Beckman Coulter’s regional employment income impact is projected to generate €380 million.
“I’m incredibly happy about Beckman Coulter’s significant contributions to my home country, Ireland, not only to the local economy but also to enhancing healthcare every day,” said Kevin O’Reilly, president of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics.
EU Commissioner-designate Michael McGrath said, “Beckman Coulter is a su-
perb case study of the impact of foreign direct investment in Ireland, including into rural communities. There are few settings more rural for an FDI than this site in East Clare.
“Yet the Beckman Coulter produces cutting-edge diagnostic tools here that are critical to the delivery of healthcare across the globe and at the same time makes a massive economic impact on this area.
“This reflects brilliantly on Beckman Coulter, on the skills pool available in Ireland and on how big industry and the environment can cohabit perfectly here”.
Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland said: “Beckman Coulter has had a presence in Co. Clare since 2005.
“Today’s announcement
of a €10m expansion is very welcome news and exemplifies IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to winning jobs and investment for every region in Ireland. I wish Beckman Coulter continued success”.
One of the top three diagnostics companies worldwide, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics employs over 11,000 people all over the world and plays a major role in world health.
“Every hour around the world, more than 1 million samples - representing up to 1 million people - are analysed in hospitals using Beckman Coulter instruments. In Ireland, hospitals in Cork, Kerry, and Mayo are prime examples of facilities using Beckman Coulter’s instruments.
lEMPLOYMENT: European Commissioner-designate Michael McGrath, Beckman Coulter Vice President of Operations Orlaith Lawlor and Beckman Coulter Diagnostics Persident Kevin O’Reilly
Photo by Arthur Ellis
Senior Vatican officials to visit Clare
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
TWO of the Vatican’s most senior officials have been confirmed as attendees for
the consecration of Ennis native Monsignor Séamus Horgan as Papal Nuncio to South Sudan. Taking place at Ennis
KILKEE UNIT
Cathedral this Saturday at 11am, the consecration of the Ennis native is expected to draw a large attendance in the county town.
As Part of Kilkee by The Sea Festival
We are holding a Station open day on Sunday 28th of July from 13:00 to 15:00
Do you want and have the time to join a voluntary emergency services response team ?
Are you available to attend training and respond to 112/999 requests for help ?
Are you over 18 ?
Do you hold a full driving licence ?
A chance to meet the team, see our equipment and ask questions. Also in attendance will be Kilkee Fire Brigade with their equipment. Light refreshments and finger food.
Subject to availability Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 Helicopter will do a fly by.
Confirmation has been issued by the Diocese of Killaloe that the ceremony will be attended by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Also in attendance will be Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to The United States, and Papal Nuncio to Ireland Archbishop, Luis Mariano Montemayor.
In May 2024, His Holiness Pope Francis announced the appointment of Monsignor Horgan as Papal Nuncio to South Sudan based in the city of Juba.
A native of Tobarteascáin near St. Flannan’s College where he completed his secondary schooling, Monsignor Horgan entered St Patrick’s College Maynooth in 1987 before being ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael Harty in 1994 at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ennis.
He is currently First Counsellor at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington D.C. and has previously held Diplomatic Service of the Holy See roles in Uganda, Switzerland, The Philippines and Italy.
Bishop of Killaloe Dr. Fintan Monahan said, “We are honoured to be welcoming the Secretariat of State to County Clare. As the principal collaborator of His Holiness Pope Francis, Cardinal Parolin’s presence at Ennis Cathedral this weekend will add to the sense of occasion during what will be a hugely proud day for Monsignor
Séamus and for our Diocese”.
St. Flannan’s College
Principal Fr. Iggy McCormack said, “This episcopal appointment is a tremendous honour for Monsignor Séamus and for our school, and we are looking forward to the prestigious occasion of his consecration on Saturday, We are very proud of what Monsignor Séamus has achieved in his ministry to date during which time he has served as Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciatures in Kampala, Berne and Manila, as well as working at the Secretariat of State in Rome from 2015 to 2020 before assuming his current role in
the United States”. Following his consecration Monsignor Séamus Horgan will be one of four incumbent Irish Papal Nuncios, the remaining three being Archbishop Eugene Nugent from County Clare (Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar), Archbishop Michael F Crotty from Cork (Nigeria) and Archbishop Noël Treanor from Monaghan (European Union).
Cross native, Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) tabled a request at the July meeting of Clare County Council for the local authority to mark the event by holding a reception over the weekend.
lCONSECRATION: Monsignor Séamus Horgan Meets Pope Francis
Youngsters cheer on the Clare Senior hurling team
Photo by sent in by Patrick Hannon
The Banner roar
A banquet fit for kings - Clare team
FAMILY, friends and partners of the Clare hurling panel and management were joined by proud supporters at The InterContinental in Dublin for their All-Ireland final victory banquet on Sunday night, writes Páraic McMahon Clare captain Tony Kelly was announced as man of the match from the banquet as The Sunday Game crossed over to the five star hotel in Dublin 4. In between the wining and dining, Sixmi-
lebridge native Marie Crowe, the RTÉ broadcaster and sister-in-law of Clare coach Brendan Bugler acted as MC.
Politicians and senior officials of Clare County Council were among those in the attendance at the hotel which has Clare native, Nicky Logue of Bunratty serving as its General Manager.
The Clare Echo’s Gerard O’Neill was the only photographer on duty at the event where he captured the celebrations.
lROYAL AFFAIR: Pictured at the players victory banquet at the InterContinenatal Hotel in Dublin were (clockwise from top left): Eibhear Quilligan; Pat O’Donnell; Conor Cleary, Paul Flanagan with his mom and dad and Louise Griffin; Clare captain Tony Kelly and Naomi McMahon; Michelle Caulfield and John Conlon; Seadna Morey and Orlaith Duggan; Sarah Canny and Diarmuid Ryan; Nora O’Dwyer and Mark O’Donnell; Rory Hayes and family; Aidan McCarthy and Shane O’Donnell; Mairead and Deirdre Murphy; Rita McInerney gets a hug; Robert Conlon and Deirdre Chaplin; Katie McInerney; Joseph Melody and Eoin Gavin; Jo Crowe and Brendan Bugler
Photos by Gerard O’Neill
celebrate win
All-Ireland slip-up for Echo slimmers
THE Clare Echo slimming journey continues this week for Kieran Murphy and Denise Quin.
Having made significant progress in Week 1 and 2, our duo (like the rest of us) got carried away with the Clare hurlers and in the words of Kieran, “all hell broke lose” in Week 3.
SLIMMER PROFILE
Kieran Murphy Title:
How did week three go for you?
It was a changing week last week. I was doing well until Friday. I was very busy on the farm on Saturday so I was eating on the run.
Sunday was the all-Ireland final. I was prepared for the trip to Dublin but again was I eating on the run and did not keep to the plan whatsoever. Lob in a couple of pints Sunday night and all hell broke loose.
What changes have you made?
I hope to be back on track again this week. The biggest change I will make this week is not to be too hard on myself. After speaking to Tarah & Pamela (our great leaders) they asked me to allow syns into my diet while of course being careful.
Tell us about your group:
I attended Pamela’s 9.30 am class on Tuesday at Tracey’s West County Hotel. There is also an 8am class if you prefer. This is a great group with a big turnout. All the members are extremely supportive of each other with many attending for years. Pamela is so supportive and reassuring. She is a Slimming World success story losing 7 stone on her weight loss journey.
The members brought in food they prepared at home. There were many delicious breakfast ideas on show. All are easily prepared once you plan ahead.
Slimmer of the week was crowned and so was “Woman of the Year”. Congratulations Amanda on your journey to date.
SLIMMER PROFILE
Denise Quinn
Title: Head of Sales
Age: 49
Height: 5ft 3in
Starting weight: 14st.05lb
Week 1: Lost 7lbs
Week 2: Lost 3.5lbs
Week 3: Gained 2lbs
Current weight: 13st6lb
Goal: To lose 2 stone
“Oh My Lovely Rose Of Clare” was what I was singing going in for my weight this week.
I was like a bauld child wishing I could dodge the reality of my Syns.
“A Moment like this” was my next song and finally I sang “I get knocked down but I get up again”! Well, I was kind of proud of myself cause I showed up.
To be honest, I felt a 2lb gain wasn’t too bad because I celebrated in style this weekend.
Saturday night I celebrated my son’s 21st with family friends which ran into Sunday’s Celebrations, not forgetting the extra Brandy I drank to settle my nerves watching the unforgettable All Ireland Final that encouraged me to comfort eat with the emotions I went through and at the time I felt I deserved all that I consumed.
Unfortunately this party is over
for me now I am back on track. Plan is in place now to make amends and move forward. Looking forward to feeling great again.
Consultant tips
1 if your week hasn’t gone as planned, the most important tip is to get to group! Get set with a plan
for the new week ahead
2 Swap to free foods when you can, to stay full and satisfied
3 Try new things eg foods, recipes, activities. Find the ones you love.
4 Do like the Clare team, get plenty of protein rich foods in and at least 110 minutes of running around lol!!! Up the banner
Updated Venues, times and Leader Details
Louise: Friday mornings at 9.30 am NewMarket on Fergus,Community Hall ,V95 RH93 . Call Louise on 086 138 1874
Facebook Follow Slimming World Newmarket on Fergus
Tarah: Monday Evening at 7pm Hope Cafe In Shannon
Also at Treacys West County Hotel Ennis every Tuesday at 5.30pm and 7pm.
Call Tarah on 086 271 5834 . Follow Facebook -Slimming World with Tarah
Pamela -Every -Tuesday and Thursday mornings 8am and 9.30 am at Treacys West County Hotel Ennis. Also on Wednesday 4pm and 5.30 pm Teach Ceoil Church Ennistymon Call Pamela on 087 622 4698 Facebook follow -Slimming world Ennis & Ennistymon with Pamela Martina -Saturday Mornings at CBS primary school ,New Road Ennis -8.30 and 10.30 .Call Martina on 089 407 9264
Facebook Follow -Slimming world Southcourt and Caherconlish
WE HAVE had some lovely days over the past week, and it’s nice to have warm summer days. Yes, we are having a mixed bag, but some of the gardens are thriving with the mixed weather. One thing people may not realise is that although it might be raining, the plants have so much foliage that they may not necessarily be getting enough water. So, I would still check pots and baskets to see if they need extra water, and continue to feed every two weeks to keep your plants looking their best, along with regularly deadheading flowers. Some perennial flowers have finished flowering for the moment; cut them back and watch as they produce more blooms.
If you have a basket where one part is thriving and another part has failed, why not add an extra plant to balance it?
l Stipa tenuissima
There are still nice bits of summer colour, and over the last week or so, many have been getting bargains on our summer bedding plants.
This season we have noticed an increase in container gardening. Whether your garden is full and you still want a pop of colour, or if you have limited space and only a gravel area, you can use a variety of containers to create a beautiful space. Some use pots to sit in beds and borders to enhance the colour of a particular area.
It’s not just bedding plants that you can use; some have a selection of shrubs with a variety of colours and flowers, and perennials that have long-lasting flowering periods. There are so many shrubs to choose from. Hypericum can give a lovely, yellow, and long-flowering look. The Hebe selection,
such as ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ and ‘Joan Mac,’ has lovely foliage and flow ers, and it’s a very tidy and structured shrub. Some people even have a se lection of vegetables and herbs in containers ready to use near the door.
For all those gardeners out there, it’s a joy to be in the garden, to watch and encourage our masterpiece blooming, and to plan what’s next. So, enjoy sitting and watching it bloom.
lSUPPORT: Kieran with Pamela
Thought for the week: Shine a light
RONAN SCULLY
IWAS at the Paulo Nutini concert when he played in Thomond Park in Limerick recently, thanks to the kind birthday gift from my daughter Mia. His singing of his song, “Shine A Light”, got me thinking about how I shine my light in my daily living and on my Life journey.
LIGHTHOUSE OF GOD’S WORD
Lighthouses have helped people navigate safe passages, find harbours to shelter and rest in, and fix their position when many miles offshore. Such lighthouses have always been strate gically placed, frequently on remote rocky outcrops or reefs, head lands, cliff tops or harbour walls. They were always built
where seafarers would need them most. Lighthouses are like beacons of hope and security, enduring the harshest of weather with great storms crashing against them, yet they stand, flashing their unique sequence of light. They have strong walls and are built with deep foundations on solid rock. The rock upon which people of faith must build their spiritual house today is God’s word. To survive the storms of life to come, we must, like a lighthouse, be firmly rooted with strong foundations on, and in, God’s word.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
As your thought for the week, we must remember that the most fundamental vocation and purpose of our lives is to love and the sole purpose of our light is to use it to help other people see Jesus. However, love without sacrifice is empty, and love without pain is vain. Mother Teresa once said that humanity has cured so many incurable diseases, but one disease that afflicts humanity today is that there are many people who feel unwanted and unloved.
May each and every one of us become God’s light and hand in the world to touch a wounded soul and heal a broken heart through acts of kindness, love, charity, mercy and forgiveness that flows from a deep place. May we remember the immortal words of St. Therese of Lisieux: “My life is for a moment, I am only the breath of God. O, my God teach me that for loving you and loving my neighbor, I have only today for my life is only for a moment.” Let me leave you with a daily prayer recited by Mother Teresa and attributed to St. John Henry Newman, it was said to be among her favorites. “Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen.”
Put the ‘’G’’ in GAA this Friday at the pop-up Gaeltacht!
Bígí ag an bpreab-Ghaeltacht san oíche dé hAoine!
LE MACDARA Ó CONAOLA
POWER’S Pub agus CLG Dhroichead an Chláir will host Clarecastle’s first ever Pop-Up Gaeltacht this Dé hAoine (Friday) evening at 8pm.
So, whether you’re a native speaker, líofa (fluent), as cleachtadh (rusty), or only have cúpla focal (a few words), there will be a céad míle fáilte romhat to the comhrá (conversation/chat), spraoi (fun) agus craic (craic)!
The fun event is in aisce (free) and all you have to do is bring your grá (love) for the teanga (language)! Or just éist (listen) as the
Imeachtaí/Events:
language flows as freely as the River Fergus. Power’s Pub, Clarecastle, Friday/Dé hAoine, 26ú Iúil/July, 8pm, In aisce / Free of charge
AN BHFUIL SCÉAL LE ROINNT AGAIBH? Bígí i dteagmháil linn agus leanaigí ar Facebook agus Twitter muid ag: @ macallaanchlair R-phost: macallaanchlair@gmail.com
• LUIMNEACH – AIFREANN GAEILGE, chuile Dé Domhnaigh, 10.30am, Mainistir an tSlánaitheora, Sráid San Doiminic, Luimneach
• Clare FM - Cúl-chaint le Domhnall Ó Loingsigh chuile Dé Sathairn, ag 9am ar Clare FM
• CILL INÍNE BAOITHE - Ciorcal Comhrá san XPO, chuile Dé Céadaoin ag 7.30pm
• INIS – CAINT AGUS COMHRÁ, chuile Dé Luain ag 11am sa gCopper Jug, Dé Céadaoin ag 11am in O’Brien’s, oíche Déardaoin sa Temple Gate (8pm), agus Dé Sathairn i nGlór, 11am-12pm. Déan teagmháil leo ag: caintaguscomhra@outlook.com
• AN SCAIRBH – ‘’Lón i nGaeilge’’, 1-2pm, CHUILE DÉ MAIRT i gcaifé ‘’An Gáirdín’’, fáilte roimh chuile dhuine.
Macalla an Chláir
Thousands turn up in Ennis to welcome home hurling heroes
by
THOUSANDS of Clare supporters flocked into the Fair Green on Monday evening to welcome home their hurling heroes, the recently crowned All-Ireland champions.
An official attendance in excess of 36,000 attended the marquee event of the homecoming organised by Clare County Council, at the Fair Green as Tim Smythe Park once again laid home to All-Ireland hurling champions. A crowd upwards of 30,000 had been at the same venue in 2013.
The guests of honour arrived at 20:51 on a double decker bus and the homecoming event continued until 21:45, not even the brief period where the rain was flowing could dampen spirits in Ennis.
Marty Morrissey was MC on the evening with all members of the Clare panel introduced to the crowd, some of them namely Adam Hogan, Eibhear Quilligan and Aron Shanagher on more than one occasion.
Among the All-Ireland winners to speak from the stage were captain Tony Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, David Fitzgerald, Ryan Taylor, David Reidy, Brendan Bugler and
Brian Lohan. They spoke of their delight at seeing such crowds in the county town to once again come out and show their support for Clare's hurlers.
An impassioned speech was made by the Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) while Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O'Callaghan (FF)
gave a rendition of 'Lisdoonvarna' in the musical entertainment prior to the arrival of the panel and management. The Tulla Pipe Band were on hand as the team arrived.
Clare coach Bugler speaking from the stage said, “I feel great, Liam MacCarthy is back in Ennis, that is where we wanted it to be”.
The two-time All Star added, “It was an absolute rollercoaster but credit to the guys, we’ve an unbelievable bunch of guys, they are an unbelievable bunch of hurlers but also an unbelievable bunch of people, they showed their true character yesterday and wasn’t it great to see the panel used to the full, that is what got us over the group”.
Dreams were fulfilled for John Conlon in winning a second All-Ireland medal. “It was electric, what a day of hurling, what an epic battle against Cork, to come out on the right side winning by a point is the stuff of dreams, it is the stuff you dream of as a child, when I was a young child in 1995 and 1997 they were main heroes like Brian (Lohan), Jamesie (O’Connor) and Seanie McMahon, it was great to finally come out on the right side and get another All-Ireland medal, I was so delighted”.
