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MAR 31 2022

PARK LIFE...

Manic scenes in Dublin an ‘open goal for Shannon’ PÁRAIC McMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

S Sporting the Shannon Town and Clare colours at the parkrun at Illaunmanagh where the first ever Parkrun in Shannon attracted big crowds at the weekend Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile

HANNON AIRPORT has an open goal to market itself as a hassle free International Airport in light of the ongoing queuing chaos in Dublin. Passengers at Dublin Airport have been advised to arrive at least three and a half hours ahead of their scheduled flight with massive security delays causing frustration and leading to several individuals missing their flights. No such delays have been experienced at Shan-

Russian war symbol defaces children’s fairy doors in Ennis

AIRY DOORS made by children in Ballybeg Woods have been defaced with the Russian invasion symbol ‘Z’. Horror has been expressed by walkers of Ballybeg Woods who noticed the ‘Z’ symbol which has been used as an intimidation tactic against those who oppose the war in Ukraine. Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) who is a resident of Ballybeg confirmed to

The Clare Echo that she will be tabling a motion at the next sitting of Clare County Council which will propose “legislation forthwith to criminalise the use of the ‘Z’ symbol as a way to publicly support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. ’Z’ means Russian war crimes, bombed out cities, thousands of murdered Ukrainians. Public support of this barbarism must be forbidden,” she stated.

non Airport where Aer Lingus and United Airlines have resumed transatlantic services. There is a “wide open goal” for Shannon to make noise about the ease of access that it can boast, PR consultant Mark Dunphy told The Clare Echo. “Shannon Airport should seize this opportunity. There should be billboards everywhere urging the public to ‘Beat the Queues, Fly Shannon’.” “We’re getting very little, there is a skewered approach from Government, Shannon and Cork Airports could benefit immensely if they did a proper regional development strategy,” Shannon based, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) argued.

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2 NEWS

Index NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

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2-13

OUT & ABOUT

GREEN CLARE

SHANNON FEATURE 19-25 RECRUITMENT

26-27

SPORT

28-31

ENNIS U16s

32-34

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HOLD STILL: An artist is absorbed in his task at the fourth Limerick Tattoo Convention which took place on March 26th & 27th 2022 at Treacys West County Hotel Ennis Photo by Chris Copley

County close to hitting full employment PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

1800 827 555

LARE is close to reaching full employment. In Ireland, employment numbers topped 2.5m for the first time in February, 229,100 more people were employed in the Republic of Ireland last year, up 10.1 per cent on 2020 at 2,506,000, setting a new record. The Central Bank is predicting unemployment will fall to 5.3 per cent next year and to 4.9 per cent in 2024, a level that is consistent with full employment in the Irish economy. Last month, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimated there was as many as 180,745 people classified as being either out of work or in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). The figures come amid labour shortages across

several sectors in Clare and across the country. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, Director of Economic Development with Clare County Council, Liam Conneally detailed that the Mid-West region was on its way to reaching full employment. “It is something that we might take for granted but our economy is providing jobs at a ferocious rate,” he commented. Foreign direct investment (FDI) numbers between 2019 to 2021 were labelled as “very considerable” for the Mid-West region. Conneally added, “We’re close to reaching full employment which is very significant from a Clare and Mid-West point of view, very considerable job creation is happening in our economy which in turn yields significant tax for us

in local Government to improve our infrastructure”. Clare County Council’s line of communication with IDA Ireland was described as “unprecedented” with the local authority delivering on requests for touchdown space. He also praised Enterprise Ireland and its CEO, Leo Clancy for valuing the importance of the region. Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) welcomed the positive trends in the economy but warned of other difficulties. “We know Clare is the hub of employment but it needs to be the hub of community living. "The availability of homes for people in Clare for purchase or renting, there is practically not a home to be rented in the county. "Economic development is relative to the communities, people that come here developing businesses cannot live here, that is a problem”.

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4 NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Lack of progress for Broadford pilot scheme divides Council by PÁRAIC McMAHON

ENSIONS are rising among East Clare councillors with the lack of progress for a pilot treatment wastewater treatment plant in Broadford. In August, Clare TD Cathal Crowe (FF) announced that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien (FF) had confirmed a sewerage scheme in Broadford would be approved over the coming months. Almost eight months on and the people of Broadford have yet to see any signs of progress. Senior engineer in Clare County Council’s water services and environment section, Cyril Feeney on Monday said the local authority “have not been notified to date of any pilot scheme for the provision of a wastewater treatment plant in the village of Broadford”. An update had been sought by Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) who described the lack of progress has



WATER: Cllr Joe Cooney Photo by Eamon Ward

“very disappointing”. He noted that Oireachtas members had announced machinery would be in Broadford carrying out works by the end of 2021. Criticism was fired in the direc-

Jacqueline O’Brien

tion of the Fianna Fáil representatives in the Killaloe Municipal District by Cllr Pat Burke (FG). “I would have hoped our Fianna Fáil councillor might have made representations to Minister O’Brien

when they saw the motion was down... I know we’re all in Government together but he is on that side”. Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF)accused Cllr Buke of trying to “play politics” on an important matter with Cllr Burke responding, “it is shockingly disappointing, if it was a Fine Gael Minister I’d be making a call to know if anything was done”. Politicising the tone of the argument was not beneficial to any side, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) argued. “I don’t want to go into the politics of this, I don’t know how many Ministers down through the years from all parties promised the sun, moon and stars and delivered none”. Scepticism was voiced by Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) on whether a scheme has been proposed or if it is just “word of mouth”. “I know Cllr Burke hit us about Fianna Fáil but we marched with Simon Coveney when he promised the sun, moon and stars. Forget about the political side of it, what do we need

to here, do we write to the Ministers, the Oireachtas members will only tell us what we want to here”. Offering clarity, Cllr Burke said Minister Coveney committed to a cost analysis and not promises, “I’m not having a go at my Council colleagues”. Cllr O’Brien said the Whitegate man was “dividing” the representatives. “I’m not dividing anything, I’m stating facts”. Cooperation is needed from elected members, Cllr Cooney emphasised. “Broadford is a thriving village close to Limierick and UL and we’re looking at dezoning lands because we don’t have the infrastructure”. Councillors agreed to try organise an in-person meeting with Minister O’Brien. Director of Services with the Council, Anne Haugh confirmed that a submission was made for Broadford’s inclusion in a pilot scheme. The Department of Housing had not issued a response in relation to queries from The Clare Echo in relation to the scheme at the time of going to print.

330-million-year-old burrows discovered in the Burren

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ABANDONED fossil burrows dating back 330 million years, 100 million years before the appearance of the ﬁrst dinosaurs, have been found in limestone rock on the coast of Doolin. Dr. Eamon Doyle, geologist for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark and Clare County Council, who made the discovery, says the burrows were excavated by marine creatures in a very shallow sea and are the oldest known occurrence of this type of fossil burrow anywhere in the world. At that time Clare was located near the Equator and looked and felt a lot like the

tropical Bahamas today. Dr. Doyle explained, "This is the oldest known occurrence of this particular type of fossil burrow known as Psilonichnus”. He continued, "The burrows are most similar to the burrows of modern shrimp and crabs, however while early relatives of shrimp had evolved at that time and are the most likely makers, crabs didn't evolve until millions of years later.” Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, commented, “This and previous discoveries highlight the uniqueness of our ancient landscape in the Burren. Clare County Council is pleased to support the work of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark."

NEWS 5

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Meehans plough on with 100 year link as competition returns PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

HEN the county Ploughing Championships take place this Sunday (follwing a three year absence) on the Meehan farm in Crussa, Newmarket-on-Fergus, the Meehan family will continue a link going back over 100 years in ploughing circles on a local, county and national level. Sunday’s match will have senior, U28 and junior classes, confines and open. There will also be a single furrow and vintage and horse ploughing with new and vintage machinery on display. For John Meehan, it will be his fourth time hosting the Clare championships, having done so in 1973, 1997 and 2002. In the early 1900s, the big landed estates of Clare and beyond used to have ploughing contests to see who had the best ploughmen. “It was an honour for the estate owner to have the champion and I heard that much money changed hands by betting on matches,” John recalled. The big estates put their top men against each other, this level of competition is how the National Ploughing

 LEGACY: John Meehan on his land in Newmarket-on-Fergus

Photo byNatasha Barton

Championships came into being. At the earliest days of ploughing in Clare, the Meehans were involved. “My grandfather George Meehan ploughed for a Clarecastle landowner in the early 1900s, we don’t talk much about that as he was young at the time so we forgave him when he transferred to Newmarket-on-Fergus,” John quipped.

“Here, he represented Ralahine Estate at ploughing contests, he was a good horse ploughman and he demonstrated ploughs brought to Hewitts in Granahan by Boyd’s of Limerick, this was in the mid 1920s”. The National Ploughing Association was founded in 1931 with organised matches under this umbrella running in Clare from

the mid 1930s. Throughout the 1940s, John’s father Martin (Mazo) was prominent in arranging ploughing across Clare, serving for many years as Chairman and organising matches. From the 1960s to the 1980s, John won over half a dozen titles at U18, U21 and Junior levels. He has been Chairman, Vice Chairman and PRO of the Clare Ploughing Association and now is classed as “an ordinary member”. From 2008 to 2013, he was Director of the National Ploughing Association. Speaking to The Clare Echo, John admitted it was hard to predict the size of Sunday’s crowd. “Because of people missing out for the last three years and the nice weather, we could get a big crowd, people are mad to go things. If we got 500 we’d be good, we’ll hopefully get more, there’s loads of parking for the crowds”. Meehan’s passion for ploughing pulses through his veins but the 73 year old lamented how it is not reciprocated among young farmers. “I’ve a feeling if people start ploughing, it might come back. We will have to start growing grain, we’ve the land for grain but we have to bring it in from England, I can’t believe we’re not making it a priority”. He was hopeful more young people would become immersed in ploughing.

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6 NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Council only drew down 20 per cent of Active Travel fund PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

UST 22 per cent of Clare’s allocation under the Active Travel Programme was drawn down in 2021. Under the Active Travel Programme, Clare County Council was allocated €5.9m in 2021, however only €1.3m was drawn down, The Clare Echo can reveal. General projects in the scheme include the reallocation of overall road space such as segregated cycling lanes and widened footpaths, cyclist parking, raised pedestrian crossings and reducing road width at crossing points as well as other improvements. The overall aim is to increase the amount of persons using means of ‘active travel’. New and widened footpaths to improve permeability, a redesign of the existing network and medium-term Active Travel design projects have been progressed in Clare so far, a spokesperson for Clare County Council stated. Works completed include, footpath links from schools, churches, shops in towns and villages across Clare, pedestrian crossings, bus shelters and public consultation. Speaking to The Clare Echo, Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) was critical of the lack of urgency shown by the Council. “It is a question of priority, the local authority said before they didn’t have funding or staff, they’ve been given the funding and the staff so I expected we would see it accelerate but it hasn’t”. “They have the staff and money, we would

like to see it accelerated, every year when school finishes for the summer, there is another group denied safe access when going to school,” the Inagh native added. “The piece of paint or the line was okay until we got a Green Minister for Transport who couldn’t get money out fast enough for Active Travel. Local authorities are not spending the money across country. Segregated cycle lanes should be provided “at the very least and not ugly armadillos,” the former Green Schools officer remarked. She said public space must be taken back for people and not vehicles while referencing the 71% public vote in favour of pedestrianisation in Ennis as a sign of the public’s appetite. “It would be nice to see the funding be spent and to need more rather than under-spending, we can’t judge the Council until the end of this and next year when they say COVID and lack of engineers”. Senior officials in the Council have noted that the Active Travel Programme runs for five years but Senator Garvey insisted “they can get €5.4m every year if they spend it”. She continued, “It is a question of priorities, everybody wants safer crossings, footpaths, lighting, greenway, everybody wants these things, that’s what we need to be pushing for. "I worked with the Green Schools for 14 years, we had to struggle to get infrastructural improvements, that was due to staff and money, they have both now, there is no reason for delays. There is a will within politicians, a lot of councillors when they experienced travel safely they realised how much space and control we give to cars only, if you design for people, you will get people, peo-

CYCLING: 'A modal shift' is needed' ple need to get into cars but we need choices for walking and cycling. We need to see a model shift in urban places to make them safer”. “Pedestrians and cyclists have yet to kill

anyone, there are huge safety issues with big vehicles and we think it is acceptable for trucks to park where they want. We need to rethink our use of space, this Active Travel funding gives us the opportunity to do that”.

Local Education And Training Board eager to open more multi-denominational primary schools by STUART HOLLY LIMERICK and Clare Education and Training Board has welcomed the announcement from the Department of Education to facilitate greater availability of multi-de-

nominational schools across the country. The Schools Reconﬁguration for Diversity process will support the transfer of primary schools to multi-denominational patrons. Commenting on the announcement, George O’Callaghan, Chief Executive of

Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, said: “The ETB already operates Community National Schools at primary level at three sites in the region. These are state, co-educational, multi-denominational primary schools underpinned by the core values of Excellence in Education, Care, Equality, Community and Respect. Community National Schools teach the national primary school curriculum as set out by the Department of Education and have a ‘multi-denominational’ ethos. They also celebrate events that are important to the school community such as Christmas, Eid, and Diwali throughout the school year.” The reconﬁguration process announced by the Department of Education involves existing schools changing their patron and may also mean a change of ethos, for example, a change from a denominational (religious) ethos to a multi-denominational ethos. When a school transfers from one patron to another, the school retains the same roll number with staff and pupils remaining in place. Donncha Ó Treasaigh, Director of Schools with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, said: “The Programme for Government refers to the reconﬁguration of schools to Community National School (CNS), which are under the patronage of Education and Training Boards (ETBs).

There are currently 27 Community National Schools in Ireland with this figure expected to increase in future years.” He continued: “We are very much looking forward to working with existing patrons to develop additional Community National Schools in the region following the successful transfer of patronage of two County Clare schools to the ETB in 2019. In addition, the ETB was selected by the Department of Education to make provision for children in Glenroe, County Limerick, to enrol in the county’s first Community National School experience for Limerick.” Shelagh Graham is Director of Organisation Support and Development with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. She said: “The supports and administration functions that the organisation provides for ETB schools covers a range of services including Capital Building Projects, Human Resources, Finance, Governance, ICT, and corporate services.” School communities that may be interested in exploring a transfer of patronage should engage with their school patron in the first instance. Primary school principals or school communities in Limerick and Clare who are interested in further information can contact Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board through schools@lcetb.ie.

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8 NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

'They are all so shook but very appreciative of the Clare welcome' PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE man originally from Ukraine has been volunteering as a translator to refugees arriving in Shannon. Demyd Yatsenko has lived in Co Clare since he was seven years old. A past pupil of St Flannan’s College, the 24 old originally lived in Ennis before his family relocated to Ballynacally where his parents still reside while he once again is now based in the county town. His family hail from Chernigov which is in the north of Ukraine, close to the Belarus border. When the Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it was their first city on the way down and has been “badly destroyed,” Demyd lamented. Over the past few months, his family have been in disbelief as they watched the building force of the Russian troops. “We had been saying to our family in Ukraine to come here, my grandparents have a farm and they didn’t want

to leave but it kept building. When it all kicked off, most of our family were still there. We were so worried about them”. Due to the distress, he was grateful that his employer, Pepper Asset Servicing in Shannon gave him a week off. During this time, Demyd spent up to 15 hours watching the news, worrying about his family and keeping in regular communication with them and discovering that the streets were they once called home were now in ruins. The Yatsenkos had been planning on returning to Ukraine for a trip in April for the first time in two and a half years, the conflict scuppered their plans and as the violence has worsened, their family have scattered in different locations. His grandparents have arrived in Co Clare, it is clear to see they are drained from the journey and the turmoil, Demyd admitted. “It is mostly women that have come, they’re completely shook, the men are still fighting, one eight year old boy that I met was so upset and I asked him what was wrong, he said he missed his father and wanted to see him. They are all so shook, the

children have been displaced and they don’t know what is happening”. Most of the Ukrainian men are either fighting or volunteering for their country. In a bid to help, the LIT graduate has begun voluntary work as a translator to assist refugees arriving in Co Clare. He helps to translate the list of items people are looking for and also acted as a guide on the different events organised for the Ukrainian refugees that have taken place in Bunratty. Every evening after work, he is translating different texts with details such as shopping lists and medical supplies. “After work I go to the gym and I box, I look at it like this, I may be the only person in the area with the languages and the IT skills to help and speak the language so I am more than happy to help, they’re coming from war”. Second and third cousins of Demyd are currently fighting for their country, the view from Ukraine is that Russia is running into economic difficulties and they will struggle to maintain another month of fighting, “Ukraine can sustain it, they are fighting on their

 UKRAINE:Demyd Yatsenko

Photo by Joe Buckley

own soil. Maybe it will be around May but Russia will run out of money and something will have to happen, anything could happen”. Warmth shown to the people of Ukraine since arriving in Ireland has been clear to see, the Ennis man said. “The people of Ukraine said they always heard of the kind-

ness of the Irish people. A couple of women were crying with worry, they didn’t expect the extent of how people were willing to give up their time and their homes. They really appreciate how everyone locally and nationally has come together, other European Union countries haven’t helped as much”.

