The Clare Echo March 29 by The Clare Echo

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29 Mar 2018

2019 stamp in honour of Lucas and tragic crew ELAINE TUBRIDY news@clareecho.ie

A A passerby picks out a bright bunch of flowers last Friday at the Height in Ennis as the county celebrated Daffodil Day Photo by Katie McNeill

N POST have confirmed they will release a stamp to honour Clare Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas and the crew of the Rescue 116 helicopter. The mother of two died tragically while searching for a missing man off the coast of Kilkee in September 2016. The Dublin-based Coast Guard crew of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winch crew Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith died in the Rescue 116 crash off the north Mayo coast in March 2017. The commemorative stamp topics were recently approved by Cabinet and work has now begun on the

designs. An online petition which had more than 2,000 signatures requested Caitriona’s painting of a Coastguard helicopter to be printed on a stamp. It is not yet clear if the art will feature, or if the stamp will be created from a photograph or other medium. However, a spokesperson for An Post confirmed that at least two stamps will be produced. The stamps will be released in 2019, but the exact date has not been announced.

FOR FULL STORY TURN TO: PAGE 4

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Index CAITRIONA LUCAS

NEW DISTRICT JUDGE

EAMON MOLONEY

ENTERTAINMENT

DINING OUT

17-26

MOTORING

28-33

SPORT

34-35

CLASSIFIEDS

36-37

GET IN TOUCH

Inside The Clare Echo FEATURE: PAGE 17-26

Food & drink in the Banner

NEWS: PAGE 7

Order in the court

Well-known Clare solicitor and recent Clare Echo columnist Mary Cashin has been appointed as one of two new judges to the district court

This week we have a special guide on the gastronomical delights that Clare has to offer. Bringing you the best from the four corners of the Clare Echo county, NK RI FOOD&D from traditional bites to exquisite world food. THE

In Clare

Restaurant area guide ANNON SPRINGS

FOOD AWARDSSH

IN FOCUSLOCAL

VEGAN EATS

MOTORING: PAGE 28-33

We go all out with motoring Our motoring columnist Neil Briscoe road tests the new Alfa Romeo, while we bring you the latest deals on trade-ins and second hand cars. We also look at Volkswagen’s range of commercial vehicles.

RECEPTION

The Square, Ennis, County Clare Telephone: 065 671 9021 Email: monica@clareecho.ie

EDITOR Telephone: 065 671 9021 Email: editor@clareecho.ie

NEWSDESK Telephone: 065 671 9021 Email: news@clareecho.ie

NOTES Telephone: 065 671 9021 Email: elaine.tubridy@clareecho.ie

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Email: ciara.farrell@clareecho.ie ger.naughton@clareecho.ie

PLACE AN

ADVERT To learn how we can promote your business call us on 065 671 9021 or email ciara.farrell@clareecho.ie.

l A CUT ABOVE THE REST: Mary Alice bravely shaving her hair in aid of cancer research for Daffodil Day 2018, at Brownies’ Barbers, Ennis, and (inset) with volunteers at the Height in Ennis Photo by Katie McNeill

House prices nudge up STUART HOLLY editor@clareecho.ie

HE price of the average threebed semi in Clare rose by 1.1 per cent to €180,000 in the first three months of the years, according to a national survey carried out by Real Estate Alliance. Clare prices increased by 9.1 per cent in the year to March 2018, the survey has found, with local agents reporting a limited stock of properties. The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland’s typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an up-todate picture of the property market in towns to the close of last week. “While there has been an increase in the number of mortgage approved home-buyers, there is a lack of supply in Clare,” said Liam Browne of REA Paddy Browne, Ennis.

The average semi-detached house nationally now costs €229,111, the Q1 REA Average House Price Survey has found – a rise of 1.5 per cent on the Q4 2017 figure of €225,806. Overall, the average house price across the country rose by 9.1 per cent over the past 12 months – indicating that the market is steadying after the 11.3 per cent overall rise in 2017. The rate of increase in threebed semi-detached home prices in Dublin slowed to just 0.5 per cent in the first three months of the year. After rising by 12.5% in 2017, the average price in the capital has increased by just €2,000 in the opening quarter and now stands at €440,000 – exactly twice the Central Bank’s €220,000 mortgage deposit threshold. The country’s major cities outside Dublin recorded a combined Q1 rise of 2.1 per cent, with an average threebed semi costing €243,750.

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THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

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NEWS

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

ELAINE TUBRIDY

na’s painting will feature, or if the stamp will be created from a photograph or other medium. However, a spokesperson for An Post confirmed that at least two stamps will be produced. The stamps will be released in 2019, but the exact date has not been announced. It is likely however that the release date will coincide with a meaningful date such as the anniversary of Caitriona’s passing. Caitriona Lucas was awarded a Gold Medal for Bravery at the National Bravery Awards in October last year. Other commissioned stamps include two commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, the centenary of the birth of Iris Murdoch, the novelist and philosopher, and the first sitting of the Dáil. There will also be a stamp to mark the centenary of the first transatlantic flight between Newfoundland and Clifden by British aviators Arthur Brown John Alcock.

Volunteer Caitriona Lucas to be honoured with stamp

news@clareecho.ie

N POST have confirmed that they will release a stamp to honour Clare Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas and the crew of the Rescue 116 helicopter. The mother of two died tragically while searching for a missing man off the coast of Kilkee in September 2016. The Dublin-based Coast Guard crew of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winch crew Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith died in the Rescue 116 crash off the north Mayo coast in March 2017. The commemorative stamp topics were recently approved by Cabinet and work has now begun on the designs. An online petition which had more than 2,000 signatures requested Caitriona’s painting of a Coastguard helicopter to be printed on a stamp. It is not yet clear if Caitrio-

l TRIBUTE: Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas doing what she loved and (inset) one of her paintings which was the subject of an online campaign to become an An Post stamp

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THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

ADVERTISMENT

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Ennis solicitor for judge role

ELAINE TUBRIDY

news@clareecho.ie

NNIS solicitor Mary Cashin of Cashin & Associates has been appointed Judge of the District Court by Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan. “It is a great honour for the firm and we are all delighted for Mary on her appointment” said Ms Cashin's associate Sheila Lynch. Sheila has been part of the team at Cashin & Associates for almost 15 years. Mary, a native of Mohill, Co Leitrim has been a practicing Solicitor in Ennis since 1983 and most recently wrote an advice column with The Clare Echo .

Establishing Cashin & Associates in 1990, she has over the past 28 years built a legal practice providing professional legal advice and representation for clients throughout Clare and the Mid-Western Region. Mary was co-founder of the Ennis Arts Festival and October Arts in Ennis and was chairperson of Clare Youth Service for a number of years. It’s business as usual for the firm said Sheila, who heads up the Litigation Department and has extensive experience in the areas of personal injury, medical negligence, family law and administration of estates. Marguerite Phillips solicitor, who has over 20 years’ experience in residential, commercial and farming transactions will continue to head up the Conveyancing Department.

l APPOINTMENT: Ennis solicitor Mary Cashin (left) will reside over the District Court; pictured here with her associates Sheila Lynch and Marguerite Philips

15 had symptoms over drain cleaner ELAINE TUBRIDY

news@clareecho.ie

THE HSE has confirmed that 15 children suffered some level of adverse symptoms following a drain cleaner incident at a dental surgery in Ennis. The HSE has concluded its review of an incident where the water containers used in dental chair treatment were contaminated with diluted drain cleaner. The incident which took place in early October 2017 was widely reported at the time after the HSE issued an advisory notice and apology to the public. “Fifteen of 43 children identified in the aftermath of the incident experienced some level of adverse symptoms and the HSE made appropriate efforts to support and keep informed all families involved,” a HSE spokesperson said.

Senior Management have arranged to meet with both the Dental Department Staff and the Parents of the children to provide them with an overview of the findings of the investigation and a copy of the Report of the investigation team. Kate Duggan Head of Primary Care with HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare said: “Our investigation as to exactly how this happened is inconclusive but it is obvious to us that four incidental findings will now greatly reduce if not eradicate the possibility of this happening again, as we have acted on those findings. “ These findings included: Poor internal security within the Dental Clinic, domestic cleaning products are not stored securely in the Dental Clinic, staffing in the CSSD room is not adequate to ensure safe work practices and there is a lack of written standard operating procedures (SOPs).

NEWS

FEATURE

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

‘The race still passes Dad’s house on Steele’s Terrace’ Ahead of the sixth Eamon Moloney Memorial 10k, proud son Jason talks about staging the event in his honour STUART HOLLY

editor@clareecho.ie

HEY might not know it - but more than 1,200 runners will run past the old front door of Eamon Moloney’s first home when they take part in the run which honours the man himself this Saturday. The Eamon Moloney Run is in its sixth year and is now included in the highly reputed Run Clare series, which sees thousands of athletes, fun runners and walkers complete races in the four corners of Clare. This week’s Eamon Moloney Run, which starts near Rice College, is the biggest one yet with more than 1,200 signed up and room for more runners who can sign up on the day. The Clare Echo is Run Clare’s official media partner, and organiser Jason Moloney says he’s overwhelmed by the continued growth of the event. His father Eamon was a well-known figure in athletics, having competed in Dublin marathons raising funds for the Irish Cancer Society as well as coaching local youngsters. Eamon sadly passed away in 2012 due to ongoing health issues, and his son Jason decided that the best way to honour him would be to hold a race in his honour. Little did he know how succesfull the race would become. “Dad passed away in 2012 so our first one was in 2013. 2018 has been the biggest event so far. This is the sixth Eamon Moloney 10k overall,” explained Jason. “In the first year we had just over 500 and it grew then every year and people were coming from more counties as opposed to it just being a Clare run. This year we have people from 24 counties signed up; eight from the UK; there are two lads from Belgium who are here for the Easter and we have two from Australia.” Eamon is quick to point out that it’s an enormous source of pride that

the run passes the front door of his Dad’s first home. “Oh without a doubt. I love just standing on the wall watching them pass. For me it’s been a year well worth while. “It makes me proud. A lot of those people may not have known Dad but they know why we did it. “A lot of Ennis people ... don’t run but they do come out and support us on the day. Either they run it or they’ll help us with a bit of stewarding. “Even outside of the athletics community, he would have been well known in Ennis anyway. That’s why we didn’t want to change names [when the Run Clare series began]. “We actually will pass where Dad lived until he got married over in Steele’s Terrace and that’s within the last 300 metres of the race itself. So that’s why I don’t want to change the route - I know it’s one of the busiest roads in Ennis but I want to pass that house.” Please be aware of the following; The ONLY people who need to go to registration are people who have their name printed on the front of their race number as it these entrants only who are to receive a T-shirt (if you lost your number and had it replaced then this is the original number you had) AND those who purchased a T-shirt as an additional item. If you have lost your number you must still attend registration and be assigned a new one. Registration is on Friday from 6-8pm at O’Keeffes Pub, (opposite the courthouse). Registration is open Saturday from 9am to 10.30am in the marquee next to the finish line area. The start/ finish area is on New Road, Ennis. Car parking is at the Council office. Toilets will be available in the portaloos and the public toilets in the fairgreen. This is a busy route through the outskirts of the town, please obey stewards instructions and be very careful of traffic.

l FULL STEAM AHEAD: A stunning shot of the starting line at the last Run Clare event in Main photo by Eileesh Buckley Lahinch and (inset) Eamon Moloney Snr with Jason

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EVENTS

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Entertainment

MICHAEL KERINS LIFFORD ENNIS 065 6820582

lTALENT: The singers of El Divas will bring you on a musical journey of friendship

FRIENDS JOIN FORCES TO FORM ‘EL DIVAS’

APR 14 @ GLÓR

LÓR is hosting a thrilling night of song as a quintet of singers, known as El Divas, have joined forces to present a powerful and moving journey through song. Two Ennis ladies, Helen Catherine Ball, London trained, and classically trained Janet Woods, are joined by two Limerick ladies, Jessica Bray and Amanda Minihan, both locally and London trained. These four EL DIVAS have after years of trying, finally aligned their schedules to bring you on a ‘ Musical Journey’ through song of their hopes, dreams, trials and tribulations and how their friendships have carried them through. Janet and Helen are connected not just through their place of birth, but through Helen’s parents and

Janet’s grandparents, who knew each other through the Hearing-Impaired community. This, in itself, is ironic but when Helens’ vocals and the coloratura, lyrical tones of Janet’s voice meet you will be brought on another journey. Helen has performed in the West End and Ireland’s National Concert Hall while Janet Woods, who is a much loved teacher at Villiers School, is delighted to tread the Musical Theatre boards again after years on the Classical circuit. EL DIVAS are delighted to be working with Ennis-based Michael Hennessy for this production. Michael will be joined by Hugh Connolly (violinist) & Danny Byrt (drummer). Tickets are on sale at glór Box Office on 065 6843103 or glor.ie

FUREYS AND BAGATELLE HEADED FOR THE WEST

APR 1 @ TREACYS WEST COUNTY THE Fureys formed in 1978 and in January launched their new album ‘The Fureys 40 Years On … to be continued’ and have recently returned from a successful UK tour where that Band has sold out 21 venues. The band brings their new tour to Treacys West County Hotel, Ennis on Easter Sunday night April 1st. The Fureys will be followed on stage by one of Ireland’s most successful super-groups – Bagatelle, who will also celebrate their 40th anniversary year having been formed in 1978.

