The Clare Echo 15/05/25 by The Clare Echo

‘I was willing, ready & able’

McCarthy was dropped from Clare squad

by Páraic McMahon

paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE HURLER, Aidan McCarthy has said he did not leave the county panel of his own accord and that he was “willing, ready and able” to line out in last weekend’s game against Tipperary.

McCarthy’s omission from the Clare panel for Saturday’s game with Tip perary raised many eye brows and led to plenty of speculation as to reasons for his potential exit.

On Wednesday, the Inagh/Kilnamona clubman broke his silence and confirmed that he was not his decision to leave the Clare panel.

“Just to clarify and confirm. I did not walk off the Clare Senior Hurling panel. I was willing, ready and able to line out for my county against Tipperary on Saturday evening if selected”.

A starter

in Clare’s opening rounds of the Munster championship, Aidan was substituted in both games and was taken off free-taking duties. He scored 1-7 in last year’s All-Ireland success over Cork.

Brian Lohan’s side are facing an uphill battle in their bid to retain their All-Ireland title following successive losses to Waterford and Tipperary which means they are reliant on results this weekend to keep their season alive.

PACKING A PUNCH

Shannon hotter than European hot spots

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SHANNON was warmer than some of Europe’s hotspots this week.

On Tuesday, as thunderstorms spread through the Mid-West, temperatures were closing on 25 degrees.

Thunderstorms occurred from Sliabh Aughtys all the way to the Aran Islands touching areas such as the Burren, Kilfenora, Gort and the Cliffs of Moher. This resulted in a power outage for a few hours in Kilfenora.

Dozens of lightning strikes were witnessed off the Bay of Kilkee with thun-

derstorms between Kirush and Kilkee on Tuesday.

Despite the thunder, Shannon Airport’s weather station reached 26.4 degrees Celsius, marking the warmest day in the country this year.

Shannon was warmer than some of Europe’s hotspots including Ibiza, Crete and Sicily. There has been no measurable rainfall at Shannon Airport since late April.

Temperatures will remain in the low 20s until mid next week when there will be a gradual return to less settled and cooler conditions.

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Full story p30

l Relations of Mike McTigue pictured at an unveiling of the Mike McTigue Bridge in Ennis, Michael McTigue, Kevin Rynne and Nicholas Rynne. Full Story p13

Photo by Joe Buckley

Council to open negotiations with Cliffs of Moher landowners

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

MEETINGS are to commence between Clare County Council,

Company (CLDC) on the future transition of managing the walk. Also commencing within the next two weeks will be the advertising for a trail manager. The

North Clare landowners and IFA representatives within a fortnight to plot the future management of the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk.

Last month, the the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk Management Plan also known as the Tobin Report was published by the County Council. The 246 page document recommended the Council become the management organisation for the future management and development of the 18km coastal trail from Doolin to Hags Head. Talks will commence between key stakeholders namely the Council, landowners and the IFA in a fortnight while the local authority is to also liaise with Clare Local Development

recruited individual will be “the point of contact for people going forward on the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk”. Sitting for the first time since the report’s publication, the Council’s Tourism Development Strategic Policy Committee discussed the matter.

Director of Tourism Development, Siobhán McNulty explained that the “next step” was to meet with landowners and representative bodies such as the IFA within a fortnight, details are to be finalised with the IFA, she confirmed. There will also be meetings with landowners not represented by the IFA. McNulty outlined, “the fundamental premise of the report is that Clare County Council will

be tasked with being the trail management organisation going forward, there is a period of liaison with CLDC to transition between their operation and Clare County Council’s operation of the coastal walk”.

At present, the southern side of the Cliffs of Moher Walk remains closed with the northern side from Doolin to Surfer’s Path open. According to the senior Council official, up to 80 people per day are using the northern section which she labelled as “significant numbers”.

Chair of the SPC, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) commented, “in North Clare and on behalf of all councillors in North Clare, our shared ambition has been to have a walk which is open, that is safe and respects the stakeholders which primarily includes the landowners. There is a long road to travel on that point, we’re only getting started. That is the road we need to get on, at the last SPC meeting the sensitivities were clear talking about a walk which Clare County Council wasn’t responsible for but it is clear the report recommends the Council becomes lead organisation”.

Clare IFA chair, Tom Lane stated, “I’d like to futureproof the walk beyond 2040, if you bring a group of landowners together that they play a role and it goes from one generation to the next. We had a very good meeting with some landowners last week, it is great to see that people take great pride in owning a piece of the walking trail, nobody got up and said they won’t to be a part of it, there’s remedial works they want to see done”.

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170 children to shine at Réaltaí an Chláir

by Lisa Mullaly lisa@clareecho.ie

CUMANN na mBunscol an Chláir will host the county’s first-ever GAA Inclusion Day for children with additional needs on Thursday May 22 at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg Muireann Mescal, one of the key organisers of the new initiative titled ‘Réaltaí an Chláir’, explained the reach

and intention behind the day:

“We invited all 111 schools in County Clare, both mainstream and schools catering to special needs, to nominate children with additional needs to take part in the event.”

A total of 170 young athletes have signed up to participate. They’ll be accompanied by around 60 adults, including teachers, SNAs, and principals.

The event will feature a wide range of activities tailored to meet the needs and abilities of all participants, including modified hurling and football games under the ‘GAA for All’ banner, athletics, sensory games, and cooperative activities.

“We are giving these children an opportunity to take part in an event just like their siblings, their schoolmates, their cousins, their neighbours;

to play the sports they love in Cusack Park, albeit modified to suit their needs,” explained Mescal Ultimately, organisers hope Réaltaí an Chláir becomes more than a oneday celebration.

“We hope that through the event we will foster an increased awareness of the need for inclusion and increased awareness of children with additional needs,” said Mescal. “We hope that

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this event will continue next year and it becomes a part of the Cumann na mBunscol calendar.”

The event is supported by Clare GAA, Munster GAA, Clare Sports Partnership, and local inclusive GAA All-Star groups.

Potential for 500 plus homes in Claureen with Ennis 2040

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

ENNIS 2040 DAC has “a role to play” in tackling the shortage of private housing developments in the county town.

A shortage of housing is restricting the economic growth of Ennis, acting Chief Operating Officer of Ennis 2040 DAC, Padraic McElwee outlined this week.

200 houses is the target for the Claureen Lands with the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) and the opening up of lands bringing the potential for 500-600 houses according to a senior official in Clare County Council.

Since his temporary appointment, the waters for Ennis 2040 have become less choppy with a decision made to scrap to pause planned developments on the riverside car parks of Abbey Street and Parnell Street plus a renewed focus on housing.

“Where I see the focus for Ennis 2040 is to diversify our economic base, to enhance our retail offering, increase the footfall and compliment what we already have,” McElwee stated in a briefing to county councillors. AIB Insights have indicated that the spend in Ennis is below the national average.

Ennis’ economic growth has been hindered by a shortage of private housing developments, he said. “Enhanced residential accommodation is very important, we are hearing of a shortage of private housing developments, I believe Ennis 2040 has a role to play in that”. Development of affordable, accessible, sustainable and housing of all tenures is to be explored by the DAC, he said.

€210,000 has been the spend to date by

Ennis 2040 DAC on plans to open up the Claureen Lands for housing. This is comprised of 2.2 acres of development lands “which will enable the release of lands to the develop the LIHAF road for which funding is in place. The LIHAF road will open up lands for development, we have agreed to purchase over 21 acres of development land which is subject to planning, that will depend from 120-280 houses, it will focus on delivery of private housing to meet private market demand.

Developing a masterplan for the Claureen Lands is a priority focus at present, he said.

Care needs to be applied when the public sector or Government enters the private market place, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) cautioned. “The risks associated with that in terms of distortion and the market place, it is a risky area, we are bordering on speculation on house building, we don’t have to be reminded of the entire country’s experience, what are the guard rails around the risk of us distorting the market”.

McElwee said the masterplan for the Claureen Lands will advise “what makes sense” and whether there is a greater risk on going solo or bringing in a partner.

Acting Director of Economic Development with the Council, Seán Lenihan said the concept “of LIHAF is money used to stimulate housing, we were very lucky to get a grant, the original grant was conditional on us bringing in a partner, we couldn’t do it on our own, it was always a partnership process, great credit is due to the Interim Chief Executive for keping the project alive. It was supposed to be finished in 2021, we are only one of the local au-

thorities to keep it alive”.

Lenihan continued, “200 odd houses is the original proposal, once the road is in and it opens up the other lands available, we should have up to 500-600 houses and a community project”.

An altered focus of Ennis 2040 has been broadly welcomed, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said. “The move to housing is is very important. The pause has given a new lease of life to Ennis 2040, there was fierce controversy over many years because of proposed buildings, people were annoyed, 98% of Ennis never wanted it,” he remarked of the paused plans in Abbey Street and Harvey’s Quay.

Council spent €78m on contractors & €12m on consultants by

Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL paid €78m to contractors and €12m to consultants last year it has emerged after councillors probed senior management on the €8m deal to acquire lands by the Cliffs of Moher.

As per the Council’s 2024 Annual Financial Statement, €78,279,737 was spent on contractors, an increase on the €66,577,434 in 2023. Land costs were €2,525,930 in 2024, compared with the €9,351.143 of 2023.

Consultant fees jumped to €12.277,649 last year, from €9,767.198 in 2023. Deemed as ‘other’ expenditure was a bill of €26,043,599 which was up on the €18,240.411.

Regarding land acquired for housing, the Council paid €1,702,906 in 2024 and €50,000 in 2023 for lands in Claureen and Ashline.

Strategic landbanks were acquired in Kilrush, Liscannor, Bunratty, Lisdoonvarna, Crusheen, Kilkee and Mountshannon over the two years, €822,970 was spent in 2024 and €9,001,590 in 2023.

€299,553 was the spend in 2023 for infrastructural projects in Killaloe, Quin and Springﬁeld (Clonlara).

Interim Chief Executive, Dr Carmel Kirby explained of the lands acquired for housing, as landbanks and infrastructural projects, “Additional costs (stamp duty, legal costs, professional fees) associated with the above acquisitions amount to €1,030,000. The lands were purchased from own resources. Where approved the costs are recouped from the relevant government departments) as projects are progressed”.

lHOUSING: Padraic McElwee

Photo by: Eamon Ward

Hop Aboard the Free Burren and Cliffs Explorer Bus

Free Hop-On, Hop-O Shuttle Bus Now Running Across North and West Clare

Looking for a simple, flexible and completely free way to get around Clare this summer? The Burren and Cliffs Explorer Bus runs daily until the end of August, with a possible extension into September Se en hop-on, hop-off routes connect towns, illages, scenic spots, and isitor attractions across orth and est Clare.

The service gives you the freedom to travel between places at your own pace without needing the car everal routes stop at or connect to the Cliffs of Moher Experience, making it easier than ever to include it in your day out

HOW IT WORKS

The service is free, but you’ll need to book your ticket online

There are seven different routes, each with its own timetable

Not every route goes directly to the Cliffs of Moher Experience some involve a change of bus. Admission to the Cliffs of Moher Experience is free when you use the shuttle bus, however other attractions you choose to visit incur admission charges

Don’t wait for the last shuttle of the day if it’s full, you may need to make other arrangements. You can view route details, download timetables, and book by scanning the QR code opposite

THE 7 RO TES AT A ANCE

Miltown Malbay – Lahinch – Liscannor – Cliffs of Moher Experience – Return: Runs regularly throughout the day, with stops along the route including the Cliffs of Moher Experience

Kilfenora – Lisdoon arna – Cliffs of Moher Experience –Return: A route linking Burren villages to the Cliffs.

Doolin – Cliffs of Moher Experience – Return: re uent service ideal for combining a visit to Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher Experience

Liscannor – Cliffs of Moher – Return: A short, scenic route running roughly every 30 minutes between Liscannor and the Cliffs

Bally aughan – Aillwee Burren Experience–Poulnabrone – Caherconnell Stone ort & Sheepdog Demonstrations– Kilfenora – Return: This route links some of the Burren’s most popular heritage and nature stops

Corofin – Michael Cusack Centre – Carran – Slie e Carran – Kilfenora – Return: A scenic inland route rich in history and walking options Connects in ilfenora to reach the Cliffs.

Corofin – Burren ational Park (Kenny’s Cross Trailhead) – Return: A dedicated shuttle into the heart of the park ideal for walkers heading out on the Burren’s marked trails

PLAN YOUR DAY AND BOOK YOUR FREE SEAT

Scan the QR code to view route details, download timetables, and book your free seat.

St Flannan’s expansion could become national model for rapid builds

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

PHASE ONE of a significant expansion of the historic St Flannan’s College campus in Ennis will be completed in time for the beginning of the next school semester in September enabling the temporary relocation of Knockanean National School.

The 2,500 sqm development comprises special educational needs (SEN) facilities and general educational spaces, including classrooms, science rooms, and a construction studies room. The expansion of Munster’s largest school is supported by the Department of Education and is regarded as a prototype rapid build project, which could be replicated elsewhere throughout Ireland.

In a unique cross-school partnership, the 297 students of Knockanean National School will be accommodated at the new St. Flannan’s development from September until their approved new national school is delivered.

Approval has already been granted for the new develop-

ment, which will consist of a two-storey building on the site of the existing primary school.

Fr. Iggy McCormack, Principal of St. Flannan’s College, said the completion of the new facilities will significantly enhance the secondary school’s capacity to support its growing student population, which increased to 1,280 for the current school year. “Our enrolment numbers are expected to grow further in the coming years, which is why investment is needed in our infrastructure to support a modern, proactive, welcoming, and inclusive 21st-century educational environment. Most importantly, the addition of new SEN classrooms comes at a critical time, ad-

dressing the severe shortage of such spaces in the greater Ennis area”.