Ennis' John part of Tesla convoy that transported 70 Ukrainians

 RESCUE: John Casey

by PÁRAIC McMAHON AN ENNIS MAN was among a convoy of Tesla car owners that transported up to 70 Ukrainians from Poland to Ireland in a 1900km journey across mainland Europe. Founder of the Tesla Owners Group, John Casey was among the key personnel in a major humanitarian mission which helped 70 Ukrainians leave their war-torn country and arrive in the safety of Ireland, 37 of which were children. All drivers paid their way with a GoFundMe page bringing in donations to the tune of €25,000. Planning began on March 12th and on Thursday last, the convoy of 17 vehicles boarded Jonathan Swift ferry and made their way for Bruges, they arrived in Poznan on

Friday night, the following morning they filled their cars with refugees and their belongings. “It is hard to describe what was faced, it was something else, we actually discovered later that some of the people they were fleeing, they said they would come to Ireland but they didn’t know who were even though we had all paperwork and Ukrainian Ambassador approval, they said they would take a chance and go,” John told The Clare Echo. One woman even took a photo of the car she was set to sit into and sent it to her husband so that he would have a registration number to trace if she was trafficked to another country. Women and children aged from three months to 97 years old joined the convoy, paediatricians and

engineers were among them, all united in their desire to find safety. They stayed in Liege on Saturday night, come Sunday morning it was time to board the ferry. John is grateful to Irish Ferries who held back its departure by 45 minutes to ensure they got on board. While the Ukrainians didn’t know where they were going, they were trusting of the group who had a “letter of bona fida from the Ukrainian Ambassador”. “They are traumatised. They fled a war, there was tears getting into the car, some of them were holding onto stuff and they weren’t going to let go,” John recalled. “Poland is overwhelmed with them, they have done incredible in terms of dealing with the influx of people, some people want to stay there because they think it will be easy to get back when it’s over, others of the view that there’s so many in Poland they can’t be accommodated”. He added, “People wanted to come because they have nothing over there. The distance involved was no bother to them, I had four people in my car, two of them had come from Odessa on a bus for two solid days to get to Poznan, they had travelled as far from Ukraine to get to where we were picking up. They were fleeing from everything, they took a chance on us and I said Ireland will welcome you”. Each electric vehicle (EV) has its own battery capacity, John’s

Tesla had to stop approximately 20 times over the course of the journey to charge in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, quite simply it was the biggest journey he ever undertook in the car but also his entire life, “it certainly was, I’ve nothing like that done before”. As they travelled together, they built up a bond, the Ukrainians played Folk music on Spotify to give a taste of what they like while John put on the Kilfenora Céilí Band and Riverdance to showcase Irish culture, contrasting histories were also discussed. “You have an afﬁnity with them being two solid days in the car, I chatted in pigeon English, I told

them about Ireland, some of them are not going back, they are not going back, they have been bombed out of it, they will get their way in life and we’re hoping we’ve given them a start”. Casey believes that future trips may be carried out by the Group over the coming weeks. “I’ve no doubt we will have another willing ten people to come across like we did when we draw a breath, this will be the ﬁrst of a few I’d suspect, we have the contacts made”. Of the Ukrainians that travelled on the Tesla convoy, some are based in Newbridge with others in Donegal while The Clare Echo has learned that a cohort are now in Loop Head.

 CONVOY: The journey to Ireland took two days

NEWS 9

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

County Express arrives at its ﬁnal destination PÁRAIC MCMAHON

 FAREWELL: The Clare County Express

paraic@clareecho.ie

HE Clare County Express has printed its final edition. A monthly freesheet, the County Express delivered to the entire county with 20,000 copies for the past four decades. Its March 2022 edition was its last, its owner and editor has confirmed as he made the decision to retire. Seamus O’Reilly was one of two people involved in the establishment of the paper in 1979. Forty four years later he remained as its Editor and main contributor with responsibility for the bulk of its content and advertising. The newspaper continued to be distributed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 500 editions of the County Express have been published with the Lisheen man attending thousands of GAA games on sidelines across the country during this time. He has released two books, Clare GAA: The Club Scene 1887 – 2010 and Clare GAA In Old Photographs, he is in the process of working on a third. He is a member of the Executive with Clondegad GAA club. Contributors to the newspaper included columnists such as former Clare hurler, John Callinan of Clarecastle, Pad-

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dy McDonnell of Kilkee, former Green Party councillor Brian Meaney, historian Ollie Byrnes, Br Sean McNamara and Geraldine Burke. Reports that the newspaper was to finish had been circulating for the past month with O’Reilly confirming to acquaintances at the book launch of Jimmy Smyth: A Hurling Life that this was indeed true. ‘Thanks for the support and the memories’ is the headline of the final edition with O’Reilly penning his gratitude to

its readers, supporters and advertisers. He recalled that at the time of its foundation, the Express had the goal “to provide the county with an alternative view of itself ” while confirming that the paper won every “occasional legal battle” it was involved in. He stated, “from its early days it offered those ignored by the system the right to Express themselves in public”. Clarecastle’s Callinan in his column noted, “this is the end of an era but all good things must come to an end”.

'I haven't got much conﬁdence in our TDs' CONFIDENCE in Clare’s Oireachtas members has taken a dent following the sudden resignation of Shannon Group Chairman, Pádraig Ó Céidigh according to a former Independent TD, writes Páraic McMahon. A Clare TD from 2002 to 2007, James Breen (IND) has admitted the pace at which he is losing faith in the county’s politicians is increasing after Shannon Airport suffered a setback with Ó Céidigh departing the role. Speaking to The Clare Echo, Breen commented, “I haven’t much conﬁdence in our four TDs, we have 7 Oireachtas members and they seem to be sitting by and letting things happen and then talk about when it happens”. Also of concern to the former Mayor of Clare was the country’s health service. “The Minister initiated an investigation on the ongoing delivery costs and overcrowding, we had four TDs, seven Oireachtas members that watched that and let it happen, there was no word about it. Our health service is in an awful state and what are they doing”. Presently, Clare are served at a national level by four TDs, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND), Michael McNamara (IND), Cathal Crowe (FF) and Joe Carey (FG) plus three Senators, Martin Conway (FG),

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Timmy Dooley (FF) and Roisin Garvey (GP). Separately, Breen acknowledged the late Pat Fitzpatrick and Tomsie O’Sullivan of Ennis and Lahinch respectively following their recent deaths. “What them people did for their communities on a voluntary basis is unequalled. As ex TD, I can tell you that they were unselﬁsh with their time, they always had a good word to say and worked for their community”. “Pat Fitzpatrick was deeply involved in the GAA and everything in his community, he was always happy go lucky, he always put his points forward, he looked for the best and everything that was good for the young people of Clare and the community he lived in,” he said of the Knockerra native who ran Fitzpatrick’s Gourmet Garage on the Tulla Rd since the 1970s. O’Sullivan was a stalwart of the Lahinch RNLI and James said, “Tomsie was a great community activist, he was always there, he never drank or smoke, he always had a smile and put his points forward in such a persuasive nature that you couldn’t but listen to him”. He continued, “they brought volunteerism to a new stage when you see what they have done. They are a great loss to their communities, families and friends."

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MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF SHANNON SMALL COMMUNITY GRANT SCHEME 2022 The Municipal District of Shannon invites applications for grant assistance under its Small Community Grants Scheme 2022. The objective of the scheme is to encourage and support community and voluntary organisations active in the cultural, artistic and community development of the Municipal District. Applicant organisations must be residing within or based within the Municipal District of Shannon area and the projects submitted for grant assistance must have a Municipal District of Shannon focus. The application system and scheme guidelines can be accessed at www.clarecoco.ie Email enquiries may be made tosmdcommunitygrantscheme@clarecoco.ie or by phoning 061-362319. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 5pm Friday, 22nd April, 2022.

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(With initial responsibility for implementation of the Further Education and Training Division ESOL and Migrant Learner Framework) Ref. No. 011182 Application Forms, Person Specification and Job Description for all posts above are available on www.lcetb.ie/recruitment Closing time and date for receipt of applications is 12 noon Friday 08th April, 2022. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Canvassing will disqualify. Provision co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. Có-mhaoinithe ag an

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10 NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Question marks remain over Ó Céidigh's departure

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

STEPPING DOWN: Pádraig Ó Céidigh

UESTION marks surrounding the sudden resignation of Pádraig Ó Céidigh remain unanswered despite the announcement of his successor in the space of six days. It took over a year to put in a place a replacement for Rose Hynes as Chairperson of Shannon Group plc but less than a week after the “huge setback” of Ó Céidigh resigning, the vacancy has already been filled. As first reported by The Clare Echo, former CEO and founder of Aer Arann, Ó Céidigh announced his resignation as Chairman of Shannon Group in a letter to Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) on Wednesday. The Minister confirmed when announcing the appointment of Conal Henry that he accepted this resignation. Ó Ceidigh was appointed as Chair in September on a three year term but he has ended his tenure, after six months. He was notably absent at a function to celebrate the resumption of transatlantic flights at Shannon Airport in the past fortnight. While Mr Ó Céidigh has not spoken publicly on the matter, sources have told The Clare Echo that he found the working

relationship with Board members difficult with influences from outside the Board also reported to be a factor. CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine in a brief statement to The Clare Echo, paid tribute to the former Senator. “I would like to thank Pádraig for his contribution to the Group as we continue to rebuild our business in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. I would like to wish him well in his future endeavours.” Former Clare TD, James Breen (IND) described the development as “very disappointing”. He told The Clare Echo, “there must be something erratically wrong that after six months, he has to hand in his resignation, something needs to be investigated as to why he resigned. I think Shannon is on the up and it’s a pity to see this setback”. Breen was of the view that the resumption of transatlantic flights and the return of the Heathrow service had put Shannon in a stronger position. “Everything has to be done to find a suitable replacement or else give him mechanism to run Shannon Airport properly. Shannon is an engine for growth in the west of Ireland, we cannot do anything to damage that. Every effort must be made to get someone suitable to bring someone in who can bring airport from strength to strength”.

Clare TD, Joe Carey (FG) said that a detailed analysis must be undertaken to establish why the Connermara native resigned. "Mr Ó Céidigh rolled up his sleeves and in a post-pandemic world we have seen transatlantic services restored and the restoration of the vital hub at Heathrow. Ryanair services have multiplied. Indeed, the summer schedule in Shannon boasts 26 destinations with 108 weekly departures. He has done a wonderful job”. Carey’s request for a detailed analysis to understand the reasons behind Ó Céidigh’s departure to be conducted before a new recruitment campaign began was ignored. Representatives of Shannon Group and the Department of Transport should appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to discuss the path forward for Shannon Group, Cathal Crowe TD (FF) maintained. Crowe confirmed he has written to the Chairperson of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell (FG) “to suggest that we urgently summon Mr Ó Céidigh, Mary Considine and Fintan Towey, Assistant Secretary for Aviation in the Department of Transport, to appear before our committee to discuss the reasons behind this resignation and the pathway forward in terms of a replacement.

'Cable guy' Conal Henry appointed Chair of Shannon Group PÁRAIC MCMAHON paraic@clareecho.ie

PÁDRAIG Ó Céidigh’s successor as Chairman of Shannon Group has been announced. Founder and Chair of Fibrus, Conal Henry has on Tuesday been formally appointed as the new Chairperson of Shannon Group. In his new role, he will be chairing meetings of Shannon Group which is responsible for Shannon Airport, Shannon Commercial Properties and IASC. Fibrus is a telecommunications provider in existence for over two years, in January of 2021 it was awarded the Department for the Economy’s Project Stratum contract, a four-year build to improve regional broadband connectivity to almost 80,000 homes in Northern Ireland. He has spent decades working in the telecommunications industry. Conal also chairs the £500m HM Treasury backed National Digital Infrastructure Fund based in Lon-

don. Prior to this he was CEO of enet taking it from start up to its £200m acquisition by the Irish Infrastructure Fund in 2017, as CEO of Enet, Conal also lead what is now known as NBI to become the winning bidder for the €2bn Irish National Broadband Plan. He was also Commercial Director at Ryanair, spending two years working under Michael O’Leary during this time the company grew from handling 6.5 million passengers, to 22 million, he also served on the Board of Shannon Foynes Port Company. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a law degree from Queen’s University Belfast. Henry previously was Head of Finance for Non Food and George Clothing at Asda in the UK. Hebegan his career at Procter & Gamble and is also Vice Chair of An Cosán. He had previously been dubbed as “Ireland’s cable guy” due to his success in the telecommunications industry. Since the establishment of Shannon Group a decade ago, there

have been three Chairpersons, New Quay native Rose Hynes, Aaron Forde whose appointment

NEW GIG: Conal Henry

was revoked within a matter of hours in February of last year and Pádraig Ó Céidigh who resigned

from the role last week having just taken on the post in September 2021.

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Large crowds expected in Bareﬁeld for Pat Bogue 6k

NEWS 11

PEG FLIES THE FLAG

by GORDON DEEGAN

ARGE crowds are expected in Barefield this Sunday to celebrate the life of an adopted Clare man with the staging of the ‘Pat Bogue 6k’. It is now almost five months since the Kilkenny native and dad of two young boys collapsed at breakfast at his Larchill home outside Ennis and died. The 49 year old was the ‘Leader’ of the Clare Crusaders’ running group that has raised over €750,000 to fund the operation of the Clare Crusaders Clinic for childrens' therapies in Barefield through running the Dublin City Marathon. All proceeds from this Sunday’s fun run and walk - which promises to be a family centred event - will go to the Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic. Along with the run, there will be raffles on the day with prizes and vouchers up for grabs with all prizes donated by local businesses and friends of Pat. Pat - who moved to Clare in 1993 - was the only Clare Crusader runner to run every Dublin marathon since 2007 and his long time friend,

FAMILY MAN: Pat Bogue pictured with his wife, Maria and sons, Conall and Colm

Padraig O’Sullivan recalled this week “Pat ran his first marathon crossing the line holding hands with myself and Mark Fitzharris”. Padraig gave the eulogy for Pat at his funeral mass at Barefield Church last November and he said on Wednesday: "That year the bond of friendship between the three of us was unreal.” Padraig described Pat as ‘one

of a kind’ and said that Pat loved, adored and cherished his wife, Maria Cosgrove and their two young boys, Conall and Colm. Padraig said that two boys “were Pat’s pride and joy” The Pat Bogue 6K starts at 1pm at Barefield village on Sunday.

Link to booking details https:// eventmaster.ie/event/d2y4FnGSwV

GREEN: 101 Year Old Peg Morgan from Kilmurry McMahon enjoying being part of The St Patricks Day Parade in Kilrush

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

in association with

Disease management hub to be established PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

NEW chronic disease management hub delivering services to patients with cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses and Type II Diabetes is to be rolled out in Clare, the HSE have confirmed. Clare currently has a lengthy waiting lists for podiatry services with 542 patients waiting to be called for their first appointment and 3,461 patients on the active database in the county. 20 full-time specialist roles are to be assigned to the Chronic Disease Team in Clare based at the new Primary Care Centre on the Station Rd in Ennis, the HSE stated with the services to be provided in a “hub and spike model”. The

facility is to become operational by the third quarter of this year but the addition of staff may take longer. A spokesperson for the HSE outlined, “It is difficult to say when the full Chronic Disease Team in Clare will be in place as some grades of posts are extremely difficult to recruit. It is estimated that the full roll out if the Chronic Disease service across the country will take approximately three years”. There will also be three additional clinical and diagnostic chronic disease posts created at University Hospital Limerick. Waiting times in Clare will be “greatly reduced” as a result, Michael McNamara TD (IND) predicted. He tabled a parliamentary question on the matter and welcomed the announcement that recruitment was already underway, the Chronic Disease Lead has

already been appointed. He said the new primary care centre would have a strong focus on delivering a range of services on an outreach basis across the county, including Cardiac Rehabilitation, Pulmonary Rehabilitation; Diabetes Self-Management Education; and Diagnostic Services by specialist community teams. Deputy McNamara said he hoped the establishment of a new Chronic Disease Management Hub in Clare would lead to a dramatic reduction in the significant number of patients waiting for a podiatry appointment in the county. “There currently is only two Senior Podiatrists and one Staff Grade Podiatrist delivering podiatry services in Clare where there are 3,461 patients on the active database and 542 patients waiting to be called for the first appointment”.