Clonlara’s iconic hurler continued, “Like any person or any sports person you go out and train but to walk in here to the Fair Green and see the emotion on all the Clare people and to see this is amazing, thank you to everyone that has come out tonight”.
Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
l The Clare Senior Hurlers recieved a warm reception at the Fair Green in Ennis on Monday following the AllIreland Senior Hurling Championship Final of 2024. Photo by Tom Micks
l ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONS 2024 (clockwise from left) Colm & Madeline Keating smile for the camera; Marty Morrissey gets a few words from the Mayor of Clare Alan O'Callaghan; Clare Senior hurlers celebrate with both the Liam McCarthy Cup and Allianz National Hurling League title; The 2024 Clare number plates are displayed by the Clare youth.
Photos by Tom Micks
l ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONS 2024 (clockwise from top left) Tulla pipe band are pictured amongst the homecoming audience; John Conlon is raised up by his county teammates whilst holding the Liam McCarthy and Allianz National League Trophies; John Conlon raises teh Liam McCarthy Cup; A Clare spporter displays there artistic sign at the homecoming at the Fair Green; The Clare Senior hurlers celebrate on stage; A young clare supporter holds up a Tony Kelly sign.
Photos by Tom Micks
Top Lions role for Ennis member O'Loughlin
by Stuart Holly editor@clareecho.ie
ENNIS Lions Club member James O’Loughlin has been appointed as District Governor of Lions Club Ireland.
The most senior position in Ireland, James is the second Ennis
member to hold the title in the club’s 50 year history, which was previously held by Terence Mangan.
Father to four children, Christopher, John, Michael, and Marie-Claire, James says his family were “extremely supportive and
extremely proud” of his appointment. He praised his wife, Galway native Anne, in supporting his endeavours with Ennis Lions Club throughout his time with the club since 1989.
James, whose parents hailed from Kilnaboy and Corofin, moved to
Clare from Dublin in the late ‘80s to run the Teagasc farm in Kilmaley, where he still resides today.
James recounts, “One day the vet called PJ O’Driscoll from Summerhill Vets, was on the farm and I had seen in The Clare Champion that he was president of the Lions Club in Ennis. I said to him ‘PJ, what’s the story with this Lions Club?’ and he said ‘why don’t you come into a meeting?’
“I came into a meeting in 1989 and joined and I’ve been there ever since.”
Through the Lions Club in Ennis, James has been involved in various projects including the Remembrance Tree which raises funds for Cahercalla Community Care, organising respite for carers in Clare, delivering fuel to families in need around Christmas time, and supporting Ennis Tidy Towns with litter picks on the Kilrush Road which is looked after by the local Lions.
Fundraising, acknowledges James, is a huge part of what the Lions in Ennis do but “you’re actively volunteering in the community as well. You’re actively packing bags of timber and delivering them to doors around the town, it’s not just shaking buckets.”
“You really you can’t underestimate the comradery, the friend-
ships and the fun. The one thing that’s really nice about the Lions is we have one single objective, and that’s to serve the community. That unites us, everything else doesn’t matter,” says James, who is also chairperson of the Kilmaley School Board of Management, and chairman of the local Meithel Group. “I love people and love working with people,” he smiles, when asked about the time demands of being so actively involved in the community.
The District over which James will govern is made up of 90 clubs North and South, with 2,000 members. Lions is the biggest voluntary service organisation in the world with 1.4m members. Speaking about his time to date with Lions Club Ennis, James explains, “There’s a lot of good memories. When the Ukraine War broke out we were collecting at the Height and over a period of a week, we collected €60,000. There are other projects which are very endearing as well, we had a project up to Covid where we visited people in St Joseph’s who would have very few visitors. That cost no money, only time. It was a hugely satisfying project, to see people beaming with excitement.”
The club in Ennis has 35 members and James notes that they are always looking for new members.
l Outgoing District Governor Kevin Harty from Cork hands over to James O’Loughlin
Eight per cent growth in passenger numbers for first half of 2024
AN EIGHT per cent growth in passenger growth for the first six months of 2024 has been recorded by Shannon Airport, writes Páraic McMahon
Compared with the same figures for last year, Shannon Airport’s activity for 2024 has increased with 974,012 passengers from January to June.
Boosted by the resumption of Delta’s daily service to New York (JFK) and extra frequency to nine of its European and UK destinations, more passengers are choosing to fly from and into Shannon Airport.
CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, Mary Considine said, “We have had a busy first half of 2024 at Shannon Airport and we are pleased to see our passenger numbers increasing when compared to the same period last year”.
She outlined, “Shannon is operating to 33 destinations across Europe, the UK and the US this year and we are thrilled to be able to offer passengers increased summer frequencies to nine of our European destinations including the likes of Alicante, Faro, Lanzarote and Tenerife, to facilitate additional demand during the school holi-
lBOOST: Shannon Airport terminal
days for those all-important family breaks”.
Shannon remains on track to reach the two million passenger mark by the end of this year.
“We are on track to reach the two million passengers mark by the end
of the year and as we build towards this, we remain committed to delivering a world-class experience for our customers, who are travelling from every corner of the country to fly Shannon.
“Despite being in the height of
the busy summer travel season, our passengers are still enjoying the famous seamless, hassle-free experience of using Shannon, where customers can get from the car park, through check-in and security in just a matter of minutes.”
According to the Red C Brand Reaction Index 2024 (BRI), Shannon Airport is also Ireland’s best airport brand with the convenience and efficiency of the International Airport a big selling point.
Potential setback for Shannon as Tánaiste says Dublin Airport passenger cap
DUBLIN Airport’s passenger cap will have to be lifted, the Tánaiste has said which is likely to dent aspirations for further regional aviation development across the country at locations including Shannon Airport, writes Páraic McMahon
On Monday, both Aer Lingus and Ryanair secured formal High Court permission to bring challenges against a decision by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to limit passenger numbers in Dublin Airport for the coming winter season.
Last May, the IAA announced that it would be imposing a Passenger Air Traffic Movement (PATM ) seat cap of just over 14.4 million passengers in Dublin Airport from 27 October until 29 March. Both airlines claim that the decision is legally flawed and should be set aside. The grounds of the airlines’ challenges include that, in arriving at its decision, the IAA acted outside of its powers, outside of its jurisdiction, has acted irrationally. It is also claimed that the IAA has failed to give proper reasons for its decision, and has
breached various constitutional rights of the airlines, including their property rights.
Separate High Court action against the IAA’s decision has also been taken by the Dublin Airport Authority (daa).
Shannon’ exited the daa umbrella in 2013 and the daa has said it will incentivise airlines to use Cork Airport as an alternative rather than Shannon. Lobbyists for Shannon Airport remain opposed to the lifting of the passenger cap.
CEO of the daa, Kenny Jacobs outlined, “Airlines that move routes and traffic from Dublin to Cork Airport will be offered lower charges at Cork Airport to encourage airlines to keep those routes in Ireland and to support jobs and connectivity.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin (FF) (inset) when questioned by The Clare Echo denied that he would be native to his native Cork if the passenger cap was to remain and more traffic would be redirected to Cork Airport and not Shannon Airport or Knock. “The airlines dictate but I think the cap will have to be lift-
‘will have to be lifted’
ed in Dublin, the planners will deal with but if you have population growth then the airports will do economically well, Shannon has made a great recov ery from COVID and the Government has pumped a lot of money in to keep Shannon and Cork going along with Dublin Airport. Shan non is benefitting from the Government’s invest ment during COVID”.
He added, “Passenger numbers are close to two million now, it is fantastic but we will give financial support through the sustainability fund”.
Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers (FF) during his time as a Junior Minister in the Department of Transport with respon
sibility for aviation, told The Clare in November that a passenger cap remaining was not necessarily going to benefit Shannon. “Putting a hard cap on Dublin doesn’t necessarily mean we will see automatic spill over to our regions either and there is multiple factors which contribute to why an airline will locate in a particular region or indeed a particular country, we’re competing with other countries to locate in Ireland at all and that is the wider assessment. We want to ensure that balanced regional development is a key part of our planning framework and our development plan, there are opportunities in aviation for more jobs and growth for Shannon and the MidWest region”.
Shannon proud to be home of the
CLARE manager Brian Lohan was lifted shoulder high as he made his return to his native Shannon fresh from guiding the county to win the All-Ireland senior hurling championship, writes Páraic McMahon
‘Home of the Lohan’ was etched on the sign visible behind the players and management as they made their first official stop to kick off the homecoming on Monday at the grounds of Wolfe Tones na Sionna.
Chairperson of Wolfe Tones, Tommy O’Rourke commented, “the sign behind me says a lot” when speaking of the contribution made by Lohan as a hurler at club and county before making the move into management. The dual intermediate club was particularly proud to have three representatives on the panel, Aron Shanagher, Darragh Lohan and Rory Hayes with Shanagher and Lohan introduced from the bench in the secnd half.
Up and coming Shannon DJ, Adam Sexton gave a rendition of The Script’s Hall of Fame prior to their arrival and it was apt as the panel and management of 2024 have marked their names in the Clare GAA Hall of Fame forevermore.
Shanagher expressed his pride at being from the town of Shannon and thanked all of his underage coaches when addressing the crowd. “Hon the Tones. I’ll keep it short and sweet, I just want to say thank you for everyone for coming out today, it is a privilege to be from Wolfe Tones na Sionna. Thank you to everyone who brought us on the way from when we were six years old, the likes of Pat McAnallen and Pat Williams, I won’t name anymore because there’s too many, thank you so much from the bottom of my
heart, I’m so proud to be from Shannon”.
Captain Tony Kelly used the opportunity to encourage the young members of the crowd eligible for Wolfe Tones to play hurling and camogie and the importance of Shannon Town remaining a strong GAA force. “A lot of ye here are from Wolfe Tones, some of ye are from faraway and nearby, seeing as we’re in the Wolfe Tones club for every boy and girl in the club ye have something to aspire to now in terms of the three boys, Shan (Aron Shanagher), Rory (Hayes) and Darragh (Lohan). The boys are always saying it they won’t be around forever, they need boys and girls hurling, Wolfe Tones needs boys and girls hurling”.
There was particular satisfaction for Brian Lohan to stop in his home club with the Liam MacCarthy. “We’re just so delighted to stop off here for our first stop since we went up to Dublin yesterday morning to collect that Cup. This is our first stop and we’re so delighted to bring it back here to Wolfe Tones, we really appreciate everyone who showed up, the crowds here are tremendous. We’ve been saying it all year that we have a brilliant county, brilliant supporters but I would say we have a brilliant town here in Shannon, we have a brilliant club. I’d like to thank everyone for showing up, we won’t be able to do autographs for everyone but we will stay around for a while before we head up the road, I really appreciate everyone’s efforts to come down and support us”.
After making his way from the stage to The Goalpost Bar, Lohan was carried shoulder high as the celebrations went up a notch in Shannon.
lLO-HAN BEHOLD: Pictured at the homecoming event at the Wolfe Tones GAA Club in Shannon were (clockwise from above): Brian Lohan gets a hero’s welcome; Keith Smyth and Shane O’Donnell enjoying the day; a little girl is held aloft; young fans cheer on the team
Photos by Joe Buckley
l SHAN THE MAN: Pictured at the homecoming event at the Wolfe Tones GAA Club in Shannon were (clockwise from above): Rory Hayes and Kitty O’Connell; Aron Shanagher and Darragh Lohan; diehard Shannon fans brave the rain to welcome the team home; smiles all round for excited supporters
Photos by Joe Buckley
One of Clare’s longest running shows set to welcome large crowds to Corofin
THE Corofin (North Clare) Agricultural Show takes place on Saturday, July 27th. This is the 73rd year of one of the longest running shows in Clare with the traditional to the quirky planned to entertain large crowds in Corofin. This is a great family day out with lots to see and do. Prizes will be on offer for classes in horses, cattle, sheep, donkeys, and show jumping. In the Corofin Hall there will be a marvellous selection of flowers, vegetables, jams, home baking, crafts and, photography, all vying for the coveted prizes on offer.
In the children’s section, there will be competitions for baking, art, poetry and novelty classes including best
painted wellie, best decorated hard-boiled egg, and best hand painted stone, to name but a few. New to the Children’s section this year is a trophy for the over-all winner and a fantastic logo competition.
The hugely popular dog show will take place this year at 1pm where your four-legged friend can compete in a choice of 12 classes. The Show is a must for children of all ages as Facepainting and a selection of kids games will take place on the day. Be sure to visit our beautifully unique Vintage Tearooms. Enjoy your tea/coffee in a real cup and saucer with a slice of cake or tart, or perhaps one of our delicious scones or
buns, all baked locally. A truly enjoyable way to experience afternoon tea in a beautiful setting. An experience not to be missed!
For those feeling very competitive, there will be a tug of war and sheaf throwing competitions in the afternoon.
The committee would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generous support.
Admission: Children FREE.
Adults €10
For more information go to our fantastic new website www.corofinnorthclareagriculturalshow.ie
lOOH LA LA: Vintage tea rooms
Brian Boru plaża opens in Tuamgraney
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
SUPERMAC’s have opened their new Brian Boru plaza site in Tuamgraney.
Since opening the plaza on Friday evening, there has been a high amount of footfall recorded as East Clare locals cast their eyes on the revamped store and offering in what was one of the more prominent stores in the county.
Opening hours of 6:30am to 11:30pm have been set for the Tuamgraney plaza with the Supermac’s section operating for twelve hours from 11am to 11pm.
Back in 1978, Supermac’s first opened its
doors on Main Street in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Ireland. Since then, it has recorded a turnover well in excess of €82m and has over 2700 employees. It currently has over 100 restaurants thoughout Ireland with further expansion plans.
This new plaza which was previously Niland’s in Tuamgraney has been shut for ten months following a sudden closure last September.
In November, the Plaza Group which owns Supermac’s acquired the property in an online auction for a fee of €820,000. The property was described as a “substantial forecourt in a high profile location”.
At its peak, the service station employed 22 people with a sit-down area for takeaway dinners, a service station, grocery store and off licence.
Originally opened in the 1980s by Tommy Bleach, it was ran by the Bleach family until the 1990s when it was sold to A&M retail stores. Galway based husband and wife, Mike and Amie Niland had owned the store for eleven years.
Old Photos to Protected Species and Tasty Treats at Scariff Harbour Festival
by Elaine Tubridy news@clareecho.ie
The opportunity to indulge in a little local nostalgia, to learn about threatened wildlife species recorded on what was a derelict manufacturing site for many years and to find out how to creatively cook organic products can all be savoured by festival goers of Scariff Harbour Festival. They are tasty treats from a packed programme of events over the August Bank Holiday week-end.
Old Photos East Clare is an online platform of people and place going back to the late 1800s reflecting the day to day life of Scariff and surrounding parishes from O’Callaghan’s Mills to Tulla, back to Mountshannon and further afield. It is a treasure trove of memories and social history, founded and developed by local photographer, Marie O’Leary.
During the festival a representative selection from 8,000 photographs accessible online will form a slide show presentation. It can be viewed on loop between 12 noon and 4pm on both Saturday and
Sunday in the town centre. Likely to generate significant interest, Marie O’Leary invites people to bring old photos which she would be delighted to include on her popular platform with their permission.
A large marquee located outside the Old Finsa Site in Scariff during the festival will house a colourful and informative exhibition on biodiversity. It specifically highlights protected and near-threatened species with visuals of common varieties of birds, mammals, flora and insects recorded in 2023 on the 30-acre site by Limerick-based, environmental consulting company, JBA.
The purpose of the exhibition is to give recognition to and create awareness of biodiversity at a local level. It also contributes to the combined efforts of the local community and public bodies to value and conserve biodiversity at a critical juncture in mitigating climate change. Sites, like the Old Finsa site, are often undervalued but they support a wide range of habitats that encourage biodiversity and revitalisation of the environment.
‘As a company we are commit-
ted to achieving carbon neutrality across our operations and the nature of the Finsa site prompted us to undertake this exhibition,’ said Eugene Keane, CEO of Integrated Services, which has initiated and funded the project. ‘We uphold the use of renewable resources, aspire to find a way towards a more resilient and eco-conscious future, particularly in business, and we are delighted to be part of Scariff Harbour Festival.’ he said.
Today FM radio broadcaster, Cathal Minogue will also host an entertaining Cookery Demonstration with a difference on the Fair Green on Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon. Chef Stewart Woodland and Tipperary-based Corrigeen Organic Farm, run by Declan Houlihan, will team up to create and serve some tasty treats for festival goers.
'We have to put our best foot forward'
GREATER support is needed for Quilty, Mullagh and Seafield to capitalise on tourism in West Clare, writes Páraic McMahon.
Provision of “local support for the summer holiday season for Quilty and Mullagh villages, Seafield Pier and local beaches” in the guise of extra bins and the presence of a road sweeper was sought by Cllr Michael Shannon (FF).
“Our tourists are entitled to clean and tidy public areas in our local communities,” he said.
Serviced bins are already provided in the villages of Mullagh and Quilty, Seafield Pier and the green coast beaches, senior executive engineer Alan Kenneally outlined. “In addition, Clare County Council road sweeper visits Quilty and Mullagh villages on a regular basis,” he added.
Kenneally advised, “Additional service provision will require additional resources.
At present the West Clare MD assigns two Kilkee Town operatives, two Kilrush Town operatives and four temporary or seasonal Beach Operatives to beach duties during the summer season. Our colleagues in the Environment Section assign lifeguards to our beach-
es and a seasonal operative to the beach in Doonbeg, White Strand. In addition, a Community Warden and Traffic / Litter warden are assigned to our beaches for the season”.