Appointed in September 2024, contractor Lidan Designs and the award-winning design team at Healy Partners Architects were tasked with delivering a fully completed school within a 12-month period. Construction began in January 2025, with prefabricated elements arriving on site by April. The building will be delivered in phases from July, with full completion scheduled for December

Pictured above is an artist’s impression of

the new 2,500 sqm development at St. Flannan’s College in Ennis, County Clare. Credit Healy Partners Architects.

State to end housing contract with Hydro Hotel

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

171 Ukrainians are to be relocated from The Hydro Hotel in Lisdoonvarna this July with a further 16 to leave two accommodation centres in Kilkee.

Residents are to be relocated from The Hydro Hotel as the State prepares to end its contract to house Ukrainian war refugees in North Clare. 171 residents of the hotel will be relocated from Friday July 4th and will not be replaced with new tenants.

Marcus White and Somjai Kaewmahawong are listed as directors of The Hydro Hotel Ltd in Lisdoonvarna which has received millions from the State for accommodating Ukrainians.

On July 2nd, ten Ukrainians will leave their residence at Kilkee Townhouse with a further six to depart Kilkee Marine Hotel on July 6th.

In a circular issued by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the next use of these properties is a decision for the provider. From May to November of last year, “about 12,000 beds were returned to tourism use”, the Department stated.

Up to 24,400 people are resident in approximately 680 State-supported Ukraine accommodation at present. Approximately 420 contracts ended in 2024, over 15,000 beds. About 2,400 people are likely

to be affected by a contract ending in 32 properties between now and early August.

Clare TD Cathal Crowe (FF) stated, “It has been confirmed to me that the State contract with the Hydro hotel in Lisdoonvarna will not be renewed. The contract will

expire in early July and the Department of Justice have confirmed they have no intention to further extend it.

“Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Hydro hotel has accommodated hundreds of Ukrainian families but now with

the prospects of a peace deal in sight, the European Union overall, and indeed the Irish State, have to take a more measured approach to contract renewals. Equally, the crisis of accommodating people seeking international protection, which the Government faced over the past two years, has stabilised somewhat,” he said.

AUCTION

Brook Lodge on c.79 acres (32.14 ha) Carrowroe, Tulla, Co. Clare V95 Y983. FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION (UNLESS PREVIOUSLY SOLD)

Wednesday 4th June 2025 at 3.00pm in The Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare.

A 5 bedroom detached period residence with traditional courtyard including stables, stone outbuildings and large barn. Excellent limestone land holding divided into 11 divisions and suitable for a variety of agricultural uses.

Private garden with orchard, aviary and greenhouse and bounded by local river. Tulla 5km – Ennis 16km – Shannon Airport 24km – Limerick City 31km Cork 129km - Dublin 220km

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Deputy Crowe added, “I think it’s right that accommodation for Ukrainian war refugees and International Protection Applicants in Lisdoonvarna should be scaled back. It is a fact that Lisdoonvarna has played a role greater than any town in Ireland in terms of meeting the needs of these people. In the last four years, the population of Lisdoonvarna has increased fourfold and whilst at the beginning of the crisis there were many boots on the ground and stage agencies supporting the local community, unfortunately much of this help dwindled in the past two years and it is evident that the town is struggling”. No other contracts to house Ukrainians should be renewed in Lisdoonvarna, Deputy Crowe said. “It's time for other towns in the country to play their role and I have, on many occasions, told my colleagues in Government that while the people of Lisdoonvarna can be proud of the welcome they showed these people they have done their fair share. I am urging the Government to not renew any other contracts in Lisdoonvarna at this time. It is vital that this North Clare town, so iconic on the West of Ireland tourist trail, has a chance to recover and return to tourism and hotel accommodation”.

lCONTRACT END: Hydro House Lisdoonvarna

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Ennis bridge renamed after world-champion boxer McTigue

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

AN ENNIS BRIDGE has been renamed in honour of a world-champion boxer from Kilnamona.

Mike McTigue was crowned a champion world boxer in 1923 and on Tuesday March 13th 2025 a bridge in Ennis was named in his memory.

Two years ago in March 2023, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) proposed that Victoria Bridge on the Cusack Rd in Ennis be renamed after the world-champion boxer, a motion which received unanimous support from his colleagues in the Ennis Municipal District.

Among those present at Tuesday’s unveiling of a new plaque at McTigue Bridge were his grand-nephews Nicholas Rynne and Kevin Rynne, relative Michael McTigue and former national senior boxing champion Ollie Markham. Elected members in attendance included Cllr Daly, Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF), Cllr Mary Howard (FG), Cllr Paul Murphy (FG), Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) and Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF).

Efforts to have some form of recognition for McTigue began back in 2019.

McTigue’s grand-nephew Nicholas Rynne said he was “very proud” to see a bridge

named after Mike. “This is Cusack Rd, it is called after one of the greatest Clare men ever who passed here on his way to founding the GAA which is one of the greatest organisations in the world not just Ireland,” the Kilnamona man said. “Queens have their places but not on Cusack Rd, the name Victoria Bridge didn’t sit right with me. Another great Clare man came on this road on his way to conquer the world, my grand uncle Michael McTigue,” Nicholas added.

Importance of heritage and honouring people was stressed by Nicholas, “there are many great people in Ennis, Laura Brennan, Michael Howard who would have been well entitled to have their name on the bridge, a lot of great Clare people should be honoured”.

Kevin Rynne who has lived on Cusack Rd across from McTigue Brdge “all his life” was another of the grand-nephews in attendance. “It was always something I wasn’t happy about crossing Victoria Bridge, it is great this has happened because it completes the whole road, we are now remembering two great Clare men who used the bridge and the road”. He added, “some people think only Ennis people should be named after things in Ennis but it is the county town”.

Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Colleran Molloy said “he be-

came the first lrish man to win a world championship after lreland had gained its freedom from Britain. In a fight that took place on St. Patrick's Day 1923 in the 'La Scala Theatre' in Dublin he defeated the French Senegalese fighter Battling Siki in the last ever 20 round title fight. The fight which took place in war torn Dublin attracted the world's press who reported not only on the fight but also on the civil war.

“Mike's victory was celebrated all over lreland and was remembered with pride by all Irish men and women. Mike returned to a hero's welcome in America where he continued to be a huge attraction for many years. Mike passed away in August 1966. His funeral was attended by some of the greats of the boxing golden age including Jack Dempsey and Paul Ber lendach,” she added.

McTigue emigrat ed to the United States of Amer ica in 1912, travelling as a passenger on the British steamer Bal tic. For thir teen years, he fought in America and by 1923 he got a title fight for

the World Light Heavyweight Championship.

Civil War was ongoing in Ireland at the time of the St Patrick’s Night fight in La Scala Opera House on Prince’s Street, Dublin. He defeated the then recently crowned champion Battling Siki from Senegal on points after a whopping twenty rounds.

He defended his title against future Hall of Famers Tommy Loughran, Young Stribling and Mickey Walker before losing the title by unanimous decision to the gold medalist wrestler-turned-boxer Paul Berlenbach in 1925.

To mark the centenary of his world-title winning fight, a memorial was erected at Kilnamona Cross, the sculpture was designed by Michael

Prisoner escapes during smoke break

by Gordon Deegan news@clareecho.ie

A PRISONER ‘went up in a puff of smoke’ and absconded from Garda custody at Ennis Garda Station during a cigarette break, a court has heard.

At Ennis Circuit Court, State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey said that Daniel McCarthy requested a cigarette break while in custody at Ennis Garda Station on November 25 2024.

Ms Casey said that after ﬁnishing a cigarette outside Ennis Garda Station accompanied by a Garda, Daniel McCarthy (28) made a run for it and successfully scaled a closed gate.

Ms Casey said that a Garda gave chase but when attempting to scale the gate fell back and lost sight of the ﬂeeing McCarthy.

Ms Casey said that all local Garda members were alerted and all areas of Ennis town patrolled but Mr McCarthy wasn’t located.

Mr McCarthy’s ‘disappearing act’ at Ennis Garda Station occurred on November 25 last and he remained at large until December 4 when he was spotted by a Garda in Limerick and arrested.

On why Mr McCarthy ﬂed, Ms Godfrey said that Mr McCarthy became afraid as he didn’t want to deal with a looming sentencing for an affray offence.

In the District Court, Mr McCarthy of no ﬁxed abode of Ennis, Co Clare received a six month prison term after pleading guilty to escaping lawful custody from Ennis Garda Station on November 25 2024 which was consecutive to a 32 month sentencing for affray.

At the Circuit Court Mr McCarthy was appealing against the severity of the six month jail term consecutive to the 32 month sentence and Judge Francis Comerford has reduced the consecutive six month prison term to three months consecutive on appeal.

Judge Comerford said that there was nothing wrong in principle with the District Court sentence but taking into account the long sentence Mr McCarthy received in the circuit court for the affray and his youth at the time, he would reduce the escape from lawful custody sentence from

MCTIGUE: Relations of McTigue Michael McTigue, Kevin Rynne and Nicholas Rynne

Graﬀiti is not street art!

GRAFFITI, while often debated as a form of artistic expression, is widely regarded in Ireland as both unsightly and illegal. It typically involves unauthorized markings, drawings, or writings on public or private property and is often done with spray paint or markers.

Despite its cultural significance in some circles, graffiti is largely seen as a form of vandalism when it is not sanctioned by property owners or local authorities.

Graffiti can be found throughout Ennis. It frequently appears on the walls of buildings, bus stops, street signs and junction boxes. . Many of these markings are tags—stylized signatures of graffiti artists—that have little artistic merit in the eyes of the general public. These tags and other forms of unsanctioned graffiti are often considered eyesores, detracting from the natural beauty and architectural heritage of Irish towns and cities.

Legally, graffiti is classified as criminal damage under Irish law. The Criminal Damage Act 1991 makes it an offence to damage

property without the owner’s consent, and this includes defacing surfaces with paint or other substances. Offenders can face fines, community service, or even imprisonment depending on the severity of the offence and any prior criminal history. Local authorities and TidyTowns volunteers spend millions of euros each year cleaning up graffiti, which represents a significant drain on public resources.

Beyond the legal and financial aspects, graffiti can negatively impact communities. It can make areas feel neglected and unsafe, particularly when it appears in residential neighborhoods or near schools and parks. This perception of disorder can discourage investment and lower property values, further contributing to a cycle of urban decay. Some types of graffiti, especially those containing offensive language or images can cause distress to residents and visitors alike.

Despite these concerns, there is a growing conversation about distinguishing between harmful graffiti and legitimate street art. In some

parts of Ireland, mural projects and designated graffiti walls have emerged as a compromise. These allow artists to express themselves legally while enhancing public spaces with thoughtful, often community-inspired art. For example, Waterford Walls is a street art festival that invites international art-

ists to create large-scale murals in a controlled and celebrated way, showing that when managed properly, urban art can have a positive cultural impact. In Ennis we have had initiatives like PRISM, Memory Lanes and Negative Spaces over the last few years reinventing lanes and locations throughout the town.

Nevertheless, unauthorized graffiti remains a problem. It often disrespects private property and undermines efforts to keep public spaces clean and welcoming. The Irish government, local councils and TidyTowns continue to prioritize graffiti removal and prevention strategies, including public awareness campaigns, increased surveillance, and rapid response clean-up teams.

In conclusion, while some may see graffiti as a form of modern art or youth expression, it is considered unsightly and illegal in Ireland when done without permission. It presents real challenges for communities, both financially and socially, and is generally viewed as a form of vandalism. Efforts to support legal street art while cracking down on unlawful graffiti reflect Ireland’s attempt to balance creativity with respect for law and order. Ennis TidyTowns would love to work with and mentor any local young person with an interest in creating street art.

lGRAFFITI: Ennis Tidy Towns volunteers Antoinette Barry and Mary Howard with Eva Mena, a Spanish artist who created this stunning mural of Erykah Badu in

East Clare

East Clare students receive All-Ireland Scholarship

by Lisa Mullaly lisa@clareecho.ie

TWO EAST Clare students have been awarded an All Ireland Scholarship which will cover the full duration of their undergraduate stud ies.

Katelyn Leamy (Tulla), and MollyJane Sweeney (Kilkishen) are both fomrer students of St.Jospehs Secondary School. The girls were honoured at the All Ireland Scholarships Awards Ceremony on April 25 in University Concert Hall, University of Limerick.

The All Ireland Scholarships, established by JP McManus in 2008, provide financial support to gifted students pursuing third-level education.

The third level educational scholarship is awarded to 125 of the highest achieving students per year, with a minimum of two students from each coun -

Aela Hunter from Shannon a past pupil of St.Caimin's Secondary Schoo was also a recipient of the award this year.

Spancil Hill Fair association remembers Paddy Hassett

by Michael O'Conner news@clareecho.ie

IN JANUARY it was with heavy heart that all who knew Paddy Hassett MVB, MRCVS heard of his sad passing.

A servant of the community for decades in his day trade as a renowned veterinary surgeon known throughout the county and beyond for his lifetime of services to farmers, day and night.

Paddy was family man, a sportsman with honours at Fitzgibbon Cup level with UCD and part of the famous St Joseph’s title winning teams at minor and senior level in 1958 and 1959 but much more than that to everyone who knew him.

He loved poetry especially, Yeats, Kavanagh and Heaney. He adored hunting and the point to point circuit and was at happiest celebrating the end of a great hunt or a successful point to point in the depths of winter and early spring.