Teens ready to take over

OUR TOWN: Rice College students are preparing to host the Family Games on May 8 and and (inset) Ennis Heritage Day will take place this Sunday

by ELAINE TUBRIDY THE teens are taking over Ennis town this Sunday, April 3 from 1-5pm. Discover Ennis Heritage Day is a free event organised by the Transition Year students of St. Flannan’s College and Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in Collaboration with Experience Ennis and Shannon Heritage. It’s going to be an afternoon jam-packed with activities and live entertainment. Heritage activities will include historical reconstructions of spinning wool, churning butter, iron-age weaponry and strawcrafts. There will also be tons of live entertainment including trad music, Irish dancing, face painting, and lots lots more. Free student-led walk-

ing tours will leave the Chapel Lane Market Building on the hour from 1 - 4pm. At 4pm in the Chapel Lane Market Building there will be storytelling for adults and children (over 7 years of age) by the world-renowned Seanchaí, Edmund Lenihan. This collaboration is the ﬁrst of two Teen Takeovers. On Sunday May 8th, students Colaiste Muire will present a Slow Fashion Event with family upcycling workshops in Junk Couture and tie-dye. Shop the vintage rails and trade in your once treasured clothes in a pop-up swop shop. Also on May 8th, Rice College TY students host the Family Games, an afternoon of fun and games with sport and family treasure hunts, live music, dance and loads of entertainment.

New bus stop added at lake INCREASED visitors to Ballyalla Lake has prompted TFI Local Link Limerick Clare to add a new stop to the popular amenity on the outskirts of Ennis, writes Páraic McMahon. An alteration to the C13 bus timetable has been announced which now includes a stop at Ballyalla Lake. The change has been in effect since the middle of March. The route runs every Saturday and has further stops at Lidl, Bareﬁeld, Ballyline, Crusheen and Ballinruan. It stops four times at Ballyalla every Saturday (11:27, 12:07, 14:57, 15:37). Transport Operations Coordinator for the Clare section of Local Link, Cillian Griffey explained, “Providing access to this beauty spot which is 3.4km from the centre of Ennis, is in

recognition of the increase in visitors to Ballyalla Lake and the fact that there was no public transport serving the attraction”. Griffey said they wanted to “make this prized amenity accessible for all especially those that don’t drive and those with mobility issues. “All our buses are fully wheelchair accessible and our buses cater for all”. Chairman of the Ballyalla Lake Blue Flag Working Group, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told The Clare Echo the options would cater for short and long visits. He was hopeful more people from Ennis and further aﬁeld would visit “the beautiful lake” for walks, birdwatching, waterside picnics and water sports. The working group has worked with An Taisce to retain Green Flag status.

NEWS 13

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

SHANNON NEWS in association with

Shannon ﬂights needed for regional balance PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

HANNON Airport is to receive further financial support under the Regional Airports Programme this year, a Junior Minister in the Department of Transport has confirmed. A total of €23.6m was allocated to Shannon Airport last year in comparison with €97.2m for Dublin Airport and €25.1m for Cork Airport. The Regional Airports Programme is set to continue until 2025 with Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics, Hildegarde Naughton (FG) guaranteeing Shannon’s inclusion

once again for 2022. Speaking to The Clare Echo, she outlined that Government funding has been used to aid Shannon Group in targeting airlines and opening up connectivity. She believed the Heathrow hub at Shannon would continue to develop and acknowledged its importance as an international hub for the country in a business, tourism and heritage sense. She believed the message needed to go out internationally for passengers to avail of Shannon Airport rather than Cork or Dublin to assist balanced regional development. “From the very outset of the pandemic what I wanted to do first of all when there was no flights and nobody was flying globally was to ensure the Airport itself was in a position to rebound so we funded the Airports. As we reopen, what

DEVELOPMENT: Mary Considine and Hildegarde Naughton (FG)

I’m doing is allocating funding to all of our Airports and in particular Shannon so they can directly work and negotiate with airlines

and to market this region. It is not just tourism, it is business and ensuring we have balanced regional development so not everyone has

to go to Dublin or Cork to fly out. Naughton continued, “The return of transatlantic flights is symbolic to say the Mid-West region is open, we can have these services and we want to grow. The funding we provided was again to enable Shannon to do what it does best, it is a commercial entity at the end of the day and it needs to be sustainable and market itself, that’s what this funding is doing and it is testament to the Group that they have delivered on that, we will be continuing to work with Shannon Airport and the region so that it does thrive and develop, we’re coming out of the pandemic so it is a new vista in how business people are going to interact and their travel movements, this is a moving target and we’re working with all of the groups and airports to ensure Ireland has that connectivity”.

Handrails to be installed at Tullyvarraga Hall by PÁRAIC McMAHON HANDRAILS are to be installed at Tullyvarraga Hall to improve safety at the Shannon community outlet. Senior executive engineer in the Shannon Municipal District, Tom Mellett conﬁrmed that a contractor has been approached “to commission handrails” at Tullyvarraga Hall.

It follows a proposal from Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) who urged the Shannon MD ofﬁce to examine the steps on either side of the Hall “with the view of ﬁnding funding to make these steps safer. In particular, the smaller set of steps as these become mossy and slippery.

SAFETY: Tullyvarraga Hall Photo by Joe Buckley

The provision of a handrail would be great to making these steps a lot easier and safer to use”. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the Shannon MD, she emphasised that the presence of moss is making the smaller steps very slippy on occasions. Her proposal was seconded by Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND).

14 OUT & ABOUT

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

O'CALLAGHANS MILLS CELEBRATE EXTRA TIME TROPHY TWO years on from claiming the Clare Junior A Hurling Championship for the first time in the history, O’Callaghans Mills finally got to toast to their success when they gathered for a victory social at Hotel Woodstock, writes Páraic McMahon. In a tie that went to extra time, the final finished 4-17 0-23 in the Mills’

favour when they overcame the challenge of Kilmaley at Fr Murphy Memorial Park in Newmarket-on-Fergus. The occasion was made more special with Joe Cooney in one of his final acts as Clare GAA Chairman getting to present the trophy to winning captain Barry Heffernan.

l WINNERS: Enjoying the O'Callaghans Mills social at Hotel Woodstock were (Clockwise from above): The McGrath family – Bridget, Henry, Shauna, David and Noel; Joanne Corry, Aisling Hannon, Sonia Hanrahan and Bronagh Sullivan; Winning captain Barry Heffernan (second from left) flanked by Alan O’Dea, Eoghan McGrath & Ian Donnellan; Eoghan McGrath & Edel Hickey; Kathleen Donovan, May Hogan and Mike Hogan Photos by Joe Buckley

Arts & Entertainment 15

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

World premiere for Caoin in glór

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

AOIN by Ceara Conway is to have its world premiere in glór on Friday next (April 8th). Commissioned by glór with support from the Arts Council, Caoin was born out of Ceara’s love for singing Irish traditional sean nós songs that have melodies and narratives expressing feelings of loss, longing, and the sensibility of the cry. Known for her unique use of traditional song and lament in contemporary art for this concert and album vocalist/artist Ceara Conway collaborates with producer Seán Mac Erlaine, musicians Kevin Murphy (Cello), Ultan O’Brien (Viola/Fiddle) of Slow Moving Clouds, Seán Mac Erlaine (clarinet, electronics) and Francesco Turrisi (piano) to bring you a collection of sean nós songs that explore the beautiful sounds and sentiments of longing and loss found in traditional praise songs, lullabies with core emphasis on the traditional

Irish ‘caoineadh’, lament. Ceara Conway has gained recognition for her singing in traditional repertoires across cultures from Irish traditional sean nós, to Portuguese, Arabic and African song and Georgian Chant. The contemporary singer and visual artist has shown and performed work widely internationally and in Ireland, including the Katzen Arts Centre, Washington, The Barbican, UK, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Taigh Chearsabhaigh Museum, Galway Arts Centre, and the National Gallery of Ireland. She has performed with esteemed musicians such as Nick Roth, Caoimhín O Raghallaigh, Nóirín Ni Rian, Linda Buckley, and LAU. She has performed at the Irish Embassy in Paris & Irish Embassy in Berlin and for visiting heads of state such as Christine Lagarde and Jean -Claude Juncker. On what to expect from Caoin, Ciara explained, “Within Caoin

you will hear laments (caointe) alongside praise songs, love songs, and lullabies. I have a grá for singing songs from all over the world but singing sean nós holds a special place in my heart for many reasons such as my Connemara roots, my love for the Irish language, and the pure visceral experience of singing melodic ornamented lines and notes. Most of all I love singing sean nós songs for the resonance that I experience when singing them, the emotions they express feel timeless and universal”. Some of Ciara’s recent projects include GOL with Brú Theatre (2021), Bealtaine Festival ‘Of Scent and Song’’ (2021), Viriditas, Galway ECOC & Saolta Arts (2020), Dóchas/Hope, Oireachtas na Gaeilge & Waterways Ireland (2019). The Feminist Supermarket, Ormston House, (2021), Pocahontas Opera House Residency, West Virginia, USA (2022). She has received numerous bursaries and awards from the Arts Council and City and County Arts Offices in Ireland. Visit glor.ie for info.

UPCOMING ART EXHIBITIONS ENNISTYMON SCHOOL OF ART The annual exhibition from Ennistymon School of Art will be launched at The Courthouse Gallery Ennistymon on Thursday April 7th, and running until April 17th. Opening is from 6pm. The 2022 exhibition is titled “Chrysalis”. The Art School, which is afﬁliated with Ennistymon Vocational School, is run through the Limerick & Clare ETB. Running from mid-September until May it offers QQI awarded PLC courses in Level

5 and Level 6. Viewers will be treated to a diverse range of artworks and practices such as drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and combined materials and installation pieces. “Chrysalis” describes the nature and process of development, and transition that occurs during the creative cycle. Each student engaged with this process as part of their experience on the course.

BURREN COLLEGE OF ART BURREN College of Art welcomes all to join them for the Opening Reception of their MFA Graduate Exhibition on Saturday, April 16, from 5-7pm. The exhibition runs from the 16th-29th of April, and the gallery is open to the public between the hours of 10:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday. Artists Elizabeth Bleynat, Tiffani Love, and Francine Marquis have tied themselves to this place. Elizabeth Bleynat’s kaleidoscope of coastal plastic debris meets land in her

meticulously interwoven tangles of mulitcoloured ﬂotsam, delicately embedded within earth-toned sheep’s wool. Tiffani Love’s palette captures the liminality of a slowly vanishing coastal spit just west of the village of Ballyvaughan known as The Rine. All of Francine Marquis’s works are shaped through careful acts of layering. Interested in the relationship memory has with one’s emotional connection to architectural spaces. For more information: https://www.burrencollege.ie/t-i-e-d/

LAMENT: Ceara Conway

Photo by Dragana Jurisic

All set for Night at the Musicals A NIGHT at the Musicals is on the cards at Scariff over the Easter weekend, writes Páraic McMahon. After an absence of two years from the stage, the East Clare Musical Society return by reprising the cabaret special, ‘A Night at the Musicals’ in Scariff Community College on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 15th, 16th and 17th April with curtain up at 8pm. Leads from previous performances from the East Clare group will entertain fans of musical theatre, organisers have promised. Led by Musical Director John O’Brien with the accompaniment of Anne Cullen and Steve Lawrence, Flagmount’s Vashti Curran (inset) will be welcomed

back to the stage from a very successful year long residency performing cabaret in Germany. Also taking to the stage are other highly talented singers, most of who graced the stage in the 2020 show, including: Paul Conroy, Edel O’Grady, Cathal Moloney, Ruth O’Hagan, Jim and Maeve O’Brien, Sarah King, Brendán Baguio, Ger and Caoimhe Treacy, Sandra and Chloe O’Halloran, Sinéad and Louise O’Callaghan, Sarah Kate McConnell, Michelle Fitzsimons, Miriam Smith, Eoin Heffernan, Mags

McGrath, Orlaith Nihill and, Conor McGrath and Rob Kerby of The After Eights aka the Killaloe Male Voice Choir. These performers will be joined on stage by a chorus line made up of local singers and dancers, choreographed by Sarah Allen who is assisted by Claire O’Sullivan. The chorus lines numbers will be swelled by many of Scariff Community College’s Transition Year Students. Tickets priced at €30, will be sold only through Eventbrite and the link is www.eastclarems.eventbrite.ie

Spread cheer Shock in

16 FEATURES

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

RONAN SCULLY

Thought for the week

T HAS been said that a smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart. But a smile is also a powerful weapon against toxic attitudes of all kinds. A line from one of my favourite songs which was made famous by Louis Armstrong says: “When you’re smiling, when you’re smiling the whole world smiles with you.” Think about that for a moment after you have stopped singing it in your mind and then think about the people in your life you know who have a lot of love in their lives, and recall whether they smile a lot and then try to be one of them! No financial crash, coronavirus, war or adversity can devalue the power of a smile, and it might be just the stimulus package you or a loved one or a friend needs. You see we are all people in need of help and support a lot of the time on this journey through life. We are not perfect and far from it at times especially if you’re anything like me. We all make mistakes. We are only human. We all need grace. We all need compassion. We all need mercy and forgiveness. We all need love and acceptance. We all need help and support at times. We all need other people. And you know that’s okay for that is what it is to be human. Not every day will be good, but there will be something good about and in every day. Notice it if you can. Ignore the negativity around you. None of us know the exact road we will travel or the trials that will come our way. The secret is to find joy and love in the journey. The more obstacles you overcome, the stronger you will become. Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, you just get stronger, more experienced and more resilient. Smiling and appreciating each step you take on this journey of life is the best choice. Your positive attitude to life will help you realize that sometimes the bad things that happen in your life put you on a direct path to the best possible things that could ever happen to you. So please smile more if you can. You’d be surprised at how much faster it is to make love happen in your life when you make a habit of this simple physical process of smiling. For a variety of reasons, smiling makes you happier and more open and gives you the appearance of being approachable, touchable, and lovable, the very qualities you are looking to develop in order to lead a loving and caring life. For me, one of the ways I sense spirituality and

compassion in other people is by smiling. Smiles spell love, compassion, generosity, kindness, warmth, reliability, patience and real-love. ‘God’s love’ is not just romantic love, it’s much more than that, it is a never-ending series of positive, creative, affirming, challenging, forgiving, healing and protecting feelings and actions whose purposes are to promote our sense of well-being for ourselves and others and help us to be aware of how God feels lovingly and warmly towards us. A smile is a part of that purpose and is a powerful means of communication. It is made up, not only of parted lips, but also of eyes, which sparkle or weep, eyes, which are full of tenderness, acceptance, humour, forgiveness, love and compassion.

Smiles Change People

Many people speak the language of smiles, especially children. I remember the smiles on orphaned and abandoned children in Africa and India where I worked during the last 28 years and indeed the smiles of mothers and children of thanksgiving as they passed over the Ukraine border in the past month where I have been working for awhile and the unspoken words of love and appreciation in their smiles is a memory I will never forget. Smiles transform the faces of all people, giving them charm, grace and a beautiful radiance. Such smiles portray the presence of love. They pour into others a portion of that love. Love and a smile changes people and it encourages them. The value of a smile is priceless, yet it is the cheapest, easiest, most rewarding and most sincere gift to anyone that crosses your path. A smile makes a person’s day, anybody’s day, even a stranger’s day. A smile is infectious. Start infecting people with your smile today. Our smile increases our patience, tolerance and forgiveness—emotions that allow for the flourishing of love. Our smile decreases our anger and irritability, boosts our confidence and reduces our anxiety. Our smile helps us become more lovable and loving people, better in every way. And because the smile is so powerful and impactful, we should be flashing it as often as possible. A good smile is God’s gift to you. It reveals your inner joy. It means that when you are thankful to God you naturally smile. A smile is not just an expression of your joy; but it also helps spread happiness and joy and it changes people and events.

In that sense, if you smile well you are making this world a better place to live in. Imagine, if all the people you met each day would smile. How great would be the sense of happiness it brings to all! A smile, it is said, is of no use unless it is given away. It may just take a few seconds for you to give a smile to someone. But the memory of that smile, the cheer and hope it might have given to that person would last a lifetime. Indeed, the richest man or woman in this world is poor if he or she cannot give a smile! A smile easily builds relationships. You make strangers your friends through a smile for it is the first step in building a relationship. Above all, you should always remember that a smile is God’s unique gift to us. Since people were created in the image and likeness of God, the ability to smile is a God-given gift to us. Like all other gifts God has given us, we should make good use of this gift.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, see what your smile does for you. You might find that you should smile more often and that the power of a smile will work wonders for you and for others. As Woody Allen said, “Life is full of miserableness, loneliness, unhappiness, and suffering. And it’s all over much too quickly.” So let a smile be your protection from the despair of life. As you go through your day, remember to smile. Your smile is a message to everyone you meet that you know the joy of living. Sadly, so many people simply forget to smile as they worry too much about what is going to happen tomorrow. Here are 26 Tips for a Life of Good Cheer - “Ask for what you want. Be who you say you are. Care about others. Dare to live your dreams. Ease through the day. Find the best fit. Give to another. Hug a friend. Inspire someone to greatness. Jump over a boundary. Kick a bad habit. Leap across a fear with faith. Mention something uplifting. Never say never. Open your mind, heart and soul to God. Pursue your innermost prayers and passions. Quit complaining. Restore your smile. Set your sights high. Trust yourself and God. Use all the day. Value everything. Wait until it feels right. Xpress yourself. Yank weeds from your mental garden. Zoom into the now.” And always remember the five simple rules to live a cheerful life are as follows: “1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.” As Mother Teresa said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do!” Therefore I chose to smile and live a life of cheer and spread joy all around. And I bet you will find that “the whole world smiles with you!”