In 2013, the band’s most successful hit “Summer in Dublin” re-entered the charts, 35 years after its original released and has entered the realm of timeless Irish classics. Liam Reilly is the inimitable vocalist and as a solo artist he achieved a second place finish with his song “Somewhere in Europe” in the Eurovision of 1990 in Zagreb. Like Bagatelle, the Fureys have a very impressive discography and have played to presidents, prime ministers and even to Pope John Paul II. Former UK Prime Minister

Tony Blair named their hit “The Green Fields of France” as his favourite anti-war song of all time. It is certain to be an extraordinary concert of nostalgia and musical masterpieces. It is but one of the headline events in a year of celebration at Treacys West County Hotel. On 28th April the hotel will mark the 50th anniversary of its official opening which was performed by the Minister for Trade and Enterprise Dr. Paddy Hillery, T.D. Tickets €28 plus booking available at treacyswestcounty.com.

Trad Music this Good Friday night from 10pm Twix live Band this Easter Saturday 10pm Evening Session with Brendan & Friends Easter Sunday 7-9pm Soup and sandwiches served all day every day

10 BUSINESS

THURSDAY, MAR 28 2018

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

Hair to the throne Tola Culliney opens second Ennis store STUART HOLLY editor@clareecho.ie

OLA CULLINEY has taken the ultra-competitive business of barbering by storm in recent years and is about to embark on a new journey that will see him begin to build a business empire. Having already established one of Ennis’s most bustling barber shops on Parnell Street, T-Fades, at a premises that has been in his family for years, Tola has this week cut the ribbon on The Turnpike Barbers, his second business in Ennis. The thriving little corner of the Turnpike already boasts a number of wellknown businesses and Tola is hoping to strengthen its reputation as a ‘go-to’ area for local gents. Tola, for his part, is a passionate barber and a savvy businessman and will no doubt put the stamp of excellence synonymous with T-Fades on his new establishment. It’s no surprise that Tola has built a huge customer base - he has brought a friendly, banter-filled atmosphere to his establishments, which of course is aided by a high lAHEAD OF THE GAME: Tola Culliney in his new Turnpike shop Photo by Katie McNeill level of service. And while T-Fades is uber popular with millenials, it’s an establishment old faces and loads of new ones [have been through the door].” which has steadily grown a customer base While the T-Fades brand is of all ages. well-established, Tola said he Not only are Tola and his was keen to bring someteam up to date with modTHE thing fresh to the Turnern trends, they’ll even ofTURNPIKE pike, hence the new fer you a welcoming cup of BARBER branding. tea or coffee; and you will “I wanted to try leave with a fresh cut and The Turnpike Barber is the something different, a feeling that getting your business opened by Tola away from T-Fades. haircut was an enjoyable second Culliney and is located near St “There’s no barber experience and not at all a Flannan’s College, beside chore (take it from me, I’m a Yvonne’s Takeaway on the here, there never has been. It was always needed down customer)! corner of the Turnpike here. There are two pubs, a It helps that the entire staff bookies, a chipper, it’s a real are proficient and you’re never left lads side of town.” waiting too long, no matter how long He continued; “The Turnpike Barbers will the line. T-Fades has also established its own prod- have their own brand of products as well; afuct line; and speaking to The Clare Echo, tershaves, perfumes, gels, we’ll have a whole Tola said he is excited about bringing the range for the Turnpike Barbers. It will take a month or two to get that up and running same ethos to his new premises. While admitting he is nervous about tak- as well.” ing on a new business venture, Tola added that “the whole town has been very supportive; I’ve had loads of cards and welcome messages from my neighbours. It’s exciting. Follow T-Fades and The Turnpike Barbers “I’m used to it, I’ve been doing it for years so it should be a walk in the park. A few on Facebook or call Tola on 087 271 0024.

SPRINGFEST A REAL HIT

SPRINGFEST, an exclusive day of wellness and pampering, was held at the Makeup Studio on Francis Street in Ennis over the weekend. Organised by Makeup Studio proprietor Maureen Considine, the day focused on mental and physical health, with talks from experts in the industry. Ireland’s Fittest Family participant Ezra Guilfoyle discussed fitness and diet tips for Spring, while Michelle Carroll gave a talk on how to keep your mind and body positive. Ennis Medical Aesthetics also featured and Maureen Considine herself gave a Spring makeup demonstration. Lily’s Boutique and the Forget Me Not Boutique hosted a mini fashion show and Dream Creative Makeup Academy Head Trainer Jodi Powell gave a fabulous makeup demonstration. Everyone was treated to fabulous refreshments and any lady who purchased a ticket was entered into draw for fabulous prizes including a Microneedling Session with Ennis Medical Aesthetics, a Beauty Hamper sponsored by Johnson Group, and a makeup hamper, with each prize worth €250. Contact the Makeup Studio on 0871278989.

THURSDAY, MAR 28 2018 MAKEUP EXPERTS: Maureen Considine of the Make-up Studio with Jodie Powell, MUA Photo by Julie Tillett

BUSINESS 11

SPRINGFEST AT THE MAKEUP STUDIO lSPRING INTO LIFE: Local businesspeople who were involved in SpringFest; Dr Emma Kearney, Ezra Guilfoyle, Photo by Julie Tillett Michelle Carroll, Maureen Considine, Jodie Powell, Tracy Guilfoyle and Tricia Russell

INFORMATIV: Michelle Carroll, lifestyle coach, giving a talk on Sunday Photo by Julie Tillett

12 COLUMNIST

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

lEXCITING TIMES: Planning for the new arrival has begun

Aoibhín Garrihy

LOVE

CLARE

THE NOTEBOOK

UT with the old! This week has me spring cleaning and perhaps beginning the nesting process. There’s nothing quite like a good declutter! I also found myself in a state of shock when I discovered all I forgot I possessed... stuffed in the back of presses and shelves! Realising my repeated buying habits is no harm and I can hopefully begin to address them and save money long term! Along with the decluttering, planning for a new arrival has also begun and it’s slightly overwhelming all that’s needed to welcome a new little bundle of joy into the world! Where to begin? I can’t help but ask, what did they do back in the day?! I had the pleasure of working with a brand I really admire this week. Trilogy Skincare has a strong ethical, environmental and sustainable ethos and I learned a lot about its natural skincare benefits too. Check out Covet in Clare for one of my favourites and stay tuned to Instagram (@ aoibhingarrihy) for a glimpse of the campaign coming soon.

COVET IN CLARE

BACK ON THE WAGON Need a little post Easter motivation? Operation Transformation expert Karl Henry’s brand new book is already a best seller and proving the perfect ingredient to a healthier, happier you! Available at most good book shops now.

THE HUNT Looking for a healthy alternative this Easter? Look no further than Dr Coy’s egg offering with no sugar spikes and high in fibre Belgian Chocolate. Available online and in most health and convenience stores.

lPHOTOSHOOT: Trilogy

Looking for plans this Easter Sunday? Why not take a spin south and go racing! I will be a guest judge on Ladies Day and I’m really looking forward to sporting my very own Easter bonnet compliments of the extremely talented Clare milliner Margaret O’Connor. Huge congratulations to this year’s Dancing with the Stars champs Jake Carter and Karen Byrne. What a duo and what a final! Such talent! The production values are second to none and having worked on the show I know what goes into making it the extravaganza you see every Sunday night. Massive congrats to all the cast and crew on another wonderful season and for those looking to see Jake live in concert, he will be at UCH Limerick on the 6th April! Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

lEASTER FUN: Ladies Day

lCONGRATULATIONS: Jake and Karen

SMELLS LIKE HOME I recently stumbled upon this gorgeous new company, The Irish Chandler, producing beautifully branded soy container candles with natural scents inspired by the Clare landscape. Visit @theirishchandler on Instagram for more

NOURISHED I’ve found a new skin hero! Organic and packed with restoring and protecting properties AND sustainable, Trilogy’s Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ leaves your skin feeling super nourished and radiant. I’m hooked! Available at all good health food shops. BE BOLD Joanne Hynes launches her hugely anticipated new SS18 collection in Dunnes Stores this week and if the teasers are anything to go by it’ll be handbags at dawn! This woman can make a granny rain poncho look divine! Check out dunnesstores.com for more.

COLUMNIST 13

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

HAPPENINGS

EASTER EGG HUNT An Egg-citing charity fundraiser Easter Egg Hunt in Kilkee will take place on Saturday 31st March 2018 from 2 - 4pm in aid of “AWARE” Suitable for toddlers to teens and for all the young at heart! The Easter Bunny will make an appearance along with the Easter Chicks, jugglers, face painters and spot prizes up for grabs! The Cost is from €5 per entry and all funds raised on the day go to AWARE. See nevsailwatersports.ie for more.

Top

MOHER HILL OPEN FARM Spring has sprung which means the gates of Moher Farm have reopened and the animals are ready to show off their young. The bunnies take centre stage on the farm this Easter so why not soak up the atmosphere of new life this weekend. See MoherFarm.ie for more. RUN CLARE 10K The third instalment in the four part athletic challenge takes place on Saturday 31st March in Ennis at 11am. Tackle a 10km on a flat, fast urban route with a family atmosphere to cheer you on. See eamonmoloney10k.ie for more.

Dog Friendly Hang 5 Outs in Clare BARK AND RIDE

Think school bus for dogs! This genius service will pick up and drop off your pampered pooch after a day of fun and frolics at Dysart O’Dea Doggy Daycare and Kennels complete with outdoor and indoor play area (and comfortable heated kennels for overnights). Guilt be gone. Your answer to that hectic schedule.

MADRASSORI

Located in Doora Industrial Estate on the Quin Road in Ennis this is a doggy haven! Newly opened, complete with play and exercise area, Madrassori allows your dog get social with other canine companions in a controlled and supervised environment. Doggy play date sorted!

GREGANS CASTLE HOTEL

Want a real treat but don’t want to leave your furry friend behind? Gregans Castle Hotel is the answer with their pet loving policy. Complete with ground floor rooms with garden access, this beautiful hotel welcome your four legged friends with open arms (once supervised) so the whole family can enjoy the beauty of this stunning hotel.

ROWANTREE CAFE

Nestled on the river bank in the heart of Ennis, the Rowantree Cafe has a covered seating area complete with blankets and dog bowls, so you can enjoy the tranquil sounds of the flowing river while sipping a glass of red with your pooch on tow!

COAST LODGE HOTEL, SPANISH POINT

If your canine companions are anything like my two, they love the beach! I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon than a fresh walk along the coast followed by an ice cream outside the Coast Lodge (complete with benches and brollies) as you soak up the sunset together.