For over 40 years he never missed a hunt especially in Norrie Henchy’s, Tubber or Bareﬁeld. He ensured his family grew

Paddy and his late beloved wife Eileen. One of his lasting enduring legacies was a near forty-year involvement with the Spancil Hill fair and its organisation. When there was a need for a renewal of the 400-year-old plus event in the 1980’s there was no surprise that up stepped the vet from Moyriesk to lead the rebirth of the fair and increased its popularity to a new level over the past three decades. Paddy was the father ﬁgure in latter years whose bank of work, contacts and experience proved invaluable to new committee members. As a consequence, the Spancil Hill fair committee have decided to honour the memory of their colleague and also in conjunction with the Hassett family raise funds for the superb work carried out by Milford Care Centre.

It was decided to hold a table Quiz on Friday 23rd March commencing at 9pm in the Grove Bar and Restaurant, Roslevan. It is planned to be a celebration of the life of Paddy who gave so much to the community and everyone is welcome to attend and support the continued great work being

lSCHOLARSHIPS: Katelyn Leamy and Molly- jane Sweeney

Divine inspiration needed to lower speed limit outside Ballycorick church

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

DIVINE INSPIRATION will be needed to help reduce the speed limit outside Ballycorick Church.

Fr Brendan Coyne is hoping Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) will be able to answer his prayers to improve road safety in Ballynacally.

In the middle of February, a serious accident occurred outside Ballycorick Church which prompted Fr Coyne to call on Cllr Gould to try bring about improvements.

Tabling the matter before a sitting of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Gould requested an assessment “at the request of Fr Brendan Coyne” regarding road safety conditions at Ballycorick Church. He said there was “speed concerns on approach to church from both sides with lack of public car parking”.

Senior executive engineer, Alan Kennelly advised, “Ballycorick Church is located just outside Ballynacally village on the R-473, a regionally important road. The speed limit at Ballycorick Church is 80 kmh-1. The speed limit was not altered by the recent speed limit review”. He said, “The issue seems to be with speeding cars. The enforce-

ment of speeding legislation is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána”. The senior engineer suggested. “Fr. Coyne could make a speed limit appeal but the speed limit at this location was not reduced as part of the recent speed limit review, so an appeal may not succeed. Clare County Council does not have plans to reduce the speed limit at Ballycorick, nor is it scheduled for a low-cost safety scheme. I suppose the argument is that the road is not inherently unsafe, if drivers stick to the speed limit. Once again, ensuring that drivers adhere to the speed limit is not within the gift of Clare County Council”.

Kennelly added, “An Garda Síochána collate information on roads where speeding is an issue and allocate enforcement resources (“Go-Safe” vans, etc.) accordingly. Go-Safe vans are possibly the most effective deterrent for speeding. Perhaps the matter might be raised with An Garda Síochána at local level in the first instance”.

With no car park, the safety risk is greater outside the church, Cllr Gould felt. He referred to the accident on February 23rd and aid, “we were lucky that nobody was killed”. He asked the Council to try erect signage of some sort to try reduce

speeding from Ennis to Ballynacally.

In response, the senior engineer commented, “The speed limit is 80km/h and that is not going to change or certainly is not scheduled to change. It is a little outside the village seems to be the thing, road design say it is a regional road”. Cllr Gould replied, “They have no car park, they double park and are just flying off the road”.

Seconding the proposal, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) said similar issues are occurring in North Clare. “We want a review of the speed limit there to see if it is appropriate for the density of traffic in the area, what is the mechanism for doing that”. Kennelly repeated his suggestion that a speed limit appeal be made by the local community.

Support for a change was also voiced by Cllr Michael Shannon (FF), “A lot of the churches, their designation has changed, a lot of funerals held at night time”. Caution was issued by Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) on requesting Gardaí to do speed checks, “Gardaí will ticket the cars that are parked, every single car got a ticket in Kilrush a few weeks ago when they came out”.

THE GARDENS are doing so well with this beautiful weather. The colour is just fantastic and its such a nice spell of weather.

The key thing is water and to do it in the early morning or late evening.

"How much?" I hear you say. It’s hard to explain so for me I use the shower head on my hose. I go over and back gently and slowly. With pots and plants growing in the ground its best to avoid the flower its self where possible. The care we give our plants and flower will reflect on how much flowers they show. With repeated deadhead ing and taking off any leaves that are damaged, plants will continue to bloom throughout the summer.

If you are filling pots, have you considered perennial ones that will continue to flower throughout the summer and come back each year. Nepeta is a great one to continue following and adding campanula white or purple to the front will give you a lovely pot of colour. Lots of combos like that can be created and enjoyed over summer months.

Dahlia plants what can I say they are stunning the colours they are so vibrant as you can tell they are one of my long times favourites.

They are hard work but so worth it. They flower well into autumn and once you keep deadheading, they keep flowering. Call in to Blossoms on the Go Garden entre see the range in stock.

Rose is starting to flower now and we have a lovely range in stock so once you have to fed them and deadheading them, they can give you a lovely vibrant show of colour. The fragrant ones are popular but you can’t beat the lovely red trumpeter rose, it is stunning and definitely has the wow factor. With so much going on in the garden its such a nice time lovely to be out and enjoying the evening and taking in the lovely scent and colours and sounds from nature too.

Have a fantastic week gardening.

lDIVINE INSPIRATION: Balycorick Church

Ennis

by Michael Fitzgerald news@clareecho.ie

LONG-AWAITED plans for a dialysis unit in Clare have been lodged.

Davy lived by the values of shared endeavours, belonging & enduring friendships Plans lodged for dialysis unit in Ennis

by Michael Fitzgerald news@clareecho.ie

ENNIS’ DAVID MURPHY through his coaching instilled the values of enduring friendship and belonging.

It was said that anyone who ever picked up a rugby ball in Ennis attended David’s funeral mass which took place on Friday morning. The service was led by Fr Michael Collins and Fr Ignatius McCormack who said David would soon be reunited with his mother Anna in heaven.

In a moving ceremony held at Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ennis, symbols were brought to the alter that told the story of David’s life up until his tragic passing due to complications from diabetes.

David was a stalwart of Ennis RFC as both a player and coach so it was no surprise a rugby ball was the first item brought before the coffin, symbolising his commitment to the club.

A family picture represented the bond that will never be broken, carried by David’s nephew Charlie. A teddy bear gifted to David’s niece Sadie followed,

which Fr Collins said “represented the unconditional love that surrounded David during his life”. The final item presented was a spirit level, symbolising the deceased’s work ethic and his ability to keep things on an even keel.

David’s sister-in-law Sheena gave a reading from the Book of Timothy 4: 5-8 in her native Māori. She said of the deceased, “He fought the battle hard, he fought the race and he finished. Spare a thought for those that are left living as we celebrate his live. He fought the good fight”.

Sheena then delivered a traditional song known as a Moteatea, a hymn of lament for young people lost. The hymn “Haere ra e hika” (Farewell oh child) was sung with great enthusiasm and received rapturous applause from all those in attendance.

Fr. Collins’ eulogy emphasised the greatest passions of David’s life, rugby and Ennis RFC. “A rugby ball, like life, can be unpredictable”, said Fr Collins. “Take a grubber kick that skips and bounces, we attempt to grab at it but if you attempt to grab at it or grasp it, invariably it ends up at a knock-on and you watch the

ball slip away from you. Then there’s the pressure of the opposition bearing down on you which tempts you to look over your shoulder to focus on what’s not important. Tempting you to take your mind off the ball, and onto yourself. In some ways the trick is to have enough peace of mind to wait for that ball to bounce up and meet you”. He added, the “ball of life had bounced over the dead ball line” and that David would soon be happily reunited with his mother Anna, a woman “not even Saint Peter” would dare cross. Fr. Collins joked that David’s dearly departed mother would soon be giving him “an unmerciful clip round the ear for all the stuff she wasn’t around for”, when the pair reunited.

David’s lifetime of work in Ennis RFC was praised throughout the mass. In recent years, David had worked as a youth officer within the club. A talented and versatile scrum-half, outhalf and fullback, Davy was a stalwart with the club for decades, having tasted multiple successes with underage and adult sides and being awarded Munster Junior caps.

Fr. Collins quoted from Paul O’Connell on his 2013 Lions Tour, summing up David’s attitude to life and rugby, “Let’s be the best at everything that requires no talent, chasing back, protecting teammates and promoting positivity”.

David’s brother Richard paid tribute to the friend he had lost, taking time to gather himself and addressing the young rugby players in attendance. “I see so many young people here today that Davy coached; that’s a testament to his uncompromising coaching style. It was all done with a view to challenge the kids to believe in themselves. Davy took great pride in that, pride in watching ye grow and thrive. One of the lads said to me last night in Patrick’s ‘I get it now, this is about more than just playing ball, this is about community, this is about shared endeavours, it’s about belonging, enduring friendships, something more than yourself. Davy lived by those values, and you, one and all, have reflected those values back”.

In a statement, Ennis RFC paid tribute to Davy, describing him as “a beloved youths officer” who coached the U18.5 boys team.

“Davy, along with his parents Dickie and Anna, brothers Richard, Colin, and Bryan, and son Danny, have been pillars of our club for many years, contributing to every aspect of our community.

“Davy’s dedication to our club began at a young age, playing in all age grades with us and UL Bohs. After hanging up his boots, he continued to give back to the club, coaching and mentoring our youth players as a coach and Youth Officer. His loss will be deeply felt throughout our club for a long time to come. We stand in solidarity with his family and all past and present players who had the privilege of playing with or being coached by Davy”.

Predeceased by his mother Anna. Sadly missed by his much loved and cherished son Danny and his mother Hilda, father Dicky, brothers Richard, Colin and Bryan, sisters in law Niamh and Sheena, nephews Morgan and Charlie, niece Sadie, uncles, aunts, extended family, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

A proposal for the medical facility on a 0.44 hectare site in the Clare Technology Park on the Gort Rd has been lodged with Clare County Council.

German multinational Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA made the application to the local authority. The company operates and manufactures dialysis products in hospitals while also overseeing inpatient and outpatient care at its facilities. It is the world’s leading provider of products and services for renal diseases

The facility is designed to accommodate up to twenty patients from the Ennis area for three weekly sessions, each lasting four hours at a time. A planning statement submitted by Fresenius states that, “The site is currently vacant having been subject to enabling / site development works as part of the Clare Technology Park creation, and will deliver considerable economic and other beneﬁts when completed”.

The facility is planned as a single storey building to be constructed on a vacant site measuring 0.44 hectares. Construction would also involve the addition of a new vehicular and pedestrian access point with parking and hard landscaping required at the site.

The planning application also includes a letter written by Dr. Liam Casserly the Lead Clinical Nephrologist at UHL. Dr. Casserly stated that the issue was of “great importance” and that a dialysis facility in Ennis would “reduce the transport time immensely for many of the patients who travel from West Clare to Limerick thrice weekly”.

Dr Casserly stressed the importance of the facility to the people of Clare, writing that “unfortunately for many, they may not see the opening of the unit and avail of the shorter time they have to spend travelling to and from dialysis. However the hope is that the future will bring light to many of the patients in County Clare and even North County Limerick which would reduce the burden of their disease signiﬁcantly”.

The new unit could serve as a massive boost for the county as a dialysis unit is one of the most hotly contested issues amongst local councillors. In March, Cllr. Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) raised the issue at a sitting of Ennis Municipal District.

The Clarecastle based councillor stated that 190 people “need this critically vital service, some of whom have to travel two and a half to three hours multiple times a week to access this vital service”.

Currently, people in the county must travel to hospitals in either Galway or Limerick to assist with their dialysis needs. Demand for these services is continually on the rise in Ireland due to the aging population.

Clare County Council is due to make a decision on the development by the 24th of June 2025.

The HSE stated earlier this year that a satellite haemodialysis unit would be up and running in Ennis by June 2026. A start date of 2025 was envisaged as per correspondence last summer from UL Hospitals Group after a renal care provider was identiﬁed in May 2024.

lPILLAR OF THE CLUB: David Murphy with his brother Bryan and his son Danny

Shannon

Shannon has ﬁrst conservation grazing project on airport owned land

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

PHASE one of the Shannon Airport Group’s farmland biodiversity enhancement project has been completed ahead of National Biodiversity Week.

This marks the first use of grazing cattle on airport owned land in Ireland. Located at Thady’s Hill, the 10-acre site near Shannon Airport is one of the most ecologically significant areas across the Shannon Airport Group lands. It hosts a habitat of national and international importance, including rare and endangered species of native grasses and flowers such as Bee and Pyramidal Orchids.

After scrub clearance in early 2024 by a team from Shannon Air-

port, traditional Droimeann cattle, recently recognised as a native rare breed in Ireland, were introduced for conservation grazing during the non-growing season. These cattle are ideal for the sensitive habitat due to their ability to thrive on rough pasture and their minimal impact on soil compaction.

Led by The Shannon Airport Group Biodiversity Team and supported by local farmer John Quinlivan and botanist Phoebe O’Brien, this project is already making strides in restoring and protecting the rare habitat of Thady’s Hill and its unique plant species.

The next phase of the project involves collaboration with Meg Brennan of Polliknow, a new company which has developed devices

using advanced sensors and computer vision to monitor wild insect pollinators, key indicators of ecosystem health.

Sinead Murphy, Head of Sustainability at The Shannon Airport Group explained, “This project not only demonstrates our commitment to protect and enhance biodiversity through the restoration and management of an ecologically important site, but also highlights the power of collaboration. We are grateful to all stakeholders, including John Quinlivan and Phoebe O’Brien, for their expertise and dedication, as well as to our Sustainability Specialist Arek Gdulinski and all the wider Shannon Airport Group teams involved. We look forward to the next phase of

Australian father to run

4,000km

across outback for youth mental health

WHILE most people mark their 50th birthday with a celebration, Australian father Jason Williamson is doing something far more extreme –running 4,000km across one of the world’s toughest landscapes to raise awareness and funds for youth mental health.