Shannon

EOIN NEYLON

news@clareecho.ie

HE resignation of former Aer Arann boss Pádraig Ó Céidigh from the role of Chairman of Shannon Group came as a shock to many when it was announced last week. Having spent just 5 months in the job, alleged frictions between Ó Céidigh and senior management seemingly forced his hand as he tendered his resignation to Minister Eamon Ryan. This was ultimately accepted along with the swift announcement of Ó Céidigh’s replacement in Conal Henry, leading many to believe that the move may not have been as out of the blue as first thought. Regardless of the mechanisms or events that brought about Ó Céidigh’s departure, alarm bells are once again ringing across the Mid-West about the future of Shannon Airport. Henry, assuming his confirmation following an Oireachtas Transport Committee hearing, will become the third Chairperson since just 2020. How have things been allowed become so seemingly unruly and unmanageable at Shannon that such senior postings now resemble more of a revolving door than a strategic beckon for the regional transport hub? These are questions that need honest answers and overall, there needs to be a frank and open discussion surrounding the future of the airport. It is too vital a piece of infrastructure for Clare and the surrounding region to be treated in such a manner. It is most disappointing that someone with the proven capability of Ó Céidigh could not work through the issues at Shannon, nor could he make it work with the management there. But we the taxpayer, many of whom depend on the airport and its connectivity for work, need to know was the problem Ó Céidigh himself, the scale of the problems facing the airport, or the management? Aviation is a very tricky business. It is not easy to get it all right. We see this in Dublin airport in recent weeks where a lack of forward planning has seen huge queues at security as staffing had not been increased in line with increase, postCovid demand. Nevertheless, the issues in Shannon are far more deep routed with a lack

in investment in modern technology and processes, leading to higher-than-average turnaround times. Afterall, a plane can only make money when it’s in the air so the more time it spends on the tarmac, the worse it is for the airline. It is more than fair to say that there has been a storied history of underinvestment in the airport when it comes to the operational capacity of Shannon. One only need examine the state funding record for evidence of that. That said, the airport cannot survive if it views itself as a basket case whose aim is to just stumble on from season to season. I’ve written in this column before of the need to aggressively pursue new, innovative routes by seeing gaps in the market. This isn’t just about bringing tourists into Ireland, nor businesses connections, but also by providing Irish people with holiday options abroad. Far too often the choice of a break away for people in the west of the country sees Dublin being the first thing that pops to mind given the huge options available there for Irish people looking to get away. Connectivity is returning at Shannon, thankfully, but it’s time to push on and really get a buzz going about the place once again. In an interview with Clare FM, Ó Céidigh did note that the workload involved in being Shannon Group Chair was “more than a full time job”, eluding to his perceived scale of the problems ahead. In Conal Henry, Shannon Group will be getting someone eminently qualified in the tightest of aviation working margins given his previous work with Ryanair as that airline’s Commercial Director. Will he be able to bend the ear of his old boss Michael O’Leary and get Ryanair to focus more routes into Shannon? And will his ambition see Europe’s most westerly international airport once again become a hive of trans-Atlantic activity? Only time will tell, but in the fast-moving world of aviation, where innovation is key, one would think that the less time wasted naval gazing, the better. It’s beyond time the same old issues kept cropping up and time they were addressed head on. The Minister in charge might not be a fan of the industry, but his responsibility is to the people, and the people of the Mid-West need him to do his job effectively!

FEATURES 17

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

GREEN CLARE

‘Awful indictment’ not to have electric charging point

PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

BSENCE of an electric vehicle (EV) charging point in the entirety of East Clare has been described as “an awful indictment” with plans in place to address the dearth of the infrastructure. A Clare EV Strategy is to be developed by Clare County Council, senior executive engineer in the roads and transportation department confirmed. As part of this, mapping of existing chargers, current usage, likely demand, design of on-street chargers and its rollout will be examined. Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) queried at Monday’s meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District what proposals were being progressed to install charging points in the towns and villages of East Clare. “These facilities are critically important, in light of Government policy and urgency is required to address this issue”. Ms O’Sullivan confirmed that a national strategy will inform the Clare equivalent. She said engagement has commenced with

ESB networks, EV charging companies, retail providers and car park owners. She was hopeful new charging points would be installed in the county in the third and fourth quarter of this year. She said a small-scale pilot project for the installation of on-street chargers is due to commence this year. “There is a need for charging points in the Killaloe Municipal District, I will touch base with councillors and staff to bring it further. The Killaloe MD will definitely be in the mix when new charging points are added, there is a glaring need for it in the Killaloe MD”. Speaking on Monday, Cllr Hayes commented, “there isn’t a charging point in our District, that is an awful indictment to a district”. He noted that measures are in place to encourage greater EV ownership “but we don’t even have a temporary charging point”. He referenced the planning conditions associated with some new housing estates where the presence of EV charging points is a requirement. He continued, “I think it is an emergency trying to sort this, it is like broadband people are looking to see if charging points are there before they stay in an area. There is an urgency and we can’t wait. Maybe the

The area ofﬁce in Scariff was suggested as a temporary EV charging point

fact that we have nothing in East Clare, we might get the charging points as a pilot, it is an indictment on the State”. Hayes suggested the area office in Scariff be used as a temporary location for a charging point, “we can’t go into another summer and wait”. All members of the public must “buy into climate action plans,” Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) stated while seconding Hayes’ proposal. “It is imperative that we try get a charging point in the Municipal District,” the Killaloe representative said. Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe MD, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) quipped that O’Callaghans Mills would be “very central” to locate the charging point. “It has become a new phenomenon recently, we are behind the curve a little bit,” acting senior executive officer, Morgan Lahiffe acknowledged. He outlined that provision has been made in the regeneration plans for Scariff to include a charging point

in the centre of the town and also for Killaloe in its mobility plan. Senior executive engineer, Niamh Madden said staff in the Killaloe MD were “constantly thinking about” charging points. She said initial underground works had been completed in Quin but there was insufficient funds for the charging points which were “very expensive” and run into “thousands and thousands” of euros. Location of the charging points must be strategic, Cllr Pat Burke (FG) stressed and mentioned beside coffee shops in East Clare, “they have to be strategic, we can’t put them anywhere willy nilly”. Costs associated with the charging points were striking, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) observed, “it is not a kettle or a toaster” he remarked of the kilowatts required. “It is a huge whole network that has to be able to drive these facilities for the charging points”.

18 COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Community

CONTACT

NEWSDESK 065 671 9021 news@clareecho.ie

ENNISTYMON

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS

 BEST FOOT FORWARD: Ennistymon Vocational School Set Dancers, Colm Lacey, Cian Brennan, Cathal Leahy, Jack Marrinan, Emily McDonagh, Leanne MacMahon, Ava McNulty and Chloe O’Flaherty. The school held a concert recently to raise money for Ennistymon Hospital

 HOW IT’S MADE: Fourth class students at Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire Newmarket-on-Fergus chose to create Beautiful Bands for the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. The students, along with their teacher Michael Doyle, have taken orders so far for 158 bands and are busy making them in a variety of colours. They hope to pay for their school tour with the proceeds. It was felt that another project called ‘Bake Bake Fourth’ was also a great idea and so the class are having a bake sale on April 7th with all proceeds going to the Irish Red Cross

ZINGY HONEY AND SOY SALMON FOR SUMMER Kearney Cooks

S I write this column, the sun is splitting the rocks and there is a real Summery feel to things. The grass is growing, the birds are singing and the local rabbit community has declared war on my veggie patch. With the summery vibes in the air I thought I would share one of my favourite light and very easy lunch recipes. A honey and soy salmon dish that is delightfully fresh and light and only takes about 10 minutes to do. I will share the instructional video that goes with this recipe on my Instagram, @ KearneyCooks this weekend, and that is where you will find all my recipes. Now onto the main event: YOU WILL NEED • 2 salmon fillets • 2 tbsp honey • 1 tbsp soy sauce • The juice of half a lime • 1 tsp grated ginger • 2 crushed garlic cloves • 1 tsp finely diced chillies • Salt and pepper for seasoning • Some finely sliced chilli and chives for garnishing Step One Preheat a non stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Season your salmon with salt and pepper and

place gently into your pan with a little rapeseed oil. Fry on each side for three minutes. Step Two Whilst the salmon is frying combine your honey, soy sauce, ginger, chilli garlic and lime juice in a bowl and mix until combined. Take your salmon out of the pan after it has had the six minutes and add your sauce mix. When the sauce starts bubbling add back in your salmon and baste with the sauce as it cooks for another three minutes. Step Three Take your salmon out of the pan and

serve with the veggies of your choice. I like this with chargrilled brocolli but it works with most things. Spoon over some of the sauce and garnish with some red chilli and chives and lime wedges. Step 4 Serve with baby boiled potatoes or perhaps rice. Crack open a nice white (I recommend an Albariño with this), and enjoy this light taste of Summery goodness like the legend that you are!

Enjoy

Steve K

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Shannon Town Centre hopes to attract new tenants as it celebrates 50th anniversary by STUART HOLLY SHANNON Town Centre’s new owners have one year at the helm under their belt. This week, they speak to The Clare Echo about their plans for the future and outline the importance of aligning their growth with the implementation of the Shannon Masterplan which was published last year. Shannon Town Centre is under the ownership of Urban Green, a private Cork company with a number of property interests nationwide and overseas. In recent years, they have been credited with successfully turning around the fortunes of Castletroy Shopping Centre in Limerick which had previously been struggling with low vacancy rates. Shannon Town Centre’s General Manager Brian O’Leary has been in the role for eight months. He tells The Clare Echo, “When they purchased Castletroy there was a high vacancy rate, similar to Shannon. They looked at it as a 3-5 year project similar to what we’re looking at in Shannon. They’re now up to a 90 per cent occupancy rate and footfall has doubled since they took over, it’s a really vibrant centre and has good community ethos. It’s given that side of Limerick a hub and we’re looking to do something similar here.”

There are “up on 60 retailers” in the centre, says Brian, from anchor tenants like Dunnes, Lidl, Dealz, and Iceland, to a range of banks, and food & drinks retailers such as Insomnia Coffee and the Terrace. Brian admits attracting more tenants to the centre is high on the priority list. “Any prospective tenants who would have been previously put off by high rents or any other reasons, we’re interested in speaking to all those people and coming up with an arrangement that would be beneficial to everybody.” In his role, Brian has overseen a number of cosmetic upgrades and says huge focus is put on “the improvement of the overall appearance of the shopping centre” while he believes the convenient location, free parking and easy accessibility makes Shannon Town Centre an attractive prospect for shoppers. Behind the rebranding from Skycourt Shopping Centre to Shannon Town Centre is the group’s ethos to create a hub that will first-and-foremost provide the community with a living and shopping space. With this in mind, Brian points to the importance of the implementation of the Shannon Masterplan which will see the ‘One Shannon Hub’ developed adjacent to Shannon Town Centre, which is proposed to include a town

Begin a career in aviation with IAC

INTERNATIONAL Aerospace Coatings is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics. With 11 state-of-the-art facilities across the USA and Europe, IAC has capacity for 36 lines of aircraft and processes 1000+ paint events per year. IAC works in all segments of the aviation industry, including OEM, commercial, military, and general aviation. Its European headquarters are based in Shannon, County Clare. IAC/LCETB Traineeship Graduation The latest group of new graduates successfully passed through the IAC traineeship in Shannon this week. Eleven successful candidates graduated through the program with all of these graduates being offered full time positions within the company. The current class is the sixth group that have passed through the IAC program in the last 4 years which has proved to be a real success. The program is an intensive course run in conjunction with the LCETB which involves many different aspects of the aircraft painting process and offers can-

hall, an arts venue, and Council offices. Brian explains, “We’d expect to see progress on that from Clare County Council in the next 12-18 months which we think will have a massive knock-on effect for us here in the centre in establishing a hub around Shannon Town. “We want to increase the number of tenants here on site, we want to increase the footfall in the Town Centre, but we also want to establish a community hub here in the middle of Shannon and give people of Shannon an actual identity. So this is your town centre, that it’s not just a case of ‘I’ll run in here and do my shopping’, it’s actually somewhere you want to go, spend a bit of time, it becomes more of an actual town centre rather than somewhere that’s just functional.” He commends the weekly appearance of the Farmer’s Market every Thursday in the town square, and Shannon Town Centre are keen to capitalise on this “pleasant environment” by making the area “more of a community hub, where people come and grab a coffee, sit down for a chat, make it into that town centre where people will spend a bit of time”. They will celebrate the centre’s 50th anniversary this year and are planning to invite the entire community to a large summer

event as part of the celebrations. “Community focus is first aim, the people of Shannon have always said they want a better retail offering here within their own town. So first of all we want to get those people shopping within the town of Shannon. Then we want to reach out to the 10-12,000 people working in the industrial estate just across the road from us every day, ie the people who are commuting to Shannon. And then certainly other areas of Clare, we want to be an attractive space and destination shopping centre that they’ll come here rather than going to further afield and that they have everything t h e y ’r e Shannon Town Centre looking General Manager, Brian for unO’Leary Photo by Joe Buckley der our roof.”

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

didates a real opportunity to learn practical skills in our Shannon aircraft hangar. Many of these new graduates will become vital team members within our company potentially progressing to leadership positions such as team leaders and graphic designers. The next training course will start in May 2021 and we are currently accepting applicants. No previous painting experience is required to apply for this training programme. We are also accepting direct entry applicants for full time employment with any previous domestic or industry related painting experience. All enquiries and applicants can send their CV and details to careers@iac.aero.

The picture above shows the successful graduates along with John Mulqueen (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and Emily Sammon (FRS training).

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

20 SHANNON THURSDAY, APR 29 2020

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022 NEWS 25

SHANNON IN FOCUS THURSDAY, APR 29 2021 THURSDAY MAR 2022 THURSDAY, 1831 NOV 2021

Shannon Airport’s first route to Malta officially launched

HANNON AIRPORT’s new route to Malta has officially been launched. Announced in November, the Ryanair service will fly directly from Shannon to Malta twice weekly, operating on Thursdays and Sundays until October 27th 2022. It is the first ever scheduled Ryanair service to Malta from Shannon Airport. CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine was confident Malta would become a popular destination for their passengers. “We know this will be an exciting new destination for holidaymakers from the west of the country. With its warm climate, breath-taking landscapes and UNESCO World Heritage sites, Malta will undoubt-

edly be a very popular destination this summer for sun seekers and those who want to experience its culture”. Tolene van der Merwe, Director of the Malta Tourism Authority, UK and Ireland, said “We are really excited to have a new route to Malta from Shannon Airport. This route will make it easier than ever before for people in the mid-west of Ireland to visit Malta. Being just a 3.5 hour flight from Ireland with Ryanair, Malta has always been a very popular destination for Irish holidaymakers with 53,000 visitors from Ireland in 2019. With the Maltese warm and friendly culture, combined with the thrill of an action-packed or relaxing holiday, there’s every reason to

visit the beautiful islands in 2022”. Malta boasts over 300 days of sunshine every year and 155 miles of coastline. With over 7,000 years of history, Malta is the ultimate holiday destination for anyone who loves history and culture. The island also has more historic sites per square mile than any other country in the world. The city of Valletta, with its 320 historical monuments all within the tiny capital, makes it one of the most concentrated historic and beautiful cities. It is also home to the National Art Museum MUZA, which contains a stunning collection of art spanning from the 16th century to the present day.

Begin a career in aviation with IAC SHANNON TRAILER & SERVICING CENTRE Airport Approach Road, Shannon, Co Clare, V14 EP83

INTERNATIONAL Aerospace Coatings is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics. With 11 state-of-the-art facilities across the USA and Europe, IAC has capacity for 36 lines of aircraft and processes 1000+ - Full Range paint events per year.of IACNew works in all segments of the aviation industry, including Trailers OEM, commercial, military, and general aviation. Its European headquarters are based Shannon, County Clare. -IAC/LCETB AllinBrands & Models Traineeship Graduation The latest group&ofRepaired new graduates sucServiced cessfully passed through the IAC traineeship in Shannon this week. Eleven successful graduated through the - Fullcandidates Selection of Spare program with all of these graduates being offered full time positions within the comParts pany. The current class is the sixth group that have passed through the IAC program in the last 4 years which has proved to be @NugentTrailers.ie a real success. The program is an intensive course run in@NugentTrailers.ie conjunction with the LCETB which involves many different aspects of the aircraftNugentTrailers.ie painting process and offers can-

L-R Sharon Plunkett, Alessia Dicounza, Ankit Kumar,Andrew Carey and Declan Power Photo by Arthur Ellis

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

The picture above shows the successContact Catherine ful graduates along with John Mulqueen 087 Power 052 2785 (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and catherine@nugentengineering.com Emily Sammon (FRS training).