14 COMMUNITY

Community

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

CONTACT NEWSDESK

065 671 9021 news@clareecho.ie

l TOP PICK: Rìona Davoren from Kilfenora, winner in the U10 banjo competition in the County Fleadh held in Kilrush

NORTH CLARE / SOUTH GALWAY FUN BINGO IN KILNABOY Kilnaboy Youth Club are holding their Annual Fun Bingo which will take place at Kilnaboy School hall on this Good Friday, March 30 starting at 8pm. Tickets are €10 for adults and €5 for children. This years proceeds are going to Doolin Coast Guard. This event has proven to be very well supported over the last number of years and the organisers are hoping for the support of the community on the night. EASTER SUNDAY TRACTOR RUN AROUND KILBEACANTY, GORT AND BEAGH The Tractor run is on in Kilbeacanty on Easter Sunday with Registration from 12.00. This event is a Family Friendly day out to support Mental Health Awareness. The Tractor Run will start at McCarthy’s Kilbeacanty, entry fee is €20 per Tractor. We will also have the Tractor Dyno Challenge where you can go up against your neighbour to see who has the most Horse Power. There will be a BBQ going all day in McCarthy’s with Music in the bar. There will also be an Easter Egg Hunt for Children in the Pitch and later that evening there will be a Short Auction with 4 or 5 items in the bar. There will be plenty of entertainment for everyone as well as some Celebrity guests been planned so it promises to be a great day for all the family for a great cause. The proceeds of the day will be going to the South Galway Jigsaw Networking group. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Contact Declan Donohue 087 263 8642. ENNISTYMON GOES GREEN Students from Ennistymon CBS have been named winners of the inaugural Greener Clare Secondary School Video Competition Awards for their work in promoting an environmental message through video. Pictured below from left are Mayor of Clare Tom McNamara, Karen Foley, Environmental Awareness officer, Students James Kivlehan and Tomás Coleman with their teacher Neville Fitzpatrick. Photograph by Eamon Ward.

l THE NATION’S BEST: Ennis CBS Primary, in association with Clare Sports Partnership, claimed the All Ireland Senior Boys’ Sporthall Title in Athlone IT. Front L to R: Larry Wamana, Tommy Fanning, Luke Pyne, Justice Ogunsari, Liam Hughes, Conor Perrill, Fuwhad Akinwale and Niall McMahon; Middle L to R: Brian Spring (Athletics Co-ordinator), Padraic O’Donovan, John Cahill, Oige Fanning, Ben O’Halloran, Leo Johnson, Rhys Flynn, Eoghan Fox and Ciaran Morrissey (Teacher). Back L to R: Teachers: David Cahill, Oran Murphy, Rian Glynn, Conor Nash, Liam McGuane (Teacher), John Tuohy and Caleb Walsh.

ENNIS 24 HOUR CYCLE FOR SAMARITANS Peader White will cycle for the Ennis & Clare Samaritans in a 24 Hour Fundraising Cycle at The Height, Ennis. The cycle will start at 9am on April 4 and continue until 9am on April 5. The Ennis and Clare branch is one of 20 Samaritans branches across Ireland with over 100 active volunteers. Samaritans offer emotional support on the freephone 116 123 helpline and have answered 2.3 million calls since the freephone number was launched in April 2014. Nationally, Samaritans volunteers answered more than 625,000 calls last year, over 40,000 calls were answered by the Ennis & Clare branch. Samaritans can be contacted by text or letter and they are happy for people to visit the branch on the Kilrush Road Ennis between 10am and 10 pm. Recently Samaritans lunched a new email address at jo@samaritans.ie in a bid to reach more people who need support.

WEST CLARE

EASTER BUNNY 5K FUN RUN FOR SÍLE CALLINAN On Easter Sunday, 1st April 2018 the annual Easter Bunny 5K Fun Run/Walk will take place in Cree Village. Following on from the huge success of last year’s event which raised €12,097 for Cystic Fibrosis, this year’s event is in memory of Síle Callinan who sadly passed away last year from Cystic Fibrosis. All proceeds from the day will go to Cystic Fibrosis Clare Support Fund. Registration is at 11.30am. outside Cree National School with the walk starting at 1pm. €20 per family or €10 individual. We will have a MONSTER raffle and live music on the day and for the children free face painting and egg and spoon races. Refreshments and BBQ on the day. An enjoyable day out for all the family. Síle sadly passed away on March 17 last year, aged just 26, having suffered from Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Her death left her family and fiancé devastated. Síle was the youngest of Paddy and Mary Callinan’s three daughters and engaged to Micheál Talty, Quilty. She was a primary CONSAIRTIN 2018 school teacher and worked as a resource teacher in Consairtín 2018, the fourth national concertina convention, will take place in Ennis, on 6, 7 and 8 April. Ennis is Cree, Cooraclare and Kilrush, while she also taught at Labasheeda National School for a year. Having CF was an ideal venue for such a festival and the event salutes the instrument’s special place in the musical landscape. never a barrier to Sile and she really enjoyed playing Some principal events of the weekend will include class- Ladies Football with Cooraclare for many years. She never let CF define her and did everything to the best of es for players of all ages and abilities with experienced her ability. She would be very proud of the fact that the tutors; instrument maintenance tutorials with Sean Ó parish and local communities are coming together for Fearghail; EXPO, featuring leading concertina makers; the fun run/walk this Sunday to remember her and raise specialist workshops; official opening by Pádraig Rynne some funds for the Clare Cystic Fibrosis Support Fund. and Sonny Murray Memorial Lecture by Harry Bradshaw KILRUSH CHORAL SOCIETY PRESENTS on the life and music of William Mullaly, the first Irish concertina player to record commercially; sessions, tunes My Fair Lady Takes Place in Kilrush Community School @8pm Sharp from April 3 to April 7. Tickets on General and stories in memory of Dympna O’Sullivan and Tom Sale from Booking Office next door to Pen to Paper shop, Carey; spoken Irish class for beginners; in Henry Street. Tickets @16 euro ADULTS. BOOKING Further information at www.consairtin.ie or Facebook: OFFICE 087 367 1548. Consairtin.

NEWS BRIEFS/OPINION 15

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Eoin Neylon

An inside look at Clare’s political spectrum

l RIDING IN STYLE: Natalie Katilius, Andrew Murphy, MD Shannon Airport and Isabel Harrison, B2B Aviation Development Shannon Airport Photo by Arthur Ellis

Drive-in cinema swings by Shannon A VERY big slice of American retro will unfold at Shannon Airport over two days on April 21 and 22 as the world’s biggest Drive-In LED screen movie experience comes to the airport campus. Flip-tops may be in short supply but there’ll be plenty of other timeless DriveIn ingredients, such as burgers, hot dogs, soda, pizza, popcorn, chips n’ dips and,

most of all, classic movies. Thousands are expected to attend over the weekend to see cult classics such as: Dirty Dancing; Back to the Future, E.T and Jaws as well as much loved kids classics Planes and Up. They will be shown on the biggest LED screen in the world with sound coming via car radios.

Clare tourism boost UP TO eight thousand extra UK tourists could visit Clare and Kerry this year, following the launch of an ambitious new plan by a North Clare hotelier. Marcus White, MD of White Tours Ireland will roll out the new initiative in May, offering packages to UK tourists up to 20% cheaper than competitors. White Tours recently secured an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL) licence, which allows them to sell all-inclusive packages direct to the UK public. With a population of over 66 million in the UK, Mr White believes there is still potential for growth in this market. “The new tours will include two nights in Dublin, with three nights in County Clare or County Kerry and will have a positive knock on effect for tourism in those areas” he commented. Mr White will be working with his daughter Suchadar White (right), who is the new production manager of White Tours Ireland. “We have done our research and although Brexit is an issue, I think our creative strategy and good value for money will give us a competitive edge” said Ms White.

Digital hubs for rural communities

Andrew Dundas, IFA, Michael Tuohy, Feakle Community Council, Urban McMahon, Clare Co Council, Niall Smyth, (Premises owner), Cllr Alan O’Callaghan, Michael Neylon, Clare Co Co, Leonard Cleary, Clare Co Council, Laura Ward, Clare Bus, Chris Kidney, Clare Bus and Cllr Pat Hayes at the Feakle Digital Hub. Three digital hub facilities developed by Clare County Council were officially opened in Kilrush, Miltown Malbay and Feakle this week by Minister Pat Breen, T.D. The facilities will support rural social enterprises and the wider community by providing affordable hot-desks, conference and training facilities for as little as €10 per day. Photo by Arthur Ellis

Letting 16-year-olds vote could be just what our democracy needs

N THE past fortnight thousands of young political activists have been attending annual conferences of political youth wings across the country. This youth conference season kicked off a fortnight ago in Athlone with Ógra Fianna Fáil and the weekend just gone saw Young Fine Gael meet at Limerick Junction and Sinn Féin Ógra gather in Derry. The conferences of the three largest parties in the State alone saw a collective 2,000 young people debating issues ranging from the environment, health, Brexit, women in politics, the Irish language, education, and voting at 16. The last topic is one that drew significant attention in the past week. A bill to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the 2019 local and European elections came before the Seanad for debate but was narrowly defeated. Sinn Féin introduced the bill and naturally enough voted in favour of it. Fianna Fáil, who had promised in their 2016 election manifesto to allow for the measure abstained on it. This meant that Fine Gael voting against the bill, along with just enough independents, saw it defeated. The campaign internationally to allow votes at 16 is gathering pace. Malta recently became the latest country to allow it and our neighbours in Scotland introduced it a couple of years ago. Brazil is the largest democracy that allows 16 year olds to vote but in all, there are over a dozen countries, all within Europe and South America that have introduced the measure at some level. What they’ve found since is that those who were granted even some form of voting right at 16 were more politically engaged and aware and more likely to vote than their compatriots who were enfranchised at 18. In a setting where we are seeing falling turnouts, the number of people involved in politics falling and a rise in cynicism surrounding all political affairs, this move may well be exactly what our democracy needs. An international review of those countries where it is in effect also

showed that, contrary to some opponents’ views, 16 and 17 year olds were not found to be any more swayed by populist candidates or parties and also didn’t show blind loyalty towards the voting pattern of their parents. Instead, this group were found to be more swayed on the issues at hand rather than follow the politics of personality as older generation had. Whatever your view on the proposal itself, more media attention was focused on the contribution of Fine Gael-nominated Independent Senator Marie Louise O’Donnell than the outcome of the vote in the chamber itself. In her contribution, O’Donnell turned to directly address the congregation from the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union who were in the gallery. During this she openly sneered and laughed at them as she exclaimed, “I’m not going to give you a vote”. Her speech to the Upper House ‘advised’ that young people should stay away from politics and focus on other pursuits. All in all, it was the single most insulting, inarticulate and ill-informed speech I’ve even heard delivered in the Oireachtas. In the seven years since Enda Kenny appointed her a Senator, she herself has not brought forward a single Bill of her own. She has co-sponsored only two Bills in all that time, both in the last 13 months. O’Donnell is more widely known for her appearances in the papers preview section of the Tonight show on TV3 and for her unwavering support for Kenny and anything his Government proposed during his tenure as Taoiseach. ontrary to her record, that of party youth wings stands as a beacon as to what can be achieved in politics. LGBT rights, environmental policies, educational reform, political reform and pro-entrepreneurship measures are all policies and campaigns I’ve witnessed first-hand having their genesis in party youth wings before being adopted by senior parties. A lot of the most progres-

sive political changes this country has seen in the last quarter century would not have come about but for the existence of political youth wings to give air time to new ideas and a platform to young people to speak up in support of them. O’Donnell could not be more wrong; politics needs young people to get involved now more than ever if our democracy is to thrive. It’s also a great place for young people to cut their political teeth. In Clare we’re no strangers to having strong representation in youth politics. oth Ógra Fianna Fáil and Young Fine Gael have always punched above their respective weight when it comes to representation on their respective national stages. Cllr Cathal Crowe noted in a speech to a Fianna Fáil gathering on Friday that it was the University of Limerick cumann of Ógra that opened to door to politics for him. Although still young, he’s since gained 14 years of council experience and remains the youngest member of Clare County Council. One might expect that title to move on as young people from all parties locally look to vie for the title. One such person may be Clarecastle’s Rebecca Gregan who was unfortunate to lose out in the YFG Presidential election at the weekend. As a young community pharmacist, being a female STEM advocate means she represents a voice that is often missing from political debates. I somewhat think we’ll be hearing a lot more from her in the future. Either which way, I’d take Crowe or Gregan each and every day over O’Donnell. Give me a young person who’s in touch with the community, knows the issues of the day and knows the struggles faced by people on the street over someone from academia who’s only in a lofty position as a gift for being a cheerleader. Give me votes at 16 over Taoiseach appointments to the Seanad.