The Aussie father, aviation entrepreneur and ultra-endurance athlete will run run from Perth to his hometown of Port Macquarie, averaging two marathons per day for 50 days.

His goal? To raise funds for Australian and Irish charities Gotcha4Life and A Lust for Life – both committed to giving young people the mental fitness tools they need to thrive.

‘As a father of three, I know how important it is that kids grow up with the emotional support they need to navigate this complex world,’ Williamson said.

‘Mental health is as real for all of us as a sore knee or a broken arm. I want to help break the silence and raise funds for programs that make a difference.’

What began as a personal challenge to mark a milestone birth-

day quickly became something bigger – an opportunity to spark conversation and create impact on both sides of the world.

‘This is about proving what’s possible – not just physically, but mentally,’ he said. ‘If you always choose comfort, you miss out on what you’re truly capable of.’

Battling extreme heat, remote terrain and gruelling distances, his journey will take him across the Nullarbor Plain through Norseman, Port Augusta, Broken Hill, Dubbo and Tamworth.

Supported by a small crew in campervans, he’ll document the run daily on Instagram, YouTube and live broadcasts – sharing the highs and lows in real time.

In June 2023, Jason set the fastest known time for running the length of Ireland –1,038km in 14 days, 9 hours and 26 minutes.

But the Australian desert will be his biggest challenge yet. ‘It does scare me, to be honest,’ he said. ‘But if it wasn’t scary, I wouldn’t be doing it.’

Now based in County Cork, Ireland, Jason spent much of his 20s and 30s focused on career, family and running his global

aviation company, Six West Aviation.

But over time, the demands of work took a toll.

‘I was unfit and not taking care of myself and I just thought, this isn’t where I want to be,’ he said.

Determined to reclaim his health, Jason started with short treadmill runs and gradually worked up to ultra-marathons.

For the past four years, he’s trained under an ultra-marathon coach to push beyond what he thought possible.

Running has improved his physical endurance and transformed his mental toughness — teaching him to push through pain, exhaustion and self-doubt.

‘On these long runs, you feel everything – highs, lows, moments you want to quit,’ he said. ‘But you keep moving. That’s how resilience is built – and that’s the message I want to share with young people.’

Jason follows in the footsteps of a select few who have completed this intense cross-country route, with the current Perth to Sydney record set at 39 days by Chris Turnbull in 2023.

this important project”.

This initiative is part of the Group’s wider 2023-2027 Biodiversity Action Plan and was developed with the support of Flynn Furney

Environmental

National Biodiversity Week 2025 runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 25th May.

Green light for Bristow to build unit in Shannon

by Michael Fitzgerald news@clareecho.ie

BRISTOW Ireland have been granted planning permission for an accommodation building at Shannon Airport.

The helicopter provider, a subsidiary of Bristow Group primarily focuses on search and rescue (SAR) operations and was awarded a government contract in 2023 to deliver services for the Irish Coast Guard for a period of ten years.

In March, Bristow applied to Clare County Council for “the demolition/ removal of existing accommodation structure (c. 60 sqm), and construction of a one-storey structure located between the existing Search and Rescue (SAR) Hangars 3 and 4”.

The new development will be comprised of “SAR on shift accommodation with ancillary facilities including bedrooms, kitchen, operations room, changing rooms, and storerooms”.

Bristow Ireland currently operates six specialised AW189 helicopters from their bases in Shannon, Waterford, Sligo and Dublin Weston Airport. The firm provides two King Air fixed-wing helicopters from its base in Shannon which are frequently used in SAR operations. The helicopters are also used for

environmental monitoring and provide support for long-range medical evacuations.

The Irish Aviation Authority stated that they had no objection to the development. TOT architects, who designed the building, stated in the planning application that “it is critical that the development be completed in a timely fashion. Consequently, it is essential that planning permission be obtained at the earliest possible opportunity”.

The structure will be positioned between hangers 3 and 4. The urgency of construction is designed to have as little impact on SAR services as possible and ensure seamless access for crew members.

The application has received no objections and was approved by the IAA and Road Design Office. Clare County Council granted permission for the development under the conditions that it adhere to environmental safety and aviation safety guidelines.

Demolition of the old structure and construction of the new accommodation can now begin with the local authority’s approval. The new facility will strengthen the emergency response infrastructure within the county and ensure SAR teams can continue to operate at full capacity.

Consultants.

Clare people encouraged to ask ‘Hello, How Are You?’

CLARE people are being encouraged to say ‘Hello, How Are You?’ to family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers this week.

A Mental Health Ireland campaign called ‘Hello, How Are You?’ is being rolled out nationwide this week with a number of events taking place in Clare; including an information session at the Inn At Dromoland today at 8am, and a 30-minute talk at Kilrush Library at 11:30am in conjunction with West Clare Mental Health Association.

Clare native Cillian Keane is the Development Officer with Mental Health Ireland for the Midwest, covering Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.

With a background in mental health, fitness & wellbeing, Cillian has been in the role since January and is passionate about spreading the word of supporting mental health in Clare. He told The Clare Echo, “The mission of Mental Health Ireland is to educate, empower and connect communities and create a culture where everyone is treated with respect and supported especially when our mental health is challenged.

“So, it’s a really important part that we connect in with different communities and

organisations to promote mental health and wellbeing in various avenues as well.”

Mental Health Ireland are the longest running national mental health charity in Ireland, running since 1966. Their aim is to promote and enhance mental health, wellbeing and recovery for individuals and communities, which is done through collaboration with local volunteer-led charities and local clubs.

“For example the ‘Hello, How Are You’ campaign, if clubs or groups want support and guidelines around creating an event around that, we’re here to assist them with that,” explains Cillian.

‘Hello, How Are You’ is a simple yet effective mental health promotion campaign developed by Mental Health Ireland, that encourages people to say ‘Hello’ and ask ‘How, Are You?’ The concept of the ‘Hello, How are you?’ Campaign is to ask with meaning, and to really listen to the person’s response.

The campaign breaks down the steps:

H.E.L.L.O.(H:Hello E:Engage L:Listen L:Learn and O:Options) which supports people to reach out, say hello and ask how are you?

Responding to the recent survey conduct-

ed by Healthy Ireland, which shows 81% of recipients showed lower levels of social connectedness in recent times, Mental Health Ireland has developed this campaign to start conversations, encouraging greater social connection.

It is also proven that people are six times more likely to reach out to someone who might be experiencing a personal difficulty, compared to those who have not engaged in a similar campaign.

On May 15 2025, Mental Health Ireland is inviting the country to say ‘Hello’, and ask ‘How, Are You?’, and to really listen to the answer.

“It’s to help people really have the confidence to have open and meaningful conversations around mental health.

“There are many benefits to the campaign. It’s normalising and increasing the confidence around starting a conversation around mental health, so it’s just being an active ear to a person.”

Cillian continues, “Everybody can take part. Organisations or workplaces can have a coffee morning, just to have a conversation around mental health and reduce that loneliness and increase the social connection. Sometimes you might be working with someone, having a ‘Hello, How are you?’ coffee morning might just create an opening for people to engage with each other who might not have talked before and light conversation, just have a nice conversation.”

‘Mental Health Ireland run a variety of programmes and events in County Clare. Recently Healthy Clare funded and designed the Clare GAA wellbeing signs ensuring that the Mental Health Ireland '5 Ways to Wellbeing' was displayed on them. These wellbeing signs are displayed at GAA clubs so people can be signposted to various health and wellbeing supports and resources.

Visit https://hellohowareyou.info/ to see a map of events that are on nationally. If you are interested in setting up a workshop with

Clare GAA Health & wellbeing committee signposting services to tackle drugs & gambling

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SIGNAGE is to be erected at the grounds of GAA clubs across Co Clare advising of the services available to help tackle drug and gambling use while also promoting wellbeing.

Clare GAA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee has teamed up with Healthy Clare to roll out the signage countywide with the installation to be completed across the summer months. The display signs will include contact details and services to help point the public in the right direction of where they can go to seek help for different issues.

John Conroy has been joint chairperson of the Clare GAA Health and Wellbeing Committee since its creation three years ago. He is joined on the committee by joint chairperson Mark O’Sullivan (Wolfe Tones), Cathy Hogan (Wolfe Tones), Sergeant Dom Regan (Éire Óg), Gráinne Travers (St Joseph’s Doora/Bareﬁeld) and Joe O’Donnell (Cratloe), all of whom are volunteers in this capacity.

Of their work to date, John explained, “We’ve looked at a couple of different initiatives, the ﬁrst one we’ve been looking at for the last three years is the area of tackling drug intimidation and drug abuse in areas around the county, initial-

ly when we started out we held the meetings in regional areas in Kilrush, Lisdoonvarna, Scariff and Sixmilebridge, we invited the clubs to come in, we worked in tandem with Samaritans, Gardaí and Bushy Park. The Gardaí spoke about the drug intimidation programmes they have, that was led by Sergeant Dom Regan.

“A lot of families may not realise their son or daughter is using drugs, they end up getting into a debt, the family doesn’t realise it and these gangs call to the door for money, they demand X amount and the families know nothing, they could hand over €5,000 or €10,000. The Gardaí have a programme where they provide back-up support and help to the family in that case. Bushy Park led by Margaret Nash provide help to people who need counselling, support and they spoke at the meetings about the symptoms, signs and how they can offer help, they have a twenty eight day residential programme, they offer help through that. Samaritans are volunteering, they are involved in the mental health and they provided a frightening ﬁgure, they received 500,000 calls last year alone which is a call per minute. Samaritans are really good at and a lot of clubs don’t know about this which is the huddle talk, before or after training they will arrive, they’ll gath-

er players in a huddle at the side of the ﬁeld and speak for ﬁve minutes around the area of mental health, we’ve had a really successful programme with those three groups”.

With the GAA holding a central role in communities, it is considered a strong network to help tackle the unprecedented level of drug use in the county. “Ireland has the fourth highest use of cocaine in the world, the ﬁgure is startling and frightening, the GAA has a great connection in all communities, we thought we’d use the GAA as a means to provide support and services to members in the community, we invited all community people to attend the meetings. Initially when we started out people were very slow to get involved, numbers were small but as time went on and year on year numbers attending have been increasing”.

New to their efforts this year is the addition of the Healthy Clare signage. “We worked in tandem with Healthy Clare and Samantha McCarthy, we launched a Healthy Clare sign that each club in the county will get. On the sign is a list of all the charities and services available in your locality like Samaritans, Bushy Park and a whole lot of services,” John said.

A native of New Quay, John told The Clare Echo, “We’re basically a sign-posting service for these or-

lTACKLE DRUGS & GAMBLING: Clare GAA Health & welbeing committee

ganisations, once we link in with the clubs we can tell them we’re here to provide help and there has been very good feedback from the clubs on the nights we went out on people accessing the services that we had on the evening”.

There has been demand from clubs for the wellbeing committee to speak with them. “Some clubs are very honest, they will admit they have a problem, other clubs may not realise the extent of what is there. It is in every club and every community, the more people open up and admit it is there then the clubs will get help a lot better and they will

help their members and players a lot more, there is no point in hiding this”.

He added, “Unfortunately there’s been four or ﬁve tragic deaths in communities throughout the county, we’ve been called on to roll out a critical response plan which is in the event of someone dying tragically in the community that steps are in place with how to deal with the death of a player or member”.

This autumn, they will hold a promotion evening to further amplify their message and attempts to help clubs. John praised the support of Clare GAA ofﬁcials, Kieran Keating, Deirdre Murphy and Paddy Smyth.

Clare’s wildlife steps into the spotlight for National Biodiversity Week 2025

A SERIES of biodiversity events will take place across County Clare as part of National Biodiversity Week, which runs from Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Office, in conjunction with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Heritage Council, BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Seed Savers, Clare Libraries, National Biodiversity Data Centre, Inis Artists, and local experts, has organised a number of events which will include biodiversity talks and field outings to mark the occasion.

This year’s varied programme includes a talk on identifying the sounds and calls of some of the county’s bird life, workshops on native orchards and plant identification, and a field outing to learn about bats. There will also be events aimed at younger groups.

Barry O’Loughlin, Biodiversity Officer, Clare County Council, said, “National Biodiversity Week is a great way for the public to learn about habitats and species in their local area from experts in their field, the measures that can be taken to enhance biodiversity in their local area, and at the same time participate in citizen science biodiversity recording initiatives. The events are free to attend and will appeal to all age groups. People are advised to book their place in advance”.

The programme of events taking place in County Clare for National Biodiversity Week 2025 include the following:

On Friday, May 16, Karen Healy of Bat Conservation Ireland will give an outdoor talk and walk ‘Ennis Bat Safari’ at Ballybeg Woods, Ennis at 9pm to learn about the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and bat species of Clare using handheld bat detectors. People are advised to bring warm clothing. This event is registration only – visit https://biodiversityweek.ie/ to book your place.

Irish Seed Savers, in conjunction with the Council’s Biodiversity Office, will host two

workshops on the creation and management of traditional native orchards, the first on Saturday, May 17, in Quin and the second on Tuesday, May 20, in Doonbeg. The event is part of the local biodiversity action funded project, ‘Return to Nature Clare Church Biodiversity Project’ led by Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer. These events are registration only – visit https://biodiversityweek. ie/ to book your place.