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

SHANNON NEWS 21 25

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A BUZZ descended on Shannon early on Saturday morning with the Illaunmanagh parkrun kicking into gear Participants travelled from all across Munster to complete the scenic 5km course which showcased some of the fine amenities of Shannon including Illaunmanagh cemetery, St Senan’s Rugby Club, the estuary and Lynch Park. VHI are the official sponsors with support also provided by Clare County Council and Clare Sports Partnership.

Clockwise - | Liverpool supporters were among the many participants for the parkrun. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile | Canine companions partook in the inaugural Illaunmanagh parkrun. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile | Catriona Quinn, Maggie Webb, Darragh Bownes, Lisa Fitzgerald, David Downes, Sonya Downes & Katie Downes at the Illaunamanagh parkrun on Saturday morning. Photograph: Joe Buckley | The parkrun brought people of all ages together. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile | Niamh O’Callaghan (seated) was among the main organisers of the Parkrun. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile | Waving and walking in Shannon. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile | Brian Tierney about to overtake on the Shannon Loop. Photograph: Natasha Barton / Sportsfile

Begin a career in aviation with IAC

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

The picture above shows the successful graduates along with John Mulqueen (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and Emily Sammon (FRS training).

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

22 SHANNON THURSDAY, APR 29 2020

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022 NEWS 25

SHANNON IN FOCUS THURSDAY, APR 29MAR 2021 THURSDAY THURSDAY, 1831 NOV 20212022

United Airlines’ daily seasonal service from Shannon to Newark resumes

UNITED AIRLINES have resumed its daily nonstop seasonal service between Shannon Airport and New York/Newark.

Begin a career in aviation with IAC

The picture above shows the successful graduates along with John Mulqueen (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and Emily Sammon (FRS training).

NITED AIRLINES have resumed its daily nonstop seasonal service between Shannon Airport and New York/ Newark. Monday’s departure from Shannon Airport marked the first scheduled flight with United Airlines from Shannon since the end of October 2019 at the end of its seasonal service that year. It is set to operate until October 29th 2022 and departs daily at 12.30pm and will be on a Boeing 757200 aircraft, featuring a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United Polaris® business class and 153 in economy, including 45 Economy Plus® seats. CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine labelled United Airlines “a very valued airline partner of Shannon”. She added, “with its hub status and onward connections, the Newark service is extremely important for our business passengers and is a key component of our transatlantic connectivity for our region and the broader west of Ireland”.

Martina Coogan, United’s Sales Manager in Ireland expressed the airline’s delight at returning to Shannon Airport. “With the return of service to New York/Newark, our customers in the west of Ireland can take advantage of a direct connection to the U.S., as well as an unrivalled route network from United’s hub at New York/ Newark, offering convenient nonstop connections to over 90 destinations across the Americas”. United has flown from Ireland since 1998. Shannon was the first US immigration pre-inspection facility in Europe established in 1986, later becoming a full pre-clearance operation in 2009, and the following year, the airport was the first in the world to offer full preclearance for private aircraft. The international airport recently introduced a new security screening system which halves time spent in this area and eliminates the 100ml only rule, Shannon is the only state airport in Ireland to operate this cutting-edge technology.

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

SKB open to new members SHANNON’S newest gym will turn three this summer as it continues to help the people of the area improve their lifestyles. Based on the Link Road in Smithstown, SKB Community Fitness Centre is owned by Ger McGettigan and managed by Leona O’Shea who heads up the team of staff. SKB are inviting all potential members to visit the top class facility, as they are offering a free trial to all visitors, who can choose to attend the gym or a class of choice. Every member receives a 1-hour induction and all classes are free with membership, which is booked through an app on your European Headquarters phone. East Ramp, Shannon Facilities include a cardioAirport, room, a 28-bike spin studio, exercise Co. Clare, Irelandclass room, which all compliment the professionally-equipped

gym floor decked out with a dumbbell room, 4 squats racks, leg press, hack squat, hip thruster machine, 8 station cable machine, along with all upper body machines & lower body machines. SKB also runs up to seven classes per day including spinning, circuits, HIIT, body pump, ball & core, TRX & kettlebells. Changing rooms, showers and free parking facilities all on site. SKB is open Monday to Friday from 6am-10pm; Saturday 8am6pm; Sunday 8am-4pm (bank holiday has same hours). Location: Link Road Unit 1 Smithstown (beside the traffic lights). Call (061) 718 839 or email skbcommunityfitness@ outlook.ie. Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

SHANNON NEWS 23 25

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Ongoing chaos at Dublin Airport an open goal for Shannon Airport PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

NGOING CHAOS at Dublin Airport which has caused several passengers to miss their flights emphasises the need for a fairer ‘slicing of the pie’ to give Shannon Airport a greater balance of services and poses a major marketing opportunity for Shannon. Passengers at Dublin Airport have been advised to arrive at least three and a half hours ahead of their flight with massive security delays causing huge frustration and inconvenience. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has warned passengers they could face weeks of delays due to staff shortages. Lengthy queues at the Airport have resulted in some individuals missing their flights with hundreds of people having to wait hours to pass through secu-

rity. The Consumer Association (CA) said they have received a number of reports from customers who have missed flights due to delays at security. Delays are expected to continue as the DAA tries to recruit staff. “Like other airports all over Europe, we are currently working extremely hard to build back our operation after the collapse of international travel, including the recruitment, training and mandatory background checks required for all staff working at an international airport,” a spokesperson said. An additional 100 staff have been hired by the DAA since the beginning of 2021 but there have been delays bringing them on stream due to increased checks on security staff before they can begin working in the airport. No such delays have been experienced at Shannon Airport where Aer Lingus and United Airlines in the past month have resumed transatlantic services. Shannon Airport was the first US immi-

Begin a career MALONEY HARDWARE in aviation with IAC

gration pre-inspection facility in Europe established in 1986, later becoming a full pre-clearance operation in 2009, and the following year, the airport was the first in the world to offer full preclearance for private aircraft. The international airport recently introduced a new security screening system which halves time spent in this area and eliminates the 100ml only rule, Shannon is the only state airport in Ireland to operate this cutting-edge technology. PR Consultant Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Communications highlighted to The Clare Echo that Shannon Group has a wide open goal to drum up noise about the ease of access at Shannon Airport in the wake of the ongoing difficulties in Dublin. “Shannon Airport should seize this opportunity. There should be billboards everywhere urging the public to ‘Beat the Queues, Fly Shannon’. Officials may argue that they are operating with a limited marketing budget at present, but Shannon has never had a better op-

portunity to market itself as a hassle free, welcoming airport for passengers flying into or out of Ireland.” Speaking on Tuesday, Shannon based, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) referenced the footage of the queues in Dublin Airport, “when it comes to the slicing of the pie we’re getting very little, there is skewered approach from Government, Shannon and Cork Airports could benefit immensely if they did a proper regional development strategy”. Scenes in Dublin were labelled ‘chaotic’ by Cllr Michael Begley (IND). “That was foreseen, it wasn’t something which happened from some incident, it was foreseen when international travel resumed that there would be the security checks but there was not one thought given to diverting traffic to Shannon. There is free movement through Shannon Airport”.

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

SKYCOURT, SHANNON. www.maloneyhardware.ie 061-362263

PAINTS * TOOLS * GARDENING * ELECTRICAL KEY CUTTING * PLUMBING * HARDWARE INTERNATIONAL Aerospace Coat- didates a real opportunity to learn practi-

ings is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics. With 11 state-of-the-art facilities across the USA and Europe, IAC has capacity for 36 lines of aircraft and processes 1000+ paint events per year. IAC works in all segments of the aviation industry, including OEM, commercial, military, and general aviation. Its European headquarters are based in Shannon, County Clare. IAC/LCETB Traineeship Graduation The latest group of new graduates successfully passed through the IAC traineeship in Shannon this week. Eleven successful candidates graduated through the program with all of these graduates being offered full time positions within the company. The current class is the sixth group that have passed through the IAC program in the last 4 years which has proved to be a real success. The program is an intensive course run in conjunction with the LCETB which involves many different aspects of the aircraft painting process and offers can-

cal skills in our Shannon aircraft hangar. Many of these new graduates will become vital team members within our company potentially progressing to leadership positions such as team leaders and graphic designers. The next training course will start in May 2021 and we are currently accepting applicants. No previous painting experience is required to apply for this training programme. We are also accepting direct entry applicants for full time employment with any previous domestic or industry related painting experience. All enquiries and applicants can send their CV and details to careers@iac.aero.

1000’S OF COLOURS AVAILABLE TO BE MIXED IN STORE WITH OUR CROWN AND DULUX TINTING SYSTEMS

The picture above shows the successful graduates along with John Mulqueen (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and Emily Sammon (FRS training).

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

24 SHANNON THURSDAY, APR 29 2020

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022 NEWS 25

SHANNON IN FOCUS THURSDAY, APR 29MAR 2021 THURSDAY THURSDAY, 1831 NOV 20212022

‘Loyalty of Shannon people is town’s great strength’ STUART HOLLY

editor@clareecho.ie

RETTALS Petals first opened its doors during a global recession. Reflecting on almost a decade in business, proprietor Gretta McMahon has been able to weather a few storms such as relocating, while also launching a second location in Ennis and developing an online store. Speaking to The Clare Echo, Gretta explains that the people of Shannon have been the bedrock of her success. “I love Shannon. I live there myself, and anybody who wants to open up a business there would get on great. I find that the Shannon people are very loyal. They come to me to buy flowers, they’ll stick with me and I know that

Begin a career in aviation with IAC

Shannon people are great to support local businesses themselves. Where they can, they’ll try and buy in Shannon.” Grettals Petals Petals is a family-run business with involvement from Gretta’s partner James, daughters Ellen and Aoife, sister in Law Denise, along with staff members Louise O’Donnell, Alice Barnes, and Aoibhinn Feighery. The business, based in Brú na Sionna, offers a wide range of products including floral arrangements, giftware, candles, plants and balloons. Gretta explains that products celebrating everyday events such as anniversaries, birthdays | Gretta McMahon of Grettals Petals and ‘thinking of you’ arrangements are among her most popular enquiries while they also service the local it was a good while later before they found us again so it was like startarea for weddings and funerals. This year they will be celebrating ing all over again.” Today, she says their own milestone as the business it was “definitely” the correct move. turns 10 years old in December. “It’s “We have great flexibility now, we’re gas because when I started, I was not stuck to anybody else’s opening just after turning 40 and by the time times, we have loads more space we’re 10 years in business I will and it’s much better value as well. have turned 50. Having those mile- It’s handier for customers because they can just pull up at the door.” stones in a year is kind of is weird,” IAC the global She’sleader confidentin foraircraft the future deshe laughs. “It has grown so much spite challenges posed by Covid since those early years,painting, so we can’t interiors and graphics and admits she can understand really complain.” Grettals Petals was first estab- that customers are still nervous lished in what was then known as about visiting retail premises. “I find Skycourt Shopping Centre. Re- myself that business is good, and flecting on her decade in business, I’m delighted that people are finding Gretta says the biggest challenge us online or on the phone, whatever faced by her business was relocat- works better for them.” ing to a new unit which was “practically across the road”. “Logistically and financially it was a big stress point, it was very hard and I didn’t know if it was going to work or not. Call Grettals Petals on (061) 364 People thought we had closed and 517 or visit grettalspetals.com

The picture above shows the successful graduates along with John Mulqueen (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and Emily Sammon (FRS training).

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

SHANNON NEWS 25 25

THURSDAY, THURSDAY,MAR APR31 292022 2020

SHANNON IN FOCUS THURSDAY, APR 29MAR 2021 THURSDAY THURSDAY, 1831 NOV 20212022

Efforts ongoing to help Order of Malta find a home of their own in Shannon PÁRAIC MCMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

SHANNON’s Order of Malta branch are to be aided in their efforts to find a place to call home in the county. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) appealed to the Shannon Municipal District to “work with our local Order of Malta to help them acquire a space they can call home”. She continued, “This year they celebrate fifty years in Shannon and yet have no place to store equipment or have meetings. It would be great if during their fiftieth year we could help them achieve a home”. The Shannon woman also requested that a civic reception be held in their honour. Senior executive officer in the Shannon MD, Jason Murphy acknowledged the “valuable contribution” made by the Order of Malta to the town and surrounding areas over the past five decades. “Shannon MD will work with the local group and explore available avenues to assist them in identifying suitable space”. Founded in Jerusalem in the 11th century, the Order of Malta has a long history of service to the vulnerable and the sick. The

Order of Malta operates across the world through 12 Priories, 47 national Associations, 133 diplomatic missions, 1 worldwide relief agency and 33 national volunteer corps, as well as numerous hospitals, medical centres and specialist foundations. The Order first arrived in Ireland in 1171 and since the establishment of the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps in 1938, it has become a major provider of first-aid services and training, ambulance transport and community and elderly care services on the whole island of Ireland. With over 4,000 volunteers in over 80 locations, the Ambulance Corps offers first aid, ambulance and emergency care services in most of Ireland’s principal cities and towns, and through its youth section provides youth development, training programs and sporting activities. Speaking on Tuesday, Cllr McGettigan outlined that both she and Cllr John Crowe (FG) were approached by local volunteers. “They are fifty years in Shannon and have no home to call their own, I was astonished by that”. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF). Following the dissolution of the Shannon Town Council in 2014, the budget for civic receptions at a Municipal District “went with it,” Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) flagged. He said that the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council would be entitled to decide if a civic reception was held.

Begin a career in aviation with IAC

IAC is the global leader in aircraft painting, interiors and graphics

INTERNATIONAL Aerospace Coat- didates a real opportunity to learn practiings is the global leader in aircraft cal skills in our Shannon aircraft hangar. painting, interiors and graphics. With Many of these new graduates will become 11 state-of-the-art facilities across the vital team members within our company USA and Europe, IAC has capacity for potentially progressing to leadership po36 lines of aircraft and processes 1000+ sitions such as team leaders and graphic paint events per year. IAC works in all seg- designers. ments of the aviation industry, including The next training course will start in May OEM, commercial, military, and general 2021 and we are currently accepting apaviation. Its European headquarters are plicants. No previous painting experience based in Shannon, County Clare. is required to apply for this training proIAC/LCETB Traineeship Graduation gramme. We are also accepting direct enThe latest group of new graduates suc- try applicants for full time employment with cessfully passed through the IAC trainee- any previous domestic or industry related ship in Shannon this week. Eleven suc- painting experience. cessful candidates graduated through the All enquiries and applicants can send program with all of these graduates being their CV and details to careers@iac.aero. offered full time positions within the company. The current class is the sixth group that have passed through the IAC program in the last 4 years which has proved to be a real success. The picture above shows the successThe program is an intensive course ful graduates along with John Mulqueen run in conjunction with the LCETB which (IAC), Scott Helm (IAC), James Power involves many different aspects of the (LCETB), Seamus O’Riain (LCETB ) and painting offers can-years Emily Sammon training). |aircraft Volunteers from process the order and of Malta at this St Patricks day(FRS parade

European Headquarters East Ramp, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 471 800

26 RECRUITMENT

BUSINESS AND RECRUITMENT

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Discover the West at Loop Head Ennis' Slattery warns Tourism and Emplyment Fair of 'write-offs' for planes stuck in Russia

by PÁRAIC McMAHON

N ENNIS man who is Chief Executive of one of the world’s leading aviation leasing companies has warned of “very significant write-offs” and the possibility of the aircraft leasing sector no longer doing business in Russia. Sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine triggered a global rush among overseas leasing groups to recover more than 500 aircraft, worth an estimated $10bn, that were stuck in the country. International lessors had until Monday to sever their ties with Russian carriers under the sanctions. Experts had already warned that the prospects of recovering the jets were slim after the Kremlin earlier this month moved to allow foreign jets to be re-registered in Russia. Irish-owned aircraft leased to Russian airlines are worth more than €3.6bn, according to estimates by aviation consultancy Cirium. Avolon Chief Executive, Dómhnal Slattery, he said the company has managed to recover four of 14 jets leased to carriers in Russia, their net exposure on the remaining 10 jets was below €180m. “In the scale of our balance sheet, it is a headache, not a migraine, for Avo-

lon,” he stated. It was “impossible” to say if the industry would ever recover the aircraft, Dómhnal maintained. He insisted the company was steadfast in their endeavours to get its planes back but noted that a financial hit was inevitable as part of these efforts. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the co-founder of the now former Clare People newspaper detailed, “We’ve been relatively lucky in Russia, a very small percentage of our total book was there, nevertheless it was about $400million or 14 aircraft. We have four of the 14 aircraft outside of Russia, which is good, all of the leases are now terminated in line with sanctions, we have made every effort to get the aircraft back, but at this point that has not happened”. Slattery said that his company’s “hearts, prayers and morals” were with the people of Ukraine. The company would continue to review what could happen next with their risk management team and auditors. "The scale of the financial hit would be determined soon, but he was confident that the aircraft were appropriately insured. “Clearly these sanctions had to be addressed, we had to comply with those sanctions, but in many ways I suppose it’s an unintended consequence in our sector of these sanctions for European countries”.