16 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Ronan Scully

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Author spreading the word of positivity

THE WAY OF THE CROSS ‘Never give

up on yourself or on others because life is short’

HE PHRASE Holy Week, refers to the seven full days of reflection, meditation, confession, silence, contemplation, forgiveness, love and spiritual activities that capture the feelings of devotion and love for our Lord. Remembering these events strengthen our souls of which at times have become weakened by life’s trials and tribulations. This Holy Week, for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we look back on these events not to relive the grief, sadness and morbidity, but to renew our commitment to living on a higher plane, the one Jesus challenged us to live on. We recognise that the cross which was made from a tree holds the hope of our humanity. During Holy Week we focus more and more on Christ’s inner life. Now and then we get glimpses of what fidelity to God the Father costs: the misunderstanding of those he held most dear, their abandonment of him in his loneliest hour, the physical torment of his passion and death. Was he afraid that he might not be strong enough to bear it all? Did he fear ultimate failure? We don’t know but we do know this. Whatever we are called upon to bear or whatever crosses we are asked to carry, we bear it in union with him or we carry it with him; and because we bear it or carry our crosses in union

CROSSES: Everyone has crosses to bear but we carry on

with him, it is not pointless. Christ did not fail, and provided we hold fast to him, we shall not fail, either.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS

1st Station - Jesus is condemned to death. Lord, in the face of rejection or when I feel misunderstood or not accepted, keep me humble. Do not let fear take hold of me, but bolster me with your strength. 2nd Station - Jesus carries His cross. Lord, the crosses that come my way are really nothing compared to the cross you bore. You took the sins of the whole world on your shoulders. Strengthen my courage so that I am never ashamed of the cross but bear it proudly. 3rd Station - Jesus falls the first time. Lord, when I stumble and fall, help me to get up and resume walking the path of righteousness, truth, justice, honesty, love, compassion, mercy and peace. Teach me the humble wisdom whose source is your eternal Father. 4th Station - Jesus meets His afflicted Mother. Lord, how sorrowful it must have been to know that your own mother witnessed the suffering and rejection of her only son. Grant consolation to all who suffer the pain of rejection and injustice whoever they maybe. 5th Station - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His cross. Lord, teach us to help one another in

times of struggle. Curb our selfishness and broaden our outreach, especially to those most in need of your mercy especially those in various types of poverty in our world. 6th Station - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Lord, you taught in both word and deed that love conquers all. Move our hearts to offer love to all we meet in this life, and keep the bond of love strong. 7th Station - Jesus falls the third time. Lord, you showed us by your own example that there is no shame in stumbling when the burdens of life become too great for us to bear. May we unite our suffering to yours! 8th Station - Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. Lord, when your eyes met the mournful gaze of the women of Jerusalem, you redirected their heartfelt sorrow. Help us to look inward to the deep recesses of our hearts where conversion is most needed. Strengthen our resolve to build up the community of faith, love, mercy and charity. 9th Station - Jesus falls the third time. Lord, we seek fervently to be your servants and to bear your message. This challenge often comes with hardships, misunderstanding, and rejection. Bolster our courage and strength no matter how many times we fall or fail. 10th Station - Jesus is stripped of His garments.Lord, you allowed yourself to be utterly naked before the world’s eyes, entirely vulnerable and defenseless. You refused to clothe yourself in the glory that

PRAYER: Time for reflection

was rightfully yours. Give us the courage to be so bold and not to fear the vulnerability that comes our way. 11th Station - Jesus is nailed to the cross. Lord, when you were nailed to the cross, that most dreaded symbol of defeat, you also accepted the burden of all the sins of the world. In your humiliation, the world paradoxically gained its savior, its redeemer, its hope, its mercy. Let our faith in the cross shine in all that we think and speak and do and that made the cross the greatest symbol of hope, love and mercy. 12th Station - Jesus dies on the cross. Lord, you accepted the ultimate mystery in human experience, the darkness of death. Your willingness as Lord of the universe to embrace death like one of us is truly humbling. Teach us that the power of death is not to be feared but to be accepted. It is the doorway to a new life. 13th Station - Jesus is taken down from the cross.Lord, your broken, bloodied, and beaten

body was placed tenderly on the lap of the mother who bore you as a sacred vessel. Your body, broken, bloodied and shared for the life of the world, now resides in your people. We thank you for this Eucharistic gift. 14th Station - Jesus is laid in the tomb. Lord, you were laid in the cold and barren tomb for three days, alone, in the dark, and abandoned. We, too, have been buried with you in baptism. Let us not fear the terror of the tomb, but grant us hope in the promise of new life.

THOUGHT FOR HOLY WEEK

As your thought for the week, never give up on yourself or on others because life is short and we all need a bit of a resurrection experience in our life no matter who we are now and then and when it happens everything falls into place. Give your faith a chance this Easter whatever you believe that to be.

Clare Echo THE

FOOD&DRINK

In Clare

Restaurant area guide FOOD AWARDSSHANNON SPRINGS IN FOCUSLOCAL VEGAN EATS

Our Food and Drink area If you’re heading East, West, South or dining out in Ennis, here are our top picks of gastromonic treats that are on offer in Clare COUNTY Clare is renowned for punching above its weight when it comes to dining out. When it comes to pub and restaurant awards, Clare generally comes out on top as was displayed in the results of last week’s Irish Restaurant Awards, where no less than 15 awards went to local establishments. In this week’s Clare Echo we are taking a closer look at some of the restaurants and pubs that took home awards, along with others that display excellence in their field and are loved by local diners.

WEST CLARE

Amici, Moore Street, Kilrush

With soft, golden lighting and classic yet contemporary décor, Amici (pictured left) gives off a cosmopolitan vibe that you would find in any European capital. Amici’s offers stunning authentic Italian cuisine and the menu is updated regularly to reflect seasonal. Call them on (065)

905 2641 to book a table.

Tubridy’s, Main Street, Doonbeg

Tubridy’s Bar & Restaurant is a family run business for many generations in Doonbeg Co. Clare.Tommy and his team of highly trained staff will serve you some of the tastiest food to be found in West Clare. They are now back open on weekends for the month of April. Call (065) 905 5041 for enquiries.

Fanny O’Dea’s, Kilrush Road, Lissycasey Famous for their egg flips super tasty parsley sauce, Fanny O’Dea’s thatched roof gives that old world, traditional feel and their homely pub grub is second to none. Head there on a Sunday afternoon for some top notch lunch. Call (065) 683 4143 for more information.

EAST

Carrygerry House Hotel, Shannon

Their award winning Conservatory Restaurant overlooking the Shannon and Fergus Estuary is a relaxed and charming place to dine. They use only the finest and freshest local produce, with a large emphasis on organic and artisan growers and producers while always respecting the season. Call (061) 360500 for bookings.

Pipers Inn, Ballyheefy, Killaloe

After extensive renovation and refurbishment, The Pipers Inn was re-launched in September 2012. It is now a family run business providing a modern, yet cosy restaurant, a bar with a snug area and a Private Function Room catering for all your needs. Call 061 374717.

Shannon Springs Ballycasey

The Old Lodge Gastro Pub is the epitome of the traditional Irish bar both in decor and ambience and is a very popular Shannon pub for both guests and locals

guide for the best in Clare Keyaki, The Square, Ennis

alike. It serves uniquely Irish style food with a modern twist. We support local and national Artisan suppliers. Call the Shannon Springs on (061) 364588.

Peppermill, Quin Road Business Park, Ennis

sions. Call (065) 689 1792 to book a table.

The Peppermill are open from 7am, 7 days a week serving breakfast, soup and sandwiches and delicious hot lunches throughout the day. We are recommended by top food guides including Taste of Ireland, and our breakfasts are famous. Call (065) 689 1010 for more information.

Bar,

Merchant’s

Lana, 16 O’Connell Street, Ennis

Enjoy the tastes of delicious food put together passionately by their team from Thailand, Indonesia, China and Malaya. Savory, delicious dishes have won the hearts of many local customers who come back regularly.

Square,

From a great breakfast through lunch to a superb evening meal The Market Bar in Ennis have a dish for you. They also cater for birthdays and special occasions. Why not enjoy a cocktail or two while you wait for your delicious meal? Call 065 6849935 to book a table.

Call them on 065 684 2888.

class fresh ingredients and the Peckish team are friendly, helpful and pleasant. They also have an incredible selection of desserts. Call (065) 684 3503 for more information.

Peckish, Merchant’s Square, Ennis

Peckish offers the ultimate in Vegan food. The quality of the food is superb with first

Merchants

The menu offers a creative and diverse selection for everyone. There are variety of fresh sashimi and nigiri for the sushi fanatics as well as those who prefer more traditional cooked food. It is a great place to enjoy lunch or dinner, or to celebrate special occa-

ENNIS

Market Ennis

Market,

Tulsi, Carmody St, Clonroad Beg

Tulsi is one of the best Indian restaurants in

County Clare. With their indisputable knowledge and experience about the traditional values of the country, they serve you a platter full of Indian delights and tantalizing food for an unforgettable dining experience. Give them a call on 065-6848060.

The Cloister, Abbey Street, Ennis

The Cloister (pictured) is known for ‘doing simple things exceptionally well’, providing great food and attentive service. They have previously won awards from Lucinda O’Sullivan and Georgina Campbell. They also won the Best ‘Free From’ award at the Irish Restaurant Awards recently. Call The Cloister on (065) 6868198.

15 awards for Clare eateries Irish Restaurant Awards success

LARE eateries absolutely cleaned up at the 10th annual Irish Restaurant Awards held in Cork recently. The regional winners were announced at an awards ceremony in the Radisson Blu, Little Island, Cork on Wednesday, March 21. No less than a massive haul of 15 awards were won by Clare establishments. Asian street food giants Lana, who have a branch in Ennis, came home with the Best World Cuisine. At Lana, enjoy the tastes of delicious food put together passionately by their team from Thailand, Indonesia, China and Malaya. Savory, delicious dishes have won the hearts of many local customers who come back regularly. The Cloister Bar and Restaurant, based on Abbey Street in Ennis won the Best ‘Free From’ award. The Cloister are known for ‘doing simple things exceptionally well’, providing great food and attentive service. They have previously won awards from

Lucinda O’Sullivan and Georgina Campbell. Luxurious five star resort Dromoland Castle also did extremely well, winning Best Wine Experience, with Best Restaurant Manager going to the Dromoland’s Tony Frisby. The spectacular Wild Honey Inn scooped three awards, including Best Restaurant, Best Chef (Aidan McGrath) and Best Emerging Irish Cuisine. Other awards won by Clare establishments include Best Casual Dining won by Linnane’s Lobster Bar, Best Kids Size Me won by the Lakeside Hotel, Pub of the Year won by The Roadside Tavern, Best Café won by Elizabeth Jane Coffee House, Best Customer Service won by Noel’s at The Manor, Best Gastro Pub won by Vaughan’s Anchor Inn and Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant won by Moy House. The national finals will be held in The Clayton Hotel, Dublin in May.

First Date? 1 2 3 4 5

Here’s our list of how to behave

Be careful what you order. Don’t order the ribs. It WILL be messy, and you WILL look like a disgrace. Also, steer clear of the garlic bread and the onions if you’re hoping to get a smooch at the end of the night. For the love of God, put away your phone. Who cares what the score is, or what your mates are getting up to. Pay attention to the person sitting in front of you. Everything else can wait. Everyone has an opinion on this one, but if the guy offers to pay for the meal, don’t make too much of a fuss. If you fancy them, you could always suggest buying them a drink after the meal to say thanks. Don’t flirt with the waiter. This kind of goes without saying, but the waiter generally won’t appreciate it and neither will your date. Make sure you are giving your companion your undivided attention. Table manners can tell a lot about a person. Don’t tuck your napkin into your t-shirt, don’t lick the knife and wait until your date has their food in front of them before you begin to eat. Keep your elbows off

the table and offer to pour their water. It’s equally important to be relaxed, though. Don’t be afraid to lean back a little in your chair, rather than sitting up poker straight. This will help cool your nerves and take in what your date has to say. If you are drinking wine and decide to have a toast; look your date in the eye when you clink your glasses and while you take a drink. If there are sparks, this is when they will fly. Pace yourself. This applies to both the guys and the girls. If you are an Olympic speed eater, make a conscious effort to slow it down a bit. Guys, don’t order for the lady. Some will say it’s the polite thing to do, but it’s almost guaranteed to get under her skin, and not in a good way. Lastly, make sure you are on time. Just like an interview, first impressions count for a lot and your date will not be happy if you show up late. If it cannot be helped and you don’t have your date’s number, call the restaurant and ask them to apologise on your behalf.