On Monday, May 19, Tara Adcock, Birdwatch Ireland’s Urban Birds Project Officer will give an online talk on the ecology of swifts and suitable nest box installation on churches and other buildings. The swift population has undergone declines in recent years. On Wednesday, May 21, John Lusby, BirdWatch Ireland Raptor Officer, will give an online talk on barn owls and the identification of suitable habitat site selection for the installation of barn owl nest boxes. Visit https://biodiversityweek.ie/ for further details.

Botanist Phoebe O’Brien will deliver an in-person workshop on wildflower identification on Saturday, May 24 in Inagh. The half day course will cover the identification of plants and grasses on church lawns, creating a herbarium of plants and how to use Flower Insect timed (FIT) counts. This event is registration only – visit https://biodiversityweek. ie/ to book your place. Also on Saturday, May 24, the National Biodiversity Data Centre will lead a field outing on the identification of damselflies and dragonflies at Corofin. This event is registration only and places are limited, visit https://biodiversityweek.ie/.

On Sunday, May 25, Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer, Barry O’Loughlin, will lead an outdoor event at Shanakyle Bog near Parteen which will cover changes since rewetting of the bog in 2021 and other biodiversity enhancement actions undertaken. This event is registration only and places are

limited, visit https://biodiversityweek.ie/.

From Friday, May 16 to Monday, May 26, Inis Artists will display their artwork at De Valera Library Ennis where the main theme of the exhibit is the Lesser Horseshoe Bat. This is available for all age groups to attend and to learn about the life cycle of this rare species.

Clare libraries will host events at Edna O’Brien Library, Scarriff, aimed at younger groups, including a talk on swifts on Tuesday, May 20 at 6.30 pm and a screening of Puffin Rock and puffin craft activity on Thursday, May 22, at 3.30pm while De Valera Library Ennis will host a Biodiversity Mini-Bug Storytime and Craft Session on May 22 at 3.30pm.

A range of other events have been organised by various groups throughout the county and are available to view at https:// biodiversityweek.ie/. National Biodiversity Week is organised by the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), with support from NPWS and the Heritage Council’s Biodiversity Officer Network. Events are run by IEN member groups, as well as by Biodiversity Officers, Heritage Officers and other local groups. For further information on National Biodiversity Week and to register your place, please visit: https://biodiversityweek.ie/ or contact biodiversity@clarecoco.ie

Loop Head leads the way in agricultural sustainability with €1.75m soil project funding

by Lisa Mullaly lisa@clareecho.ie

LOOP Head Peninsula is set to lead a major new soil carbon enhancement project, thanks to a €1.75 million funding boost from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The funding is part of a wider €17.8 million investment across 11 projects under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP), linked to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan.

This project will be led by local community development group Loop Head Together CLG, in collaboration with TUS (Technological University of the Shannon), agricultural consultants, and several national partners. The aim is to explore soil carbon enhancement, reduce chemical fertiliser use, improve nutrient management, and support circular bioeconomy solutions through practical work with

local farmers.

Chairperson of Loop Head Together, Margaret Cotter, welcomed the announcement:

“Our goal is to support the farming community in tackling the real challenges of climate change. Agriculture and tourism are the cornerstones of Loop Head’s economy, and we need to support both to ensure the long-term sustainability of our area.”

This new initiative aligns closely with Loop Head’s current involvement in the EU-funded SoilCrates ‘Living Lab’ and builds on the Peninsula’s role as County Clare’s pilot decarbonisation zone. The new project, provisionally titled 'SCEENE' (Soil Carbon Enhancement for Excess Nutrient Elimination), will run subject to final contract sign-off, and is expected to get underway in the coming months.

The project was developed by Dr. Lena Madden of TUS, with

consultants Laura Foley MSc and Michelle Cooney, and will include support from UCD, MTU, Premier

Green, Kraken Seeds, EIT Climate, Arigna Fuels, ICOS, and Damien Coyne Ltd.

lAGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY: Loop Head

Local and national political figures praised the project.

Minister of State Timmy Dooley (FF) said it would “demonstrate best practice in sustainable farming across the country.”

Deputy Joe Cooney (FG) commended Loop Head Together’s “innovative and strategic approach to addressing the challenges of coastal farming communities.”

Crucially, the project will work directly with farmers to improve soil health and long-term farming sustainability. The Department emphasised that the project aligns strongly with national priorities around soil management and environmental protection.

Loop Head Together CLG also extended thanks to Clare County Council’s Climate Action Team, especially Morgan Lahiffe, for their support in developing the proposal.

CONCERTS

The Maurice Lennon Trio

Cois na hAbhna • Wed 28th May 8pm • €20

Aos Óg – Hell for Leather

Glór • Fri 30th May 7pm • €20

Socks in the Frying Pan

Glór • Sat 31st May 8pm • €30

Frank Custy Tribute

Glór • Sun 1st June 8pm • €25

BOOKING CONCERTS

coisnahabhna.ie • 065 682 4276

glor.ie • 065 684 3103

GLÓR BOOKING FEE €1 2025 MAY 24 JUNE 02

CÉILITHE STREET SESSIONS

PUB SESSION TRAIL

LUNCHTIME CONCERTS

CAFÉ SESSIONS

CAINT AGUS COMHRÁ CONCERTS SINGING SESSIONS

CD LAUNCHES

SEAN NÓS DANCING WORKSHOPS FILM

What is grief and how do we get over it?

Grief

Most of us understand this state of being. It's not possible to go through life and escape it. It can arrive in an instant and last for a long time. If we could perhaps buy a way out of it, we would. But how we quantify the price? Grief is a deep sorrow or emotional suffering we feel after losing someone or something we deeply care about. It's not just sadness. It can include a mix of emotions like anger, confusion, guilt, numbness, or even relief depending on the situation.

So, we mostly associate grief with the loss of a loved one, but it can also come from other losses like the end of a relationship, losing a job, or even a major life change. Grief isn't linear and it is not the same for everybody. Some cry a lot, some don't cry, some feel it immediately, for others it can take months, even years. The mind body process of grief is complex and deeply interconnected emotionally, physically,

and even neurologically.

Mentally and emotionally

The sadness, anger, guilt- As these sink in, our mind cycles through intense emotions. We can feel several emotions at once and fluctuate between them. It is not a nice place to be, even within one day going from intense hardness to anger and frustration to uncontrol-

lable tears.

Disorientation- It feels like the world is surreal or out of sync. A sense of being ungrounded.

Searching and yearning- The brain might replay old memories or imagine what could’ve been, forcing to reconnect with what's gone.

Cognitive Fog- An inability to concentrate, feeling detached, experi-

encing forgetfulness, this happens as the brain is overloaded trying to process the pain.

Physically

Fatigue- The energy it takes to grieve is exhausting and can take its toll on the body. Sleep and appetite both can be altered with grief, either too much or too little.

Tightness or pain- Physical symptoms like tightness in the chest, headaches and stomach issues. Our bodies hold emotional tension.

Neurologically

Long term grief can literally reshape neurological pathways. Cortisol and adrenaline rise with emotional stress, which affects mood, memory and bodily function.

How do we get over grief?

If there was a button we could press to alleviate the pain, discomfort, emotions we would press it!! I suggest some practical avenues based on life experience and what I have seen in the clinic. Firstly, there is no one-size-fits-all remedy.

Everyone's journey of grief is their own journey. None of these journeys we choose however it’s a journey we all must take. Take it at your pace-what ever way it is presenting is how it is for you. You don't have to carry it alone, speak to a friend, family member, neighbours, therapist or journal. Try and take good care of your body. Walking and being in nature is so grounding and supportive. Sleep well, eat well, move well and good hydration is a good foundation. Having a ritual like lighting handle or journalling. Visiting certain places can be great to bring connection and inner peace. Each day is different. Some are overwhelming, another a little lighter. Healing from grief takes time and it's okay to laugh along the way, it doesn't mean you have forgotten. The combination therapies at the clinic are extremely supportive at this time in life. “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

'WE'RE COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON OTHER RESULTS' SAYS LOHAN

MUNSTER SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP RD4

CLARE 2-21 TIPPERARY 4-18

Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg, Ennis

Compiled by Páraic McMahon

CLARE are “completely dependent” on other results to save their season, manager Brian Lohan has acknowledged.

Successive championship losses to Waterford and Tipperary have Clare on the brink of exiting the championship.

Reflecting on the season to date, shortly after Saturday’s loss to Tipperary at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg, Clare manager Brian Lohan said “it’s been tough because of the injuries more than anything else. We are asking a lot of guys to go out and tough it out against real good quality opposition. We just came up a little bit short but it’s only a little bit. I wouldn’t be that downbeat about it. We are still delighted with our bunch, they showed a great bit of endeavour again today”.

Commenting further on the injuries he said “we thought we were equipped to deal with that but obviously not. We have been unlucky with

the number of injuries. That’s not an excuse.

Credit to Tipp, they played well, they have had some tough times and credit to them”.

He said Shane O’Donnell “trained twice, it’s not ideal but it is what it is”.

Understandably disappointed to have lost to Tipperary he said, “we did well in the second half and we got back level but Tipperary pushed on a got a couple of scores. The space they were able to create in the first half put us under pressure for the first 20 minutes. We had expected to do better but we didn’t”.

Continuing he said “we did well for all of the second half, we got to grips with their forward line, they weren’t making the same kind of runs in the second half as in the first. Look we were there or thereabous and unfortunately not able to get the victory”.

Asked why Clare didn’t manage to go ahead after drawing level in the closing stages he said, “there are two teams out there, and you

must give credit to Tipp, they responded well, That happens in hurling, sometimes you are beaten regardless of all the planning or effort put in”.

Commenting on the breeze and the effect it had on the game he said, “I didn’t think it was a nine point advantage, five or six maybe. I wouldn’t

CLARE Frees for: 18 (7/11)

Wides: 8 (4/4)

Spread of scorers: 6

Scores from play: 1-8

Top scorer: Mark Rodgers (1-13 13f)

Bookings: None.

Own puckouts won: 21 from 35 (60%)

TIPPERARY Frees for: 10 (5/5)

Wides: 13 (10/3)

Spread of scorers: 7

Scores from play: 4-8

Top scorer: John McGrath (2-3)

Bookings: Robert Doyle (12), Eoghan Connolly (21), Sam O’Farrell (32), Bryan O’Mara (51), Own puckouts won: 24 from 31 (77%)

REFEREE: James Owens (Wexford)

fault any of the lads, they responded very well but we are disappointed to lose”.

Continuing he said “you have to give credit to Tipp. They responded well for the last five or six minutes. They go a good response from their bench as we did from ours. They were able to get the scores and he victory”.

The Wolfe Tones clubman accepted “we are dependent on other results now. We will see how the other games will go and take it from there”.

'I did not walk off the Clare panel' - McCarthy speaks out

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE HURLER, Aidan McCarthy was dropped from the county senior hurling panel before Saturday’s loss to Tipperary.

McCarthy broke his silence on Wednesday in a tweet which confirmed he did not leave the panel of his own accord.

In an online post, Aidan said, “Just to clarify and confirm. I did not walk off the Clare Senior Hurling panel. I was willing, ready and able to line out for my county against Tipperary on Saturday evening if selected”.

Aidan was not included in the matchday twenty six for Clare’s third outing in this year’s provincial championship. Instead, he lined out with Inagh/Kilnamona and finished as their top scorer with 0-9 as they defeated St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-21 1-13 on Saturday in the willwego.com Clare Cup.

Absenteeism and injuries have hurt the Clare cause in this year’s championship so the omission of McCarthy from

Saturday’s squad was a major talking point once the panel was announced on Friday morning. He trained with his club on Thursday evening when it emerged he was no longer part of the county panel.

The Clare Echo understands that the All-Ireland winner was not included

on either the A or B team in an internal training match following on from Clare’s loss to Waterford. It is believed that after airing his opinion and disappointment on this with manager Brian Lohan that in subsequent days he was removed from the panel.

First-choice freetaker for the Clare team, Aidan was substituted on sixty minutes in the first round draw with Cork and on forty seven minutes in the second round loss to Waterford, he hit four wides prior to his substitution against the Déise.

During last year’s All-Ireland win over Cork, he scored 1-7 in the final. There had previously been a clash between Lohan and McCarthy after he was dropped for last year’s quarter-final win over Wexford but he regained his starting jersey in the semi-final win against Kilkenny where he amassed a personal tally of 0-11.

Clare GAA have been approached for comment by The Clare Echo

l Seán Rynne looks towards the Clare support before the start of Saturday’s game

Photo by Ruth Grifﬁn

PLAYER WATCH: Darragh Lohan (full back)

by Seamus Hayes

l Aidan McCarthy

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

l A dejected Mark Rodgers at the ﬁnal whistle Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Clare & Tipp fans soak up the atmosphere in Ennis

l (Above) supporters enjoy the ﬁne weather and refreshments in town ahead of throw-in last Sunday; (left) familiar faces on patrol as Enda Coughlan and Aoife Bannon are joined by Christy Ryan; (right) Joe Queally watches on from the terraces

Clare's All-Ireland defence hanging by a thread

CLARE’S defence of their All-Ireland title is hanging by a thread with results this weekend to determine what involvement the reigning champions will have ahead of their final round provincial tie with Limerick next weekend.

While no team has finished with three points in Munster and managed to secure qualification, there is still hope for Brian Lohan’s side.

There are three scenarios that can result in Clare advancing to the All-Ireland series.

SCENARIO ONE:

Cork beat Limerick and Tipperary defeat Waterford on Sunday. A week later, on May 25, Clare beat Limerick while Cork beat Waterford. Cork duly top the group on seven points, with Tipp on five, leaving Clare and Limerick next on three apiece but the Banner prevail under the headto-head rule and instead Limerick crash out.