Speaking at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Shannon stated, “I am looking for people to facilitate our tourists in Quilty, Mullagh and Seafield to keep the villages tidy, provide extra bins and dog litter bins and it is basically preparing our tourism sector in Kilmurry Ibrickane to bring it up to the standard that we need our villages and tourist amenities to be looking their best for our tourists.
“We’re creating a foundation to promote in the future, we have to put our best foot forward, Kilmurry Ibrickane parish is proud of our amenities but we have to start putting in an investment to the product itself, keeping it neat, tidy and clean,” Cllr Shannon added.
The Miltown Malbay native praised Council staff “for helping everything run so smoothly” for Willie Clancy week, “there’s a smile on everybody’s face after the week”.
His proposal was seconded by Cllr Ian Lynch (IND).
'It is just a nod and a wink at the moment in Miltown'
FRUSTRATION has been voiced with the lack of progress made on the implementation of traffic management solutions in Miltown Malbay, writes Páraic McMahon
Separate proposals were tabled by Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) and Cllr Shane Talty (FF) at the July sitting of the West Clare Municipal District.
Slattery called on Clare County Council to design a new traffic management plan in Miltown Malbay and suggested a roundabout at the square.
Efforts to secure a “commitment of resources and a timeline to progress a traffic management solution at the Square in Milltown Malbay,” were made by Talty. He cited a reply to a notice of motion in September 2022, “we were told designs were to progress in the following months but (we have) no evidence of anything having been done”.
In March of this year, engineers within the transportation section of Clare County Council held a site meeting with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) “regarding safety improvements at the junc-
tion,” senior executive engineer Anne O’Sullivan stated. “A topographical survey is scheduled for July and this will allow for the update of the existing concept design to incorporate pedestrian and cyclist facilities in line with the new Cycling Design Manual”.
She said an application was made in June for Active Travel funding “to progress a project to deliver improved pedestrian and cyclist facilities at this junction which would incorporate improved traffic management at this location”.
Pace on the project has been a stagnant for a decade, Cllr Slattery remarked.
“This has been repetitive for ten years, I remember being at meeting with Cllr Curtin and Cllr Hillery when this was brought up, the only difference now is cyclists are included, it isn’t that they weren’t there but they weren’t considered as important”. He added, “It isn’t as controversial as Blake’s Corner but it is a big issue”.
“It is going on too long,” stated Cllr Talty who felt the situation highlighted a flaw in local democracy given that a motion on the subject was
passed in September 2022 but little to no progress has been evident. “If we propose and adopt something then it is out of our hands and it is to be delivered, the answer says there was a site meeting in March 2024 which is nineteen months on from the motion, it is not credible for us as elected represenatives for us to meet people and say there is nothing happening”.
According to the postmaster, reference to an Active Travel application “is a red flag for me if we’re looking for Active Travel for Miltown Malbay. Active Travel will not come beyond Ennis or Shannon from what we’ve seen, that to me is a fob off”.
Both Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) and Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) seconded the proposals with Killeen pointing out, “the big question is who has right of way and who is going to give” which prompted Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) to reply, “it is just a nod and a wink at the moment”.
Senior engineer Tony Neville told the meeting they would follow up with their colleagues to see if surveys have been done and revert back to councillors.
lSeafield pier
Tanáiste Micheál Martin in favour of Ennis Data Centre proceeding
SUPPORT for the planned Ennis Data Centre has been voiced by Tanáiste, Micheál Martin (FF), writes Páraic McMahon
In April, An Bord Pleanála gave the green light to plans for a new 200MW €1.2 billion data centre campus on the outskirts of Ennis. The data centre campus is to comprise six data halls covering 145 acres or 1.3 million sq ft on lands adjacent to the Tulla Road on the eastern outskirts of Ennis near Junction 13 on the M18 motorway connecting Galway to Limerick. Applicants, Art Data Centres Ltd confirmed that the project will cre-
ate between 400- 450 permanent jobs when the data centre campus is fully operational with up to 1,200 jobs in construction. They are hoping to start construction in 2024.
During his recent visit to the county at the Ennis Chamber President’s Lunch, Tanáiste Micheál Martin (FF) in his address spoke of the digital economy and trying to bring more foreign direct investment to the town of Ennis.
When questioned on the matter following his speech, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said he was in favour of the data centre in Ennis proceeding.
“I would support that Data Centre and its connection to the grid.
“We’ve a lot of Data Centres in Ireland but we are living in a digital economy and that is the future, AI is coming and the demand for data will grow exponentially so we have to facilitate all of that, it positions Ireland well for the long-term.
“We have to expand the grid but this represents an opportunity for here and for this location, that is why for areas outside of Dublin which haven’t had that sort of investment in the past we can’t deny them that investment, I understand the grid capacity is there”.
Of the seven councillors in the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF), Cllr Pat Daly (FF), Cllr Mary Howard (FG), Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) and Cllr Tom O’Callaghana (FF) are in favour of the Data Centre, Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) said she needed to acquire more information on the plans while Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) is opposed to the data centre.
In a statement to The Clare Echo on Tuesday, environmental groups disputing the granting of permission for the Ennis Data Centre said they were angry with the CSO’s 2023’s electricity consumption data
showing that data centres now use more energy than either urban or rural housing.
Friends of the Irish Environment argued over 80 data centres are already in operation, a further 14 are under construction, and planning applications are approved or pending for 52 more such projects. “All we are getting from the Government is blah blah blah,” a spokesperson stated.
out how you can help biodiversity in Clare with free resources from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan
• Lists of pollinator-friendly plants & herbs
• Simple, tailored advice for gardeners, community groups, businesses, faith communities, sports clubs, & more
• Posters & lesson plans for schools
• Interactive map to track your progress
Community clean-up in Lees Rd
LEES RD will be hosting a community clean up this Friday, writes Páraic McMahon
As part of a weekend of events which will culminate in Love This Place Day on Sunday, the Lees Rd clean up takes place on Friday between 10:00 am - 1:00 pm and will be led by Leave No Trace Trainers.
Leave No Trace CEO Maura Kiely said the Clare clean-up is just one of a number of activities to mark Love This Place Day by encouraging people to take a simple action that helps protect the natural environment and shows care and respect for outdoor spaces.
She said, “We want National Love This Place Day to become established in the calendar as an annual call out to inspire individuals, communities and organisation to take simple actions to actively respect and protect our wonderful outdoor spaces and natural environment. This weekend, culmi-
nating in Love This Place Day on Sunday, is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to show their enthusiasm and support for a movement for positive change in how we care for, and protect, the natural world and our outdoor public spaces”.
Members of the public have also been invited to enter a competition where the prize is a €150 gift voucher for the Great Outdoors. To enter, take a photo or video of their action for Love This Place Day, tag Leave No Trace Ireland and use the #LoveThisPlaceDay.
The competition will close on Sunday 28th July at midnight. A winner will be chosen from the entries.
National Leave No Trace Day is part of the 2024 Love This Place National Awareness Campaign which promotes responsible enjoyment of Ireland’s rich natural heritage of outdoor spaces and environment.
l LOVE THIS PLACE: Lees Rd, Ennis
Fortuitous Ennis move drove Vitalograph to next level
The Clare Echo is delighted to partner with Vitalograph on a series of articles exploring the history and ethos of the trailblazing company which celebrates 50 years in Ennis this year, employing more than 300 people in Clare and 550 worldwide
by Stuart Holly editor@clareecho.ie
VITALOGRAPH’S
Ennis operation is central to the company’s reputation as a global leader in respir-atory diagnostic solutions.
Employing around 550 people worldwide, Vitalograph was established in 1963 in Maids Moreton, Buckingham, England by Dietmar and Margaret Garbe. Their son, Bernard, suffered from asthma and often struggled to breathe. In 1962 Dietmar put this knowledge to good use, when he was asked by the Medical Research Council Pneumoconiosis Panel to develop a simple, mobile spirom-eter (the ‘Vitalograph’) to screen coal miners for what was then called Black Lung. The invention led to the formation of the company.
Dietmar persuaded his son to join the company in 1979 as chief designer, tempting him away from a career in the aircraft industry. Dietmar sadly passed away the next year.
where today more than 300 of its workforce of 550 people are employed developing pulmonary function testing solutions and carrying out cough analysis as part of the company’s participation in drug trials.
This year Vitalograph celebrates 50 years in Ennis. Former Managing Director and Chairperson of the Board, Bernard Garbe, recalls the unlikely story of how the England-based company ended up establishing their largest operation in County Clare.
“That’s quite a long story actually,” recounts Bernard. “There was a person running the company in Buckingham when my father moved over to the US, and his wife called Daphne was from Ennis. We weren’t allowed to expand our manufacturing on our Maids Moreton site so we started look-ing around at lots of development areas like Crewe and places where they’d taken out coal mines and there was lots of unemployment, and he said why don’t you look at Ennis?”
Bernard notes that the support of Ennis Town Council and Shannon Development in attracting new industry to County Clare was a key reason that Ennis was ulti -
mately chosen as the future of Vitalograph.
“[Ennis Town Council] gave us a sort of mentor called Ted Shields and Ted negotiated with us and the Council and various other bodies and eventually got this site where we are now.”
While the development of the Gort Road Industrial Estate was ongoing, Vitalograph had humble beginnings in Ennis, manufacturing at a small site beside Ted Shields Garage. Bernard’s relationship with Ireland would blossom as he took over running the Ennis operation when former manager, Peter Henry, emigrated to New Zealand. “I commuted from England to Shannon nearly every week for 10 years. It was great fun, apart from the commuting, but I got used to that. Sometimes I would drive the car over but mostly I’d fly,” says Bernard (71), who credits Enterprise Ireland’s con-tribution as a key driver behind the rapid expansion of Vitalograph’s Ennis operation.
“I had a great Research & Development Manager called Dr Ardawan Lalui, he was a Bahá’í, a refu-gee from Persia as he called it, Iran. He was a software doctor, he was a brilliant personality. Later on, Ardawan left to run a Bahá’í mission in the Czech Republic so I needed an R&D manager. I got Frank Keane in, and Frank proved to be extremely capable, and eventually I appointed him within a few years as General Manager.”
A local man heavily involved in the early days at Vitalograph was Tony Roche, from St Michael’s Vil-las in Ennis. Speaking about the company’s temporary beginnings at Ted Shield’s Garage, he ex-plains, “I started in
the late ‘70s where FBD is now. We had a small little place no bigger than this room, Peter was the man who got it off the ground. I was a store man and a general gofer. Every month a delivery would come from the UK, the raw material. That time I’d say they were only punching out 10 machines a month.”
Tony, who remembers being the first male employee in Ennis, continued, “There weren’t many people employed at that particular time when we took over the new build-
ing. The only thing I re-member is the day it was officially opened, we had an opening in Dromoland Castle if you don’t mind, they all came from the UK, the dignitaries from Ennis were at it, it was a freebie for everyone. It was the day that the breathalyser came into being and I can tell you, I went home by Quin anyway because I had so much cargo down, I couldn’t go the main road!”
Tony’s strongest memories include table tennis competitions between staff after work, social
events at the Cloister, and the example set by then General Manager Peter Henry. “A lot of the lads I often meet, we speak about Peter Henry.” says Tony, who used to wash all the windows of Vitalograph as a side-earner. “A lady used to come with the delivery from the UK, it had all to be checked in down to the screw and rivet, everything had to be accounted for. Peter ran a very tight ship. Every day he’d come into the office and he’d be there all day and have no lunch, he’d drink coffee 5 or 6 times in the day until it was time to go home.
“We won a County Final in ’81 with Éire Óg, and he gave me a couple of days off to celebrate and in fairness there was no deduction in the wages, he said that was part of the company. When I came back they had a big hullabaloo for me, that was part of the makeup of the company, they were very fair.”
Vitalograph has since expanded its Ennis facility to incorporate a second premises at Gort Road In-dustrial Estate with over 100,000sq ft in total now. Tony admits he’s stunned by the progress at the company where he once helped to assemble spirometers over 40 years ago.
“This is the first time I’ve come back since I left it. It’s a credit to them, it’s a credit to the people who took it on the first day. Peter Henry left a good legacy after him, he ran a tight ship and he left that place in good fettle for the people who came afterwards and he was a very fair man. I am de-lighted to see Vitalograph is progressing, the amount of people working for them, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a credit to them.”
n EARLY DAYS: Tony Roche, one of the earliest employees in Ennis; (below) an old Vitalograph advert and (bottom left) Bernard Garbe Above photo by Paul Corey
l EDUCATION: Aviation School Training Manager at Limerick and Clare ETB’s College of FET, Shannon Campus, Michael Hayes shows apprentice Derek Schmidt and Limerick and Clare ETB’s Chief Executive George O’Callaghan and Director of FET, Paul Patton the new Boeing 737 Max fixed-based simulator
Aviation Centre opens Boeing simulator
ONE of the most fully functional and realistic flight simulators used in aircraft training was recently unveiled at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of Further Education and Training (FET) Shannon Campus in Co. Clare.
The long-established campus is the only centre of its kind in Ireland which offers an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Apprenticeship and the simulator acquisition is the latest enhancement to the state-ofthe-art facilities on-site.
Limerick and Clare ETB Chief Executive, George O’Callaghan; Director of FET, Paul Patton; staff and learners at the campus were introduced to the new Boeing 737 Max fixed-based simulator by Aviation School Training Manager, Michael Hayes, who believes the new immersive training device will greatly benefit learners from an aircraft maintenance perspective.
Speaking at the campus, ETB Chief Executive George O’Callaghan said: “The addition of this Boeing 737 Max simulator at our College of FET, Shannon Campus shows the ETB’s dedication to providing staff and learners with cutting-edge training facilities which will further help to strengthen our status as an Aviation Centre of Excellence in Ireland.”
Described as ‘the latest and greatest of technology with unparalleled functionality’, the Boeing 737 fixedbased simulator is equipped with a modern flight deck detailed to replicate the real cockpit environment
with all panels, controls and systems fully functional. This will enable learners to receive hands-on, practical experience when it comes to carrying out aircraft maintenance function and operational checks.
Michael Hayes explained: “A lot of theory is based in the classroom here, but now when we are explaining an aircraft system in class, we can take the apprentices out to the simulator and actually show them.” According to Michael, the immersive simulator will also see the learners dealing with a range of scenarios that pilots have to deal with on a daily basis. This can range from starting the engines, operating the flight controls to dealing with system failures: “While pilots fly the aircraft, from an engineering perspective aircraft maintenance engineers need to know what every switch in the flight deck controls and its function. They will now have the opportunity to gain this type of experience thanks to this impressive new technology.”
ETB Director of FET, Paul Patton, also spoke about the benefits of the new arrival: “This type of technology is an invaluable tool for training that mirrors real-world flight operations and will be very beneficial to learners here on campus studying Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. Having an opportunity to work on this type of simulator and become familiar with the aircraft instruments and systems and how they operate will be an excellent opportunity for them.”
Clare County Council is currently inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the below competitions. Clare County Council will, following the interview process, form panels for the areas set out below from which future relevant vacancies may be filled subject to sanction approval from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.
• Executive Planner
• Assistant Planner
• Graduate Planner
• IS Analyst Developer (Networks) ICT Service Desk & Support (Grade VI)
• Community Safety Coordinator in Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) (Grade VII)
• Chief Technician
Please complete online application form available on www.clarecoco.ie under Careers Section.
Closing date: 12 Noon Friday 30th August 2024. Clare County Council is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the Community.
Scriobh chugainn as gaeilge más fearr leat.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR THE DRAFT TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION PROGRAMME 2025 – 2029
Notice is hereby given that Clare County Council has prepared a draft Traveller Accommodation Programme for the years 2025 to 2029, in accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998. The draft programme is available for public inspection from 26th July 2024 to 27th September 2024 at the following locations:
• Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare.
• West Clare Municipal District, Clare County Council, Ennistymon Area Office, Ennis Road, Ennistymon, Co. Clare.
• Killaloe Municipal District, Mountshannon Road, Scarriff, Co. Clare
• Shannon Municipal District, Town Hall, Shannon, Co. Clare
• West Clare Municipal District, Town Hall, Kilrush, Co. Clare
• On Clare County Council’s webpage: www.clarecoco.ie
Clare County Council invites any interested party to make a submission in writing to: The Housing Department, Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare or via email to travelaccm@clarecoco.ie no later than 27th September 2024.
Photo by Brian Arthur
AS A leadership consultant, I often engage with both budding and seasoned leaders, asking them to reflect on the qualities they admire in effective leaders.
A recurring theme in these discussions is the trait of remaining calm under pressure. This quality consistently emerges as a top priority, indicating that it is what people fundamentally seek in their leaders.
Additionally, with my groups, I evaluate the critical nature of trust between a leader and their team. When that trust erodes, the consequences can be dire.
This principle has been starkly illustrated by President Joe Biden’s recent withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. presidential race, a decision rooted in the growing disillusionment among his party members regarding his leadership. The Democratic Party now faces an uncertain future as it scrambles to find a new candidate capable of uniting and inspiring its members.
In contrast, the Clare hurlers have demonstrated the opposite: a steadfast belief in their leaders, culminating in a triumphant victory in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final. This juxtaposition highlights the profound impact that faith in leadership can have on a team’s success or failure. The match was a testament to their resilience and the strong leadership of their captain, Tony Kelly, and manager, Brian Lohan.
The team’s resilience as a whole, coupled with their leaders’ ability to inspire, created an environment where success was palpable. This week I take three leadership lessons from the Clare Team which can be applied
to business, politics, sport and personal success of any kind.
