Thirty years ago, a group of like-minded men and women came together to form Ennis’ Dancing for Pleasure group and some of them are still coming together to dance every Sunday evening. The Auburn Lodge has been the venue for the weekly dancing for the last few years after decades in the West County Hotel. Sheelagh Abraham was one of the founders of Dancing for Pleasure, while Andy Carmody is a relative newcomer by comparison, having only been involved for 29 and a half years. The two visited The Clare Champion recently to reflect on a milestone for the club, its 30th year in existence. Sheelagh remembers how it came into being. “When we came to Ennis first, I had two sisters in Ennis and my husband had one sister. At the St Patrick’s Day parade, I said to them, “Will there be any dancing tonight?” One said to me there will be loads of dancing but it was all …

The Clare team to face Laois in the opening round of the senior hurling qualifiers shows four changes in personell from that which started against Waterford in the Munster semi-final four weeks ago. Into the starting line up come Andrew Fahy, Jack Browne, David McInerney and Aron Shanagher and they will replace Patrick Kelly (injured), David Fitzgerald, Darach Honan and Conor McGrath(injured). The inclusion of David McInerney is a huge boost as it wasn’t expected. The Tulla man has been out of action due to a back injury for the past three months and wasn’t expected to return at this time. He has been named as midfield partner to David Reidy and all involved will be keeping their fingers crossed that he will come through the game without suffering a recurrence of the injury which has kept him out of action for so long. The team named for duty is Andrew Fahy (Whitegate); Oisín O’Brien (Clonlara), Pat O’Connor (Tubber), Cian …

IN a statement issued late on Friday afternoon, Clare County Council said that “further information is being sought” in relation to proposed coastal erosion management works at Doughmore Beach, next to Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. The planning application from Trump Doonbeg, to build a 2.8km, 200,000 tonne limestone wall was submitted on May 10 and a decision was due next Monday. In their statement, Clare County Council did not say when a decision on the planning application will now be made. Clare County Council received 112 submissions by the June 13 submission deadline relating to the proposed construction of the coastal erosion works. Approximately 67% of the submissions backed the proposal which Eric Trump claimed, on a visit to Doonbeg on May 15, was necessary if the business in West Clare is to survive. A total of 76 of the submissions favoured the development while submissions from the Green Party and An Taisce opposed the plan. Peter O’Connell …

The High Court has awarded a Clare-based singer €64,300 in damages for injuries she sustained after she slipped and fell in a Limerick city supermarket. Rachel Prior, aged 32 years and known by her stage name of ‘Rachy P’, sued Dunnes Stores seeking damages for negligence for injuries she sustained after she slipped and fell to the ground at its outlet at Henry Street, Limerick on December 6, 2008 last. Ms Prior, who lives at Woodkawn, Brickhill West, Cratloe, claimed while shopping in Dunnes her feet shot out from under her and she fell forcefully onto her back after she came into contact with a white liquid- milk or cream- on the floor surface in the vicinity of the diary fridge. She claimed she suffered immediate pain. The court heard she suffered pain in her neck and lower back and other injuries as a result of the accident. Dunnes Stores had denied the claims. During the action the supermarket’s lawyers …

LAOIS senior hurlers may not have had a great season to date but Clare selector Louis Mulqueen believes the Midlanders will travel to Clare this Saturday determined to overcome the home side in Round 1 of the hurling qualifiers. “Laois were here in Clare last weekend and they trained in Cusack Park on Sunday morning, which suggests that they are not just coming down here on Saturday to make up the numbers,” selector Louis Mulqueen said. “Galway struggled against them in the championship last year. Clare are the favourites to succeed on Saturday but Laois have shown in modern times that they can match the best, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that Clare will win on Saturday.” Over the last decade, Clare have been made to fight all the way for victory over Laois, when the sides have clashed in both league and championship. Laois have struggled this season and did poorly in both the league and championship. Mulqueen …

A TWO-year care order has been made in respect of a one-year-old girl, who was taken into care after testing positive for opiates at birth. At a sitting of Clare’s Family Law Court, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, made an application before Judge Gráinne O’Neill where they sought a full care order to be made in respect of the girl. Last August the court heard the mother was in residential placement with her baby and that the baby had tested positive for opiates and had to be treated for this. The following month, the mother absconded from the residential placement with the baby. Tusla had learned that the mother had re-united with a partner, not the father of the baby, who was “an active known heroin user” and that the three had left the country. They had gone to Britain where contact was made with Tusla by a social worker from the UK and it was conveyed that the …