WE’VE all heard of ducks flying south for the winter, but flying to Clare is just ‘quackers’. These little birds were welcomed to Shannon Airport this week as they prepared to take part in a duck race at the annual Ennis Street Festival.  

A RATHER unfortunate row between town councillors and the local twinning association was resolved at Tuesday night’s meeting of the town council, at which two representatives of the association spoke.Pat Costello and John O’Brien of the twinning association attended and said upset had been caused following the reporting of comments made at an earlier meeting of the council.

ACCORDING to the old adage, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. In times of crisis, people need to be able to turn to someone who can provide a non-judgemental listening ear.Hundreds of Clare volunteers have been providing this service free of charge for the past three decades. The Clare and Ennis branch of the Samaritans celebrates its 30th anniversary this Thursday.Thousands of people from the four corners of the county are extremely grateful that the service, which started from humble beginnings with 56 volunteers, has gone from strength to strength and continues to be one of the most active organisations in the county.What sets the Samaritans apart from other organisations is the fact there is always a Samaritan at the end of a phone 24 hours a day. It is the biggest voluntary emotional support organisation in the country and works in co-operation with other groups who provide a different service, such as Pieta House, the suicide and self-harm …

A FUNDRAISING stroll in the hills of Ayleroe will take place on Sunday, June 24. The hills of Ayleroe nestle into the landscape on the banks of the Shannon River between Kildysart and Labasheeda.

THE old schoolhouse at O’Callaghan’s Mills has been a landmark in the community since it was built in 1848 and plans are currently underway to renovate the building so its legacy of benefiting the local youth may continue.

ENNIS Town Council will not be providing a weekly battery check of community defibrillators set to be installed throughout the town. The local authority has cited legal concerns as well as health and safety issues.

Difficulties finding two North Clare villages, both homes to members of Clare County Council, were highlighted to the local authority at a recent Ennistymon Area Meeting.

DOONEG hosted a distinguished visitor last weekend when Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Seán McCann was the guest at the opening night of the Doonbeg Jazz Festival. Although it was the Cork-born army man’s first visit to West Clare for two decades, he professed himself impressed with both the jazz and the community spirit he encountered. “I have links here in that my wife Frances’ mother [Nora Cleary] was from Coore near Miltown Malbay and Frances has a sister living in Kilkee,” Lieutenant General McCann explained. “It’s a very vibrant village here. It is a very different place and the transformation is incredible since I was last here. I would have associated West Clare with traditional music but the local band here, Skazz, were playing last night and were very impressive and very entertaining,” he told The Clare Champion. While not a fanatic of any particular musical genre, the Defence Force’s Chief of Staff says the Army Number …