6 7 8 9 10

Cuisine will put a Spring in your step A VISIT to the Shannon Springs Hotel is incomplete without sampling their wonderful cuisine and dining facilities. The Old Lodge Gastro Pub is the epitome of the traditional Irish bar both in decor and ambience and is a very popular Shannon pub for both guests and locals alike. Their dedicated kitchen team led by award winning head chef Anthony Walsh cooks every dish to order with great care and attention to detail. The bar is divided into three sections: Regularâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar with three large wide screen TVs is the ideal venue to enjoy all sporting occasions. Long Bar, the perfect meeting spot where you can savour a Costa Coffee, choose a bite to eat or simply enjoy the music and have a relaxing drink. The Pool Bar has two pool tables, a dart board and a juke box.

The Old Lodge Gastro pub serves gastro pub style food including delicious sandwiches, soup and dish of the day etc. from 12 noon to 9.30pm, Monday-Sunday. The Shannon Springs Hotel now serve Costa Coffee in the Old Lodge Gastro pub from 7.30am to 9pm daily. Choose the Shannon Springs Hotel for all your party needs including birthdays, Christenings, retirements, anniversaries, Communions and Confirmations. The team can cater to all of your needs including full sit down menus, buffet options, finger food packages and outdoor catering from just â&#x201A;Ź7.50 per person. The Shannon Springs has live entertainment every weekend. Call them today on 061 364047 or email info@ shannonspringshotel.com

l TOP CLASS: Shannon Springs Hotel (top left); the Old Lodge (above) and the delicious cuisine plated up (below)

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

SHANNON SPRINGS

FOOD & DRINK 23

Benefits of vegan Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been proven that there are many health benefits to ditching all animal-derived products from your diet VEGANS are frequently misunderstood as fringe eaters with an unnatural passion for animal rights. While many vegans do feel passionately about animals, a vegan diet and lifestyle go way beyond animal rights. Following a healthy, balanced vegan diet ensures a host of health benefits as well as prevention of some of the major diseases. All of the following nutritional benefits come from a vegan diet. 1. Reduced saturated fats. By reducing the amount of saturated fats from your diet, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll improve your heart health tremendously. 2. Fiber. A diet high in fiber (as vegan eating usually is) leads to healthier bowel movements. 3. Potassium. Potassium stimulates the kidneys to eliminate toxins. Diets high in potassium have shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. 4. Antioxidants. For protection against cell damage, antioxidants are one of the best ways to help your body. 5. Vitamin C. Besides boosting your

immune system, Vitamin C also helps keep your gums healthy and helps your bruises heal faster. EATING a healthy vegan diet has shown to prevent a number of diseases. Find out from the list below

what you could potentially avoid just by switching to a balanced vegan diet. 1. Cardiovascular disease. Eating nuts and whole grains, while elimi-

nating dairy products and meat, will improve your cardiovascular health. A British study indicates that a vegan diet reduces the risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. 2. Cholesterol. Eliminate food that comes from an animal and you will eliminate all dietary cholesterol from your diet. 3. Blood pressure. A diet rich in whole grains is beneficial to lowering high blood pressure. IN ADDITION to good nutrition and disease prevention, eating vegan also provides many physical benefits. 1. Weight loss. A healthy weight loss is a typical result of a smart vegan diet. Eating vegan eliminates most of the unhealthy foods that tend to cause weight issues. 2. Healthy skin. The nuts and vitamins A and E from vegetables play a big role in healthy skin, so vegans will usually have good skin health. 3. Energy. When following a healthy vegan diet, you will find your energy is much higher.

Keyaki an experience not to be forgetten... Keyaki Japanese Restaurant in Ennis Clare is more than a sushi restaurant, it is an experience. The authentic Japanese dĂŠcor includes sunken areas and wooden benches to give that oriental feel, not to mention the beautiful, sprawling cherry blossom. Keyaki care about their customers and their endless pursuit of freshness and quality ingredients is the number one priority and can be seen in their dishes. The menu offers a creative and diverse selection for everyone. There are variety of fresh sashimi and nigiri for the sushi fanatics as well as those who prefer more traditional cooked food. Enjoy a bento box, (kind of like a selection box for Japanese food), or share a Jo Moriawase with your nearest and dearest. It is a great place to enjoy lunch or dinner, or to celebrate special occasions. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy a five star quality meal and service at a reasonable price. Alternatively, why not sample the delights of Keyaki at home? Order from their take away menu and enjoy something different from the norm in the comfort of your own home. Give them a call on (065) 689 1792 to find out more.

Lana still taking Ennis by storm O’Connell Street restaurant was first on the Asian street food scene

ASIAN street food has exploded on to the market over the last few years. Lana was the first on the scene in Ennis and its popularity has stood the test of time. Go in there any evening and the O’Connell Street venue will be buzzing with the exciting aromas of Asian street cuisine. Enjoy the tastes of delicious food put together passionately by their team from Thailand, Indonesia, China and Malaya. Savoury, delicious dishes has won the hearts of many local customers who come back regularly and frequently. Lana’s authentic Asian street food is brought to you at reasonable prices in a fresh, vibrant and bold atmosphere. Lana has proven so popular, their restaurants have sprung up all over Limerick, Galway, Kerry and Offaly. Lana treasure the art of our street food and are sure it will warm your heart and taste buds. So close your eyes, listen, in-hale the smells of Asia and most importantly: taste them. There are also a great variety of condiments available, and these are all blended to create exotic tastes and flavours. The Thai language has a much greater variety of words to identify tastes and flavours than English, but you need not know the words to enjoy the tastes and the food. The staff at Lana will cook your meal the way you like best, so be sure to let them know if you would prefer to have a mild, medium, hot or very hot dish. Call them on 065 684 2888.

l HIGHLY POPULAR: Lana Asian Street Cuisine in Ennis is a family friendly restaurant with a thriving trade all week long

Property

Beautiful homes all over the County UNLOCK YOUR DREAM

SEASIDE STUNNER

SOUGHT AFTER SUBURB

22 AN CREAGH, LAHINCH

2 DUN GLEANNA, KILDYSART

€249,000

OPEN VIEWING: FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2018 – 11:00AM TO 11:30AM

ETACHED well maintained detached home located on the edge of the seaside resort of Lahinch in turn key condition. The development has a mix of permanent residence and holiday home residence and would be ideal for

either. Viewing is strictly by prior appointment with Sole Selling Agents. PSL No. 002295 Contact: Cormac O’Sullivan, DNG O’Sullivan Hurley Tel: 065 - 6840200 Partner Director

€159,950

OPEN VIEWING: TUESDAY APRIL 3RD - 5:30PM TO 6:00PM

OCATED in a small cul-de sac development of just seven homes, this is a must view home to fully appreciate the bright spacious and well proportioned living accommodation on offer throughout, accommodation normally reserved for a more substantial detached family home. The vast open entrance hall gives access to an equally spacious main reception and stunning open plan kitchen/dining featuring solid walnut units, which gives further access to the separate utility and downstairs WC,. To the first floor are three double bedrooms ( master bedroom featuring En-suite) and main bathroom. Top quality fixtures and fittings, extensive timber flooring, tiling, solid fuel stove are all features worth mentioning. To the outside the tarmacadam drive provides ample car parking and leads to the gated side access which further leads to the rear gardens which boasts extended countryside views and for additional storage is a garden shed. There are many reasons why Dun Gleanna is one of the more sought after developments in Kildysart, located immediately opposite Kildysart National School,

within walking distance of Kildysart Secondary School and with all amenities just a short stroll, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a home finished to a high specification conveniently located in a exclusive cul-de sac development. Viewing is strictly by prior appointment with sole selling agents. PSL No. 002295 Contact: Cormac O’Sullivan, DNG O’Sullivan Hurley Tel: 065 - 6840200 Partner Director

Ideal family home POPULAR LOCATION OPEN VIEWING: SATURDAY, MARCH 31ST: 11AM TO 11.30AM SATURDAY, APRIL 7TH: 11:00AM TO 11:30AM 18 GLENINA, GORT ROAD, ENNIS, CO CLARE, V95 DXW3 € 189,000 LAHAKNOCK, KILMALEY, ENNIS, CO CLARE, V95 H2CC

€169,000

OPEN VIEWING: SATURDAY, MARCH 31ST: 1.15PM TO 1.45PM

FINE 4 bedroom detached residence located 1 mile (1.6km) approx. from the village of Kilmaley just off the main Kilmaley-Miltown Malbay road

(R474). Accommodation is spacious and well laid out comprising an entrance hall, living room, kitchen, dining area, utility room, WC, bathroom and 4 bedrooms (one of which has an en-suite). The front garden is in lawn and wraps

around the house to the rear. There is a gravel wraparound driveway to the front, side and rear. Mature hedging to the side of the site provides great privacy. Ideal family home, viewing is highly recommended. Total Area 122sq.m (1,312sq.ft) approx. BER D1. BER Number 110866456 Contact: Tiernan O’Malley, Sherry FitzGerald McMahon Tel: 065 686 7866

HIS charming four bedroomed semi-detached property is situated in Glenina, a popular development within walking distance of schools, shops and Ennis town centre. The accommodation is bright and spacious with well proportional rooms throughout. The ground floor comprises an entrance hall, downstairs bedroom with en-suite, living room, sitting room and an open-plan kitchen/dining area. On the first floor there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. Externally the front and back gardens are mainly in lawn and require very little maintenance, there is a driveway to the front and

a footpath to the side of the house leading to the back garden. Viewing of this fine property is highly recommended. 115 sq.m (1,237 sq.ft) approx. BER No. 102956752

Contact: Tiernan O’Malley, Sherry FitzGerald McMahon Tel: 065 686 7866

Motoring MOTORING EXPERT NEIL BRISCOE GIVES HIS VIEWS

GORGEOUS GIULIA Giulia is good looking, well made and extremely good to drive

ROAD TEST: ALFA ROMEO GIULIA

DIDN’T quite trust myself with my first test drive of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, mostly on the same basis that you can’t trust a small child’s verdict of whether or not a cookie tastes good. Of course it tastes good, and better than 99 per cent of other foodstuffs, simply because it is a cookie. For me, an Alfa Romeo is roughly the same thing — something that I enjoy and appreciate even when it’s a bad one. The Giulia though is rapidly emerging as not bad at all, and I’m starting to trust my senses on it more and more. Yes, some of the cabin quality is less than perfect (and the awful click-wheel that controls the infotainment system is, particularly, horrid) but on the whole, the Giulia is good looking, well made, extremely good to drive and far closer in real terms to the German competition than most would care to admit. The real secret to unlocking the Giulia’s appeal is to ditch diesel. Having sampled the 180hp 2.2-litre diesel engine, it proves itself a touch to noisy, not half fast enough and not really economical enough either. Pick a Giulia that sups from the green pump though, and you have quite a different beast. There are three petrol versions of the Giulia, and we’ll come to the most enervating one in a moment. For mere mortals, there is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged version, with 200hp, prices for which start at a reasonable €40,395. (You can get a lovely Veloce version with 280hp, but it’s a touch pricey and rather thirsty, so we’re going to ignore it here.) Is the regular 2.0-litre worth of consideration ahead of the default diesel? It would seem so — Alfa Ireland tells us that around 60 per cent of buying inquiries so far have been about the petrol not the diesel, which just possibly suggests that there is a large cohort of 156 owners who’ve never moved past their Twin Sparks. In that sense, fashion has come around to meet them, and the Giulia is now available with a petrol engine that easily brushes its diesel brethren aside.