SCENARIO TWO:

Cork and Waterford win and then,

seven days later, Clare beat Limerick and Cork overcome Waterford. That leaves Cork on seven points, with Waterford on four, then Limerick, Tipp and Clare deadlocked on three points each. Cue scoring difference: Tipp (currently minus 12) would definitely miss out while Clare (minus 11) would need a 15-point swing to oust Limerick (plus three). It’s a tall ask but not impossible, as Limerick’s scoring difference would be damaged by backto-back defeats. Crucial to this would be Clare beating their rivals with a bit to spare.

SCENARIO THREE:

The most far-fetched one. If Limerick and Waterford beat Cork and Tipp respectively, then Clare and Waterford do likewise against Limerick and Cork, suddenly Waterford would be soaring into a Munster final on six points, joined by Limerick on five. Then stuck

on three points

12).

CLARE V TIPPERARY

l Clare's Ronan Kilroy in battle with Tipp's Conor Martin

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

you’d find Cork (plus 15), Clare (minus 11) and Tipp (minus

Could Clare gain 27 points to leapfrog Cork?

l Daithi Lohan tries to get to the ball ahead of Tipperary's John McGrath

Photo by Ruth O'Neill

Photos by Gerard O'Neill & Ruth Grifﬁn

Lanigan determined to take scalp in All-Ireland series

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

CLARE’s footballers are determined to take “a scalp” in the All-Ireland series.

Defender Ronan Lanigan has experience of lining out in the 2022 All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals and he’s eager for a second appearance in Croke Park, all of which can only be realised if Clare emerge from Group 3 of the All-Ireland SFC which features Leinster champions Louth, Monaghan and Down.

First up is a home tie with Down this Sunday.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, the

chartered physiotherapist with Excel Physiotherapy signalled the intent within the Clare camp to make their mark in the All-Ireland series.

“We need one (a win in an All-Ireland series) now, we’ve been in the All-Ireland series for the last two years and we haven’t won a game so we need one and we’re looking for one.

“It would be great to be back into a quarter-final, there was a great buzz around when we got there in 2022 and we want to bring that back,” he added.

Lanigan was corner back for his third Munster final appearance

Clare

in as many years with Kerry once again coming out on top in the battle of the counties. This year’s 11-point loss was not as heavy as their 14-point defeat in 2023 but it was a step back on their showing in the 2024 decider where only seven points separated the teams come the final whistle.

Letting the game slip from their grasp so early on when they conceded 2-2 by the sixth minute is far from the standards Clare aspire to, Ronan said. “We’re hugely disappointed, that is not how we wanted to play and not how we wanted to go out. To be fair to the lads I

FOOTBALLERS FOCUS ON GETTING UP FOR DOWN

IMMEDIATELY after Clare’s Munster ﬁnal loss to Kerry, focus shifted to hosting Down in Cusack Park for defender Alan Sweeney.

Reviews on the year to date are time enough to take place once Clare’s season concludes, Sweeney said in the aftermath of their eleven point loss to Kerry. Simply because all eyes are now on the All-Ireland series which has been treated as a new competition. Alan told The Clare Echo, “We can settle down at the end of the year and whatever happens happens and we’ll see where things went wrong but we have to draw a line in the sand and get back to train-

Ladies qualify for Munster Senior B ﬁnal

CLARE have qualified for the Munster Senior B ladies football final after overcoming Kerry’s second string, writes Páraic McMahon

Graham Shine’s now progress to meet Limerick in the final which will take place in Mallow in a fortnight’s time.

Doonbeg’s Lauren Conway and Johanna Fogarty of Crusheen struck for goals in the final quarter to see Clare record a 2-12 1-5 win.

At half-time, just a single point separated the teams. Clare had led by five points in the opening quarter but a penalty from Amy O’Sullivan which also Aoife Grif-

ing, all the focus will turn to Down straight away”.

Clare need to be ready for a quicker pace of games as they experienced in the Munster ﬁnal for their three outings in the All-Ireland series, the Doolin man ﬂagged.

“A break is caught quicker in a game like the Munster ﬁnal which is one of the things we have to get used to, the onus is on us heading into the All-Ireland championship to get back training Wednesday and put ourselves in the best foot forward starting in Ennis.

"We’ll sit down and lads will quickly their turn focus to that because we know we’re better than that as a group and everyone here is very disappointed”.

thought we battled back in the second half but when you let a game

get away from you like that it’s too late and it’s unacceptable really”.

This was without question Clare’s toughest assignment of 2025 and Lanigan felt the jump from their league standings was noticeable. “Obviously it is a massive step up when you are playing a Division 1 team.

"I feel like we’re not far off Division 2, we arguably should have been there only for a few lapses in games, we need more consistency, we need to really up it and take a scalp in the All-Ireland series”.

Skort debate raised in Council Chamber

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

ONGOING controversy surrounding the wearing of skorts in camogie was raised within the Chamber of Clare County Council this week.

Councillors stood for eleven seconds in what they described as a “stand in solidarity” with camogie players across the county and country.

A special Congress is to take place on May 22 where a motion to resolve the controversy surrounding players being forced to wear skorts will be put to a vote.

In a challenge last week, both Clare and Galway players wore shorts as opposed to skorts in protest of the rule.

Saturday’s Munster final was cancelled by the Munster Camogie Association after it emerged both Cork and Waterford were to defy the rule.

Ennis based Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) raised the matter at Monday’s meeting of Clare County Coun-

cil. “I would like us to all stand in solidarity with camogie players to exercise their right to choose on skorts”.

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) advised his colleague, “we’ve to be careful of standing orders”. He said a proposal was needed in writing to allow the matter be discussed. Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) seconded the proposal with a unianmous show of hands from elected members on the floor to show their support to allow the matter be raised.

“We were all so excited to see our male hurlers in an All-Ireland final but to see a Munster camogie final pulled 16 hours before it was due to go ahead is a disgrace,” stated Cllr Baker Bashua. She asked councillors to join her to “stand in solidarity” with camogie players.

They stood for 11 seconds before resuming their seats and the order of business.

Minors defeated by Kerry

1-06 KERRY 3-15

Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty

STORY OF THE GAME

For: 15 (5/10)

12 (6/6) Scores from Play: 3-10

of Scorers: 9 Top Scorers: Gearoid White (2-2 2f)

Cards: Alex Tuohy (16), Ben Kelliher (35), Kevin Grifﬁn (46), David Sargent (65)

Kick-Outs: 5/10 (50%)

by Páraic McMahon REFEREE: Ciaran Murphy (Cork)

For: 12 (4/8)

4 (4/0)

from Play: 1-5

of Scorers: 5

Scorer: Conor Burke (0-3 1f)

Cards: Donncha O’Dwyer (46 & 61), Danny Lyne 63) Red: Donncha O’Dwyer (61)

13/29 (45%)

l Clare’s Gareth Murphy

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

SCAN HERE FOR MATCH REPORT

Ronan Lanigan Photo by Gerard O'Neill

Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

Photo by Gerard O'Neill

fin of Fergus Rovers sent to the sin-bin saw Kerry bring it back to a one point game by the interval.

l Clare’s Roisin Martin in possession Burren Eye Photography

Club championship draws to take place

by Seamus Hayes news@clareecho.ie

DRAWS for the 2025 Clare GAA club championships will be held next week while Clare GAA will become the first county to launch a youth committee.

Delegates gathered for a brief County Board meeting in Clareabbey on Tuesday in which was the May sitting.

Championship draws:

The Clare 2025 GAA championship draws will be made at Clareabbey on Tuesday night next May 20 at 8pm.

The senior, intermediate and junior A football groupings will be decided along with the senior, premier intermediate, intermediate and junior A hurling groups. This will be the first season with the premier intermediate and intermediate grades in hurling.

Draws for the junior B and C hurling and football grades will be made at the June county board meeting on Tuesday June 10. Clubs were informed that they must confirm to the board by Sunday June 8 if they will be taking part in either or both of the junior B and C grades, football and hurling.

Regulations:

During a short discussion on regulations for the upcoming championships, a query was raised in relation to the videoing of games. Delegates were told that permission had to be got from the CCC.

When there is a clash of colours both clubs must change unless they agree to toss.

Youth committee:

The members of the youth committee were named at this week’s May board meeting. Eoghan Hanley will be the chairman and the committee will include Colm Hanley, Hannah O’Brien (Clooney/Quin) Colm Madden (Whitegate), Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Tomas Queally (Cooraclare), Tim Crowe (Sixmilebridge), Paddy Smyth and Vincent Delaney. The committee will be launched in Clareabbey on Tuesday next (May 20th) at 4p.m. by GAA president Jarlath Burns.

Announcing the committee Head of Opera-

tions Deirdre Murphy said “invites have gone out to schools this week. We are lucky in Clare that Eoghan and Colm Hanley work in the Future leaders with secondary schools. All but two of the secondary schools in Clare run the Future Leaders programme now. This committee will form a youth committee who will be guided by this steering committee. It’s a progressive step for Clare. We are the first county board in a while to be launching this”.

“The whole thing is to be able to link the school with the clubs”, according to Paddy Smyth. “It is unchartered territory but it could be very good if we get it up and running”.

The committee was ratified on the proposition of Robert Frost and seconded by Joe Kelly (Wolfe Tones).

Park,

Board chairman Kieran Keating paid tribute to groundsman David Hoey and his staff in relation “to the excellent condition of Cusack Park. It was looking very well”.

He went on to express hope that “we will get planning permission in the next few weeks so that we can move on with work at Caherlohan, getting the irrigation systems in”.

Responding to Kilmihil delegate, Gerard O’Neill in relation to work on the car park at the Cloister end at Cusack Park, he said “there is a little bit of progress but it’s a bit slower that we would like. The Council have taken the project and they have a team of a few people working on it now. We couldn’t get anything done there before the Tipperary match as we needed it not so much for parking but for access to the grounds for a capacity crowd.

“There are two main parts to the tender. One of them is to remove the heap of soil which in-

ST FRANCIS CREDIT UNION CLARE COMMUNITY GAMES

2025 RESULTS: CAMOGIE & U14 GIRLS

GAELIC FOOTBALL

Camogie

The St Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games U14 Camogie competition was held on Saturday last in Kilmaley GAA pitch. The winners go forward to represent Clare in Munster on Saturday July 12 in Shannon.

Result

1st Newmarket-on-Fergus – Amelia Brennan, Aisling Cahalane, Emily Casey, Seomha Crowe, Ellen Curley, Aoibheann Deans, Millie Grogan, Grainne Guinane, Lucy Jones, Hannah Mc Namara, Laura Mc Cormack, Aisling Mc Gann, Muireann Mc Mahon, Saorlaith Murray, Chloe O’Rourke, Caoimhe Ryan

2nd Quin/Clooney – Amy Broderick, Nessa Clune, Sinead Clune, Roise Gallagher, Heather Harrison, Sophie Harrison, Katie Hayes, Niamh Hoey, Rachel Hogan, Kayleigh Loughnane, Nina Mc Carthy, Aideen O’Halloran, Penny O’Reilly, Clodagh Quinlan, Milla Skehan 3rd Clarecastle/Ballyea – Biborka Benko, Aoibheann Chambers, Ailbhe Concannon, Caoileann Cooney, Holly Farmer, Sinead Hennessy, Ellen Keogh, Roisin Mc Donnell, Vivienne Palka, Kayleigh Power, Emily Quinn, Maeve Turner, Aoife Vaughan 4th Crusheen/Ballinruan/Tubber – Eadoin Barry, Adah Brigdale, Saoirse Dillon, MeaghanGlynn, Emily Grifﬁn, Sophie Guerin, Nadia Guilfoyle, Eili Hanrahan, Sarah Harkin, Sophie Kearney, Clodagh Moroney, Sinead O’Reilly, Ellie O’Connor, Grace O’Connor, Emily Slevin, Emma Taaffe.

Gaelic Football U14 Girls

The U14 Gaelic Football was held during the

cludes some knotweed and the second project is the tender for the car park. Both of those are being prepared at the moment but not out to tender yet. The Council is using Government money for the project and because of this there are a lot more hoops they have to jump through that we wouldn’t necessarily have to if we were doing it ourselves. It will be next year before we see the car park finished”

“When it rains it’s a disgrace,” O’Neill remarked.

Responding to Sixmilebridge delegate P.J. Fitzpatrick as to progress on the development of the astro turf facility at Caherlohan, the Chairman said, “We did the studies and submitted them and the decision is due on the next fortnight or so and we are waiting to go ahead. There isn’t anything we can do to speed it up. We are just waiting and hoping to get permission”.

Sympathy:

Sympathy was extended to the Brohan family Ruan, the O’Driscoll family Killimer on the death of club president Tommy O’Driscoll, the Durack family Broadford, the Clune family Crusheen, White family in Ennis, the McKenna family Shannon and the Wiley family Bodyke.

Poc Fada:

The Clare Poc Fada finals will take place on May 31ST with the Munster finals scheduled for June 14. there will be competitions for senior and under 16’s in hurling and camogie.

Handball:

Good wishes were extended to Leah Minogue ad Sean Coughlan who will contest the intermediate and junior All-Ireland handball finals at Croke Park this weekend.