1. HUMILITY
Tony Kelly exemplifies the qualities of a great leader, not only through his skill but also through his humility. Despite being one of the standout players in the final, he remained grounded, emphasising the collective effort of the team over individual accolades. This humility resonates with many aspiring leaders, highlighting the importance of putting the team first and recognising the contributions of others. After the All-Ireland victory, Kelly emphasized the collective effort, stating, “It’s all about the team. I’m just delighted for everyone involved”
The Clare team’s resilience was on full display throughout the match. After initially falling behind, they demonstrated remarkable tenacity, refusing to back down even when faced with adversity. This spirit is a crucial attribute for leaders, as it inspires confidence and motivates others to persevere through challenges.
2. RESILIENCE
Kelly’s ability to remain calm and composed under pressure has also sets him up as an inspirational leader. During the final, when the game was on the line, Kelly’s performance elevated the team, showcasing his capacity to thrive in high-stakes situations. His leadership style encourages resilience among his teammates, inspiring them to push through challenges and maintain belief
in their abilities. This was evident when Clare faced adversity during the match, yet rallied to secure victory, a testament to the strong belief Kelly instilled in the squad.
3. GUIDANCE
The leadership dynamic is further enhanced by manager Brian Lohan, who has created an environment where players feel empowered to express themselves. Lohan’s strategic approach complements Kelly’s on-field leadership, allowing the team to adapt and respond to challenges effectively.
Lohan’s praise for Kelly, referring to him as “phenomenal,” underscores the mutual respect and collaborative spirit that defines their leadership relationship, while Kelly referring to him as ‘God’ surely makes for a relationship built on trust and mutual respect.
In conclusion, the ability of a leader to maintain the trust and confidence of their team is paramount. Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of losing faith in leadership. In contrast, the Clare hurlers’ recent triumph highlights the transformative power of strong, trusted leadership. As we reflect on these events, it is clear that effective leadership is not just about individual skill but also about fostering an environment of trust and collaboration. Leaders must strive to cultivate faith
among their teams, as this belief is often the foundation for success. Whether in politics or sports, the strength of a leader is ultimately measured by the faith their team has in them to deliver when the going gets tough.
For more information, contact me directly at denise@obrienlearningsolutions.ie
Innovative Leadership at OxyGeneration
THE Network Galway Businesswoman of the Year awards took place this month, honouring outstanding contributions in various fields. Among the celebrated winners, Jennifer Flaherty of OxyGeneration stood out, receiving the award for Innovative Leadership.
For the past six years, OxyGeneration has been a pivotal player in the healthcare sector, addressing critical gaps with its cutting-edge treatments. Under Jennifer's leadership, the company has embraced a client-centric approach, focusing on empowering clients with knowledge about the benefits and mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBOT). Hyperbaric oxygenation has gained significant popularity due to its effective and non-invasive nature. The treatment leverages the body's natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial re-
sponses, promoting overall health and alleviating symptoms associated with a range of medical conditions.
For many, HBOT has been the missing component of their healing and recovery journey and has yielded significant results regarding enhanced quality of life. From increased sleep quality to reduction of chronic pain the results are simply fantastic.
The recognition of Jennifer's innovative leadership has been warmly received and celebrated by both OxyGeneration staff and clients. Expressing her gratitude, Jennifer said, "It feels amazing to be rewarded for my work at OxyGeneration. I am very grateful to Network Galway for this opportunity and extremely thankful to the entire team at OxyGeneration. I genuinely love what I do and am excited for what’s to come in the world of hyperbaric oxygenation!"
l Tony Kelly and Brian Lohan celebrate their win
l CLIENT CENTRIC: Network Ireland National President Linda Codoul, Oxygeneration’s Jennifer Flaherty and Network Ireland Galway President Asumpta Gallagher
CONFLICT in the workplace is an unavoidable reality that, when managed well, can foster growth, drive innovation, and strengthen relationships.
Conversely, if ignored, it can lead to serious disruptions, diminished morale, and weakened team dynamics. Therefore, mastering the art of addressing and resolving conflicts constructively is essential for sustaining a positive and productive work environment.
Post-COVID, there has been a notable increase in workplace conflict in Ireland. According to the latest HR Barometer from Adare Human Resource Management, 74% of organisations reported experiencing workplace conflict in 2023, which marks a 5% increase from the previous year. Although there was a reduction in formal disputes, the overall incidence of conflict suggests that the pressures of the pandemic have exacerbated tensions within workplaces. Additionally, the study highlighted that employee engagement and staff retention are top priorities for organisations, indicating that conflict management is increasingly critical in maintaining a healthy work environment. The research underscores the impact of mental health and work-related stress as leading causes of absenteeism, further emphasising the importance of addressing workplace conflict in the post-pandemic landscape. This data reflects a broader trend of rising workplace conflict as organisations navigate the challenges of a changing work environment.
UNDERSTANDING
CONFLICT
Conflict is defined as a serious disagreement or argument, typically a prolonged one. It arises when individuals or groups have incompatible goals, needs, desires, or ideas, leading to tension and disputes. This clash of interests can manifest through verbal disputes, physical altercations, or psychological tension. Effective conflict management requires timely and constructive resolution of disagreements. This process encompasses open communication, active listening, and a genuine effort to understand various perspectives. Additionally, establishing clear policies and offering training on conflict resolution are crucial steps in promoting a positive workplace culture.
THE ROLE OF FRONTLINE MANAGERS, OWNERS, AND DIRECTORS
Setting the Tone and Leading by Example
• Modelling Desired Behaviours: Frontline managers and leaders must exemplify the behaviour they expect from employees. Demonstrating open, non-judgmental communication and positive conflict resolution sets a standard for the organization. Leaders who actively listen, show empathy, and address conflicts constructively encourage similar
behaviours in employees.
• Promoting a Positive Culture: Leadership plays a crucial role in cultivating a culture that values psychological safety. By reinforcing the organisation’s values, mission, and vision, they create an environment where employees feel secure expressing their concerns and ideas. Regular communication about the importance of respect, inclusivity, and open dialogue helps embed these values into the organisational culture.
Establishing Clear Policies and Procedures
• Developing Comprehensive Policies: Leaders are responsible for developing and implementing clear policies on conflict resolution, bullying, and harassment. These policies should outline the procedures for reporting conflicts and the steps taken to resolve them. Ensuring that policies are accessible, well-communicated,
particularly important.
• Access to Support Resources: Providing resources such as employee assistance programs (EAPs), mediation services, and external counselling can support employees in managing conflicts and maintaining their well-being. Signposting these resources ensures employees know where to turn for help, contributing to a safer and more supportive workplace.
Encouraging Open
Communication and Feedback
• Creating Channels for Feedback: Leaders should establish and promote multiple channels for employees to provide feedback and report concerns. This includes regular one-onone meetings, team discussions, and anonymous surveys. Actively seeking and acting on feedback demonstrates that leadership values employees’ input and is committed to continuous improvement.
Leaders should be committed to continuous improvement, using the insights gained from assessments to refine policies, enhance training programmes, and improve communication strategies. Staying proactive in addressing potential issues and adapting to changing circumstances ensures a consistently safe and supportive environment.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION GUIDE
Acknowledge the Conflict
• Identify the issue: Recognise and define the problem clearly
• Acknowledge emotions: Understand that emotions are involved and acknowledge them
Initiate a Conversation
• Private Setting: Arrange a private and neutral setting to discuss the conflict
and regularly reviewed helps maintain a safe and supportive work environment
• Ensuring Fair and Impartial Processes: Leaders must ensure that conflicts are addressed fairly and impartially. This builds trust in the process and reassures employees that they can report issues without fear of retribution. Transparency in handling conflicts fosters a sense of security among employees.
Providing Training and Resources
• Regular Training Programmes: Offering training on conflict resolution, effective communication, and emotional intelligence equips employees and managers with the skills needed to handle disputes constructively. Ongoing training reinforces these skills and adapts to new challenges. Specialized training for managers on identifying early signs of conflict and addressing them effectively is
• Fostering a Non-Retaliatory Environment: Ensuring strict nonretaliation policies are in place reassures employees that they can speak out without fear of negative consequences. Publicly affirming the importance of a safe, open environment and taking action against any form of retaliation reinforces this commitment. Psychological safety is a key element in resolving conflict. All parties need to feel heard without judgement.
Monitoring and Evaluating the Workplace Climate
• Regular Assessments: Conducting regular assessments of the workplace climate through surveys, focus groups, and other tools helps leaders gauge the effectiveness of their efforts and identify areas for improvement. Monitoring trends and patterns in conflict reports can provide insights into underlying issues that need to be addressed.
• Continuous Improvement:
solution
Brainstorm Solutions
• Collaborative Effort: Encourage both parties to suggest possible solutions
• Feasibility: Evaluate the practicality of each solution
Agree on a Plan
• Select the Best Solution: Choose a solution that is acceptable to both parties
• Define Responsibilities: Clearly outline who will do what and by when
Document the Agreement
• Written Agreement: Write down the agreed-upon solution and the responsibilities of each party
• Sign Off: Have both parties sign the document to signify their commitment
Implement the Plan
• Action Steps: Ensure that both parties follow through with their commitments
• Monitor Progress: Keep an eye on the situation to ensure that the conflict is being resolved as planned
Follow-Up
• Regular Check-Ins: Schedule follow-up meetings to discuss progress and any further issues
• Adjust if Necessary: Be open to making adjustments to the plan if it’s not working as intended
Seek Mediation if Needed
• Involve a Third Party: If the conflict persists, consider involving a neutral third party or a mediator
• Professional Help: In severe cases, seek assistance from HR professionals or external consultants
Reflect and Learn
• Debrief: After the conflict is resolved, reflect on what worked and what didn’t
lConflict
• Appropriate Timing:
Choose a time when both parties are calm and not stressed
Gather Information
• Listen Actively: Allow each party to explain their perspective without interruption
• Ask Open-Ended
Questions: Encourage detailed responses to understand the root cause
Understand Perspectives
• Empathy: Try to see the situation from the other person’s viewpoint
• Clarify: Ask questions to clarify any points of confusion
Identify Common Goals
• Shared Objectives: Find common goals that both parties agree on, such as maintaining a productive work environment
• Focus on Solutions: Shift the focus from blaming to finding a mutually acceptable
• Improve Processes: Implement any lessons learned to improve conflict resolution processes in the future
By prioritising psychological safety throughout the conflict resolution process, organisations can create a more harmonious and productive work environment where employees feel empowered to address issues openly and collaboratively.
At ERA Ltd, we are dedicated to helping organisations establish effective policies and best practices for conflict resolution. Our team coaches key stakeholders within your business to build confidence in managing conflicts, and we are also here to facilitate resolution when disputes arise. We offer tailored training workshops designed to meet your specific needs. If you’re interested in enhancing your conflict resolution strategies, we invite you to connect with us today. We look forward to hearing from you, elaine@eraltd.ie, chelsey@ eraltd.ie and dorota@eraltd.ie.
Quinn Property Management are delighted to present to the market this 2 bedroom apartment in the picturesque, sea front town of Kilrush. This property is a stone’s throw from the harbour. The apartment comprises of a large kitchen with open plan living room, 2 spacious double bedrooms with one ensuite and a bathroom. The apartment has a private balcony. Heated via storage heating and fully furnished. The site is ideally located and is walking distance from all local and outdoor amenities. The apartment is less than 0.5 miles from the town centre and SuperValu Kilrush lies within a walking distance. The property is ideally located approx. 10 minutes from Kilkee, where beautiful sea front walks are readily available. Viewing of this apartment is highly recommended. * We are requesting expressions of interest by emaiI only.
Quinn Property Management are delighted to present to the rental market this tastefully finished 3 Beds - 3 Bath in Carrownakilly, just outside Killaloe. This property is located close to the waterfront with scenic views and walks in abundance and is a short drive from Ballina Village in the picturesque town of Killaloe. Ground floor accommodation comprises of entrance hallway, modern style living space, open plan kitchen/dining and downstairs bathroom. First floor accommodation comprises of 2 double bedrooms, master with en-suite and main bathroom. The property is fully furnished throughout and heated by gas heating system. Refuse is also included. The site is located a short drive from all amenities ample car parking is also available on site. There is an abundance of activities in the local area with the advantage of remarkable lakeside walks readily available. The M18 motorway is 15 minutes’ drive from the property which offers easy commutes to Limerick city (30mins) and beyond. *We are requesting expressions of interest by email only.
Quinn Property Management info@quinnproperty.com
Quinn Property Management are delighted to bring to the rental market this delightful 4 Bed, 3 Bath duplex in the heart of Ennis. The property comprises of 4 bedrooms and one with a master en-suite, open plan kitchen dining area and a separate sitting room, with a private balcony. The property is heated with storage heaters and comes fully furnished. The development sits in a very desirable residential area within walking distance to the town centre and all local amenities. There is private parking and bin refuse is included.*We are requesting expressions of interest by email only.
Quinn Property Management info@quinnproperty.com Tel: (065) 682 4343 PSR Licence Number: 001044
Sherry FitzGerald McMahon are delighted to present this unique residence in the picturesque village of Quin. The property was carefully restored and extended in the mid-nineties. This original school house building was converted into a special residential home while retaining much of the old world charm of the original building with stunning stone walls and features. The property has been vacant in recent years and therefore purchasers should benefit from the €50,000 vacant house grant. The property does require some modernisation and repair and it’s unique character will always ensure that this property is that bit special. The residence has both front and rear access onto its triangular shaped site which is shaded to the rear by mature deciduous trees. There is a block built shed to the rear and much of the garden is in lawn with both a front and rear driveway. There are two attractive sheltered flag stone patios to the rear. The interior has generous accommodation with an open plan kitchen / dining area with an attractive open hearth fireplace.
Sherry FitzGerald McMahon
Diarmuid McMahon
4
3
4
CUL DE SAC SURROUNDED BY MATURE TREES, DRY STONE WALLS AND ROLLING COUNTRYSIDE ASKING PRICE: €375,000
4 BED SEMI DETACHED HOUSE SET ON AN INCREDIBLE, MATURE AND EXTENSIVE SITE IN THE HEART OF THE MUCH SOUGHT AFTER QUIN VILLAGE. ASKING PRICE: €325,000
5
14 BANNER COURT, ENNIS, CO. CLARE
Captaining Clare to All-Ireland 'the best thing I will ever do in hurling'
by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
CAPTAINING Clare to All-Ireland glory “is the best thing I probably will ever do in hurling,” Tony Kelly has said.
Ballyea’s Kelly delivered a man of the match display scoring an outstanding 1-4 in guiding Clare to win the All-Ireland SHC following extra time against Cork.
Speaking in Croke Park on the meaning of becoming an All-Ireland winning captain, Tony reflected, “it is the best thing I probably will ever do in hurling. There is a bit of luck involved, to be asked to captain the team first of all and then to have a team and a panel good enough to win”.
Kelly’s journey to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand was a long one given his struggles with injury earlier this season and an operation he underwent to rectify an ankle problem back in December. “The back end of last year was frustrating, trying to find out what the problem was but once you find out it’s not too bad and you have a date to return. There are a couple of bodies in rehab which helps to keep you going, like Ryan Tatylor and the man here beside me (Shane O’Donnell) who decided to come back in March or April”, he said with a smile.
Whether he would opt to make a later return to the panel similar to what O’Donnell has done in recent seasons given his injuries, Kelly replied, “only a certain couple can do that. I like going training, its enjoyment, the days of getting dogged are over, everythng is managed now, there was no GPS eleven years ago, management were eye testing, everything is managed now”.
In 2013, Tony became the first person to win Hurler of the Year and Young Hurler of the Year in the same year, a feat which was acknowledged by President of the GAA, Jarlath Burns. Recalling the success eleven years ago, he stated, “you are thinking this is mighty,
coming of the back of underage success. Hardship makes you appreciate things as you get older. For six involved from 2013 its mighty for them to have stuck the course. We were beaten in four Munster finals, probably got a bit of stick for not backing up 2013, for John Conlon Davy Mac (McInerney) and the rest of us it is sweet”.
When it came to extra time with a rising amount of injuries, Kelly showed immense leadership but he lauded the impact from the Clare substitutes. “We got savage contribution from our forwards coming on all year, our backs coming on today, Darragh Lohan, Cian Galvin and Ryan Taylor in the middle of the field. Different lads on different days have chipped in which is really important. The league gave us that in giving lads game time. Conor Leen got that, we got a great platform from the league with a lot of new lads getting game time”.
Special praise was reserved for centre back John Conlon from Kelly. “John is pretty much the leader of the pack, he is the elder statesman on the team, he really is an unbelievable guy, a talented hurler, his application and willingness to bring new lads together. I would have him on the same level as a Seanie McMahon, Brian Lohan, Colin Lynch. He has the same aura about him, his leadership ability is second to none, he is one of the best Clare players, he looks after himself incredibly well”, said Tony before adding “he says he is doing another year”. How Brian Lohan has lifted standards in the county was lauded by the captain. “Since he came in, everything is for the betterment of Clare. Before that we were in the media for not having things together, we were never on for our hurling. Brian cleaned up everything behind the scenes, he has us eating out of the palm of his hand. He is teak tough but to us he will defend us to the hilt. He is tough but a sound man behind it all. He is a legend”.
Conlon commits to Clare cause for 2025
by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie
JOHN CONLON has made more championship appearances than any Clare hurlers and the two-time All-Ireland winner has confirmed he’ll be lining out with the county once more next year.
Clare’s All-Ireland win saw Conlon make his sixty sixth championship appearance as he collected his second All-Ireland medal, he has lined out in championship more than any Clare hurler.
Part of the forward unit when Clare won the 2013 title, Conlon was at the spine of the defence orchestrating matters as they once again got the edge of Cork in the All-Ire-
land decider. “We were waiting eleven years, it was just magic to get over on the right side of a final, there’s been a lot of heartache over the last few years since Brian took over and so many near losses and as Tony said to knock down the door and come out the right side was just electric”. Nine months on from winning a second Clare SHC medal with his native Clonlara, it has been a glorious period of success on the field for the primary school teacher in St Aidan’s NS. “On the other side of my career when I was starting I won a nice bit, I had a couple of fallow years, it was great to finish it out and win a few titles coming down the home stretch, I’m not finished yet
and I’ll be back next year”.