DISCOVER more about West Clare’s Loop Head peninsula and ways to explore it. Loop Head Tourism is hostingLoop Head Tourism and Employment Fair at The Royal Marine Hotel in Kilkee on April 5th from 12-2pm. All are welcome. The event offers an opportunity to get acquainted with Loop Head’s tourism businesses and the people behind them. From fishing trips to baking classes and kayaking to horse riding, there’s plenty of activities to attract the visitor. Did you know you can hire eBikes to explore the quiet back roads, or take a boat trip to meet the Shannon estuary’s playful dolphins? How about a guided walk along the majestic cliffs to learn the fascinating heritage of the area? For the less active there are galleries and artists’ studios to discover. Looking for food and drink recommendations? Learn more about the peninsula’s cafés, bars and restaurants. This a great chance for front of house staff from local accommodation providers to learn what Loop Head can offer their guests. Talk to the activity providers and see what they have to offer for the 2022 season. Looking for a job? Love the sea and all the activities around it? There are plenty of job opportunities on Loop Head. Why not drop by the fair with your C.V. and have a chat with the businesses looking for staff.

Clare County Council is currently inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the below competitions. Clare County Council will, following the interview process, form a panel 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.

• HEALTHY IRELAND CO-ORDINATOR – ANALOGOUS TO GRADE VI, 3-YEAR CONTRACT (OPEN COMPETITION), 2022 Completed applications must be emailed to: recruitment@clarecoco.ie not later than 4.00 p.m. on Thursday 14th April 2022. Application forms and further particulars may be obtained by requesting same from the Human Resources Department, Clare County Council at 065-6846528, via e-mail: recruitment@clarecoco.ie or can be downloaded from the following website: www.clarecoco.ie Clare County Council is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the Community. Scriobh chugainn as gaeilge más fearr leat.

Clare Champion Clare Echo

12x2 (83) 12x2 (73)

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lONLINE: Gillian Lafferty

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

WATCHING THE BIRDIE

lEAGLE: James Irons, Brids of Prey Centre, Ailwee Cave showing Shauna Cunningham, Failte Ireland and international tourism buyers a Bateleur Eagle during their visit to the Birds of Prey Centre on Monday. International tourism buyers from across the globe are currently experiencing some of the best Co. Clare has to offer as Fáilte Ireland showcases the unique experiences Ireland has to offer in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, before they take part in ‘Meitheal’, Ireland’s biggest tourism trade show in Killarney, later this week. The tours are organised by Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland Photo by Eamon Ward

RECRUITMENT 27

Property

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Beautiful homes all over the County

CRAG LAHINCH, CO. CLARE

ASKING €770,000

LISMUSE, KILKEE, CO CLARE

ASKING €255,000

SKEHANAGH, CLARECASTLE, CO CLARE ASKING €385,000

THIS BEAUTIFULLY presented property represents the epitome of luxury living. Situated in a private enclave of only 5 properties, this fabulous home is set on a 0.5 acre landscaped site and has the most amazing panoramic sea views to the front and panoramic countryside views to the rear. Architecturally designed to maximize the striking sea and countryside views that are on offer, the attention to detail both internally and externally is second to none. To take advantage of the panoramic views the main living room, kitchen and dining rooms of the house are located on the upper floor. These living spaces are provided with a glazed balcony to the West to capture the evening sun. With a whole host of features to mention, the most striking would be the luxurious ground floor reception area/sun-room complete with floor to ceiling front windows, a unique hexagonal shaped floor to ceiling rear window, a striking bespoke walnut staircase incorporating glazed panels and the floor to ceiling arched front window on the first floor allowing unobstructed amazing sea views.

THIS FINE 4 bedroom detached residence is ideally located only 4kms from Kilkee and the beach. Situated on a private site bound by mature trees and block walls. The property was constructed in 1973 and comprises 100 sq.m approx. Accommodation includes an open plan kitchen/dining area, sitting room, bathroom and 4 generous sized bedrooms. The property would benefit from modernisation. Externally, there is a beautiful courtyard with a number of stone sheds and a haybarn. These sheds would have originally been used as stables but may now be suitable for conversion, subject to the necessary planning permissions. There is c. 14.44 acres of land in total with the property. However, there is also an option to purchase just the residence & sheds on 1.18 acres if preferred. This property has huge potential and must be viewed to appreciate what is on offer. BER D2.

SKEHANAGH is an exceptional five-bedroom detached family home with an abundance of living space set on a 0.96-acre approx. site and located within ten minutes walking distance of the centre of Clarecastle village. Built in 2001, this home is in excellent decorative order throughout. This beautiful family home is finished to a very high standard throughout with a host of design features including a red deal timber staircase, two solid fuel stoves with brick surrounds in the kitchen & sitting room. It is entered via the main entrance hall which is bright and spacious with distinctive ceramic tile flooring. There is a large sitting room to the front of the house with a solid fuel stove, oak flooring, and a front aspect bay window. The main kitchen/dining room is recognisably the heart of the home and comprises a hand-crafted kitchen with integrated appliances, electric hob & ceramic tiles. The utility room is neatly tucked off the kitchen and offers a rear access door. The main bathroom, ground floor bedroom with en-suite and home office completes the ground floor accommodation.

Contact: Danielle O’Connor SHERRY FITZGERALD MCMAHON Tel: (065) 686 7866 PSL 001212

Contact: Jason Pyne SHERRY FITZGERALD MCMAHON Tel: (065) 686 7866 PSL 001212

Clare house prices rise 4.7% in three months according to new survey

HE price of the average second-hand three-bed semi in County Clare has risen by 4.7% to €225,000 in the last three months, according to a national survey by Real Estate Alliance. And the survey has shown that 50% of sales in the county are to first-time buyers, with 10% of all purchasers coming from outside the area. Across the county, the average time taken to sell is four weeks, the Q1 REA Average House Price Index has shown. “Over the last two years, staycations in Ireland have had significant impact on values and demand along the west coast of Clare, with most listed properties achieving well in excess of their asking price,” said Liam

Browne of REA Paddy Browne, Ennis. “The lack of properties in the main urban areas in Clare along with the working-from-home buyers and buyers seeking to relocate from larger city areas, is driving second-hand rural sales. “We foresee that the lack of rental properties and high rents will continue in the short to medium term.” The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland’s typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide. Nationally, house prices are increasing at an average of almost €100 a day as the market shows no signs

of slowing up in the early months of 2022, the survey has found. Average house prices rose by 3.16% nationally in the first three months of year, matching the 1% a month increases experienced during the Celtic Tiger days. And illustrating the two-tier nature of the market, 59% of all purchasers were first-time buyers, that figure rising to 76% in Dublin as people with mortgage approval scramble to get on the housing ladder. The price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by almost €9,000 over the past three months to €278,500 – representing an annual increase of over 14%.

% INCREASES IN 3BED SEMI PRICES COUNTY BY COUNTY AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE INDEX

(MARCH 2022 VERSUS DECEMBER 2021)

MARCH 2022

Carlow

202,500

Cavan

157,000

Clare

225,000

Cork County

206,000

Cork City

340,000

Donegal

132,500

North Co Dublin

388,333

South Co Dublin

454,986

Dublin City

481,250

Galway County

193,500

Galway City

302,000

Kerry

277,500

Kildare

350,000

Kilkenny

245,000

Laois

235,000

Leitrim

149,500

Limerick County

210,000

Limerick City

250,000

Longford

149,000

Louth

252,500

Mayo

184,000

Meath

293,750

Monaghan

200,000

Offaly

208,000

Roscommon

185,000

Sligo

172,500

3.8% 8.3% 4.7% 0.0% 1.5% 3.9% 6.1% 2.2% 2.0% 8.7% 0.0% 5.5% 7.7% 2.1% 0.0% 3.8% 2.4% 2.0% 3.5% 3.1% 8.2% 4.0% 1.0% 1.5% 5.7% 4.5%

Tipperary

205,000

Waterford County

210,000

Waterford City

265,000

Westmeath

255,000

Wexford

235,500

3.5%

Wicklow

354,000

3.5%

1.6% 2.4% 6.0% 4.1%

PROPERTY

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

RECENTLY SALE AGREED ENNIS

ENNIS

QUIN

KILKEE

KILRUSH

KILLIMER

MILTOWN MALBAY

LISDOONVARNA

7 CUL NA COILLE, TULLA ROAD

44 DUN NA HINSE, LAHINCH ROAD

2 BARRACK ROAD

KNOCKERRA

19 LEIM AN BHRADAIN, GORT ROAD

22 DUN NA MANACH

QUERRIN WEST

5 MEADOWLANDS

18 CASTLELAWN, TULLA ROAD

12 THE SANDBANKS

13 PLACE DE PLOUZANE

16 DUN BREANDAN

31-03-22

pg 30

Lifford dump Shannon Town out & Tulla win on penos LIFFORD caused the shock of the weekend when they dumped Shannon Town Utd A out of the Banner Flooring and Carpets Clare Cup. EXTRA TIME WINNER FOR LIFFORD

Lifford 4 Shannon Town A 3 (after e/t)

Lifford overcame a fancied Shannon Town A side on Sunday when extra time was required to produce a winner. Lifford raced into a 2-0 lead but Shannon Town pulled one back before the break. They levelled in the second half but Lifford regained the lead soon after. Town hit back again to level and force the tie to extra time. The game was decided five minutes from the end of extra time through an own goal when a Lifford corner ended up in the net via the head of Cody Waller.

Goalscorers for the winners were Niall Guinnane, Godsway Kuffour, Mattie Davenport and the own goal. Shannon Town’s replies came from Gary O’Connell (2) and Jack Ryan.

Lifford: Rhys Phillips; Dan Daly, John Maher, Eddie Killeen, Darragh Kerins; Guillermo, Niall Guinnane, Paul Martyn, Godsway Kuffour, Nathan Rezende, Gary McNaboe Subs: Keith Shea for Daly; Matthew Davenport for N. Guinnane; Eoin Monahan for Kerins; Jean Ganda for McNaboe; Hamad Kuku for Maher Shannon Town A: Fintan Quinn; Steven Carroll, Colum Treacy, Darren Griffin, Cody Waller, Brian Monaghan, Jack Kelly, Rob Wall, Gary O’Connell, Brian O’Connor, Kieran Hackett. Subs: Jack Ryan for O’Connor; Ian Collins for Carroll; Charlie Morrisson for Hackett. Ben O’Neill for O’Connell.

EASY FOR AVENUE

Corofin 1 Avenue United A 8

Avenue United A booked their place in the third round with this easy win over Corofin on Sunday. Three days earlier the Ennis side were 10-0 winners over Manus B in round one of the competition. On Sunday, Mark Roche scored

five while Elias Kunz, Gary Roche and Dylan Barry were the other scorers. Corofin’s reply came from Jack Keane, a youths players who made his junior debut.

Cathal McConigley focuses on the action while Mountshannon’s Martin Cunningham questions a referee decision Photo: Cealtra Communications

Avenue United A; James Tierney; Jamie Roche, Simon Cuddy, Dylan Casey, Shane Brown; Mark Roche, Mikey Dinan, Eoghan Thynne, Philip Talty, Elias Kunz, Gary Roche. Corofin Harps; Mikey Concannon; Ronnie Meere, Gary Tierney, Brendan Keane, Brian Halpin; Pat Connole, James Collins, Jason Tierney, Steven Keane; Ethan Neylon, Jimmy Perez Subs: Jack Keane for E. Neylon; Jonathan Lane for J. Collins;

TULLA ADVANCE AFTER SHOOT OUT

Tulla United 1 Rhine Rovers 1 (after e/t) Tulla won 3-2 on penalties

A penalty shoot out was required to separate neighbours Tulla United and Rhine Rovers in this round two tie at the Cragg on Sunday. Half an hour into the game Rhine Rovers took the lead through Gary Hogan and they led until Darrgh Corry headed home from a Jack McSweeney corner midway through the second half. Tulla had the better of exchanges in extra time but the nearest they came to scoring was when Emmet Lynch’s header rebounded off the crossbar. Lynch was one of the stars in the U19 team’s Munster quarter final victory on the previous day.

In the penalty shoot out Ray Bane, Eoin Hassett and Jack McSweeney were the scorers for the winners while Conor Grogan and Gary Hogan scored for Rhine Rovers before Cillian Duggan saw his effort rebound off the crossbar.

Tulla United; Simon Kilker, Fiachra Hale, Donal Sheedy, Ray Bane, Daragh Corry, Darragh Murphy, James Wallace, Oisin O’Connor, Craig McNamara, Eoghan Ryan, Emmet Lynch, Subs; Jack McSweeney for O’Connorl Dan Withycombe for Ryan; Adan McNamara for Sheedy; Eoin Hassett for C McNamara; Dara Ryan for Hale Rhine Rovers; Cian Slattery; John Kennedy Cillian Duggan, John Hassett, Tom Vaughan; Gary Hogan, Chris McMahon, Conor Grogan, Paul Clune; Paddy Tiernan, Daire Hannon; Subs; Rory Morris for Vaughan; Niall O’Halloran for Clune; Adam Mullins for Hannon

SHANNON HIBS OVERCOME MOHER Moher A 1 Shannon Hibs 2

Shannon Hibs booked their place in the next round thanks to victory by the odd goal in three

over Moher Celtic on Sunday. Billy Connors and Ciaran McKee were the scorers for the Shannon side who led 2-0 before Moher got through for their goal which came from Joe Hanrahan.

Moher Celtic A; Paul Cagney; Shane Doyle, Tom Hanrahan, Joshua Vaughan, Lue Moore; Francesco Benito, Joe Hanrahan, Niall Canavan, Niall Hogan; Noel Hynes, Eoin Davies Subs: Liam Cotter for Doyle; Oisin Leyden for Davies; Brian Considine for Moore; Shannon Hibs; Damian Casey; Pa Devanney, Bobby O’Connell, Stephen Tuohy, Julien Woods; Darragh McDade, Dean Devanney, Jack Hannah, Stephen McInerney; Gary Leahy, Ciaran McKee Subs: Adam Ryan for Devanney; Mikey Wall for McInerney; Darrren O’Loughlin for McKee; Billy Connors for McDade; Zygge Wall for Hannah

*Holders Newmarket Celtic A receive walkover from Kildysart Celtic PREMIER DIVISION

In the only fixture, Sporting Ennistymon recorded an away 2-1 victory against Mountshannon Celtic.

Ollie Hester (Racing Manager) presents the winning trophy to John Leahy of Headford on the win by Headford Honey of the Galway A3 525 on Saturday night

Sweet win for Headford Honey by MICHAEL MAHER

BLAZE Bill was in command in the opening heats of the Ann Cheevers Memorial A5 while Galway’s feature contest on Friday, the A3 525 went to the Seamus Leahy of Headford owned and trained Headford Honey. There was also five first rounds heats of the Ann Cheevers Memorial A5 Stake down for decision. In heat three, Ticking Along on the wide outside was way smartly with French Deluxe and Blaze Bill also prominent as they rounded the opening bend but as they entered the back straight the Tony Brigdale of Ennis owned Blaze Bill moved up on the leaders outside to join issue before taking command approaching the penultimate bend. From the third bend Blaze Bill drew further clear with every stride as the son of Rising Brandy & Orange Princess scored by six lengths from No Shift and Ticking Along in 29.48. Peteles Countess was away in her usual smart style in heat two leading Fast Fit Drop by over length rounding the opening bend with Orbsen Jet in third on the wide outside. Racing down the back Fast Fit Drop gradually reduced the deficit before the John Quinn of Gort owned son of Doratos Wildcat & Fast Fit Maeve took command of the contest at the third bend. Off the home bend the lead was a length and a half which Fast Fit Drop maintained to the line to defeat Peteles Countess and Orbsen Jet in 29.54. It was another super weekend for the afore

mentioned John Quinn as his super star Fast Fit Paddy justified favouritism in the opening heat of the 600 yds Stake at Shelbourne Park also on Saturday night last. On this occasion the Declan McDonagh of Liscannor trained hound had to show all his determination to recover from early traffic. Fast Fit Paddy recovered well, however, turning second before setting his sights on the leader. Almost three lengths adrift as they entered the back straight, Fast Fit Paddy closed right up on the leader to the third turn only to check his stride as Young Bud cut the bend. That could have been a decisive blow but Fast Fit Paddy had no intention of giving up andhe powered home to finally master Young Bud for a length verdict in 32.50. The opening race on last Thursday’s Limerick card went to Speedie Syd owned by Padraic Fanning from Ennis, this was a first career success for this son of Droopys Sydney and Urban Time and the winning time was 29.43. Breda Casey and Myles Cummins from Newmarket-on-Fergus were in the winner’s enclosure with Snuggie Bunty a son of Paddys Magic and Miles Girl recorded a first career success in 29.84, the previous Thursday on St. Patricks Day a litter sister Snuuggie Rosie recorded a fourth career win in 29.44. The final race of the night, The Slan Abahaile S4 went to Tulla, Rockalong Mikado owned by Donnacha McNamara recorded 19.42 for this contest, and in doing so this son of Droopys Cain and Sues Stout landed his fourth career win.