It’s quiet for a start, far more refined than the too-gravelly diesel, aside from an occasional hint of turbo whistle at low-to-medium speeds. As with all Giulia models, it drives the rear wheels through an eightspeed automatic gearbox, and you can take manual control via two gorgeous aluminium gearshift paddles nestling behind the steering wheel. The are as good to use as they are to look at, and they are good looking enough to be worn as jewellery. Driven with enthusiasm, the Giulia responds beautifully. The steering is very quick, and if you’ve stepped straight from a diesel model into this petrol version then you’ll notice how much lighter and faster the steering feels and the nose moves. While the suspension can be a touch noisy over truly poor surfaces, the Giulia rides well, and keeps its body pleasingly level at almost all times, so it never feels flustered even when the roads become truly challenging. It’s delightful, and if anyone tries to tell you that a BMW 3 Series is meaningfully better to drive, they’re wrong. Our version had adaptive dampers which could be left in ‘Soft’ mode when the rest of the car was in sporty ‘Dynamic’ mode, which proved a near-perfect combination on Irish roads. The turbo engine is a delight — full of thrust and vigour, as all Italian engines should be, but smooth with it. Perhaps a touch too smooth — a little more exhaust crackle or intake growl would have been some icing on the cake, but emissions and economy are not at all bad. Band B2 for tax and we saw between 35 and 40mpg on our relatively brief test, which bodes well. As with other Giulias, it was also comfortable and well-appointed inside, made of mostly good quality materials, and with Alfa’s introductory pricing offer, you can get a top-sped Super Sport or Super Lux model for €42,566 which seems more than reasonable. A little less reasonable, at €99,945, is the Giulia Quadrifoglio, but as an expression of just what a car the Giulia can be, it’s pretty emphatic. Apparently, Ferrari doesn’t like it if you refer to the QF’s 2.9-litre turbo V6 engine as three-quarters of a 488’s V8 turbo, but the engines do bear certain mechanical similarities, and the V6 will be used by Ferrari in a forthcoming base model, a tribute to the classic Dino. So you can, with a certain amount of straight face, say that your new Alfa has a Ferrari engine, no matter how many furrowed brows that may cause down Maranello way.

Firing 510hp at the rear wheels (through the same eight-speed auto) means that the Giulia is 80hp ahead of the benchmark hot saloon, the 431hp BMW M3. The Giulia is around 20kg heavier, it’s true, but 80hp overcomes a lot of mass, so the Alfa’s still head. It’s way ahead on noise too. All that crackle and pop missing from the 2.0-litre turbo has clearly been saved for the range-topper. The noise that the QF emits when you pull the upchange paddle to go from second to third is just astonishing — a sound like the rippling gunfire of massed ranks of Napoleonic infantry, and damn near as dangerous. After all, shoving all that grunt (and 600Nm of torque) through the rear wheels takes a a bit of a stubborn attitude when it comes to the laws of physics… But the Giulia Quadrifoglio proves equal to the tasks of its own setting. The mountain roads of Wicklow may be a poor substitute for the high Alpine passes of northern Italy, but the Giulia didn’t seem to mind — it crackled and sang its merry way up and back down again. The steering, good on the standard car, is surpassingly brilliant here, allowing you to trim your line with ease and precision, and the balance of the chassis is just brilliant. Even in maximum attack mode, it’s pliant enough to not be deflected much by bumps, but tied down sufficiently to be confidence inspiring through fast corners. We did have a small dabble in track-friendly ‘Race’ mode but as this disables the stability control, it’s not advisable for the public road. Suffice to say that it will easily smoke its tyres from a

FACTS & FIGURES: Model tested: Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0i Turbo Super Sport Pricing: €43,845 Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo Transmission: eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive Body style: sports saloon CO2 emissions: 138g/km (Band B2, €280 per year) Combined economy: 47mpg (6.0 litres/100km) Top speed: 227km/h 0-100km/h: 6.8 seconds Power: 200hp at 5,000rpm Torque: 330Nm at 1,750rpm Boot: 480-litres EuroNCAP rating: five-stars; 98 per cent adult; 81 per cent child; 69 per cent pedestrian; 60 per cent safety assist

standing start, but that the long wheelbase means it is progressive and controllable when the limit of adhesion is reached, then breached. With diesel dying a public death, perhaps it’s just the right time for the return of Italian petrol power. And with the Quadrifoglio, Alfa shows the signs of being a company just getting back into its stride.

MOTORING 29

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

300 USED CARS - 36 MONTHS WARRANTY - 0% FINANCE Damien 0872368841 Ronan 0979031373 Eoin 0852892222 www.alhayesmotors.com Michael 0877540519 065 682 2400

AL HAYES MOTORS CONTACT

171, VW, Golf Lounge, 1.6TDI, Red, 20427mls, €22,800

171, VW, Passat Highline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 15000kms, €27,500

171, Skoda, Octavia Ambition, 1.6TDI, Gold, 10000mls, €22,500

10, Toyota, Corolla Terra, 1.4 Diesel, Silver, 60000mls, €7,950

162, Skoda, Octavia Sports, 1.6TDI, Blue, 20000mls, €20,000

161, VW, Golf Trendline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 41000mls, €17,500

161, VW, Caddy Trend, 2.0TDI, Grey, 67000mls, €15,500

161, Skoda, Octavia Style, 1.6TDI, Blue, 42000mls, €18,500

161, Skoda, Yeti Outdoor, 2.0TDI, Red, 40000mls, €20,500

161, Skoda, Octavia Style, 1.6TDI, Brown, 22000mls, €21,000

10, Ford, Focus Style, 1.6TDI, Gold, 93000mls, €6,500

161, Skoda, Fabia Combi Ambition, 1.2 Petrol, Blue, 20000mls, €12,500

131, Skoda, Octavia Estate, Exclusive, 1.6TDI, Silver, 63000mls, €14,000

161, VW, Passat Highline, 1.6TDI, White, 44000mls, €23,000

151, VW, Passat Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Blue, 67000mls, €17,500

151, VW, Golf Sports, 1.6TDI, Red, 70000mls, €15,000

151, Skoda, Octavia Elegance, 1.6TDI, Black, 20000mls, €17,500

151, Skoda, Superb Ambition, 2.0TDI Grey, 58000mls, €20,000

151, Skoda, Yeti Outdoor, 2.0TDI Green, 50000mls, €17,500

151, VW, Jetta Comfortline, 2.0TDI Black, 55000mls, €15,950

151, Skoda, Octavia Elegance, 1.6TDI Blue, 40000mls, €16,500

142, VW, Jetta Trend, 1.6TDI, Gold, 70000mls, €12,000

142, VW, Beetle Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 49000kms, €17,450

141, VW, Scirocco R-line, 2.0TDI, White, 73000mls, €18,950

141, VW, Golf Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Blue, 30000mls, €15,500

141, VW, Passat Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Red, 84000mls, €15,500

141, Nissan, Qashqai Ambiente, 1.5 Diesel, Brown, 66000mls, €16,500

141, Skoda, Octavia Ambition, 1.6TDI Wine, 70000mls, €13,500

132, VW, Jetta Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 62000kms, €13,500

132, Ford, C-Max Active, 1.6TDI, Brown, 80000mls, €10,000

131, VW, Polo Cross, 1.2TDI, Red, 49000mls, €12,500

12, Skoda, Fabia Elegance, 1.2TSI, Silver, 48000mls, €7,950

12, VW, Golf Trendline, 1.6TDI, Black, 75000mls, €10,500

12, VW, Polo Trend, 1.2 Petrol, Grey, 36000mls, €8,500

12, Skoda, Superb Elegance, 1.6TDI, Grey, 100000mls, €11,500

12, VW, Passat Comfortline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 65000mls, €10,950

11, Skoda, Superb Elegance, 1.6TDI, Black, 108000mls, €11,500

11, BMW, 5 Series Highline, 2.0TDI, Beige, 132000mls, €13,500

11, VW, Golf Highline, 1.6TDI, Silver, 109000mls, €10,500

11, Peugeot, 508 Active, 1.6TDI, Blue, 70000mls, €8,000

30 MOTORING

YEAR 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

MASSIVE EASTER USED

MAKE HONDA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD NISSAN FORD FORD FORD FORD MERCEDES-BENZ FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD TOYOTA FORD FORD HONDA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD KIA FORD CITROEN HYUNDAI FORD HONDA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD HYUNDAI FORD TOYOTA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD OPEL FORD FORD FORD VOLKSWAGEN

MODEL JAZZ FOCUS FIESTA FIESTA FIESTA FOCUS FIESTA ECOSPORT FOCUS FOCUS FIESTA FOCUS NV 400 FIESTA C-MAX FOCUS FOCUS E-CLASS FIESTA FIESTA KA FOCUS MONDEO FIESTA KUGA AURIS FOCUS FIESTA CIVIC MONDEO KUGA KUGA FOCUS KUGA FOCUS RIO MONDEO C4 GRAND PICASSO I40 FIESTA CIVIC FIESTA MONDEO MONDEO FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS I40 FIESTA COROLLA FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS FIESTA FOCUS MONDEO FOCUS FIESTA C-MAX ASTRA FOCUS FIESTA TRANSIT CONNECT JETTA

VARIENT 1.3 I VTEC 5DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.25 60PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.25 60PS 5DR ZETEC 1.5TD 95PS 4DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.5TDCI 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.25 60PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.5TD 95PS 4DR 2.3 FWD 125PS LWB ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR ZETEC 1.5TD 95PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.5TD 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR 220 BLUETEC SE 4DR AUTO TITANIUM 1.5 D 75PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.5 D 75PS 5DR EDGE 1.2 69PS 3DR TITANIUM 1.5TD 120PS 4DR ZETEC 1.5TDCI 120PS 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TD 120PS 5DR 1.4 D-4D TERRA 4DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR ZETEC ARGENTO 1.25 60PS 3DR 1.4 I VTEC SPORT 5DR TITANIUM 1.5TD 120PS 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TD 120PS 5DR ZETEC 2.0TD 120PS 5DR ZETEC 1.5TD 95PS 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TD 120PS 5DR STYLE 1.5TD 95PS 5DR EX 1.5 D 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 115PS 5DR 1.6HDI 120PS S+S EXCLUSIVE 1.7 D EXECUTIVE 4DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR TOURER 1.6 I-DTEC EXECUTIVE 5DR TITANIUM 1.0 100PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 115PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 115PS 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TDCI 150PS POWERSHIFT 1.7 D EXECUTIVE PLUS 4DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR 1.4 D-4D TERRA 4DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR TITANIUM 1.0 65PS 5DR 1.6TDCI 95PS VAN 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TDCI 150PS 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR 1.6 CDTI 110PS 4DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR SWB 1.6TDCI 75PS TREND 3DR HL 2.0TDI 110HP 4DR

FREE 12 MONTHS ROAD TAX 12 MONTHS AA ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE FREE SERVICE, VALET & WARRANTY WITH ALL CARS UP TO 6 YEARS OLD

COLOUR WHITE BLUE SILVER BLACK BLACK BLUE RED SILVER WHITE BLACK RED BLUE SILVER BLACK BLUE GREY SILVER SILVER SILVER SILVER BLACK SILVER SILVER BLUE SILVER GOLD RED BLUE GOLD BLACK BLUE GREY BLACK BLACK BROWN SILVER BROWN GREY BLUE SILVER SILVER BLUE BROWN SILVER SILVER WHITE GREY BLACK GREY BLACK RED SILVER WHITE SILVER BLUE SILVER RED GREY BLACK BROWN GREY SILVER WHITE BLUE SILVER

MOTORING 31

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

OPEN GOOD FRIDAY 10AM-4PM, SATURDAY 10AM-4PM

CAR SALE THIS WEEKEND YEAR 2015 2015 2015 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 2007