Further assurances were offered by the two-time All Star in his conversation with Brian Lohan after the match. “Brian said to me after it, ‘thanks for coming back’, I said ‘I’m coming nowhere’.
On their way to victory, Lohan and his management had to use 23 players during the course of the final which went all the way to extra time.
Game time in the Allianz National Hurling League proved critical in helping the development of their entire panel, John maintained.
“We’ve built resilience over the last number of years, any team that Brian Lohan is over goes out and gives it everything, it was just a tes-
tament to the panel, everyone that hasn’t been getting game time over the last few weeks of championship but getting loads of game time in the league really shone through, Cian Galvin was outstanding, Darragh Lohan came in full back and was outstanding, it was the back unit we wanted to look after and they were savage.
“Lads came in and did their job up front, Ian got a point and Shane Meehan got a fantastic point near the end, that is what we need and that’s we wanted, a panel in Clare, in fairness we built that over the league and again for the championship which is great,” he said.
Photo by Ruth Griffin
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
In Clare hurling is like religion
by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie
“IN Clare hurling is like a religion and Brian Lohan is like our God,” said Tony Kelly as he captained the county to All-Ireland glory.
Croke Park had a full-house as Clare delivered a dramatic one point win over Cork following extra time to be crowned All-Ireland champions for the fifth time.
One of Clare’s greatest hurlers, Tony Kelly had the honour of walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand to collect the Liam MacCarthy Cup from GAA President, Jarlath Burns.
Speaking from the steps of the Hogan Stand, the Ballyea man touched on how the side kept bouncing back from near-misses to take the top prize in the hurling world.
“This Clare team has been maligned for three or four years for being nearly there or for knocking on the door, well today we kicked that door down. Days like this don’t happen very often in a day like Clare, it takes a very special group of players to achieve what we’ve done today, this group of players have gone through setback after setback, we’ve shrugged
it off year after year and came back for more. We’ve some of the finest hurlers to ever come out of our county and to ever play the game in Ireland as well, this group of players not just the 26 on the field but the 42 we have every night of the week training and pushing us”.
Paying tribute to the Clare management, he said, “We’re lucky in Clare to have such massive support but a great team is never anything without good people at the top, we’ve savage men who have done savage work down through the years and have stuck by us since they came in, the likes of Shane Hassett, Brendan Bugler, Tommy Corbett, Ken Ralph and Lukasz our S&C coach”.
Kelly also listed off the support staff including their nutritionist Gavin, psychologist Nollaig, kit men Liam and Padjoe plus the stats and video analysis team.
Fine praise for Clare’s manager Brian Lohan was issued by Kelly. “This group of players has been put together by one man at the very top, in Clare hurling is like a religion and Brian Lohan is like our God. I can’t speak highly
enough of Brian Lohan and all players would say the same, a tough exterior but he would do absolutely anything for you inside our camp. He is a legend of the game from his playing days and now he has added another string to his bow as a manager”.
Clare County Board’s “savage support” was referenced by Tony who commended Club Clare for “working tirelessly” behind the scenes.
Crusheen’s Pat O’Donnell continued backing was hailed by the four-time All Star. “Clare have won four All-Irelands in about thirty years, it is a testament to Pat O’Donnell that his name is on the front for every All-Ireland winning team in that period”.
Credit to the patience of the county’s supporters was also issued by the captain. “Since Brian Lohan came over this team in 2020 ye have been there cheering us on, we have given ye nearly days, we have brought ye to tears on other days, today on behalf of the team this is a thank you for all your support over the years. We’re looking forward to seeing ye in Ennis tomorrow night”.
l Brian Lohan displays the Liam McCarthy Cup and League trophy at the homecoming in Ennis on Monday night
Photo by Tom MIcks
& Brian Lohan is like our God
Speaking later on Sunday night, Kelly singled out the contribution of the medical team. “It would be remiss of me not to mention and they were three people I forgot to mention in our set-up, Catherine Fahy, Shane Malone and Michelle McNamara our medical team. It was an oversight by me but without them I would not have been back, Ryan Taylor probably wouldn’t have been back, anything you ask of them they are top class”.
INSPIRED
Lohan on Sunday became the fourth man to lead Clare’s senior hurling team to All-Ireland glory.
As a player he inspired a generation of young Clare hurlers from his displays at full-back, perfecting the art of a low catch of the sliotar along the ground, well able to ship a shoulder left or right, the red helmet worthy of a spot in the Clare Museum and cheers of ‘aboy Lohan’ still fondly remembered. He won two All-Ireland medals as a player, starting at full-back on Ger Loughnane’s side, he would also win four All-Stars during a senior inter-county career stretching from 1993 to 2006.
All-Ireland winning Clare captain, Anthony Daly describes Lohan as being like an “antichrist” in training in Denis Walsh’s book ‘Hurling: The Revolution Years’
while Dalo in his autobiography he said, “Lohan was a massive leader for us. Pound for pound, he was the best player I ever played with. Any time he would clear a ball, it was like another fella clearing three balls. The crowd went
“
I think Brian brings a stubborness and there was a strength in his play when he would burst out with the ball
crazy.”
Since his playing career concluded, he has coached the Clare minor hurlers, managed Patrickswell, coached Cratloe, managed the University of Limerick in the Fitzgibbon Cup and for the past five seasons has been bainisteor of the Clare senior hurlers.
Prior to his appointment as Clare manager on October 31st 2019, Lohan had initially been one of three potential candidates for the job alongside Donal Moloney and Louis Mulqueen. Moloney was the first to withdraw citing his
frustration with the process followed, a two-week delay with the extended nominations deadline arose and by the close of deadline there was just two names left in the ring but Mulqueen opted out and club delegates were delighted to propose Lohan for a two year term with the option of a third.
Mulqueen was coach of the Clare side which reached the All-Ireland final in 2002, a team which was captained by Lohan, Brian Cody’s Kilkenny outclassed Clare on the day. According to Louis, aspects that the full-back had as a player are visible in his management style. “Brian was always ruthless, you could always trust him. I remember we played Kilkenny in the opening of a pitch in Gowran where DJ Carey is from, DJ scored two goals on Brian that day and that night I was going to bed and there was a knock on my door in Pine Grove, it was Brian Lohan who wanted to know how he could work on his speed, he was that ruthless and that professional, he wanted always wanted to improve and be better.
“I think he brings that stubbornness and there was a strength in his play when he would burst out with the ball, I think you are seeing that in Clare and I’ve no doubt it is in the training too, his char-
acter is moulded with the team, they won’t have any fears of who they are playing, they want to play the best and Lohan has that type of way as a professional but it is down to the team around him too, you have to have a structure where everyone feeds in, where there is quick thinking, action, how can you fault anyone that has got this far,” the Rice College principal outlined.
Corofin’s Gerry Quinn was brought into the Clare squad by Loughnane in 1999, a year later he was starting for what was Loughnane’s last championship game and he was a regular by the time the 2002 All-Ireland final came around, getting the nod
from then manager Cyril Lyons to take on the number seven jersey from Anthony Daly.
For a young hurler trying to break into an iconic Clare defence, Gerry told The Clare Echo that Lohan was a supportive figure. “Brian was great, he was really supportive, Brian is a really strong type, he has a no bullshit character to him, he is straight all day long, if you give it for him, you will get on really well with him and vice versa if you don’t you will be dead to him, he is a real black and white character”.
For full article, subscribe to The Clare Echo at www.clareecho.ie/ subscribe
l Lohan addresses the crowd in Shannon on Monday at the team’s homecoming
Photo by Joe Buckley
by Tom Micks
Reidy: Magical is the only way to describe it
TEN years on from joining the Clare senior hurling panel, David Reidy’s wait for a coveted All-Ireland medal came to an end last weekend, writes Páraic McMahon
An unsung hero on the Clare side, Reidy contributed two points on the scoreboard and got through a mountain of work as the Banner held off Cork by a single point to be crowned All-Ireland champions for the fifth time.
Scenes during and after the match will not be experienced again, the Ennis native maintained. “I joined the panel in 2014, the winter after the last [All Ireland win].
Looking back at it the team that won the 2013 All-Ireland was a young team, you might have thought there was going to be a lot of success but we soon found that wasn’t the case, there was a lot of barren years, a lot of ups and downs but to win is unbelievable.
“A lot of people say you can’t put it into words or put emotions on it, the word unbelievable comes out but it is probably true, there was a lot of emotions, some good and some not so good, the heart was pumping at times but overall it is just magical”.
Both counties formed part of a battle for the ages in Sunday’s showdown. “It is madness, it is credit to both teams and the preparation that the teams put in, you could see lads going down with cramp but that is after running ten or 11 kilometres, that is not just going down with cramp, it is an intense battle, the bodies are sore but we won’t mind”.
Cork dominated proceedings early on but Reidy admitted he was unaware that seven points was the margin between the sides in the opening 15 minutes prior to Aidan McCarthy’s goal. “I probably didn’t realise that we were eight points down in the first half, we got the goal from Aido, that brought us back into it”.
Back in 2013, Reidy was part of the U21 county panel that had overcome Antrim in the period between the drawn game and replay. He has fond memories of watching his clubmates Shane O’Donnell and Davy O’Halloran bring the Liam MacCarthy back to the county town.
“Magical is the only way to describe it, the last time was in 2013 when Shane O’Donnell and Davy O’Halloran were lifting the Cup coming into the Fair Green, the emotions that ran through me as a supporter that time were disbelief more than anything”. He continued, “There was separate emotions running through me watching the lads present the cup to the town of Ennis and beyond”.
He had the honour alongside O’Donnell and Shane Meehan as the three Ennis members of the panel to bring Liam back this time round. “It was amazing going into Wolfe Tones earlier and someone said it was the main town in Clare, but by God the crowd here this is the town and this is the home,” he said. “I’m still on a high and I’ll be on a high for a couple of days so we’ll enjoy it and soak it in”.
SOD: pride of my life to bring Liam back to Clare
SHANE O’Donnell’s status as one of the most valuable hurlers to wear the Clare colours was known long before he collected a second All-Ireland medal, writes Páraic McMahon
O’Donnell is the Hurler of the Year elect, we just have to wait until the winter time for this to be officially confirmed. Eleven years ago he was the boy wonder who scored 3-3 in the All-Ireland final replay to help Clare overcome Cork following a replay. For the 2024 championship, he was Clare’s most consistent player as the county went on to win the All-Ireland SHC for the fifth time, again defeating Cork in the decider.
For the 11 year interval, Shane was kept busy, he completed a degree in genetics in UCC and in 2018 obtained a Fulbright Scholarship. His ability off the field and commitment to his academics coupled with his demeanour makes him the perfect sporting role model and that is without mentioning what he can do on the field.
Speaking following Clare’s dramatic one-point extra time win over Cork, he commented, “It’s very hard to describe the feeling, it’s an outpouring of emotion that’s 10 years in the making, 10 years of hardship made worthwhile. I am glad I didn’t make the decision to retire”.
Now the holder of two All-Ireland SHC medals, the Ballybeg man also has three All-Ireland U21 medals and as many Munster championships at the grade. A constant companion for all of this successes has been Tony Kelly. “When Tony gets going there is nobody like him, it’s just a matter of feeding him with the ball as much possible and getting out of his way. He does things that you think are not possible, an exceptional player,” Shane said of the Ballyea man.
During training on Tuesday in advance of the final, Shane picked up a hamstring injury, an item of news which managed to remain within the camp. “I had a bit of an injury scare during the week, I thought my race was run midweek and that I wasn’t going to be playing at all, to be honest being involved in the build-up and getting to walk behind the parade I was just delighted, every minute I was out on the pitch I was so happy to be there, I contributed what I could and then handed over to the rest of the lads, it was an incredible occasion like every All-Ireland final is, it is a privilege to play the sport and be involved in these events, to play hurling it is such a beautiful game,” he revealed.
Shane was pride of place as the Clare bus arrived into the Fair Green to 36,000 plus adorning Banner supporters. Speaking at the homecoming, the 30-year old outlined, “I don’t think I knew if this day was going to come back but I can honestly say it is infinitely better than it was 11 years ago, to come out here in the Fair Green in the middle of Ennis and see 35,000 or 40,000 people here it is fair to say that it is the pride of my life and a lot of the lads behind me to get to enjoy these days, to bring Liam MacCarthy back and celebrate with the people of Clare, I can’t wait to celebrate the next couple of days”.
Photo
'I knew he was looking down on me' - Hogan remembers his late grandfather, Galway icon
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
TEAK tough defender, Adam Hogan said his late grandfather was watching down on him as he became an All-Ireland champion.
Feakle’s Hogan has enjoyed a stellar campaign and is arguably the leading contender to be named Young Hurler of the Year when the All Stars are dished out in the winter time.
The family mantlepiece in East Clare is already growing with Adam named the Fitzgibbon Cup player of the tournament earlier in 2024 having helped Mary Immaculate College overcome the University of Limerick to claim the silverware. The previous winter, he was a central figure on the Feakle/Killanena U21 side that won the A championship for the first time.
RTÉ’s cameras set the scene well on ‘Up for the Match’ with Marty Morrissey broadcasting from the village of Feakle. Among his guests were Adam’s proud parents, Michael and Ruth who spoke of their pride at watching their son slot seamlessly into the Clare senior hurling team since making his senior championship debut two years ago against Waterford.
His father Michael known locally as Stokey won a senior championship with Feakle in 1988 while
his mother Ruth hails from strong GAA pedigree in Turloughmore.
Clare supporters travelled the distance to cheer on the side in Croke Park on Sunday, including Adam’s uncle Martin who came back from Australia.
For 23 years, Adam’s grandfather the late Phelim Murphy served as secretary of the Galway County Board, the county reaching seven All-Ireland senior hurling finals
during his term from 1982 to 2004. Considered a giant within the ranks of GAA administration, Phelim was Connacht Council President from 1997-99 and Vice-President of the GAA during these two years when fellow Galwegian Joe McDonagh was President of the Association. He was a selector to Cyril Farrell from 1984 when Galway went on to win two All-Ireland senior championships, two National Leagues and
Phelim Murphy
four Railway Cups when Galway represented Connacht.
GAA and hurling is in Adam’s blood and he felt his grandfather who died in 2022 was watching over him in Croke Park on Sunday.
“It’s special, he was looking down on us yesterday and thank God it came true, I knew he was looking down on me yesterday, thank God it came true and we won”.
Eleven years ago when Clare last won the Liam MacCarthy Cup, Adam as a young boy was pictured with his clubmate Oisin Clune, both of whom would go on to win Harty Cup medals with St Joseph’s Tulla in 2022, also in the photograph was then Clare full-back David McInerney. The image was showcased on Up for the Match as an example of how Clare’s success then inspired young hurlers like Adam to become inter-county players.
To think he would be on the same team as McInerney in the same defence going on to win an All-Ireland was something he could never have envisaged back then, Adam admitted.
“Never when I was at that age, I was always like the young lads here today dreaming to play in Croke Park and lift Liam MacCarthy but dreams do come true, in 2013 I was looking up to the likes of David (McInerney), Shane (O’Donnell)
and Tony (Kelly) but I kept working hard and thank God it came through”.
Hurling for Clare was always the ambition, “It was everything I wanted when I was younger, my family is stepped in tradition so everything has been about hurling,” he said. This was also referenced by his father who recalled that Adam was always eager to be attending Cúl Camps even when he was below the age bracket allowed to go.
Speaking on Newstalk’s Off The Ball, nine-time All-Ireland winner and nine-time All Star from Kilkenny, Tommy Walsh described Hogan as one of the “snarliest” corner backs he has seen. On the approach of playing on the edge, Adam explained, “I remember I was younger, one of my coaches said to me ‘nice lads win nothing’, I always took that with me.
“You have to have that edge when you’re playing, especially in the backs and especially corner back, the forwards are so good that you have to have that edge.
“Look at a forward like Alan Connolly, he is so good that if you give him a step like yesterday, if you give him the step then he will score a goal like the last few rounds, I knew I had to have that edge and be on the top of my performance to keep him quiet”.
All-Ireland success brings Eibhear to dreamland
FEAKLE led the way in contracting All-Ireland final fever and the build-up in the East Clare village added extra motivation for the county’s goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan, writes Páraic McMahon.
In Feakle folklore, there’s names like Seamus Durack, Ger Loughnane and Fr Harry Bohan who made starring contributions to Clare GAA, within the club families like the Donnellans and Guilfoyles have been central figures at club and county but the trio of Eibhear Quilligan, Adam Hogan and Conn Smyth will now join the big names and arguably surpass them as All-Ireland winners.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Quilligan began to absorb the magnitude of what Clare had achieved after emerging victorious on
the biggest hurling stage of them all. “You dream of it as a kid and you dream of it as an adult, there’s been years when we’ve been a nearly team and just losing out on great games but it’s great to come out the other side of it, it’s absolute dreamland”.
He felt their resilience was central to coming out on top by a single point in extra time.
“Resilience, we were seven points down in the first half, we had a really poor start, we stuck in and Aido’s (Aidan McCarthy) goal was massive to get us back into the game and we kicked on from there, it ebbed and flowed from the whole way to the end”. Were it not for his four saves in the opening half of the semi-final against Kilkenny, Clare would not have been in the All-Ireland
final, never mind be crowned champions. He was as quick to deflect this praise as he was with his reflexes on the pitch when this suggestion was put to him. “That is what you are there, it sounds like a cliché but you are there to keep the ball out of the net, when there’s an opportunity to do that then you do your best to try do that, I’m delighted”.