ROUND 2 THIS SATURDAY! For more information visit www.LimerickGreyhoundStadium.ie

#Kirby2022

GET READY, GET SET

GO GREYHOUND RACING

PUNTERS PACK €18 per person

T’S & C’S APPLY. GROUPS OF 6+. DOES NOT INCLUDE RESERVED SEATING

EVERY THURSDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT www.LimerickGreyhoundStadium.ie

EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT www.GalwayGreyhoundStadium.ie

pg 31

31-03-22

NFL DIV 2: CLARE 2-14 DOWN 1-09 IN PÁIRC ESLER, NEWRY

Clare end league with Down win

CLARE Frees For: 13 (4/9) Wides: 5 (3/2) Scores from Play: 2-9 Spread of Scorers: 11 Top Scorers: Eoin Cleary (0-4 2f), Aaron Griffin (1-1), Cian O’Dea (1-1) Own Kick-Outs won: 12 from 14 (86%)

DOWN Frees For: 20 (6/14) Wides: 4 (2/2) Scores from Play: 1-4 Spread of Scorers: 6 Top Scorer: Cory Quinn (1-1) Own Kick-Outs won: 17 from 21 (81%) REFEREE: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

compiled by EOIN BRENNAN COLM COLLINS, CLARE FOOTBALL MANAGER: “It’s good to finish with a win. There were periods of the game that we did a lot of good stuff in and while we did fall asleep for a bit, we woke up again and finished strong so you could see that it was important for us to get the last two points. “The goals were really good. In the previous two matches, the forward moves we had been practising in training hadn't been transferring onto the field of play but they did the last day and we created quite a few goal chances. Some of them we took but there were others that the player opted to fist over the bar rather than taking on the shot. “We were happy to see that forward play against Down because sometimes in training you’re scratching your head as to why they’re not happening in

Clare’s Jamie Malone Photo by Gerard O’Neill

matches but they did the last day thankfully and hopefully we can

keep that going into the championship in a few weeks time”.

Memorial tournament to honour Collins A CAMOGIE tournament in memory of the late John Collins will be held in Newmarket-on-Fergus, marking one of the most successful mentors to have been involved in the sport at underage level with the Blues, writes Páraic McMahon. Following an accident, John died in July 2018, his loss is still widely felt in his local community where he was regarded as a gentleman with a smile almost always etched across his face. Twelve teams from Clare and Limerick will partake in the minor camogie tournament at Fr Murphy Memorial Park this Sunday. Newmarket was at the top of the pile in county camogie circles in the 2000s, winning its first senior championship in 2001. Work at underage level is always pivotal to any team making a breakthrough, the efforts must be sustained in order for the success to last and with personnel like John Collins, the Blues would ensure their name was etched on the McMahon Cup a total of eight teams. It was the work he did as a coach along with his trusted side-kicks, manager Annmarie Meehan and selector Frank Corbett, that would help to harness the talents of future senior championship winners such as Carol Kaiser, Carol O’Leary, Roisin McMahon, and many more. Under his watch, Newmarket were the county’s representatives in back-to-back Féile championships. Within Clare, the trio of John, Annmarie and Frank led the Blues to county championship glory at U14, U16 and U18. John’s wife Noirin and two children Gary and Chloe told The Clare Echo they are “very humbled and honoured to have this tournament dedicated in his memory. John

got endless enjoyment from his years of coaching the underage camogie teams, his pleasantness and sense of humour made it a fun environment for all involved especially running laps with the girls”. Noirin, Gary and Chloe expressed their deep appreciation for the “very special and thoughtful gesture”. They said, “He would be embarrassed but quietly proud to know that his love for camogie is being continued onto the next generation by Carol, Jennifer and Newmarket Camogie club. May John’s spirit long continue in the Newmarket Camogie Club”. Organiser Carol O’Leary said John had a “huge impact” on his players who had “so much respect for him”. “We wanted something which would recognise his work and it was a nice tribute for him.” She is hopeful it will become an annual event.

Bragging rights for Ennis by SEAMUS HAYES

ENNIS GOLF CLUB: Ennis captured the Costello Cup, the annual competition between themselves and Woodstock, last weekend. The competition was decided on the best five scores from each club. The leading Ennis pairings were Tom and Kieran Fox with 46 points followed by Flan Lyons and Martin Moroney with 45, Flan Glynn and Roy Duggan wisth 44, Flan Downes and Barry Lee with 44, Tony Lawlor and Michael O’Reilly with 43. Meanwhile, last week’s ladies 14 hole singles stableford competition ni Ennis was won by Ann O’Loughlin (18) with 28 points. Anne Casey (28) was second with 27 points followed by Helen Harnett (24) with 26 points, Bridie Hanrahan (20) and Anne Pyne Gallery (29), also with 26 points. Last week’s senior ladies was won by Mary and Anne McMahon and Alice D’Arcy with 47.8 from Brid Cunningham, Kathleen Frehill and Kate O’Ceallaigh with 50.7 The lady captain’s charity 14 hole scramble was won by Mary Walshe (25) Ann O’Loughlin (13) and Celia Reilly (23) with 33 points. There were joint winners of the winter league with both finishing on 542 points. The yellow team comprised Kitty Morris, Bridie Hanrahan, Monica Finnerty, Geraldine O’Rourke, Rose Enright and Patricia O’Reilly while the green team included Mary Lenihan, Peig Hanrahan, Noreen Courtney, Anne Casey, Nuala D’Auria and Anne Gallery. LAHINCH GOLF CLUB: The ladies of Lahinch are

At the captains ‘drive-in’ at Dromoland are Jimmy McManus (men’s captain), Katrina O’Neill (lady captain) and Éabha Brennan (junior captain) Photo by Paddy Higgins

holding the annual ‘Play in Pink’ event on Monday on the Old Course in aid of Breast Cancer Research. This year, tee-times have been provided on the Castle Course to cater for any men who wish to support this worthy cause. The closing date for entries is April 4. Many great prizes are up for grabs, including fourballs at Lahinch, Doonbeg, Dromoland, Woodstock, Powerscourt and Limerick while and many businesses have donated prizes.

SHANNON GOLF CLUB: The March medal, sponsored by Gleeson Goldsmiths was played for last week when the winner was Donal Madden (13) with 66. The gross was won by Jason O’Donnell (1) with 75. EAST CLARE: The Winter League at East Clare finished on Sunday. There was a huge entry of 18 teams in the competition. In the cup competition the winners were Siobhan Shanahan, Noreen O Grady, Paul Madden, Mike Hayes, Nick Ryan and Marin Mc Keogh with 161 points.

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KILRUSH GOLF CLUB: Winner of the 18 hole open stableford competition on Sunday was John Robinson (25) with 40 points from Noel Kilkenny (19) with 39 points. In the Spring singles on Saturday, Dominic Enright (16) won with 29 points from Finbarr McMahon (13) with 28 points. In third spot, also with 28 points, was Derek Garvey (10). DROMOLAND: Ann Nix and Sandy Smyth were the winners of the Granard foursomes competition at Dromoland with 19 points. In the ladies 9 hole competition Shauna Moylan won from Majella Cotgreave with Katrina O’Neill third and Leslie O’Flynn in fourth spot. All four returned scores of 19 points. In the men’s senior competition last week Noel McMahon won category A from Michael Bennett with Barry Walsh in third spot. WOODSTOCK: The Spring league resumes this weekend when the format will be a team of four with two scores to count at each hole.

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MUNSTER U16 CUP FINAL: Irish Independent Park, Cork at 12.45pm on Sunday

pg 32

Ennis RFC v Waterpark

U16s take inspiration from Ennis Grand Slam winners by STUART HOLLY

Michael Sweeney and Odhrán Flynn at training on Tuesday evening Photo by Natasha Barton

OOKING ahead to Sunday’s final in Musgrave Park, The Clare Echo speaks to Ennis RFC captain, outhalf Odhrán Flynn, and vice captain, loosehead prop Michael Sweeney. And is often the case when you put a forward and a back in the same conversation, there’s always the risk a healthy slagging match will follow. The side is coached by Inagh sheep farmer John Queally, who at the ripe age of 42 has also lined out in the second row with the Ennis seniors on a number of occasions this season. When asked for their assessment on John’s coaching skills, Michael says earnestly, “He gets very serious sometimes but you need that in a coach.” Odhrán follows this up with a backhanded compliment, “Yeah, he’s a good coach, he’s knows everything across the board - even though he’s a forward.” Some back-and-forth between Odhrán and Michael on the merits of forwards vs backs ensues, with Michael having the final word, “Forwards work way harder too.” However it’s been the precise boot and steely nerve of Odhrán that has dug Ennis out of a few deep holes this season, most notably against Corcha Dhuibhne when he sent the Clare side through to the Pan Munster final with a successful conversion - kicking into the very strong wind - two metres from the sideline. The 15-year old St Flannan’s student says that although they’re preparing for the biggest match of their young careers, a Munster final wasn’t on their radar at the beginning of the season. “Our aim was to win as much as we could and go as far as we could. I don’t think we really imagined that we’d be in this Munster final,” he explains. “As we were going through the games you could see it was more

and more possible that we could reach this target.” His vice captain adds, “We worked hard enough for it anyway.” This team as a group have been finalists in “almost every other competition up to under-14” and they claimed silverware by winning the U13 North Munster Cup title. This year, Bruff defeated the Clare side in the North Munster Cup semi-final but a greater prize is at store this Sunday in Cork. It will be their first time meeting the unbeaten Waterpark this season and while the Déise men defeated that same Bruff side in the other semi-final, Odhrán says they have nothing to fear. “We know they’ve a few lads inside in [the Munster underage set-up] but I’d say they’re beatable if we all perform on the day.” Ennis are a tight-knit group and Michael, a 16-year-old Ennis Community College student, says they “learned a lot” from a challenge match earlier in the year away to St Michael’s College, a fee-paying D4 rugby school. They ultimately lost the game but Odhrán adds that it was a great experience for the Ennis group. “You could see the difference, you could see how tightly compact they were from being in the school together for three years but we weren’t far off them.” Since 2017, Ennis’ underage set-up has enjoyed a rich vein of success, starting with the U18 Munster Cup winning side that defeated Garryowen in Thomond Park. Ennis will hope to emulate that success this Sunday. “Absolutely, even watching the U18s beat Nenagh Ormond in the North Munster Cup last weekend, that was brilliant to go and watch and see Ennis win... and the group before that with the three lads on the Ireland u20 and with Munster now, Tony, Conor and Ethan.” Michael and Odhrán speak freely until they’re asked about the teams strengths and weaknesses ahead of Sunday’s showdown against Waterpark. After a lengthy silence, Odhrán adds, “There’s been a few mistakes along the way but I feel like we’ve picked them up and improved along the way.” Ennis play Waterpark at Musgrave Park this Sunday at 12:45pm.

pg 33

31-03-22

Ennis bid to upset unbeaten opposition

pact. They have helped that team to reach the quarter final of the Munster Junior Cup. Last week we travelled to Thurles to support the U18 girls in the Pan Munster final and they were unlucky to lose that one. Our under 18.5 boys won the North Munster League final against Nenagh at Garryowen on Sunday. We are all trying to push the club up the ladder,” according to Queally. To date this season the club has given game time to 33 players in this competition. “We can only name 23 on match day and it’s going to be very tough job to leave out four or five who could start next week. As they put the finishing touches to preparations for Sunday’s final, Queally and his management team are happy that they have spared no effort in their drive to have the squad in peak condition for this final. Yes, Waterpark will carry he favourites tag but this group is determined to give club supporters another reason to continue the celebrations that have been ongoing in the club in recent times.

SEAMUS HAYES

HESE are good times for Ennis rugby club. Club members Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler and Conor Moloney recently helped Ireland to win the under 20 grand slam title, an achievements rightly celebrated by the club. The club’s senior team qualified for the Munster Junior Cup quarter final last weekend and it’s been quite a while since Ennis reached this stage of this prestigious competition. The work being done at underage level is a major contributory factor in these achievements and on Sunday Ennis will hope to add to their list of impressive underage successes when the club’s under 16 side take on Waterpark from Waterford in the Provincial final. For followers of the club, all roads lead to Irish Independent Park (Musgrave Park) in Cork on Sunday for this final where the kick-off is scheduled for 12.45pm. The programme also includes the U16 ladies final which is the opening game on the day and the U18.5 final which also involves the Waterford club. In phase 1 of the under 16 competition Ennis beat Thurles and Clanwilliam after losing to Bruff while they received walkovers from Fethard and Cashel. They started their phase 2 programme of games with a loss to Kinsale but they are unbeaten since with victories over Dingle (away), Kilrush (at home), Kanturk (at home) and Cobh (at home) They again proved too strong for Cobh when the teams met in Ennis in a quarter final tie. This gave them a semi-final date with Dingle at Abbeyfeale, a game which ended in a draw but Ennis got through having scored the first try of the game. The team’s head coach is John Queally who accepts, “Waterpark will carry the favourite’s tag on Sunday. They are unbeaten this season. Bruff put it up to them in the semi-final but things didn’t go their way. We will put our game plan in place and, hopefully, it will work.” Asked about the development of this squad, the team coach recalled the group showed early promise at an annual under 12 competition at Willow Park in Dublin, which they followed up the following season

lFINAL FLING: Ennis U16 management team members (l-r) Michael Flynn, Paul Phelan, John Queally and Luke Ryan Photo by Natasha Barton by winning the U13 North Munster Cup. “Later we lost the under 14 league to Shannon. That was the end of competitive rugby til this season [due to Covid]. We have lost a few of that squad to the GAA, lads who are now part of the Clare minor hurling panel. Amongst them are James Hegarty, Jack Mescall, Ralph Whelan and James O’Dwyer. We have been re-building our squad this season.” “Odhrán Flynn (team captain), who was the hooker, is now our outhalf. We have a lot of lads who are in their first season playing rugby and these include David Moses and Luke Kennedy. At the start of the season we felt that we had a squad good enough to get to the concluding stages. The wheels came off a bit when we lost to Bruff and Kinsale. A number of past coaches and coaches involved with other teams in the club came to our games and we have taken on board their observations and stuck to the plan. We know we face a big task against a Waterpark side that has won most games by 20 points. They are a well seasoned and serious outfit”, according to John whose backroom team includes Michael Flynn, Paul Phelan, Luke Ryan and Conor Guilfoyle. Queally accepts that “there is a great

buzz around the club at present. The success achieved by Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler and Conor Moloney has been great. Many of the other team members from the side which got to the All-Ireland under 16 semi-final are now playing for the club’s senior team where they are making a big im-

The members of the panel are Luke Kennedy, Tadhg Kearns, Daniel Kaletchnikoff, Matthew Jordan-Alan, Daniel Humphries, Adam Healy, Darren Halpin, Odhran Flynn, Cian Enright, Caoimhne Enright, Conal Donovan, Donncha Dobson, Jack Dillon, Kaden Deegan-Herlihy, Marco Cleary, Jacob Casson-Rennie, Evan Casey, Andrww Cahir-Wheelan, A,J, Bray, Diarrmuid Boyle, Killian Boland, Krystian Zimmy, Michael Sweeney, John Sweeney, Ben Smith, Sam Shonibare, Nicholas Roos, Sean Queally, Paddy Phelan, Oisin O’Donoghue, Sean O’Connor, Michael O’Connell, Eoin O’Gorman,David Moses, Gerard McWeeney, Cillian McInerney, Adrian Maloney, Aaron Malone, Mateo Lopez, Killian Killane-Halpenny Parishes represented include Corofin, Ruan, Kilnamona, Inagh, Kilmaley, Tulla, Clooney, Quin, Scariff, Ogonnelloe, Barefzield, Door, Ennis and Clarecastle.

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pg 34

‘Huge occassion for club’ SEAMUS HAYES ENNIS RFC president Dermot Hallahan readily admits that this is proving to be an exciting season for the club. Over the coming weeks supporters will be following the fortunes of a number of club teams that have progressed to the latters stages of their competitions in the province. “Given the difficulties of the past two years with the Covid lockdown, the real challenge was to keep people engaged and keep them motivated. It pushed us to find new players and to promote the younger players and get them believing that they can play at senior level. Twelve or 13 of our U20 team have represented the seniors this year and that gives them confidence. They need to learn the trade and hopefully, the club will benefit in the years to come”, Dermot told The Clare Echo. Dermot notes, “The successes achieved by Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan and Conor Moloney with

Munster and with the Irish U20s has been a huge boost for the club, as have the achievements of Alannah McInerney and Chism Ugwueru on the girls’ side. Their successes makes it real for the other club players who want to emulate them. It is great to see guys they played with who came from a junior club, showing what is possible at Provincial and National levels.” Continuing, he said, “Sunday’s Munster U16 final is another huge occasion for the club. That squad had their challenges during the lockdown but they responded well to the challenges. The squad includes some really good players, some of whom are on Munster development squads. They have trained hard all season, two and three times a week. They have shown great commitment. They have given up social occasions which are important landmarks in teenagers’ lives”. Dermot agrees that “its important to have underage teams coming through and for the club to continue to transition players up the ranks to the senior team. Senior clubs on our door-

step in Limerick and Galway are ready to pounce for these players and that is a huge challenge for us. A few months ago I noted eight former Ennis players representing various AIL club. Players being approached by senior clubs is an ongoing challenge for the club”. Counting all teams from minis to adult level, girls and boys the club fields 16 teams and has about 60 coaches. Right now the focus is on Sunday’s under 16 final and the president is confident that Ennis will have big support at the game. “I was very impressed with the big crowd that travelled to Thurles last week to support the girls and I expect another big following on Sunday. These are things those involved will remember regardless of the result. We have had enough dark days. It’s important to enjoy these occasions which those involved will reminisce about in years to come”. The club is organising buses to take supporters to the final and those wishing to avail of this should contact any club official.