Efforts of Clare players acknowledged: Chairman Kieran Keating “complimented and thanked to all of our players for their efforts. Apart from the under 20s results haven’t gone our way his year. On Sunday hopefully our footballers will get their first win in the All-Ireland series and that would be a great lift for football in the county. Hopefully there will be a big home support in the park on Sunday to support our team”.

week in Ballynacally. Unfortunately, due to withdrawls only two teams participated in the ﬁnal. It was a great game between Clarecastle/Ballyea and Ballynacally/Lissycasey with the local girls coming out on top. They now go forward to represent Clare in Munster in July 1st Ballynacally/Lissycasey – Niamh Browne, Rowen Cahill, Jenna Coughlan, Maeve Coughlan, Grace Flanagan, Isabelle Garry, Sadhbh Geary, Nicole Grifﬁn, Eimear Hehir, Niamh Keating, Aoibhe Kelly, Ava Keogan, Aoife Meere, Chloe Talty, Shona Talty, Tara Weaver

2nd Clarecastle/Ballyea – Baborka Benko, Aoibhinn Chambers, Ailbhe Concannon, Deirbhle Cullen, Holly Farmer, Sinead Hennessy, Ellen Keogh, Abbey Lynch, Roisin Mc Donnell, Kayleigh Power, Emily Quinn, Ellie Sheedy, Robyn Tuohy, Aoife Vaughan, Vivienne Palka.

PITCH & PUTT

The St Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games Pitch & Putt competition for boys and girls was held on Saturday morning in glorious sunshine in Kilnamona Pitch & Putt club thanks to Martin and Ann Commane. Seventeen boys and six girls participated. The top three in each category qualify for the National Finals in Westport Golf Club, Mayo on Sun 10th August.

Results – Boys

1st Brian Conway – Ballynacally/Lissycasey

2nd Ultan Breslin – Doora/Bareﬁeld

3rd Sean O’Connell – Clarecast;e/Ballyea

4th Cathal Ryan – Doora/Bareﬁeld

Girls

1st Ciara Gleeson – Cratloe

2nd Nina Mc Carthy – Quin/Clooney

3rd Jenny O’Brien – Quin/Clooney

4th Neasa O’Brien – Quin/Clooney

CDSL title decider on the cards

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

SUNDAY is D-Day in deciding who lifts the Maloney Hardware Premier Division title for 2024/25.

Avenue Utd and Bridge Utd clash in Roslevan on Sunday morning at 11am with the winner to be crowned league champions.

In the past two weeks, Avenue Utd eliminated Newmarket Celtic and Tulla Utd from the title race with wins away from home. Since beating Bridge Utd 3-1 three weeks ago, David Russell’s side have been the top side with the most consistent performance with their focus fully on retaining their league title.

Bridge Utd have suffered the disappointment of that league defeat to Avenue which removed them from the driving seat for honours while they also exited the Clare Cup at the semi-final stage to Tulla Utd. They face Tulla Utd this Wednesday, a result which is not known at the time of going to print.

Provided Mark Culbert’s pick up three points at home, then the title race remains alive, should they drop points then Avenue are champions. A victory for Bridge over Tulla puts them on forty five points, level with Avenue.

At the other end of the table, Shannon Olympic, Kilrush Rangers and Lifford FC are all in action on Sunday against Kilkishen Celtic, Inch Crusaders and Tulla Utd respectively. Midweek games will also influence who is automatically relegated and who ends up in a play-off to try maintain their status in the top tier.

CHARLOTTE SERVES UP A BIG WIN

Congratulations to Charlotte Timoney (centre) who had a great string of results over the midterm. Charlotte (9), who started playing tennis in Ennis with Danny Comerford, won the U12 Castleknock

Cusack

Cloister and Caherlohan:

by PÁDRAIG MCGRATH

THE most important ﬁrst move of the downswing for a golfer should begin with the rotation of their hips, however I have noticed for a lot of golfers this is a struggle.

One of the main reasons golfers struggle with rotating their hips is that their hip flexors have tightened up restricting them from achieving an early hip rotation. Starting your downswing helps to achieve more effortless speed in the golf swing and it leads to the club slotting into a more consistent path helping you to achieve straighter golf shots.

Spending a lot of time sitting — whether it’s at a desk, in a car or even on the couch — puts your hip flexors in a compressed position, caus-

Good

ing them to shorten and tighten up. Your hip flexors are a group of muscles along the front of your upper thigh.

The primary hip ﬂexors, which work together to flex and stabilize your hip and pull your thigh and torso together when you walk, run, sit or stand.

Since the hips connect the lower back to the legs, tight hip flexors make it harder for your pelvis to rotate properly, which can impact several other areas of your body. Signs of tight hip flexors include pain or discomfort in the front of your hip that typically gets worse with prolonged sitting or repetitive hip-flexion movements like running and cycling. To keep your hip flexors supple, make sure to get up and move more throughout the day. Look at changing position every 30 to 45 minutes — or even sooner if

needed — to avoid tightness. Stand up, walk around, or perform a quick stretch, if necessary. Here are my top two stretches that you can also add into your day to help increase ﬂexibility and mobility in the hip ﬂexors. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds on each side, and repeat for three sets total, at least twice a day.

90/90 STRETCH:

• Sit on the floor with your right leg in front of you and your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, so the bottom of your foot is facing the left wall.

• Extend your left leg out to the side and bend your knee at a 90-degree angle, so the bottom of your foot is facing the back wall.

• Square your shoulders to

scoring at Dromoland Ladies medal

by Seamus Hayes

news@clareecho.ie

DROMOLAND:

In the medal stroke competition last week the winner was Ann Nix with 69, one ahead of Frances Bergin with Joan Dunne in third place with 71 followed by Sheila Kent with 72. Mairead Toomey won the gross with 86.

The 9 hole winner was Annette Shanahan with 22 points followed by Theresa Reddan with 20 points and Mary O’Donnell O’Brien with 19 points.

The winner of the men’s blue tee stroke competition was Joe Walsh with 69 and he won on a counntback from Brian Shally. Michael John McDonagh with 73 was the winner in the category for handicaps 20 and over.

The competition off the white tees was won by Ian Mulready with 67 from Gerry McInerney with 71.

The nine hole competition was won by Edward Ryan with 21 points from Ben Cusack with 18 with third spot ﬁlled by Patrick McCoy who also had 18 points.

EAST CLARE GC:

The overall winner in the ladies 18 hole stroke competition on Sunday was Pauline Nugent (35) with a nett 69.

The category winners were Siobhan Shanahan (14) with 72, Bridget Minogue (30) with 72 and Deirdre O'Neill (35) with 70.

Sunday’s men’s competition off the blue tees

was won by Terry Coughlan (18) with 63 from Paul Madden (20) with 69 and Alex Norris (14), also with 69. The gross was won by Tony Cleary (1) with 71.

Last week’s men’s open singles was won by Martin McInerney (19) with 45 points and he had two to spare over Maxwell Davern (15) with third spot ﬁlled by Seamus O'Dwyer (25) with 39 points.

The gross was won by Ronan Molloy (5) with 72 while the birdie winners were Terry Coughlan, Kieran McNamara and Francis Moloney.

Last week’s senior men’s competition was won by Nick Ryan, Steve Lynch and Pat McNamara from Teddy O' Hanlon, Noel Earley and Ted Harrington with third spot ﬁlled by Kevin Wallis, Sean Jones and Ger Shortt.

Friday’s mixed scramble was won by Jim Greene, Mary Collins and Margaret MacNamara from Pat McNamara, Brendan Moloney and Siobhan Mulcahy with third place ﬁlled by Michael Heffernan, Helen Downey and Brian Corry.

WOODSTOCK:

Last week’s ladies 18 hole stableford competition was won by Kathleen McEnery with 38 points and she had one to spare over Imelda Duffy.

Cathal O'Sullivan (8) was the winner of the open singles last week with 41 points from Steven Horgan (12) with 40 with third spot ﬁlled by Lorcan Clancy (20) with 39 points.

Jason Dormer (5) won the gross with 37 points.

The club’s J. B Carr team defeated Kilkee 4/1 on Monday last in Kilkee.

The weekend’s club singles strokeplay was won by Declan Rigney (17) with 67 with the gross won by Ross Darmody (6) with 76.

Category 1 (0 to 10) was won by Michael Canty (10) with 69 from Ray Keogh (6) with 71.

The category 2 (11 to 18) winner was Joe Davis (14) with 68 from Frank Landy (12) with 69 while Pat Quinn (27) won category 3 (19 +) with 71. Winners in the 2’s competition were Noel Mulcahy (6th Hole), Ronan Horgan (6th Hole) and Paudie O'Connell (8th Hole).

KILRUSH GOLF CLUB:

The overall winner in the ladies 18 hole stableford competition at Kilrush was Ursula Lineen (31) with 39 points.

The category winners were Anne Gallagher (12) with 38 points, Mary McCarthy (30) with 34 points and Anne Cooper (37) with 38 points.

In the Patrick Bourke open singles stroke play competition, the winner was Gearoid Williams (16) with 59 from Tom Browne (7) 65 with third spot ﬁlled by Paul Keane (41) with 66. Jim Young Junior won the gross with 71.

The category winners were Neil Browne (7) with 68, Terry O' Hare (11) with 68 and Eamon Ryan (22) with 67.

The nines were won by

Des Murphy and Paul McGibney.

GORT GOLF CLUB:

The weekend’s men’s singles at Gort, sponsored by T.J O’Mahoney, was won by Conor Fogarty (17) with 50 points.

The category winners were Joseph Caulﬁeld (13) with 39 points, Martin Flaherty (18) with 45 points and Michael Corless (28) with 43 points.

The gross was won by Gavin Lally (0) with 33 points.

Friday’s open singles stableford competition was won by Malachy Whyte (16) with 44 points while the gross was won by John Skehilll (16) with 27 points.

The ladies 18 hole stroke Rockﬁeld cup competition, sponsored by Barry Quinn Transport was won by Sara Broderick (20) with 68 from Sinead Collins (21) with 71 and Catherine Burke (29) with 72. Hannah McInerney (7) with 84 won the gross.

The Monday 18 hole stableford competitiom was won by Aileen Walsh (41) with 41 points from Catherine Burke (29) with 33 points.

In the May 18 hole stroke medal sponsored by Centra, Kilcolgan Hannah McInerney (7) with 70 won category 1. Category 2 was won by Patricia Reddy (22) with 70, category 3 by Marion Ruane (30) with 77 and category 4 by Catherine Bailey (46) with 97.

the front. To check that your back remains straight, extend your arms straight out in front of you. Your ﬁngertips should face the front wall.

• Place your ﬁngertips on either side of your right shin for balance. Think about sinking both hips into the floor.

• For an even deeper stretch, lean your chest as far forward as you can go without collapsing your upper body or losing the connection between your hips and the floor.

• Repeat on the other side.

SIDE-LYING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH:

• Lie on the floor on your left side with your knees bent so they’re in line with your hips. Your thighs and shins should form a 90-degree angle.

• Move your right foot backward and gently grab the top of the ankle with your right hand.

• Slowly and gently pull your foot with your right hand, bringing your leg around behind you while keeping your pelvis tucked under and being careful not to arch your back. You should feel a stretch in the front of your thighs and your hip ﬂexor on

• Repeat on the opposite

Success for Cummins & McNamara in Limerick

by Michael Maher news@clareecho.ie

MYLES CUMMINS and Donnacha McNamara were among the victorious owners in Limerick.

Limerick Greyhound Stadium's Thursday SIS meeting had its normal 12 racecard on offer, the ﬁrst Clare-owned winner was Tiermana Sky in race seven for Newmarket-on-Fergus’ Myles Cummins in a time of 29.51, this was career win number three for this daughter of Ballyhimikin Jet and Tiermana Jetty.

In the ﬁnale, an A3 graded contest, Yuri Recorded his fourth career success for Tulla’s Donnacha McNamara in 29.01, he is a son of Dromana Bucko and Rockalong Aqua.

There was also a nine race card at Galway on Thursday, with further success for the Burnpark Kennels after Burnpark Class (Grangeview Ten and Burnpark Willow) notched her ﬁrst win in 29.43.

The S8 graded contest developed into a match from an early stage with Hevenly Prince trapping smartly in the centre to lead from Drombeg Cindy along the rails. At the bend Drombeg Cindy slipped through along the rails and once in front the Donal Malone of Ennistymon-owned daughter of Ballyhimikin Jet & Grangeview Nifty eased clear to score by 2.5 lengths in 19.60.

The ﬁnale went to Clooney’s Martin Williams after Knocakoura Kate (Burgess Bucks & Crokers Wish) made it two wins in a row in 29.28, named after Martin’s grand-daughter Kate Quinlan, and trained by Sixmilebridge’s Stephen Murray.

The semi-ﬁnals of the Sean Scully Memorial A5 525 yards

stake were the principal contests on Friday in Galway. In the ﬁrst of three semis, Paradise Liberty was away well in the centre and she led Tiermana Hunter by half a length. At the bend the Colm Fitzgerald of Kilrush-trained Tiermana Hunter powered through along the rails to take command and the Supping Away Syndicate-owned runner went on to score by two lengths at the line in 29.33.

The Peter Russell of Shannon owned Petes Noah (Burgess Bucks-Notimetotalk) went to traps a warm favourite to claim the concluding semi-ﬁnal and the Donie Duggan of Tulla trained runner duly delivered for backers by three and a half lengths from Lissatouk Pearl in 29.30.

The top graded contest of the night was the A3 graded seventh race over 550 arcs and as the runners took the long trek towards the opening bend Stonepark Sam along the rails just led form Laois Lightening with Brickhill Moana between runners as they rounded the opening bend. Turning down the back Stonepark Sam led by over a length from Laois Lightening with Brickhill Moana a further two lengths adrift in third place. Passing halfway through the former Clare natives John Collins and Albert Long owned Brickhill Moana began to close on the leader and although still two lengths adrift of Stonepark Sam rounding the home bend the daughter of Ballymac Bolger & Twentylittletoes nailed the leader right on the line to prevail by a neck in 30.62.