Quilligan had to wait until he was twenty seven to make his championship debut and despite not getting selected as first choice goalkeeper at U21 level, the LIT graduate has not looked back.
How Feakle embraced the occasion of an All-Ireland final rubbed off on the custodian who works as a business development manager for ABC Nutritionals based outside Cratloe and who have Alphie Rodgers, uncles of Mark as one of their senior officers . “I’m thirty now and you learn how to deal with things pretty well, the sense of pride in our small village the last week or two you have to enjoy the build-up, you can’t enjoy it too much but the pride you feel for such a small village to turn itself out the way it did is just incredible, it is impossible to put into words”.
Adding to the magnitude of the achievement was the fact that he wore number one while Clare’s number two at corner back was
his clubmate Adam Hogan. “It is special. Adam is at the other end of his career almost, it is incredibly special, I actually trained him to a U14 championship. He was well made before that, it is special for the club, for the people that have put huge work into us and Conn (Smyth) as well, it’s really special”.
l Adam Hogan and Mark Rodgers celebrate in Clarecastle on Monday evening
Photo by Ruth Griffin
l Special moment for Quilligan at full time
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
Long road back from injury worth every second for All-Ireland winner Ryan Taylor
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
RYAN TAYLOR had the longest journey of the Clare panel to Croke Park, overcoming a year-long ACL injury to play his part in the county’s All-Ireland success.
Taylor was first sprung from the bench with forty nine minutes played in the semi-final win over Kilkenny and had a game-changing impact. For the final, there was fifty four minutes gone when Ryan replaced Aidan McCarthy, once again offering pace, energy and smart decision making on the ball when introduced.
Suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final loss to Kilkenny kept him sidelined for all but two of Clare’s games this year. Regarded as one of the mentally toughest injuries to recover from in sport, Ryan said the road back was worth it to claim the greatest prize of all in inter-county hurling. “It was a long twelve months but tonight makes every bit of it worth it, you have doubts on whether you will ever get back to where you are it but this still hasn’t sunk in, it is indescribable but it is worth every second, I’m delighted to be here”.
He said, “This is what we dream of, we got over the line and I suppose for me personally to get back and play some part in it is unbelievable, absolutely unreal”.
Having spent so much time with the Clare medical team, the Clooney/Quin man referenced the importance of building a high level of trust with their physios. “You're with the physio in the corner training for many, many months, looking on at the boys in training and playing games. It's a long road, there's no doubt about it. But in fairness we have some backroom team, the physios are top class. Shane Malone, our physio, I genuinely don't think I would have got back. I think Tony referenced it last night as well, I don't think he would have gotten back either without their work; Kathryn Fahy and Shane Malone. “I'm probably not the most patient but I really do trust (the physios). They’ve been there with me since the very start of it and he has my best interests at heart. There's no point coming back early for a few minutes and doing more damage. So I put my full faith (in them),” Taylor added.
One of the big talking points in advance of the final was whether he would
get a starting spot, such was the impression he made in the semi-final. “I felt like I had a decent impact against Kilkenny and then it comes into your mind about maybe getting a starting position. But I suppose it's still only a two-week turnaround and maybe the boys were thinking, 'Listen, we need some fresh legs off the bench'. I was genuinely happy to do any role I could, as long as we got the business done.
“Brian would often say it to us, it's a 20-man game. And it really is. The bench had a real impact against Kilkenny and that was a big focus again (on Sunday), especially with extra-time. You saw lads going down and Cork were the same. But I think the impact of our bench has really stood to us as the season has gone on,” he said.
Belief that Clare could claim the top prize always remained with Ryan. “I believed we had the potential, that we could always do this. I wouldn't say it was an unbelievable thing but until you get there, you just never know. There's no guarantees you'll ever get there but I believed we had the stuff to do it. Just to get over the line, it's a little bit surreal. It hasn't really sank in. Hopefully that
will happen in the next few days but yeah, it's special”. This level of belief was also evident within the Taylor
pupils: Ross Hayes, Seadna
Past
Morey, Eibhear Quilligan, John Conneally, Conor Cleary, Robin Mounsey, Killian O'Connor, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald, Cathal Malone, David Conroy, Peter Duggan, Ryan Taylor, Cian Broderick, Tony Kelly, Shane O'Donnell, David Reidy, Paul Flanagan, Cian Galvin & Tommy Corbett.
family with his parents Susan and Pat appearing on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne in the last week where they ex-
pressed their confidence of a Clare win and their pride at Ryan’s discipline in bouncing back from injury.
l Ryan Taylor celebrates pitch-side with (l-r) Jane Taylor, Susan Taylor, Kate Taylor, Pat Taylor, and Ella Taylor
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
Action shots from the 2024 All-Ireland
ALL-IRELAND
2024
and players pose in front of the Hill 16; Adam Hogan seeks to take on Alan Connolly; Peter Duggan drives away from Eoin Downey; John Conlon raises the Liam McCarthy Cup; Tony Kelly soloes away under pressure from Niall O'Leary; Shane O'Donnell keeps his eye on the sliothar ahead of Seán O'Donoghue; The Clare crowd celebrate in Croke Park; Ian Galvin holds the Liam McCarthy Cup; Brian Lohan gives his orders during the All-Ireland Final.
l
SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONS
(clockwise from top left) Clare manament
Photos by Gerard O'Neill
Senior Hurling Championship Final
l ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONS 2024 (clockwise from top left) Conor Leen collects the sliothar ahead of Patrick Horgan & John Conlon; Shane Meehan, Tommy Corbett and Cian Galvin celebate in front of the camera; A yound Clare fan raises the Banner flag; David Fitzgerald hooks Niall O'Leary; Mark Rodgers runs past the Cork defence for Clare's second goal; Aidan McCarthy prepares to strike; David Reidy is tackled by Robert Downey; Eibhear Quilligan makes a dive; Aron Shanagher celebrates with his girlfriend Lucy Egan.
Photos by Gerard O'Neill
2013 survivors Conlon, Kelly & McInerney led the way says Clare coach Hassett
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
CLARE’S survivors from the 2013 team stood tallest to help the county bridge an eleven year wait for All-Ireland success.
Two-time All-Ireland winner John Conlon has been hailed as one of the best hurlers to play the game by Clare coach Shane Hassett who also described Tony Kelly like “a boy in a playground” with the skills he showcased on the biggest day.
Prior to Sunday’s final, the impact of Cork’s Shane Barrett was a focus given that he caused a lot of problems for Limerick centre back Declan Hannon in their semi-final win.
This narrative strengthened the resolve of Clare’s centre back, John Conlon who was determined to win this
individual battle, Clare selector Shane Hassett maintained. “People were saying John would not have the legs to stay with their centre forward, Shane Barrett, who is an exceptional talent, John being John probably took that as an insult. He proved people wrong today, John Conlon is one of the best hurlers that has ever graced the game and he has shown that at centre back and in the forwards for this county”.
Emerging from the Clare dressing room in Croke Park, Hassett commented, “What a game of hurling. I don’t know what to say other than what a game of hurling”.
He explained, “We thought in the second half of normal time that we could have pushed on and maybe won it but Cork being Cork brought on good pace in their forwards and they
got their scores and got it back. Maybe we gave away one or two silly frees that helped them get the chance to equalise”.
Clare’s bench had a massive impact in the one point extra-time win, he said. “A lot of our guys were out on their feet but we got them in and some of them put up their hands and said we can’t go any more and some of them
said put me out there and we will keep going and that’s what they did. We emptied our bench, young Shane Meehan came on and got a score to put us three up, we needed every single score”.
Leaders stood up when the need was greatest in the Clare camp, the Tipperary native said. “I don’t know where to even start.
Tony and John (Con-
lon), they were not saying no today, also Davy Mac (McInerney), I could name everyone but especially those guys who did it back in 2013, they were not saying no”. “Tony went out and played like he was a boy in a playground, What a goal, we will be looking at that goal for decades to come, the way he took control of that game in extra time. He has been really strug-
gling with injury for the last number of months at this stage”, continued Shane.
The performance of the half back trio really pleased Hassett. “I don’t think I have seen a better performance out of the half back line in a long long time, they were absolutely immense. Cian Galvin came in and never looked out of place, same with Darragh Lohan in the full back line”.
Shane explained, “we put the question to our guys, we said it was going to be whichever set of forwards worked the hardest that would win the day. There was a period in the second quarter when our forwards worked so hard and they took the pressure off our backs as well which helped. We never dropped the heads and the lads grew in confidence. We have learned over the years but especially from the early
games this year. In the Limerick game we were 9 up and they plugged us back and they won well in the finish. Eight or nine points now is a dangerous lead, it takes serious mentality to hold on to a lead like that and push on”.
Hassett told The Clare Echo, “The lads didn’t look at the scoreboard, they knew they were in the game. When 8 or 9 down you still have a great chance. When Cork got the goal we turned around and got a point and brought it back to six, we kept plugging away.
“I never got to playing at senior level, I have got here now as a coach and it’s so sweet. When the boys look back they won’t care about what type of game it was, They are so happy and thrilled that they have won an All-Ireland because they are not won easily,” he concluded.
'Maybe it was one of the greatest All-Irelands but all that matters is the Liam MacCarthy is coming to Clare' - Bugler
by Séamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
AN ALL-IRELAND winner as a player, Brendan Bugler added the distinction of coaching his county to win the ultimate honours.
Bugler was wing back on the side to win the 2013 All-Ireland championship, eleven years on his first season as coach to the county seniors resulted in them claiming the Liam McCarthy for only the fifth time.
Speaking to The Clare Echo shortly after leaving the dressing room on Sunday, Brendan stated, “it’s really hard to put into words right now, the only thing that matters is that the McCarthy Cup is coming to Clare”.
On the differences between winning as a player and coach, he remarked, “I have three kids now which I didn’t have then. Look the wins are equally special. I was part of a terrific group back then and this is also a terrific group and I am very fortunate to be involved with them”.
Panel development during
the League was underlined in the one point extra time win over Cork, he said. “Today was a real test of resilience and character and the use of our panel. The league this year allowed us to use our panel, Players like Darragh Lohan, Cian Galvin, we have seen how they can perform, they were terrific when they came in today. It’s so pleasing, you harp all year at training and in the A v B games how you need a strong panel. It comes down to games like today, we needed our panel and we got some response from them”.
To be level at half time despite falling seven points down by the eleventh minute strengthened the resolve of the panel, the St Flannan’s College teacher outlined.
“The start was a little ropey and we were doing really well on their puckouts but they were doing exceptionally well on our puckouts, particularly our long puckouts. We managed to get shots off and slowly but surely we pulled their seven point lead back and going in at half time we thought we were in a great place”.
Coming out on the right side of an epic may have
made the outcome sweeter for Clare’s supporters but winning was the only focus for Bugler and the management. “If it was ten points to nine today and we had the ten I would have been happy. In these games you have to earn to get there and we earned to get here today. You have to earn it to win and we had to earned it today, maybe it was one of the greatest All Irelands of all time, I haven’t really stopped to reflect and think about that”.
Clare cannot afford to rest and must build on the success, he stressed. “These are great times for Clare hurling and the future is bright. Our underage structures are great, people there are driving it on, Clare hurling is strong and the important thing is not to take the foot off now, we must maintain the standards right up along. We need a conveyor belt coming through every year”.
Attention for Bugler will now revert to Whitegate in the Clare IHC. “We will enjoy this week and soak it all in and we will think about the club next week. Eleven year ago we had to play the week after the replay”.
l Clare coach Shane Hassett with Aidan McCarthy.
Photo by Gerard O'Neill
CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE CLARE TEAM AND MANAGEMENT THE CLARE TEAM AND MANAGEMENT TO THE CLARE TEAM AND MANAGEMENT ON THEIR HISTORIC VICTORY. ON THEIR HISTORIC VICTORY. ON THEIR HISTORIC VICTORY. UP THE BANNER! UP THE BANNER! UP THE BANNER!
Shannigans Gastro Pub at the Inn at Dromoland Hotel has recently launched new Lunch & Dinner menus, showcasing the best local produce that Co. Clare has to offer!
Bar Food is served daily from 12.30-9pm A Weekend Brunch menu is also available every Saturday & Sunday from 10.30am-12pm
Congratulations to the Clare players and management team on their incredible All-Ireland success. Up the Banner!
‘Seeing what it means to people makes success more special’ - Fitzy
by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie
SEEING what it means to the people of Clare has made the already sweet success of winning an All-Ireland championship extra special for David Fitzgerald. In the absence of senior figures such as Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly during the Allianz National Hurling League, it was Fitzgerald who stepped up and led by example to aid the county win their first league title since 2016. His form during the National League saw him named as the PwC GAA/GPA hurler of the month for March and had there been
an accolade for league hurler of the year then the Inagh/Kilnamona man would have scooped the gong, scoring 2-16 from play in the competition. Fitzgerald’s contribution didn’t end back then and he continued to be a leading light as Clare made their way to the All-Ireland final for the ultimate honours. By the final whistle of extra time on Sunday, his championship tally for the 2024 season was 2-21, making him Clare’s top scorer from play.
Speaking at the homecoming in Ennis on Monday, the towering Inagh/Kilnamona man admitted, “It is quite surreal,
John (Conlon) mentioned it coming in here and seeing the massive crowd and the emotion in people and what it means to people, it is just hard to put into words, it is unbelievable”.
Big game performances are nothing new to Fitzy who picked up the man of the match accolade in 2018 when part of the UL side managed by Gary Kirby that was crowned Fitzgibbon Cup champions, scoring two points as they defeated DCU 2-21 2-15 in the final.
His potential to become a cult hero of this Clare side was flagged on The Clare Echo’s sporting podcast, The
Cleary goes through pain barrier again for the Clare cause
by Páraic
news@clareecho.ie
CONOR Cleary can never be accused of not giving his all when wearing the county jersey and the All-Ireland final was another such example of him giving every last drop in saffron and blue.
Having sustained an injury with seventy minutes on the clock, management had their work cut out to get Conor to leave the field of play, despite his shoulder going out of place and the restrictions this placed on him, the full-back still wanted to stay on the field of play.
Shoulder problems kept Cleary out of last year's Munster final and an operation is likely which would keep him out of the club championships.
Water Break in the past two seasons, his ‘ice-cold’ celebrations at the final whistle and a sketch produced by Sporting Ennistymon of his time in goals for them akin to something worthy of featuring in an art exhibition in North Clare.
When asked if he always believed that Clare would prevail on Sunday, he quipped, “Maybe when we were 1-8 to 0-4 down, I’m only joking. We fell behind in games during the year, it is a testament to the group, the way hurling is gone nowadays you can easily be five or 10 points down at any period and it is not unimaginable to pull it back”.
Speaking to the media following the game with his arm in a sling following the injury, Conor reflected, “We probably were under a bit of pressure in the first half, we showed good character to stay in the game and work our way in. It was very physical, Cork bring a different dynamic, they always get good quality into their forwards”.
Part of the Clare senior panel since 2014, he admitted that watching extra time in the Hogan Stand was not pleasant. “It wasn’t easy to watch extra time, I have a few injections now. I don’t know did I see much,” the vice captain said.
Having picked up a yellow card on the twenty third minute, the secondary school teacher had to be cautious not to get a further warning from referee Johnny Murphy. “Look Brian has always said to us that the focus is on the next ball, that’s all you can do, re-set and go for the next ball and I have done that from day one. You have to take yourself out of the moment and re-set quickly and see what you can bring to the team,” he said of his approach.
As the more experienced member of the full-back line, Cleary was full of praise for Adam Hogan and Conor Leen who both delivered fine performances from their respective corner
backs. “Conor came into the team late enough this season and he has been outstanding as has Adam. We knew the full forwards were good, amongst the best in the country. They may not have scored much but they created chances as well, when you see what they scored, it can be false. Look you are marked as a back on how your man does and yes we are happy with how we did”. He believed it was the players blooded during the Allianz National Hurling League that helped them to win the final. Cleary becomes the first Miltown Malbay man to win an All-Ireland senior hurling championship. Watching the final from Chicago was an “unbelievably emotional”, Eoin Cleary, Conor’s twin brother and the former Clare football captain. Eoin’s description of his brother as “some warrior” is one many of the county’s supporters would agree with.
David O’Brien who managed St Joseph’s Miltown to win the Clare SFC in 2019 with Conor at midfield remarked “shove over Willie Clancy, there’s another statue going beside you,” when saluting the contribution of his parishioner. Getting over the line was “hugely satisfying,” Conor admitted. “It is hard to describe how happy you are in this moment because there’s been a lot of ups and downs but to finally get over the line is brilliant. It was hard watching extra time, I’m so proud of the lads”. Success on the biggest stage was labelled as “surreal” by the Kilmaley hurler. “You’re trying to take it all in, the first ten minutes after a game is a blur really but you’re running towards the Hill, you’re first pumping and meeting your family and stuff like that, it is surreal because for years we were going up to these games, you’re in a draw, there’s sixty tickets for each county team and you’re hoping to get two tickets to go up to the All-Ireland final, we’re years here watching it and to actually be part of it and win one is surreal”.
l Two of Clare’s giants, Peter Duggan and David Fitzgerald celebrate at Croke Park
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
l Ian Galvin and Conor Cleary at the final whistle in Croke Park
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
McMahon
‘FEELS GREAT’ TO BE ALL-IRELAND WINNING MANAGER
by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
ALL-IRELAND winning Clare manager, Brian Lohan has expressed his delight at the county’s hurlers securing “the ultimate reward in hurling”. Year five of Lohan’s tenure as Clare boss saw them crowned All-Ireland and National Hurling League champions, the first time that the county has won both titles in the same year.