MAKE FORD FORD FORD FORD VOLKSWAGEN FORD FORD NISSAN HONDA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD VOLKSWAGEN MAZDA FORD FORD RENAULT FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD VOLKSWAGEN NISSAN FORD NISSAN NISSAN MAZDA FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD NISSAN FORD FORD FORD FORD HYUNDAI FORD FORD FORD VOLVO HYUNDAI FORD FORD PEUGEOT VOLKSWAGEN RENAULT VOLKSWAGEN FORD PEUGEOT FORD VOLKSWAGEN FORD FORD FORD FORD FORD TOYOTA FORD FORD

CONTACT OUR SALES DEPARTMENT

MODEL FOCUS KUGA FOCUS C-MAX POLO FIESTA FOCUS NOTE JAZZ FIESTA FIESTA MONDEO FOCUS FOCUS JETTA MAZDA 6 KA FOCUS MASTER FIESTA B-MAX FOCUS FOCUS TRANSIT CONNECT FOCUS MONDEO GOLF QASHQAI FOCUS QASHQAI QASHQAI MAZDA 2 C-MAX GALAXY FOCUS C-MAX MONDEO S-MAX FOCUS NOTE FOCUS FOCUS FIESTA FIESTA SANTA FÉ FIESTA FOCUS S-MAX S40 I30 FOCUS FOCUS 308 POLO MEGANE POLO FOCUS 308 KUGA JETTA FOCUS KUGA FOCUS C-MAX C-MAX MONDEO AVENSIS S-MAX FOCUS

EDDIE RYNNE 086-2712210

VARIENT ZETEC 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 2.0TD 120PS 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR COMFORTLINE 1.4TDI 75HP 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR MY EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 4DR 1.5 EX 5DR DSL 1.2 I VTEC SE 5DR ZETEC 1.5 75PS 5DR ZETEC 1.25 60PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDCI 115PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR HL 1.6TDI 105HP 4DR SPORT EXECUTIVE 2.2 D 4DR EDGE 1.2 69PS 3DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR III FWD 2.3 125PS COMFORT ZETEC 1.0 65PS 5DR 1.5TDCI 75PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR EDITION 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR 2.2 125PS KOMBI 9 SEATER ZETEC 1.6TDCI 1113BHP 5DR TITANIUM 2.0TDCI 140PS 4DR TL 1.6TDI 105HP 5DR 1.6 DSL XE 5DR EDGE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR 1.5 DSL XE 5DR QASHQAI+2 1.5DSL SVE 5DR 1.3 75PS COMFORT ACTIVE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 2.0 TDC 140 PS AUTO EDGE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ACTIVE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6TDC 115PS 4DR 2.0TDCI TITANIUM 138BHP 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR 1.4 SPORT 5DR TITANIUM 1.6 125 BHP 5DR TITANIUM 1.6TDCI 96PS 5DR STYLE 1.4 DSL 68PS 5DR STYLE 1.25 60 PS 5DR 2.2 D 4WD COMMERICAL STYLE 1.25 82PS 5DR STYLE 2.0TDCI 110PS AUTO 2.0TDCI TITANIUM 138BHP 5DR 1.6 D D2 R-DESIGN 4DR PREMIUM 1.6CRDI 5DR STYLE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR STYLE 1.6 100PS ESTATE AUTO S 1.4 5DR UNITED 1.2 70BHP 5DR 1.5 DCI 85PS MONACO COUPE 3DR SPORT 1.2 70 BHP 5DR TITANIUM 1.8TDCI 113BHP 3DR S 1.4 5DR ZETEC 2.0TDCI 136PS 4X4 COMFORT 1.6 102 BHP ZETEC 1.6TDCI 109BHP 5DR ZETEC 2.0TDCI 136PS 4X4 ACTIVE 1.6TDCI 95PS 5DR LX 1.6 100PS 5DR ZETEC 1.6 5DR 2.0 RC D-4D LUNA 4DR ZETEC 1.8D 5DR NT GHIA 1.6 115PS

TONY ROCHE 086-8342649

SAVIN OF UP GS €5,00 TO 0 COLOUR BLUE WHITE BLUE BLUE GREY RED BROWN BLACK SILVER BLUE GREY SILVER BLUE BLACK GREY SILVER RED SILVER WHITE BLACK BLACK GREY WHITE SILVER BLACK SILVER BLACK BROWN SILVER SILVER SILVER BLUE BROWN SILVER SILVER GREY GREY BLUE SILVER BLUE SILVER BLACK BLACK SILVER SILVER SILVER SILVER GREY BLACK SILVER SILVER RED BLUE RED BLACK SILVER SILVER BLUE GREY RED BLACK BLACK BLACK RED SILVER GREY RED SILVER

JAMES HEHIR 086-1727844

32 MOTORING

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

Motoring News

Kids come up with plan to harvest rain water to top up windscreen washers

T’S an idea that could one day help save billions of litres of water. Instead of simply wiping raindrops off our car windscreens, why not collect and reuse the water via the washer jets? Brother and sister Daniel and Lara Krohn were travelling in the family car last summer when the heavens opened. But when their dad Gerd, who was driving, tried to clear away the smears, the reservoir was empty – and the windscreen just got dirtier and dirtier. The two clever kids’ idea to capture the raindrops and reuse them won first prize in a local science competition and has now been developed for a full-sized test car. “It was a downpour. There was water everywhere – except in the windscreen wiper reservoir. My sister and I thought this was really funny and then the answer suddenly seemed obvious. Simply reuse the rainwater,” said 11-year-old Daniel, from Jülich, in Germany. “We couldn’t believe that no-one had

thought of it before,” added 9-year-old Lara. “To try it out, we took apart our toy fire engine and fixed the pump to a model car inside an aquarium. Then we added a filtering system to ensure the water was clean. It just worked really well.” Engineers at Ford who heard about the idea were so intrigued that they offered to install a full‑sized device into a Ford S-MAX test car. To collect the water, rubber pipes connected the bottom of the windscreen to the reservoir. “Daniel and Lara’s idea has been staring drivers in the face for decades – and it has taken one moment of ingenuity to bring it to life. In less than five minutes of rainfall the washer reservoir is completely full,” said Theo Geuecke, supervisor, Body Exterior Hardware, Ford of Europe. Water usage by vehicles is expected to increase as additional cameras and sensors also need to be kept clean. Ford engineers are already working on ways to capture water, via rain and condensation, including

a way of gathering moisture from the air and filtering it into drinking water. “What a brilliant idea! Innovations like these are essential to make the water we have go further. We will all need to change

our behaviour to waste less water, but we’ll also need clever new bits of kit like the one Daniel and Lara have designed,” said Nicci Russell, managing director, Waterwise.

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

MOTORING 33

Motoring News

Award-winning Van Fleet V

OLKSWAGEN Commercial Vehicles has claimed four titles at the Van Fleet World / Vans A2Z Van Awards 2018 for its products and services. The brand topped the board to be named overall Manufacturer of the Year in recognition of the work it does in combining class-leading products with a suite of tailored services to suit van fleets, small and large. The awards were judged by a panel of experts with the categories recognising innovative new products and services which cut costs, streamline operations and contribute to safer, more fuel-efficient fleets. The trophies were presented at an event held at Twickenham Stadium in London yesterday. Commenting on Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Manufacturer of the Year title, the judges said: ‘Whether it’s one or hundreds, running a van is a very different proposition to a passenger car. A van is a working tool, designed to fulfil a function. Not only has this year’s winner developed an award-winning range of product that spans the requirements of the majority of operators, it has also put in place an industry-leading specialist dealer and service network.’ Volkswagen’s trailblazing move last June to fit autonomous emergency braking systems as standard to all its vans led to it also taking home the Best Van Safety accolade. The judges said: ‘All too often, advances in vehicle safety are available as optional extras, only to be ignored by many buyers. By making autonomous emergency braking (AEB) standard on all of its new vans, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has ensured that all drivers benefit from what Thatcham Research calls ‘the most significant development in vehicle safety since the seat belt’. Not only does AEB have the potential to reduce the number and severity of accidents, it has also been proven to cut third party injury insurance claims by 45%.’ The brand also performed well in the vehicle awards, with the Caddy named Best Light Panel Van, the Transporter commended in the Best Medium Panel Van category, and the Crafter named Best Large Panel Van – an award shared with the new MAN TGE. Collecting the awards on behalf of the brand was James Allitt, Head of Planning and Supply

for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. He said: ‘I’m extremely proud of these awards. To be named Manufacturer of the Year by these publications proves that the effort we’ve put into developing our products and services is paying off. Our customers rely on us to work with them to find the right mobility solutions to keep their businesses moving forwards. Backed up by our dedicated network, we’ll continue to deliver on this promise.’ These accolades come on top of an already impressive winning streak from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Earlier this month its Caddy, Transporter kombi, Amarok and Crafter all claimed titles at the Business Van Awards, and last November at the Commercial Fleet awards, it won three van of the year categories for the Caddy, Transporter and all-new Crafter, as well as the coveted Van Fleet Manufacturer of the Year crown.

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Sport

Clare men flying high

l JOB DONE: Keelin Sexton celebrates his scoring of Clare’s second goal against Louth Photo by Martin Connolly

Comfortable defeat of Louth confirms Clare will remain in Division 2 for another season NFL Division 2 @ Cusack Park Clare 3-12 Louth 1-11

LARE face the prospect of a highly-competitive Division 2 next season after securing their league status with a comfortable defeat of wooden-spooners Louth. It looks likely that Division 2’s promoted sides, Roscommon and Cavan, will be replaced by Donegal and Kildare, while Fermanagh and Armagh have been promoted from Division 3. Clare, for their part, finished out their campaign in style and goals from Jamie Malone, Keelan Sexton and Kieran Malone helped seperate Clare from the men from the Wee County. Clare are now guaranteed to finish in either third or fourth place, depending on Tipperary’s result this weekend against Down.

Former Clare footballer and Clare Echo columnist Martin Daly said that what CLare have done this season has been “absolutely exceptional” while manager Colm Collins, speaking to Clare FM following the win over Louth, said that his team can’t rest on their laurels. “Overall you wouldn’t have been overjoyed with a lot of aspects ... but listen, we got the two points and that’s the main thing,” he said. Clare: Eamonn Tubridy; Cian O’Dea, Cillian Brennan, Aaron Fitzgerald; Sean Collins, Pearse Lillis, Sean O’Donoghue; Gary Brennan, Cathal O’Connor (001); Kieran Malone (1-02), Eoin Cleary (0-08, 0-06f) , Jamie Malone (1-00); Conor Finucane (0-01), Keelan Sexton (1-00), David Tubridy.

Goals sink Clare ladies

Minors still in contention

All Ireland Minor A Camogie Championsip Clare 0-14 Offaly 1-9 in Birr A SUPERIOR second half ensured a two point victory for Clare Minors against Offaly. While the hosts started stronger, Clare pegged them back and it was nip and tuck until the 50th minute when the Banner girls took the upper hand. From the throw in Offaly were on the attack, and Kate Kenny found the net for the midland side early on, however Bridin Dinan kept Clare in touch from the placed ball, and a strong finish to the half put Clare back on level terms, Clare 0-8 Offaly 1-5.

Offaly started the second half as they did the first, but with ten minutes remaining, Clare upped the ante. In the end it was a mixture of accurate free-taking from Conway and open play scoring from Robyn Conway made the difference, leaving Clare winners by two points Clare play host to Waterford next Saturday in their final Group game, with the winners joining the Premier county in the semi final stage.