CLARE CO. COUNCIL BURRENFADDA, CRANNY, CO. CLARE.

Take notice that Eoin Donnelly intends to apply for permission for development, the development consists of the construction of a slatted unit and associated site works at the above address.

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

CLARE CO. COUNCIL BALLYELLERY, LISCANNOR, CO. CLARE.

Take notice that Gussie Greene intends to apply for permission for development, the development consists of the construction of an agricultural general store and associated site works at the above address.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Shannon Airport Authority DAC, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, V14 EE06, intend to apply for Permission for the demolition of existing metal framed cladded canopy within their lands at Shannon Airport and associated site clearance works along with all other site works to allow for future development on the site at Rineanna South, Shannon Airport, Shannon, 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 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.

Signed: TOBIN, Fairgreen House, Fairgreen Rd, Galway (Agent)

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL LISHEEN, BALLYNACALLY, ENNIS, CO CLARE

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

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL BALLYARTNEY, LABASHEEDA, CO CLARE

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

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL MUCKINISH, SPANCILHILL, ENNIS, CO CLARE V95 TC7D

Take notice that I, Mr Gerard Kelly intend to apply to Clare County Council for permission to retain the existing entrance and driveway to my dwellinghouse at the above address.

The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority, Clare County Council, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis, Co Clare during 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 submission or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL FURTHER INFORMATION/ REVISED PLANS PLANNING REF: P25/60037

Development Description: The construction of a new dwelling house and garage complete with a new entrance, sewage treatment system and ancillary works.

Location: Poulawillin, Miltown Malbay, Co.

Clare

Take notice that Elaine Sexton has lodged significant further information in respect of planning application P25/60037. This information and planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority of Clare County Council, Planning Department, Aras Contae an Chlair, New Road, Ennis, Co Clare during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the further information or revised plans may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, not later than

2 weeks after the receipt of the newspaper notice and site notice by the planning authority or in the case of a planning application accompanied by an EIS within 5 weeks of receipt of such notices by the planning authority.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL

LISBIGGEEN, KILMALEY, CO. CLARE

Take notice that Kilmaley GAA intends to apply to the Planning Authority for permission to construct a covered seated viewing spectator stand and all associated site works at the above address. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority, New Road, Ennis, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the planning authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00, within the period of 5 weeks, beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application.

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL, 4 SAINT BRIDGETS WELL, DERREEN, LISCANNOR, CO. CLARE V95 RC56. I, Emily Whelan, wish to apply to Clare County Council for planning permission for development at my site, 4 Saint Bridgets Well, Derreen, Liscannor, Co. Clare V95 RC56. The development consists of: (a) Demolish 2no. existing single-storey domestic shed units, (b) construct a new single-storey extension to the rear of the existing dwelling consisting of 2no. en-suite bedrooms, utility room and internal courtyard, (d) minor internal layout and elevational changes to existing dwelling, (e) create new outdoor patio area with sunken cold water plunge pool and all 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 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 of Euro 20 within the period of 5 weeks begin-

ning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

FÓGRA POIBLÍ DOICIMÉADAITHE AGUS DEIMHNITHE TRÍD AN UPU: UIMHIR THAGARTHA RL039528133IE. DÁTAITHE: 17Ú LÁ D’AIBREÁN 2025 Déantar é seo chun a chur in iúl don phobal i gcoitinne go bhfuil mise; bean; Alicia-margaret; agus mise; fear; Ciarán-james; an bheirt againn inár seasamh sa chumhacht arna dheonú ag ár gcruthaitheoir; leis seo Éileamh a Dhéanamh ar an Sártheideal agus na mianaigh agus cearta mianraí; trí gach cearn den talamh a phostáil (thar trí throigh); agus maoin air; agus an Seasamh beo / imprisean sainchomhartha uathúla /lorganna mise; bean;Alicia-margaret agus mise; fear; Ciaran-james ar an Réadmhaoin Phríobháideach Iomlán seo; cur síos níos suntasaí air sa sceideal atá scríofa thíos; á aistriú chuig an mbean bheo; Alicia-margaret; Áititheoir Oifig Sheiceadóir Eastát/ Iontaobhais ALICIA MARGARET O’REILLY agus don fhear beo; Ciaran-james; Áititheoir Oifig Sheiceadóir Eastát/Iontaobhas CIARAN JAMES CASEY; ag ceannach na réadmhaoine d’Iontaobhas Anam Caladh; le taifeadadh i Mórleabhar Príobháideach Eastát Alicia-margaret; agus Eastát Ciaran-James; Taifead Poiblí Éire; agus an Oifig Phoiblí ar a dtugtar Tailte Éireann; Gach Duine; Fir nó Mná; ag a bhfuil aon éileamh ina leith ar mhodh díola; malartú; bronntanas; morgáiste; muirear; iontaobhas; oidhreacht; seilbh; léas; lian nó cibé slí eile a iarrtar orthu an rud céanna a chur ar an eolas i scríbhinn don té atá faoi síniúcháin thíos agus a nOifig ag Raheen Road, Tuaim Ghréine, An Clár; laistigh de cheithre lá dhéag ón dáta seo, dá éagmais sin; an t-éileamh nó na héilimh má mheastar aon duine de na daoine sin; fear nó bean; a bheith tarscaoilte agus nó tréigthe agus beidh an t-aistriú seo iomlán go dleathach; Sceideal Thuas Dá dTagraítear: • Réadmhaoin Dá nGairtear go Dlíthiúil Roimhe Seo mar: Boru Oak Lodge, Raheen Road, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare • Réadmhaoin Dá nGair-

tear go Dlithiúil Anois mar: Anam Caladh, Raheen Road, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare Sínithe Alicia-margaret agus Ciaran-james; coimeádaimid ár gcearta go léir.

NOTICES

AN CHUIRT DUICHE THE DISTRICT COURT S.I. NO. 174 OF 2009 NO. 68.3 LICENSING ACT (IRELAND) 1874, SECTIONS 9 AND 10 INTOXICATING LIQUOR ACT 2008, SECTIONS 6, 7 AND 8 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE FOR A NEW WINE RETAILER’S OFF-LICENCE DISTRICT COURT AREA OF KILRUSH DISTRICT NO. 12 jeremiah o riordan Applicant

TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Applicant jeremiah o riordan of quilty east, quilty, Clare intends to apply to the Court at Kilrush District Court on the 10 Jun 2025 at 10:30 for a certificate to hold a WINE RETAILER’S OFF-LICENCE in respect of the premises situate at XL Quilty, O’Dwyers Convenience Store, Quilty, Clare, V95 YEE7 in court area and district aforesaid.

Signed Michael F. Nolan

Solicitor for Applicant

Solicitors, Toler Street, Kilrush, Clare

To the Garda Superintendent, at CT.Clare.CE@ Garda.ie, Ennis Garda Station, Abbey Street, Ennis, Clare, V95 TR83

To the Health Service Executive Official, at pehoclare@hse.ie

To the District Court Clerk, Ennis District Court

AN CHUIRT DUICHE

THE DISTRICT COURT S.I. NO. 174 OF 2009 NO. 68.1 LICENSING ACT 1872, SECTION 82 LICENSING ACT (IRELAND) 1874, SECTION 9 BEER RETAILERS’ AND SPIRIT GROCERS’ RETAIL LICENCES (IRELAND) ACT 1900 LICENSING (IRELAND) ACT 1902 INTOXICATING LIQUOR ACT 2008, SECTION 7

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE FOR A NEW SPIRIT RETAILER’S OFF-LICENCE DISTRICT COURT AREA OF KILRUSH DISTRICT NO. 12 jeremiah o riordan Applicant

TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Applicant jeremiah o riordan of quilty east, quilty, Clare intends to apply to the Court at Kilrush District Court on the 10 Jun 2025 at 10:30 for a certificate to hold a SPIRIT RETAILER’S OFF-LICENCE in respect of the premises situate at XL Quilty, O’Dwyers Convenience Store, Quilty, Clare, V95 YEE7 in court area and district aforesaid.

Signed Michael F. Nolan

Solicitor for Applicant

Solicitors, Toler Street, Kilrush, Clare

To the Garda Superintendent, at CT.Clare.CE@ Garda.ie, Ennis Garda Station, Abbey Street, Ennis, Clare, V95 TR83

To the Health Service Executive Official, at pehoclare@hse.ie

To the District Court Clerk, Ennis District Court

Recent Deaths

Lynch (née O’Connor), Margaret O’Callaghans Mills

Russell McGann, Carmel Clarecastle

Russell McGann, Carmel Ennis

Feore (née Hanrahan), Katherine Ennis

KEANY (née Callanan), Mary Lisdoonvarna

Murphy, Sr. Margaret Mary (Kathleen) Ennis

Hynes, Tony Kilfenora

WILEY, FLAN Bodyke

Groves, Roshan Fanore

Mc GRATH, Pat Sixmilebridge

McNAMARA (née McINERNEY), CONCEPTA (CONNIE) Newmarket-on-Fergus

CARROLL, Eamonn Shannon

COEN (née Matthews), DAIRIN Lahinch

Corey (née Flanagan), Mary Ruan

Corey (née Flanagan), Mary Ennis

Nix, Damian Meelick

Healy (née O’Brien), Eileen Clonlara

McNamara (née O’ Donoghue), Frances Ennis

NOTICES

NOTICES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

AN CHUIRT DUICHE THE DISTRICT COURT S.I. NO. 174 OF 2009 NO. 68.1 LICENSING ACT 1872, SECTION 82 LICENSING ACT (IRELAND) 1874, SECTION 9 BEER RETAILERS’ AND SPIRIT GROCERS’ RETAIL LICENCES (IRELAND) ACT 1900 LICENSING (IRELAND) ACT 1902 INTOXICATING LIQUOR ACT 2008, SECTION 7 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE FOR A NEW SPIRIT RETAILER’S OFF LICENCE DISTRICT COURT AREA OF KILRUSH DISTRICT NO. 12 jeremiah o riordan Applicant

TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Applicant jeremiah o riordan of quilty east, quilty, Clare intends to apply to the Court at Kilrush District Court on the 10 Jun 2025 at 10:30 for a certificate to hold a SPIRIT RETAILER’S OFF-LICENCE in respect of the premises situate at XL Quilty, O’Dwyers Convenience Store, Quilty, Clare, V95 YEE7 in court area and district aforesaid.

Signed Michael F. Nolan

Solicitor for Applicant Solicitors, Toler Street, Kilrush, Clare

To the Garda Superintendent, at CT.Clare. CE@Garda.ie, Ennis Garda Station, Abbey Street, Ennis, Clare, V95 TR83

To the Health Service Executive Official, at pehoclare@hse.ie

To the District Court Clerk, Ennis District Court

AN CHÚIRT CHUARDA THE CIRCUIT COURT SOUTH‑WESTERN CIRCUIT COUNTY OF CLARE IN THE MATTER OF THE LICENSING ACTS 1833 TO 2000 AND IN THE MATTER OF THE COURTS (SUPPLEMENTAL PROVISIONS) ACT, 1961 AND IN THE MATTER OF SECTION 2(1) OF THE LICENSING (IRELAND) ACT, 1902 AS AMENDED BY THE INTOXICATING LIQUOR ACT, 1960, SECTION 23 AND IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION OF MARTIN O’SHEA, APPLICANT TAKE NOTICE that the Applicant whose place of abode is at 22 Cornell Drive, Bardonia, New York and Miltown Road, Kilkee, County Clare will apply to this Honourable Court sitting at the Courthouse, Ennis in the County of Clare on the 20th day of June at 10.15 o’clock in the forenoon or soon thereafter as this application may be taken in its place in the court list for a certificate entitling him to receive, on payment to the Revenue Commissioners of the fee specified in the said Act, a Seven-Day Publican’s Licence to sell intoxicating liquor by retail in respect of the premises situate at Claremount, O’Curry Street, Kilkee, and known as “Claremount” which said premises are more particularly described upon drawings accompanying this application.

Dated this 14th day of May, 2025.

Signed: O’KELLY MOYLAN O’Kelly Moylan, Solicitors for the Applicant

Market Square

Kilrush

County Clare

To: The County Registrar, Courthouse, Ennis, County Clare.

And to: The District Judge, Courthouse, Ennis, County Clare.

And to: Superintendent of the Garda Síochána, Lifford, Ennis, County Clare.

And to: The Chief Fire Officer, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, County Clare.

And to: The Principal Environmental Health Officer, HSE, Unit 6, Quin Road Business Park, Quin Road, Ennis, County Clare.

The Clare Echo Crossword

ACROSS

Implore (7)

Bath

Blanket

Blue

Booties

Bottle

Boy

Burp

Chubby

Colic

Cradle

Crawl

Crib

Cry

Cuddle

Cute

Diapers

Dimple

Feed

Girl

Gums

High

Love

Lullaby

Midwife

Milk

Nurse

Pink

Sleep

Smile

Twins

Weight

Oddly amusing (5)

Primary (5)

Earache (7)

Cases (7)

Fight with swords (5)

Signify (6)

Signal fire (6)

Closes (5)

Small crustaceans (7)

(7)

(5)

1 Perplexed (7) 2 Lean end of a neck of veal or mutton (5) 3 Take out (7) 4 Nose (slang) (6) 5 Miniature variety of a plant or animal (5) 6 Naturally grown (7) 7 Rental agreement (5)

Badly behaved (7) 15 Infuriated (7)

Savings (4,3) 17 Accompany (6) 18 Scrub (5)

(5)