Ennis U18s claim North Munster League title

ENNIS RFC’s u18.5 side claimed the North Munster League on Sunday, coming from behind to defeat a very physical Nenagh Ormond side by 20-15. Played in Dooradoyle, Ennis took the lead on 10 minutes when quick thinking scrum-half Calum Byrne took a quick tap-and-go from the mark before captain Osgar Ó Gormáin crashed over for the first score of the game. Nenagh responded with a penalty kick and in the 23rd minute, followed up with a try from a line-out move to leave the Tipperary side leading 10-5. Just before half-time Ennis No 6 Donnacha Morrissey was sin-binned for a late tackle but the Clare side avoided any damage on the scoreboard. Two minutes into the second half, scrumhalf Byrne landed an amazing 47m kick to reduce the lead to two. Ennis’s attacking game was now being brilliantly marshalled by outhalf Brendan Keane. In the 14th minute

Nenagh were penalised for not rolling away just outside their 22 with the ensuing penalty leading to a line-out, from which full back Eoghan Boyle crossed for Ennis’ second try after some good phase play. Leading 13-10, the next 15 minutes were hard fought. In the 33rd minute, Ó Gormáin managed to rip a ball, setting up several phases from Ennis before Jack Scahill touched down in spectacular fashion to the right of the posts. Byrne had no difficulty with the conversion leaving the score 20-10 with 3 minutes on the clock. With the last play of the game, Nenagh replied with a try but it was too late as Ennis took the spoils, 20-15. Ennis: 1. Noel McGrath, 2. Osgar Ó Gormáin (capt.), 3. Mayomikun Omoniwa, 4. Evan Smith, 5. Eoghan Daly, 6. Donnacha Morrissey, 7. Darragh Burns, 8. Seán McDonagh, 9. Callum Byrne, 10. Brendan Keane, 11. Calvin Butler, 12. Fionnán Treacy, 13. Jack Scahill, 14. Noah McConway, 15. Eoghan Boyle, 16. Ciarán McManus, 17. Oliver Considine, 18. Jonathan O’Donoghue, 19. Darragh Hurley, 20. Jamie Garrihy, 21. Juve Eletu, 22. Oisín Madigan, 23. David Costelloe

Scariff U14 girls in Bowl final

SCARIFF RFC’s U14 ladies side have advanced to the Munster Development Bowl final. In what is a first for the club, the East Clare side will compete in the provincial decider on April 9th. On Saturday, they recorded a very narrow 20-19 victory over tough opponents in the guise of Youghal Midleton played in Cork. With twelve teams in the competition, all involved with Scariff RFC view their progression as a fantastic achievement given that the group of girls have only been playing together for a period of five months. Ella O’Casey, Isobella McKenna, Ruby Wiley Murphy and Sadhbh Whelan were the try scorers in the semi-final which Milly Spazzi, Eliza Wiley and Hollie Turner showcasing some excellent runs during the win.

Scariff RFC: Ava Donnlan, Sarah Kelly, Kate Bogenberger, Eliza Wiley Murphy, Laura Danaher, Ella O’Casey, Milly Spazzi, Shauna O’Neill, Josephine Gardensworthy, Isobella McKenna, Maebh Guilfoyle, Ruby Wiley Murphy, Hollie Turner, Sadhbh Whelan. Subs: Caitlin Curtin, Shannon Beston, Aishling Murnane.

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

Recent Deaths Baumbach (née Malone), Olive Mary Clarecastle, Clare Date of Death: 24th March 2022 Copeland, Thomas Ennis, Clare Date of Death: 18th March 2022 Crehan (née Walsh), Lauren Labasheeda, Clare Date of Death: 27th March 2022 Duffy, John Inagh, Clare Date of Death: 28th March 2022 Hanrahan, Lena Feakle, Clare Date of Death: 28th March 2022 Lillis, Sean Cooraclare,Clare Date of Death: 27th March 2022 McGann, Gerald J. Carron, Clare Date of Death: 29th March 2022 McMahon (née O’ Halloran), Breda Ennis, Clare Date of Death: 28th March 2022 Smyth (née Linnane), Betty Ballyvaughan, Clare Date of Death: 28th March 2022 Houlihan, Gus Ennistymon, Clare Date of Death: 27th March 2022

Anniversary

Ward (née Scanlon), Betty Fanore, Clare

Moroney, Patrick James (PJ) Killaloe, Clare Date of Death: 23rd March 2022

McDONAGH, Christy Ennis, Clare Date of Death: 26th March 2022

Clune (née Casey), Elizabeth (Betty) Crusheen, Clare Date of Death: 22nd March 2022

O’Brien, Tara Newmarket-on-fergus, Clare Date of Death: 27th March 2022

Falvey, Michael Kilkee, Clare Date of Death: 21st March 2022

Gunning, Ger Broadford, Clare Date of Death: 24th March 2022

Mackey, Denis Kilnamona, Clare Date of Death: 16th March 2022

Moroney (née Gibbons), Mary Ennis, Clare Date of Death: 25th March 2022

O’Halloran, Denis Tulla, Clare Date of Death: 22nd March 2022

O’Connor, Frank Kilnamona, Clare Date of Death: 24th March 2022

GALVIN (née Fitzgerald), Ann Kilrush, Clare Date of Death: 15th March 2022

O’Halloran (née Lynch), Marie Tulla, Clare Date of Death: 25th March 2022

Naughton, Sean Feakle, Clare Date of Death: 22nd March 2022

Scanlan, Desmond (Des) Killaloe, Clare Date of Death: 21st March 2022

O’Hara (née Keane), Anastasia Cratloe, Clare Date of Death: 21st March 2022

Hanrahan (née O’Brien), Mary Barefield, Clare Date of Death: 21st March 2022

O’MAHONY, Fr. Senan Kilrush, Clare Date of Death: 15th March 2022

Hayes, Michael Clarecastle, Clare Date of Death: 24th March 2022

O’Shaughnessy (née Murrihy), Bridget Ennistymon, Clare Date of Death: 21st March 2022

PLANNING NOTICES

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL SMITH O’BRIENS GAA, SHANTRAUD, KILLALOE, CO CLARE We, Smith O’Briens GAA Club, am applying to the above authority for permission/retention permission for the following development on property at Smith O’Briens GAA, Shantraud, Killaloe, Co Clare. (1) Permission for construction of new entrance and car park area to western side of existing building, installation of electronic scoreboard to the southern side of the existing playing pitch, installation of LED lighting standards to proposed new carpark together with all associated ancillary and incidental works (2) Retention permission for retention and completion of existing clubhouse building and spectator stand which differs from that previously granted permission under previous planning ref 11/857 together with all associated ancillary and incidental works The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceed-

ing the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL BEECHWOOD, HILL ROAD, BUNRATTY, CO CLARE We, Phoenix Four Kemekry Ltd., are applying to the above authority for retention permission for the following development on property at Beechwood, Hill Road, Bunratty, Co Clare. Retention permission for works carried out to existing dwelling to include increased ridge height and reconfiguration of roof to single storey element, demolition of boiler room and replacement with new bathroom, raised balcony to Southern Elevation, alterations to window opes together with all associated ancillary and incidental works

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

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL 42 RIVERDALE, WESTBURY, CORBALLY I, Diarmuid Cunningham am applying to Clare County Council for permission to construct a two storey rear extension with side projection at 42 Riverdale, Westbury. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the

period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application. CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL NEWHALL, ENNIS, CO. CLARE We, Simon Beale + Associates, are applying to Clare County Council, on behalf of Stephen & Lorraine McCarthy, for full planning permission for the following; (1) Construction of a new detached dwelling house,(2) proposed effluent treatment system and percolation area with all associated site works at Newhall, Ennis, Co. Clare. 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, 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, BOGBERE STREET, ENNISTYMON, CO. CLARE Take notice that J. Hanrahan intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission for the following works a) to construct a two-storey side extension and single-storey rear extension to his existing house b) a new boiler house c) single storey office/store d) new front boundary wall along with associated site works at the above address. That the planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

APOSTLE CHINWE OBADEYI 1ST ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of Apostle Chinwe Obadeyi whose 1st Anniversary occurs today the 31st of March. A life dedicated to God and His work goes on to live forever. Death takes the body. God takes the soul. Our minds hold the memories. Our Hearts keep the love. Our faith lets us know we will meet again. In life we loved you dearly, In death we love you still. Gone from Our homes, but not from our hearts. Too dearly loved to be forgotten. Remembered always by her loving husband - Albert, her children - Jemima, Emmanuel, Naomi, Tochukwu and Zaneta, her Sister - Edith, her brothers - Prosper, Daniel, Ferguson, Victor/Racheal, Philip and their families and entire congregation of Foundation Ministries Worldwide. Memorial Service today 31st March at 5pm in Foundation Ministries Church Auditorium, Ennis.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL LANGOUGH, NEWMARKET ON FERGUS, CO. CLARE Take notice that R. Connaire intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to construct dwelling house, septic tank, 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, CO. CLARE BALLINGADDY WEST,

ENNISTYMON, CO. CLARE Take notice that Alan O’Rourke intends to apply for Permission to A. Amend Condition No. 4 of Outline Planning Permission Reg. Ref 16-299 to allow for a part single storey part two storey dwelling on revised finished floor levels and amend Condition No. 5 to allow for alternative material finishes B. Amend the design and finished floor levels of the dwelling granted under Planning Reg. Ref. 19-852 to that of a part single storey, part two storey house and ancillary site works at Ballingaddy West, Ennistymon, Co. Clare This planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

continues page 36

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PLANNING NOTICES CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL, 9 TULLYVARRAGA CRESCENT, SHANNON, CO CLARE V14Y298 Take notice that ANNE & FRANK O’REILLY intend to apply for permission to RETAIN the Extensions to the Dwelling House & 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, DOONAGORE, DOOLIN, CO CLARE Take notice that Donna McAleese and Keith Bloomfield intend to apply for OUTLINE permission to build a new dwelling , install a wastewater 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 CARROWNTEDAUN, LAHINCH, CO CLARE Take notice that Patrick Rouine intend to apply for planning permission for development at the above address The development consists of extensions to existing slatted unit to include slatted pins, cattle drybed area, dung stay and associated site works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority 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 CAHER, OGONNELLOE CO. CLARE Take Notice that We Orla &

continued from page 35

David O’ Shea intend to apply to Clare County Council For Permission for the Construction of a single storey extension to Side & rear of existing dwelling to include Kitchen/ Dining & Living Area, Pantry & Boot Room including internal modifications & elevational changes to existing dwelling including ancillary site works at 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 of Clare County Council, Planning Department, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare during it’s 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 of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application. CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL THE ORCHARD, DRUMLINE, NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS, COUNTY CLARE I, Karen Normoyle-Haugh, intend to apply to the above named authority for planning permission for the construction of a detached single storey garage with single storey granny flat appended,

connection to existing wastewater treatment system and percolation area, and all ancillary site and landscaping works at The Orchard, Drumline, New-Market-On-Fergus, County Clare. That the planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application. CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL. O’CONNELL STREET / SMITHS LANE, 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 Darragh Collins for retention permission and planning permission for the following development at the above address; (a) to retain the change of use of the existing building fronting O’Connell Street, from the guesthouse use previously authorised under planning permission ref no. P16/1016, to two no. townhouses, to include minor alterations to the

front elevation of the building, revised internal layout and revised rear extension footprint & design; and (b) permission to construct a further two no. new townhouses to the rear of the subject site fronting Smiths Lane along with all associated ancillary site works and services. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of 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, THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE & CHURCH, MOUNTSHANNON, CO. CLARE, V94AT2W Take notice that Diarmuid Keane + Associates Ltd. (065-9083667, www.diarmuidkeane.ie) intends to ap-

ply to Clare County Council on behalf of Paul Knapp for retention permission and planning permission for the following development to the existing building at the above address, which is a protected structure (RPS No. 130); (a) to retain change of use of the building from church / school to a single private residential unit; and (b) permission to replace the existing roof covering with natural slate, re-render the exterior of the building with lime render, provide three no. new conservation roof windows to the rear of the roof and 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, RAILWAY ROAD, KILKEE, CO. CLARE Take notice that Diarmuid Keane + Associates Ltd. (0659083667, www.diarmuidkeane.ie) intend to apply to Clare County Council on behalf of Joe & Ann Boyle for retention permission to retain conversion / change of use of the former outbuilding to the rear of the dwelling house to use as part of the dwelling house along with 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 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

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PUZZLEPAGE

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

THIS WEEKS PUZZLES MAR 31st

WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU

3/24/22, 3:55 PM

Rhine Seine Severn Thames Tyne Vaal Volga Zaire

4 1

1/1

3 5

ANSWERS

le snowman (4) s (5) )

3 8

6 4 8

6 7

9 6 7

9 3 5 2

1 3

7 6

7 1

4 1

2 4

3 5

9 6

1/1

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.

HOW TO PLAY

How to play

3/24/22, 3:55 PM

Amazon Arno Avon Clyde Congo Danube Ebro Elbe Hudson Indus Liffey Maas Missouri Murray Niger Nile Oder Ohio Orange

(2,4) )

The Clare Echo Crossword

own (7) e Land" poet (5)

)

R A

e (6)

e (6) ower (6) abric (5)

e (8) ) 1

21 16

U S

P U P P E L

C L A P 2

E 3

U T R E

L O N

N Y

G R A T 4

T R E M O R

A D O R E

L U S

E D

F U E

F U L 7

Daily Quick Crossword: 24 March 2022 ,3/24/2022 Michael Curl Creator Notes: A free daily online crossword that's not too difficult - just right for solving in your coffee break. http://bestforpuzzles.com

rth (4)

man (4)

Help support us by subscribing Visit clareecho.ie/subscribe to find out more

s (7)

T R A C T

area of land (5)

L U T L

L A C K E Y

s (8)

(5)

O T

" poet (5)

)

e letters (8)

O N L

land (5)

E N D E D

CROSSWORD ANSWERS N T

DOWN 1 Upper-case letters (8) 2 First Greek letter (5) 4 Outcome (6) 5 Melodies (5) 6 Pivot (7) 7 Come down to earth (4) 8 Middle (6) 13 Amiable (8) 15 Old war vehicle (7) 17 Actually (6) 18 Keyed up (2,4) 20 Old Nick (5) 22 Many times (5) 23 Abominable snowman (4)

ACROSS 1 Applaud (4) 3 Appreciative (8) 9 Marionettes (7) 10 Synthetic fabric (5) 11 Extensive area of land (5) 12 Sheen (6) 14 Servile follower (6) 16 Small quake (6) 19 Dried grape (6) 21 Worship (5) 24 “The Waste Land” poet (5) 25 Watered down (7) 26 Meant (8) 27 Merely (4)

letter (5)

1/1

n to earth (4)

)

hicle (7)

Supporting Journalism in Clare

QUIZ 39

THURSDAY, MAR 31 2022

The Clare Echo Quiz THE BURREN

old is the limestone in the 1How Burren?

was Blackhead lighthouse 7When built?

many different orchids can 8How be found in the Burren?

What does Boirinn, the Irish word for Burren, mean?

(a) Dry place (b) Wet place (c) Rocky place

What is the ancient grazing practice in the Burren called?

(a) Winterage (b) Strip grazing (c) Seasonal grazing

plant is the Burren famous 4What for? (a)Dandelion (b) Heather (c) Orchid

(a) 27 (b) 12 (c) 32

9What is a turlough? (a) A brackish lake (b) an oligotrophic lake (c) a disappearing lake

. Which of these Burren 10 plants was used to treat arthritis? (a) Wild marjoram (b) Guelder rose (c) Red clover

l THE BURREN

5How high is Slieve Elva? 6How old is Poulnabrone dolmen? (a)4000-6000 years (b) 10,000-12,000 years (c) 12,000+ years

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

6. 4000-6000 years 7. 1902 8. 27 9. a disappearing lake 10. Wild marjoram

(a) 314m (b) 334m (c) 344m

ANSWERS 1. 350 million years 2. Rocky place 3. Winterage 4. Orchid 5. 344m

(a) 100 million years (b) 350 million years (c) 750 million years

Last weeks Answers . Bottom of mic different colour . Tie different colour . button missing on jacket . ‘Cian’ missing on booklet

. LED missing on light in background . Ceiling light missing . Button missing on jacket (right)

Musicians at the St Patrick’s Day parade in Feakle Photo by Ruth Griffin