Clare: Rachel Daly Scariff Ogonnelloe; Chloe Neylon Kilmaley, Roisin Minogue Bodyke, Michelle Mescall Inagh Kilnamona; Susan Daly Scariff

Ladies Football Division 2 Tyrone 6-09 Clare 2-09 in Omagh

l GREAT WIN: Becky Foley under pressure

Photo by Caroline O’Keefe

Ogonnelloe, Laoise Ryan Inagh Kilnamlona, Caoimhe Kelly Kilkishen; Caoimhe Carmody Kilmaley 0-1, Robyn Conway Feakle 0-4; Aoife Power Scariff Ogonnelloe, Becky Foley Truagh Clonlara 0-2, Lynda Daly

Scariff Ogonnelloe 0-1; Siobhan Lenihan Kilkishen, Shauna Canny Killanena, Bridin Dinan Tulla 0-6F Subs: Sinead Ryan Truagh Clonlara for Minogue, Greta Hickey Whitegate for Lenihan

IN GLORIOUS sunshine the girls from the Banner county were well beaten by a much more physical and experienced Tyrone squad. Clare were first on the scoreboard with 2 points from Niamh O’Dea. Tyrone were back on level terms with points in quick succession from Maria Canavan and Grainne Rafferty. Niamh O’Dea raised another white flag before dropping a free short deceiving the Tyrone keeper. The ball ended up in the back of the Tyrone net with a little help from Grainne Nolan. Tyrone hit back with a scoring flurry and lightning was to strike twice when Tyrone’s forwards were quick to react to rebounds punishing Clare with easy goals. They tacked on two

further points before the break leaving the half time score 2.06 to 1.04 in Tyrone’s favour. Clare made three changes at half time introducing Sarah Bohannon, Tara Kelly and Amanda Mulcair but within seconds of the throw in Tyrone raised their third green flag compliments of Chloe McCaffery. Tyrone were relentless and added on 2 goals and three points without reply from Clare. Tyrone scored their sixth goal finishing the game as a contest. Credit to the Clare Ladies, however, who finished strongly with four unanswered points, 2 each from Niamh O’Dea and Ailish Considine. CLARE SCORERS: Ailish Considine (0.04 1F), Grainne Nolan (1.01) (Banner), Niamh O’Dea (1.4 1F) (Banner).

SPORT 35

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

l CHAMPIONS: Ennis Club President Richard Murphy with Emily Murphy (15’s Captain) and Grace Colleran (18’s Captain)

RHYS IS RIDING HIGH

Photo by Helen McQuillan

Double glory for girls of Ennis Rugby Club

NNIS Rugby Club had plenty to shout about at the weekend as two of its underage girls sides brought home silverware in what is only their first season playing together. Ennis formed two underage girls teams this year, under the direction of coach Lorcan Hoynes, and weren’t long showing their credentials. The U15 Girls were first to bring home the Cup in a day of rugby at Crescent Comprehensive, Limerick, last weekend, where they defeated Tralee on a comfortable scoreline

of 55-17 to claim the U15 Munster Bowl Final. They were soon followed by the U18s team who won the U18 Munster Bowl Final after defeating Abbeyfeale in a ferocious final at the same venue. Having led at half-time by 10 points to 7, Ennis were still under pressure to the final whistle but the team showed great resolve to come out on the right end of a 13-12 scoreline. Meanwhile, the Ennis U15 Boys defeated Young Munster 29-3 to become North Munster Champions.

LOCAL GOLF RESULTS

ENNIS GOLF CLUB Gent’s Competition Saturday/Sunday 24th & 25th March 2018 18 Hole Rumble 1st David Considine(11), Senan Ryan(8), Cyril Corry(11), Kieran Ryan(20) 91pts 2nd Diarmuid O’Connor(7), John Byrne(13),Jim Griffin(15), Mark Geraghty(10) 89pts 3rd Alph Duggan(14), Willie Delaney(13), Conor Gleeson(18), David O’ Loughlin(18) 86pts Saturday Scramble 1st Della Burns, Steve Burns, M Dempsey & J Woods 73pts 2nd A Williams, J Kearse & M Irwin 72pts 3rd M. Moloney, W O’Brien & T Gallery 69pts

4th A. Keane, J Felle & P. Quinn 5th H. Harnett, N Pilkington & L Parks 6th C Verling, G Bredin & W Delaney 7th M Caveney, N Pyne & O O’Loughlin 8th E Corry, P Mockler & D Hanley 9th R O’Brien, L Pyne & J Shannon

UP-AND-COMING Clare showjumping star Rhys WIlliams (13) has been named as part of Ireland’s Fontainebleau Pony Nations Cup Team. The West Clare native will now compete in Fontainebleau, France on Saturday April 14, Horse Sport Ireland has announced. Rhys recently showed his potential with a storming performance in Florida where he jumped for Ireland’s medal-winning team in the Nations Cup U14 category, and will be hoping for further success in France where he will take the reins aboard Shadow’s Dancer. Pony Team Manager, Gary Marshall said; “This is a team that gained their positions through the Plusvital/Holmestead Pony Spring Tour 2018, it is a young team. For four of the five riders it will be their first time on a CSIOP team, it will be a great experience for them for the future and I am really looking forward to seeing how they perform.”

67pts 65pts 65pts 65pts 64pts 64pts

WOODSTOCK GC Result ; Spring League Round 4 17/18/19 March; Modified 4BBB 1. Ross Ó Diarmada(6) & Michael Griffin(22) 54pts 2. Joe Hurley(14) & Brian Kilker(15) 52 pts CSS N/A Spring League Round 5 Rumble 24 & 25 March 1. George Smith(5), Frank Tone(13) Ray Hallahan(16) &

Eugene Conroy(19) 92 pts CSS N/A Result Club Singles; 24 & 25 March 1. Ken Horgan(8) 39 pts(BOT) 2. Oisin Kennelly(15) 39 pts(BOT) 3. Niall Reynolds (11) 39 pts CSS N/A Upcoming Fixtures 30/31 Mar & 1/2 Apr Spring League Round 6 (3 cards) & Club Singles; Monday 2 April Open 3 person scramble

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38 CROSSWORD/HOROSCOPES

Your Horoscopes March 29 Taurus

Gemini

AFTER days of mulling things over, shuffling around the house in your jammies (ok, and maybe pouting, just a tad, too), you’re ready to stop this nonsense, get the show on the road and let those feelings out. You’ve kept quiet for long enough -- it’s what’s keeping you in hibernation, after all, if you admit it to yourself. It’s time to say what’s on your mind. Make the appropriate calls.

YOUR personal philosophy holds that the festivities, in general, shouldn’t be limited to just weekend evenings. Judging by the way you feel this morning, you probably proved that again last night, and a good time was had by all. Oh, well -not to worry. Keeping them hungry for more is the best way to handle an audience.

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

YOU’RE in the mood to stay home, but you also feel restless -- and you definitely won’t be turning in early. Sounds like an impromptu party at your place is simply your only option. It certainly would be the best of both worlds. Besides, isn’t there someone you’d like to get to know better -- someone you don’t feel comfortable being completely alone with just yet? A group situation would be the perfect icebreaker. Have the whole gang over for pizza.

ISN’T it time to ask for a day off? Sure it is. Talking your boss into it to won’t take much effort at all, so while you’ve got their ear, why not mention an item that’s been on your professional wish list for a while: The opportunity to work from home a couple of days a week. If that works out, you may be able to work that out permanently. Bet you can pull it off more quickly than you’d imagined.

YOU’RE thinking great big thoughts about great big issues -politics, religion, and education, for starters. When you’re in this kind of mood, you need to spend your time with kindred spirits -- people who share your feelings and opinions. If you can’t get the whole crew together at your place, you can at least make plans with them. Remember, though, that your sweetheart might like to hear all those ideas privately before you share them with the usual suspects.

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

idn't

H D

E L

R E

P 2

A D

I 4

T E

N O

D 12

D O

I G

Y 8

L o difficult - just also an ideal

L B

U L

O W

L S

I 5

C A

C 6

15 University trained nurse to be hesitant (6) 17 Fish accepting right channel (6) 19 Follow a story that's heard (4) 21 Commotion requiring action? (2-2)

DOWN 1 Instrument used by cardsharpers (4) 2 Girl seen by toff leaving Chernobyl (6) 3 Extremely lazy? Lie on bed for a change (4,4) 4 Being intransigent and shaking heads, demonstrating partiality (4) 15 University trained nurse to be hesitant (6) 17 Fish accepting right channel

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

21 Commotion requiring action? (2-2)

(6) 19 Follow a story that’s heard (4)

20 Name-dropping servant clumsily turns aside (6) 22 Improperly clad, artiste may be prudish (6-5)

ACROSS 7 The food of love? (11) 8 Small cleansing plant (6) 9 Unhealthy-looking tree (6) 10 A field that’s churned up didn’t succeed (6) 12 Something worth having, including new agreement (6) 13 Part of an ensemble Dvorak conducted (3) 14 Guy taking in the Spanish dupe (6) 16 Not set out but being tried out (2,4) 18 Pamper a group of senior officers? (6)

RIGHT in the middle of your personal renaissance, someone you love has called, in need of advice that apparently only you can give. Of course, it’s understandable. You’re as solid as a rock, and your advice is always grounded in reality. That wonderfully soothing voice you use to deliver it doesn’t hurt, either. You don’t need anyone to tell you to do what you can. It’s a given that you will. You may, however, need to be reminded to save a bit of energy for yourself.

15 University trained nurse to be dupe hesitant (6) 17 Fish accepting right channel out (6) 19 Follow a story that's heard (4) 21 Commotion requiring action? (2-2)

The Clare Echo Crossword

Pisces

ay be

YOUR recent interest in beautifying your home isn’t coincidental. You’ve made some new friends, one of whom you find especially interesting. Whether you’ve admitted it to yourself or not, all that puttering around means you’re preparing to have them over, and you want to make a good impression. Now that it’s been said right out loud, you can devote yourself to the project in earnest, and start thinking of irresistibly interesting ways to phrase the invitation.

WITH your emotions running as high as they are right now, pushing your buttons will be a lot easier than it usually is. Fortunately, anyone new at work who tries to get one over on you will have the steadfast loyalty of your colleagues to contend with, and since you’ve always thought of them as family, you can promptly expect the play-by-play report of exactly what was said, in which location and in which tone.

for a

EVER since you declared yourself ‘off duty’ from being responsible for others, it’s been eerily quiet around your place. The good news is that you’re starting to relax. Now how about taking it a step further and planning some actual recreation? This stands every chance of being a great day, but only if you decide to make it happen. Call the one person you’re sure will be happy to work tirelessly on that project with you.

YOU’VE had quite the week, chock full of astronomically wonderful highs and subterranean lows -- and that’s just not like you. If anything, you make a habit of being an emotional rock and never letting anything as trivial as a passing feeling come between you and your objectives. So now that your emotions are actually surfacing, you’re having quite the time getting used to them.

ing y (4)

IN YOUR book -- at the moment, anyway -- nothing exceeds like excess. At the moment, it’s the department of relationships where this trait will emerge. If you’re already involved, lavish extravagance can be quite flattering -- whether you’re giving or receiving. If you’re not attached, don’t endanger a friendship or a new relationship by pushing the envelope too far too fast. Force yourself to settle for flowers, not jewelry.

1/2

Aries

YOU’RE in the mood to hibernate, big time -- which is quite unusual for you. In fact, it has you worried. Could a permanent change in your personality be coming on? Of course not. Soon, you’ll be yourself again -- in the mood to wear something red and revealing, and eager to make up for lost time. In fact, expect to be burning the candle at both ends again, as usual, in just a day or so.

cult - just n ideal

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

QUIZ 39

THURSDAY, MAR 29 2018

The Clare Echo Quiz

TRUE OR FALSE 1

Loop Head Peninsula is the furthest point west on the Clare coastline. True or False? Glor won “IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Award, Munster Winner 2012”. True or False?

opened in 1990. 3“Glor” True or False? will be the 59th year of the 4This Willie Clancy festival in Miltown.

True or False? The Micho Russel festival in Doolin is held every June. True or False? Co. Clare is a “Best Place to go” in 2018. True or False? Scattery Island is located off the coast of Kilkee. True or False? The Cliffs of Moher stretch 400 feet over the Atlantic Coast. True or False? Bunratty Castle & Folk Park dates back to 1424. True or False? Carrigaholt is home to Europe’s largest group of bottlenose dolphins. True or False?

5 6 7

10 lCASTLE: Question 9. Bunratty was built in 1424. True or False?

ANSWERS 6.True 7.False- Kilrush 8.False-700 feet 9.True 10.True

l DOOLIN: Question 5. The Micho Russell festival is held in June. True or False?

1.True 2.True 3.False- 2001 4.False- 46th year 5.False- Februrary

GRAND STRETCH IN THE EVENINGS

A beautiful sunset in Cappa, Kilrush Photo by Elaine Tubridy

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