Speaking at a press conference following the All-Ireland final, Lohan admitted it “feels great” to become an All-Ireland winning manager. “It’s great for the lads to get a reward, the ultimate reward in hurling. I am delighted for Tony (Kelly) that he was able to go up the steps of the Hogan Stand and collect the trophy on behalf of the county, it’s brilliant for all the panel and in particular for those who have got their second All-Ireland”.
Getting level at half-time was critical, Lohan outlined after they bounced
back from a strong Cork start. “We started poorly, we were conscious that Cork all year have raced out of the blocks and we thought we were going to be able to handle it but they really started well. We hung in there, we toughed it out and we got back into it before half time and we were delighted to be level at half time”.
Responding to Robert Downey’s wonder goal was a sign of the character in the Clare ranks, the manager felt. “Aido (Aidan McCarthy) getting that goal brought us right back into it and we were able to relax a little and we hurled well from there on. Tony just caught fire in the second half and on into extra time. When you have got the likes of Tony and Shane, John and Diarmuid and Conor on the field you always have a chance. I am delighted for them and the whole squad”.
Shannon native Lohan who is regarded as one of the greatest full-backs to have played the game was pleased with the showing
of Clare’s full-back line. “Coming up against the likes of a forward line that Cork have and the potential they have coming off the bench. I though our full back line was tremendous. They have been tremendous all year but sometimes they get a bit of a bad wrap because they are playing such quality players all the time. It’s a tough place in the full back line and Conor is one of the toughest guys we have”.
Ahead of extra time, captain Tony Kelly signalled that he was struggling with an injury, seeing as Clare had used their quota of five substitutes, no change could be made and instead coach Brendan Bugler instructed the Ballyea man to go to corner forward in additional time. Kelly was refreshed and played a leading role in the victory.
A different approach had to be followed for extra time, the manager outlined. “We had great faith in the group, great faith in the panel of players we picked, we hadn’t expected it to go to extra time but
we had good belief in the group, changed around at the end of normal time, we approached it well, delighted for the guys that came on and the way they got up to the pitch of the game”. He continued, “When Tony is playing there is a different dimension for us, there is always that threat when he is there, regardless of what position he plays and if a team ignores him they will suffer. We are just delighted to have him and delighted that he has collected the Liam MacCarthy cup as captain. I am thrilled for Conor (Cleary) as well, our vice captain”.
A two-time All-Ireland winner himself, Lohan explained, “After the Munster final we took a break, the thinking was if we were going to go back into it we would prefer to lose a quarter final rather than a semi-final or final. The team came back with tremendous freshness, they were ready to go and there was real desire about the squad. Our leadership group in the team have that in them”.
Photo by Gerard O’Neill
Seven Clare hurlers on Sunday Game team of year
by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie
SEVEN Clare hurlers have been included on the RTÉ Sunday Game team of the year.
Clare lead the way with seven members of the fifteen as chosen by the analysts of The Sunday Game. Beaten finalists Cork are close behind with six and the final two spots are obtained by Limerick meaning it is an all Munster line-up.
Shane O’Donnell was chosen as the Hurler of the Year by The Sunday Game panel and was also named at full-forward on the side.
A remarkable first season at senior inter-county for Conor Leen has been recognised with him getting the nod at corner back, the other corner filled by Adam Hogan who is a leading contender for Young Hurler of the Year.
Mark Rodgers who won the accolade last year is picked at corner forward with David Fitzgerald the scorer of 0-3 in the All-Ireland final selected at wing forward.
Captain Tony Kelly is picked at midfield with fel-
low two-time All-Ireland winner David McInerney completing the Clare contingent at wing back. All Star awards will be given out in November with Clare expected to feature prominently in the chosen fifteen and individual accolades.
Former Hurler of the Year, Joe Canning said on the selection of O’Donnell, “Shane O’Donnell throughout the year was just phenomenal for Clare, maybe today wasn’t his best day, he was carrying a bit of an injury in the second half with his shoulder and he came off near the end with a cramp, the stuff he was doing throughout the Munster championship, the quarter-final, the semi-final and even today when the need was most in the first half, he was brilliant”.
Two-time All-Ireland winning Clare captain, Anthony Daly spoke of the leadership shown by the Ennis man, “the concussion injury was really serious, there was doubts whether he would work again, he couldn’t do anything but the leadership he has shown in
l Clare players and fans enjoying the homecoming in Clarecastle
All photos by Ruth O’Neill & Chris Copley
TK’s moment of magic was champagne hurling
by Páraic McMahon news@clareecho.ie
TONY KELLY produced a moment of magic in Sunday’s All-Ireland final when scoring a goal for the ages.
With fifty one minutes on the clock, the Clare captain produced an outrageous piece of skill and wizardry on his way to scoring the third goal for Brian Lohan’s side.
Emerging onto the ball following an opportune pop pass from David Fitzgerald, Kelly first latched onto a sliotar like a steam train thirty five metres from goal.
He glided away from Ciaran Joyce, waltzed beyond Robert Downey, Tim O’Mahony came storming after him and as Seán O’Donoghue approached him, the Ballyea man flicked the sliotar over the defender and still managed to control the ball without making a third catch before demonstrating immense power from his wrists to avoid being hooked and produce a finish that Patrick Collins was unable to stop.
Robert Downey’s excellent first half goal would be a talking point from any final but it
was blown out of the water by the astonishing creativity, bravery and genius of the boy from Ballyea.
Recalling the goal, the Clare captain said, “there were a couple of red bodies I had to avoid, often goals are made by the defenders. You don’t take possession of the ball thinking I am going to score a goal.. When the defender came I had to side step him and then another came and I had to do the same and once I was through I had to go for goal. I was fortunate it hit the net, I wasn’t so fortunate in extra time when Collins made a great save. I am delighted it went as in would have been sickened if it didn’t”.
He joked in Ennis that the goal may never have happened were it not for a fumble by David Fitzgerald. “It wouldn’t have come about only for Fitzy had a bad pick-up, a lot of the credit can go to him. It is one of those things when you get the ball, the first thing on your mind is can you get a score, the way things went Cork defenders came out towards me so I had to avoid them, before you know it you’re in front of goal and you’re trying to hit
the back of the net. Thankfully we got three great goals which contributed to that one point victory, absolutely thrilled to contribute to a great win”.
Centre back John Conlon said the moments of magic are all too common from Kel-
ly. “Tony does that everyday we go out, every night in training we see him do great things, he is the greatest Clare hurler in my opinion to ever come out of the county, it is a testament to the work he puts in on and off the field, fair play to him”.
A deafening noise followed the strike to the net as the crowd applauded a thing of beauty, David Reidy recalled, “Going into the second half and when Tony went on the run, it was David Fitz that passed him the ball, he was about to go for a shot but he dropped it, he had no choice but to pass it, the movement and the skill execution from Tony, the little flick over the head, he couldn’t catch the ball again so he touched it on the hurley, a great finish. I went out covering his position then when he was coming into centre forward, the noise was nearly giving me a headache running back out, it was crazy, it is very hard to describe and I don’t think I’ll experience anything like that again, it is out of this world”.
Photos by Gerard O’Neill
The sequence of events leading up to Tony Kelly’s now infamous goal captured by Gerard O’Neill
Character comes to the fore as Clare are crowned All-Ireland hurling champions
ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Clare 3-29 Cork 1-34
Venue: Croke Park, Dublin
Compiled by Páraic McMahon
STORY OF THE GAME
CLARE
Frees for: 8 (5/1/1)
Wides: 14 (6/6/2)
Scores from play: 3-24
Spread of scorers: 11
Top scorer: Aidan McCarthy (1-7, 3f's, '65)
Bookings: Conor Cleary (23), Adam Hogan (27), David Mcinerney (50), Tony Kelly (83)
Own puckouts won: 31 out of 51 (61%)
CORK
Frees for: 15 (5/7/3)
Wides: 16 (4/7/5)
Scores from play: 1-24
Spread of scorers: 13
Top scorer: Patrick Horgan (0-12, 10f's)
Bookings: Alan Connolly (50), Ger Millerick (83)
Own puckouts won: 27 out of 46 (59%)
REFEREE: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
Third O'Gorman Cup title for Doonbeg
DOONBEG were crowned O’Gorman cup champions for the third time in their history when they defeated Kildysart in the 2024 decider on Saturday. Doonbeg 1-8
Kildysart 0-6
Venue: Shanahan McNamara Memorial Park, Doonbeg
The Magpies dominated the second half when they held their opponents to just 0-2 while scoring 1-5 themselves. At the end of an evenly fought opening half the visitors led by the minimum margin, 0-4 to 0-3.
However, it was a different story after the break and the home side, winners of the title previously in 2010 and 2014, dominated the exchanges.
Playing in the final for the first time, David Tubridy who missed the club’s previous finals due to his involvement with Clare, current inter county players aren’t allowed to play in the competition, top scored with 1-3 to his credit. His performance earned him the man of the match award which was presented to him by Michael Neenan.
Because the competition is for teams without their inter county players, Kildysart were without Emmett McMahon and Diarmuid O’Donnell for Saturday’s final.
After the game the O’Gor-
man Cup was presented to Kevin McInerney by tournament director Michael Neenan.
Scorers Doonbeg; David Tubridy (1-3); Cian O’Mahoney (0-2); Darragh Burns, Sean Conway, Cathal Killaan (0-1) each
Scorers Kildysart: Luke McGrath, Seamus Casey (0-2), Mikey Donnellan, Rory McMahon (0-1) each.
Doonbeg: Eamonn Tubridy; Conor O’Mahoney, James Killeen, Tadhg Lillis; Cian O’Mahoney, Kevin Pender, Jason Linnane; Kevin McInerney, Sean Conway; Eoin Conway, David Tubridy, Cathal Killeen; Eoin Killeen, Mikey Tubridy, Darragh Burns; Subs: Eoin Tubridy for E Conway; Paul Dillon for C. Killeen; Cillian Blake for Cian O’Mahoney; Jamie Russell for
D. Tubridy; Rory Walshe for Eoin Killeen Kidysart: Kieran Eyers; Oisin Coyle, Kieran Leahy, Stephen Sheehan; Rory McMahon, Conor Moloney, Mikey Donnellan; Keith O’Connor, Fergal Guinnane; Seamus Casey, Kieran O’Brien, Luke McGrath; Conor Hassett, Keith Murphy, Jack Cotter; Referee: Michael Talty (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
PLAYER WATCH
MARK RODGERS (CORNER-FORWARD)
Minutes played:
Possessions: 10 (6/4)
Scores: 1-3
Passes: 5
Short Pass: 5
Long Pass: 0
Hand Pass: 4
Hurley Pass: 1
Turnovers For: 2
Tackles: 4
Frees For: 0
Hook/Block: 0
Big decisions didn’t affect outcome of final says Ryan
FAILURE to convert goal chances created and the concession of too many short puckouts to Clare proved costly for Cork on Sunday at Croke Park.
Such was the view of Cork manager, Pat Ryan who was wholehearted in his congratulations and praise for Clare following Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final. Ryan stated, “Look we are very disappointed. We came up here to win, to get over the line and we didn’t get it done, all credit to Clare. They performed fantastically and just about deserved their victory in the end”. Some of the big talking points on decisions made by referee Johnny Murphy didn’t affect the outcome of the final, the Cork boss felt. These calls included shouts for a Cork 65m free in the second half plus two Robbie O’Flynn incidents, one involving David McInerney and the other with Conor Leen at the death. “To be honest I don’t think that affected it. Look, there are things that go your way and don’t go your way, at the end of the day Clare are champions and we won’t be giving our about any of that stuff. We can’t do anything about it now, we just have to move on”.
Shot selection for Cork was “okay”, he believed but pointed out they were guilty of “bad execution. We had a couple of opportunities to take scores but just didn’t take them, every score was vital, it gives you that bit of momentum, Over the 100 odd minutes, we just missed too many goal opportunities”.
“We came in and our job was to win an All-Ireland and we came up here to win one. And in two years we haven’t won, that’s a disappointment for us. From my point of view I am very proud of the way the lads have represented the jersey and the way they are playing at the moment. We are a very proud county with a proud tradition and a lot of proud players have gone before us and it is key that the lads would represent the jersey in that manner and I think they did today. We could have played better, we could have done different things, we might have made a few better decisions on the line but the lads can hold their heads up high and be proud of their performance but we go home without a trophy and that’s disappointing,” Ryan said.
He went on to say “there is a lot of work gone into what we did, there is a lot to work on. In fairness, the Cork public that we ultimately answer to will be proud of what they saw today but disappointed that we are going back home without the trophy".
Asked about Patrick Horgan’s achievement of topping the championship scoring charts he said “Pat Horgan doesn’t read into topping the scoring charts, he chases the fact of being playing for Cork and he will be back again next year ready to go.
by Séamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
by Séamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
l Aron Shanagher & David Fitzgerald contest the high ball along with Robert Downey. Photo by Gerard O'Neill
SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT
l David Tubridy.
Photo by Gerard O'Neill
Club championships to proceed as planned
by Séamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie
CLUB hurling and football championships in Clare will proceed without delay.
Clare’s success in winning the All-Ireland SHC for the fifth time will not impact on the master fixtures plan put in place by Clare GAA.
Interest in the club scene is expected to be higher in 2024 off the back of the All-Ireland glory with supporters now getting the opportunity to see members of Brian Lohan’s panel line out for their respective clubs over the coming months.
Action will begin in the Clare senior and intermediate football championships on the August Bank Holiday weekend with the Colm Collins managed Cratloe putting their title on the line when they meet St Joseph’s Miltown who look set to be without both of the Cleary twins, Conor and Eoin. Beaten Cusack Cup finalists Ennistymon will face off with Doonbeg in the other Group 3 tie.
An encounter sure to draw a decent attendance will be the meeting of Éire Óg and Kilmurry Ibrickane while the recently crowned Cusack Cup champions Lissycasey do battle with last year’s intermediate winners Kilmihil.
Group 2 pits St Breckan’s against St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield plus there will be a battle between the intermediate champions of 2021 and 2022 when Corofin and Kildysart cross swords.
Many of the Clare hurlers will be making their first appearance of the year for their clubs when the focus switches to the opening round of the Clare SFC on the weekend of August 9th/10th/11th.
Of particular interest is the keenly contested Group 1 which includes Clonlara, Ballyea, Éire Óg and Clooney/Quin. With only two clubs to emerge, it means that a selection of the county’s finest hurlers such as John Conlon and Ian Galvin (Clonlara), Tony Kelly (Ballyea), Shane O’Donnell and David Reidy (Éire Óg), Peter Duggan and Ryan Taylor (Clooney/Quin) will not feature in the knockout stages
of the senior championship. Kilmaley will have to adapt their lineup following the shoulder injury sustained by Conor Cleary when they face Corofin while the other game in Group 2 pits Feakle against Cratloe.
There is a strong East Clare element to Group 3 but Inagh/Kilnamona will be tipped to top the group which also contains last year’s semi-finalists Scariff, last year’s Clare Cup champions O’Callaghans Mills and Broadford who are under the stewardship of 2002 championship winning manager Paddy Meehan.
In Group 4, Newmarket-on-Fergus will be under pressure to shake off the trend of Clare Cup champions not doing well in championship and they face a stern opener against a Crusheen side who hammered them in last year’s quarter-final. Sixmilebridge and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield will renew a rivalry at senior level that had been dormant for some time when clashing in the first round.
He went on to outline Clare’s game schedule having expressed
satisfaction that the new format had resulted in Clare having six championship games and he added that it is very important that this format continue. The new format is very much welcomed, the Miltown clubman said in his report.
Meanwhile Terence Fahy’s under 20 hurling report outlined that six trials were held after Christmas and he outlined the work done at a number of venues across the county, Caherlohan, Dr Daly Park in Tulla, Sixmilebridge and Clarecastle GAA complexes.
The Whitegate clubman reported that the squad “got a large infusion of players from last year’s All-Ireland winning minor team”. He listed the names of a number of players who were ruled out due to injury. He outlined the outcome of the games in the round robin series. He went on to thank the board for support throughout the year, the Academy under Donal Moloney, and Kieran McDermott, the senior management under Brian Lohan. He said the most pleasing aspect was the retention levels.
He had “a special word of thanks
for the lads in San Francisco who gave us $30,000 dollars in January 2022 to spend on these players”. He thanked Pat Keogh, Tony Killeen and Caroline O’Connor in Club Clare for their support. He also thanked the management team for their efforts. Fahy went on to say that Clare also participated in a development squad for 18/19 year olds and played three matches.
Newmarket-on-Fergus delegate Pat Keogh described Fahy’s report as “excellent” as did P.J. Fitzpatrick from Sixmilebridge who asked if the report could be circulated to the clubs while Paddy Smyth of Éire Óg noted “he gave an excellent report last year also”.
Replying to a query as to whether or not the outgoing under 20 managers would be continuing in the roles for next year, chairman Kieran Keating said he “expects they will continue”.
Central Council delegate Robert Frost said “they should be encouraged to stay on” and he proposed that they would be asked to continue in the roles.
Top prize goes to Killaloe's Dermot Foley & Jennifer Eze
by Stuart Holly news@clareecho.ie
ALMOST 7,000 minutes of tennis were played at Ennis Tennis Club last week as players from across the Midwest and beyond took part in the Eye Candy Opticians Ennis Mixed Open.
The 157 marked a 30 per cent increase on last year while there were 206 sets played, 1,597 games for a total of 6,900 minutes on court.
Winners of the Grade 1/2 were Jennifer Eze (Limerick Lawn) and Dermot Foley (Killaloe/Ballina) taking top prize at the event. Other winners were as follows: Grade 3 - Shauna Treacy & Stuart Holly (Ennis); Grade 4 - Aislinn Dillon & Chris Rudland (Ennis); Grade 5 - Su-
zanne Seymour (Nenagh) & Tadhg Corley (Roscrea); and Grade 6 - Loretto O'Loughlin & John O'Connor (Ennis).
Tournament Director & Club Captain Dervilla Moloney moved to thank everyone on the committee along with the tournament sponsor, Eye Candy Opticians Ennis without whose support the competition would not be possible.
l Linda Kochhar (Sponsor), Jennifer Eze Limerick Lawn, Dermot Foley Killaloe/Ballina (Winners Grade 1/2) Dervilla Moloney Tournament Director & Club Captain, Brian Moore (Tournament Referee & PRO)
Xander Schauffele triumphs at the Troon
by PÁDRAIG MCGRATH
It was a stormy time at Royal Troon last weekend especially from Saturday late afternoon when the winds howled and the rain belted down on the penultimate groups. The Open was reflective of the tough conditions. Only 9 players of the 80-person field who survived the cut finished the tournament under par. Come the end of Sunday Xander Schauffele was lifting the Claret Jug. He carded a remarkable 6-under round of 65 on the final day that allowed him to finish two shots ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. The tournament proved to be anyone’s guess who’d win right up until the end of play. England’s Dan Brown was hot out the gates but faltered in his later rounds to finished on level par. Both Justin Rose and Billy Horschel put in a good final effort but couldn’t catch
Schauffele.
Unfortunately, our home hero Shane Lowry's chances in winning a second Claret jug slipped away from him on Saturday afternoon as the weather shifted dramatically. For instance, Saturday morning players were hitting long irons into the Par-3 17th that was playing at 235 yards, but by the time the leaders group including Shane Lowry reached this tee later that afternoon they were using their drivers.
I can't remember the last time I have seen tour players having to use a driver on a Par-3. These elements unfortunately lead to Shane shooting a 77 and made it almost impossible for the Irish man to stay in contention to win as he slipped down the leaderboard some five shots behind the leaders. The seemingly gentle breeze morphed into a ferocious beast by late Saturday afternoon, significantly impacting the scores. The back nine, already infamous
for its intricate layout and punishing rough, became a crucible where the Open's fate would ultimately be decided.
Having already won the PGA Championship just weeks ago, Xander joined Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau in securing an all-American sweep of this year’s major championship trophies. Schauffele was understandably thrilled with his performance, and the win felt like a dream come true.
“Having your name called with Open champion after it is something I have dreamt for a very long time. I watched the highlights of Phil Michelson and Henrik Stenson here in 2016 to motivate myself for this week and that paid off pretty nicely. I have been in Scotland for two weeks now and the fans have been amazing and made it feel like a second home.”
The last time a player won multiple majors in the
Woodstock qualify for JB Carr Final
by Séamus Hayes
news@clareecho.ie
WOODSTOCK GOLF CLUB’s JB Carr panel and management defeated Tralee at Woodstock at the weekend in the second leg of what proved to be a very strong performance.
As a result the team has advanced to the Munster final where they will play Dungarvan over two legs of home and away matches. Woodstock will be away in the first leg which will take place on August 1st and a week later they will host leg two in Woodstock.
The members of the panel are Joe Green, Seamus Kelly, Declan Coote, John O’’Connor, Paul Coote, Oliver McNamara, Tony Coote, Barry Pavitt, Paddy Meehan, Michael O’Brien, Sean Howard and Leo Quinlan while the team is jointly managed by John O’Donovan, the club’s senior captain and Johnny Clune.
Last week’s club singles competition was won by Andrew Mason (11) with 42 points while the gross was won by Brian Gilligan (-1) with 37 points. The category winners were Michael Reen (3) with 36 points, Diarmuid Toner (14) with 40 points and Cathal Kelly (30) with 39 points.
ANOTHER WIN FOR AIDEEN
Woodstock’s Aideen Walsh continued her impressive form last week when she won the Hermitage (Dublin) scratch cup with rounds of 73 and 72 for a total of 145. She won by four shots from Kate Lanigan.
ENNIS GOLF CLUB
Last week’s 18 hole ladies fourball competition at Ennis, sponsored by Cummins Car Sales was Jean Molony (26) and Mary Gardner (29) with 45 points. They had one to spare
over Nuala D’Auria (36) and Anne Kelly (24).
The gross was won by Bridie (18) and Peg Hanrahan (15) with 27 points.
GORT GOLF CLUB
Gort hosted their scratch cup competitions last week when the Junior competition, sponsored by Permanent TSB, was won by Colman Cooney (9) with 73 from Paul Brennan (4) who also had 73. In third place one stroke back, was Mark Deegan (4) while the best nett winner was Paul Smith (10) with 68.
In the intermediate scratch cup, sponsored by Gillanes, the winner was Darren Meares (12) from Roscommon with 79. He had one to spare over Jack Losty (11) with third spot filled by Damien Burke (10) with 81. The nett was won by Alan Fogarty (16) with 66.
DROMOLAND GOLF CLUB
The blue tee golfer of the year stroke competition at the weekend at Dromoland was won by Patrick Marnane (9) with 68 from Derek Ryan (7),also with 68. The gross was won by Sean Burns 71 (1) with 70 while the category for 22 handicappers and over was won by Mervyn Frazer (23) with 75.
KILRUSH GOLF CLUB
The winner of the Patrick Bourke Menswear singles at Kilrush was Tom Buckley (12) with 41 points from James McCarthy (14) with 38 points, Martin P Brennan (20) with 38 points and Neil Browne (07), also with 38 points.
In the Demack Safety Open mixed scotch foursomes the winners were Brendan Carrig and Helen Hurst with 56 and they were two better than Pat Brennan and Mary G Nolan with 58 with Tomás Prendeville and Martina a shot further back on 59. Peggy Mulqueen and John Stapleton won the front nine with 26.5 while the back 9 winners were Noel McMahon and Maureen Kinnerk with 28.
same year was when Brooks Koepka won both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2018. While the men’s majors have now all concluded for 2024, it’s still the prime
time of year to be out there playing golf before those evenings fully close in on us, so make the most of it and get yourself out playing as often as you can for the next couple of months. It is a long
winter so enjoy as much daylight as you can for the coming weeks ahead. There is a notable shortening of the late evenings already recently.
Clare winners in Martin Fahy Memorial quarter-finals
by Michael Maher paraic@clareecho.ie
QUARTER-finals of the €3000 to the winner Martin Fahy Memorial A4 525 Yards Stake formed the spine of Saturday night’s ten race programme at Galway Greyhound Stadium.
In the opening quarter-final, all six runners were away on terms with Springwell Sugar and Run For Mary disputing the lead at the head of affairs as they approached the opening bend. Rounding the opening bend the Stephen Murray of Sixmilebridge owned and trained Run For Mary took over at the head of affairs and turning to run down the back straight the daughter of Broadstrand Bono and Risky Reward set sail for home chased by Springwell Thomo and Balroebuck Smokie.
Rounding the third bend Run For Mary was still two lengths to the good and although Springwell Thomo
tried hard in the straight he was still a length and a half adrift at the line in 29.42 with Portunma Buck staying on late for third place.
350 Yard racing made a welcome return to the racing schedule with this S7 graded contest in which Inner City trapped really smartly in the centre of the track and racing towards the opening bend she led Mirabel and On The Latt by cover two lengths. Rounding the opening bend, the Gerry O’Donoghue of Tubber and Gort owned On The Latt made rapid progress to close to within half a length of the leader beginning the swing for home. On the long run home On The Latt gradually gained the upper hand to prevail by a length and a half in 19.72. A smart winner over the 325 yards trip on debut Clare natives Albert Long and John Collins owned Brickhill Como made it two from two in this A4 graded 525 yards contest as he proved three lengths
too good for Slipalong Dew in 29.36. Turning down the back Brickhill Como opened up a three length advantage on Rathmeehan Jim with Slipalong Dew in third place but from the third bend the only question was how far as Brickhill Como galloped strongly all the way to the line.
As the traps rose for the A4 graded contest the Donal Duggan of Tulla trained Gob Smacked trapped really well and towards the opening bend the daughter of Broadstrand Bono and Blacklabel Magic led from Banter Buzz and Rattle The Pan. Rounding the opening bends the Mary Flynn and Irene O’Sullivan owned lady extended her advantage to over three lengths and by the halfway mark that lead was in excess of five lengths as Springwell Eddy went into second spot but out front the winner was gone beyond recall and although tiring slightly still had a length and a half to spare at the line in 29.40.
l Robert Schauffele kisses the Claret Jug.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
BALLYNAGUN WEST, CREE
Take notice that S. Considine intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to erect dwelling house, garage, foul sewer system, percolation area and new site entrance 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 planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
CRAGAWEELCROSS, BAREFIELD, ENNIS, CO. CLARE
Planning permission being sought by Keith & Tracey Molony for proposed private dwelling house, outbuilding to accommodate carer’s accommodation, home office, stable and garden storage, widen existing site entrance, new waste water treatment system and all associated site 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 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
DOONAGHBOY, KILKEE, CO. CLARE.
Take notice that Diarmuid Keane + Associates Ltd. (065-9083667, www.diarmuidkeane.ie) intend to apply to Clare County Council on behalf of Liam Harvey for retention permission for
an extension and elevational changes to the existing dwelling house previously authorised under planning Ref No. p99/424 along with all associated ancillary site works. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours.
A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
ENGINE LEASING FINANCE CORPORATION, BUILDING 156, SHANNON FREE ZONE, SHANNON, COUNTY CLARE, V14 VH70
We, Engine Lease Finance Corporation intend to apply to Clare County Council for planning permission for the installation of a 62 kW ground mounted Solar PV System and all associated site works at Engine Leasing Finance Corporation, Building 156, Shannon Free Zone, Shannon, County Clare, V14 VH70.
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 (New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, V95 DXP2) during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the application.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
SANDY LODGE, SEAFIELD, QUILTY, CO CLARE V95 V8C4
Take notice that Anne and Pat O Connell intend to apply for retention permission
for the internal access road, steel storage shed, gravelled area, all located to the rear of the dwelling house on site & 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 CLONREDDAN, CREE, KILRUSH, CO CLARE V15 P683
Take notice that Esther and Damien O Rourke intend to apply for retention permission for the domestic garage on site, changes to the fenestration and the external finishes to the porch on the existing 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 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
BISHOPSQUARTER, BALLYVAUGHAN, CO CLARE.
Take notice that Joan O’Dea intends to apply for RETENTION PERMISSION for the building and associated works on site, and for PERMISSION to complete the building works for the provision of one bedroomed Tigin for family use, install a waste water 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
BALLYNAGRANAGH, CRUSHEEN, CO. CLARE.
Take notice that Ethan O’Donnell & Shauna Ferguson intend to apply to the planning authority for permission to construct a new dwelling house and garage, complete with a sewage treatment system and ancillary works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
FITZS CROSS, DOOLIN
Take notice that Ahakista Property Development Ltd. intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to revise planning Ref No P22/283 to include 2No ground floor apartments 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 planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
CLOONFADDA TLD., KILLALOE, CO. CLARE. V94 F40T
Take notice that Martin + Mary O’Sullivan Intends to apply to the Planning Authority for Permission for to refurbish an existing house and to construct a ground floor and a dormer roof extension, which includes the provision of a supported living accommodation unit, and all associated site works.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) will be submitted to the planning Authority with this Application at Cloonfadda tld., Killaloe, Co. Clare. V94 F40T
The Planning Application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, Clare County Council, Planning and Development dept, Áras Contae and Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, during its public opening hours : Mon to Fri 9.00am to 4.00pm inc. lunchtime.
A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of EUR 20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL, FURTHER INFORMATION / REVISED PLANS PLANNING REF: P23/60340
Development Description:
Planning permission to demolish the existing sub-standard dwelling house and to construct a replacement dwelling house with minor elevational and internal layout changes along with a new private on-site domestic wastewater treatment system and all other associated ancillary site works at the above address.
Location: Shorepark, Kildysart, Co. Clare, V95 VF57. Take notice Nicholas Farren has lodged significant further information in respect of planning application
P23/60340. 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, Áras Contae an Chláir, 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.
LEGAL NOTICES
Public Dance Halls Act, 1935 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A PUBLIC DANCING LICENCE District Court Area of Ennis
District No. 12
Kasterwell LimitedApplicant
TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Applicant Kasterwell Limited of 13-18 City Quay, Dublin, Ireland, intends to apply to Annual District Court at Ennis District Court on the 27 Sept 2024 at 10:30 for the grant of an Annual Dance Licence a Licence to use a particular place, to wit:
LOCATION
Woodstock House Hotel, Shanaway Road, Ennis Co. Clare Situate at Ennis, Ennis, Clare, in court area and district aforesaid, for public dancing.
Dated this 17 Jul 2024
Signed McMahon O’Brien Tynan
Solicitor for Applicant
Solicitors, Mill House, Henry Street Limerick
Recent Deaths
PRAYER
Haugh, Christopher (Joseph) Lissycasey
Neylon, Daniel Ennistymon
Roche, Martie Cross
Steward (née Donohue), Ann Cratloe
Fitzpatrick (née Coffey), Nuala Labasheeda
King, John Cratloe
Muschamp (née McNamara), Maureen Kilrush
Ahern, Brendan Sixmilebridge
O’Loughlin (née Dixon), Brigid (Dede) Inagh
Collins, Patrick (Paddy) Sixmilebridge
McNamara, Michael Aidan Corofin
Carr, Richard Tralee
Clancy, Charles (Charlie) Kilrush
Corr (née McMahon, Josephine (Jo) Parteen
Mahony (née Gorman), Maureen Tulla
Murphy (née Harris), Maureen Mullagh
Griffin, PJ
Granatooha, Kilrush, Co. Clare Died 22nd June 2024
ITA and family would like to thank everyone who supported and sympathised with us on the loss of PJ. We wish to thank all those, many of whom travelled long distances, to attend PJ’s reposal, funeral mass, and burial. We would also like to thank everyone who sent mass cards, telephoned, and left online condolences.
Thank you to all our neighbours, relatives, and friends, and all who brought us food and refreshments.
We also want to express our deepest gratitude to all who cared for PJ over the years.
A special thank you to Fr. Larkin for his support throughout and for celebrating PJ’s funeral mass. Thanks to Maura Falsey, the Altar Servers, and the Knockerra choir
who enriched PJ’s mass.
To all those who assisted in traffic management, we thank you.
Thanks to O’Sullivan Undertakers and gravedigger for their guidance and professionalism.
Thank you to the Haven Arms for the food and refreshments.
As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually, we trust that all will accept this acknowledgement as a token of our appreciation and gratitude.
The holy sacrifice of the mass will be offered for your intention.
PJ’s month's mind mass will be celebrated at St. Senan’s Church, Knockerra, on Saturday, the 27th of July, at 8pm. May his gentle soul rest in peace.
The Clare Echo Quiz
1
In what year did the first girls class enter St. Flannan’s College?
2 In what year did the boarding school close at St. Flannan’s College?
1995
3 How many Harty Cup wins has St. Flannan’s College enjoyed?
12
18
21
4 St. Flannan’s gained national media attention for ____ in 2009?
a. Young Scientist of the year award
b. Flooding
c. Highest leaving certificate results
5 Which of the following Clare hurlers did not attend St. Flannan’s College?
a. Anthony Daly
b. Brian Lohan
c. Davy Fitgerald
6 Which Clare School performed the best in Ireland in 2017?
a. St. Joseph’s Tulla
b. St. Caimin’s Comprehensive Shannon
c. Rice College Ennis
Spot the Difference
Can you spot the difference? Spot the 7 differences. The answers will be revealed in next weeks edition.
7 Which of the following is known as the only all boys school in Clare?
a. Ennis Community College
b. C.B.S Ennistymon
c. St. John Bosco Community College
8 How many secondary schools were in Clare in the early 1700’s?
1
5
9 In what year was free education introduced to Clare? a. 1958 b. 1967 c. 1979
10 How many secondary schools are there in County Clare? a. 12 b. 15 c. 19
Last weeks Answers
. Adidas logo missing . Helmet colour changed . “Cill Cheannaigh” missing from jersey . Stripe missing from sliotar
“O’Neills” missing from shorts
Slits missing from helmet . Stripes on sock a different colour
THIS WEEKS PUZZLES July 25th
WORD SEARCH
The Clare Echo Crossword
Crossword: 23 July
ACROSS
Bacon
. Beef
Brisket
Chop
. Cutlet
Escalope Fillet
. Gammon
Gigot
. Ham . Lamb
Liver
. Mutton
. Pastrami
Pork
. Ribs
. Rump
Salami
1. Loose from moorings (6)
4. Academy awards(6)
8. Brownish tint used in photography (5)
9. Frankness (7)
10. Oriental (7)
11. Choose to participate (3,2)
12. Morning snack (9)
17. Supermarket section (5)
19. Welsh port (7)
21. Exceed (7)
22. Intense sorrow (5)
23. Diatribe (6)
24. Story in instalments (6)
. Shoulder
. Sirloin
Spam
. Steak
. Veal
Venison
HOW TO
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.
DOWN
1. Solution (6)
2. Quick sharp reply (7)
3. Distress signal (5)
5. Wavy, winding (7)
6. Approximately (5)
7. Pilgrim’s destination (6)
9. General agreement (9)
13. Green gem (7) 14. Japanese dish of thinly sliced raw fish (7)
15. Short-legged hound (6)
16. Legal (6)
18. More certain (5) 20. Bicker (5)
ANSWERS
