Bunratty-based businessman Maurice Walsh has been appointed Chair of Clare Tourism, the group responsible for the tourism marketing and promotion of County Clare. Mr. Walsh, who is General Manager of Durty Nelly’s, assumes the role held by Ennis hotelier Paul Madden since 2015. In his opening address to the Clare Tourism Steering Group, comprising tourism representatives from each of the five geographical areas of County Clare, Mr. Walsh said he is committed to exploring “new and innovative ways or promoting Clare as one of Ireland’s top visitor destinations.” “Through www.clare.ie, the hosting of networking events and our presence at trade shows in Ireland and overseas, Clare Tourism members are committed to promoting and marketing the county through different avenues to continue to keep Clare at the top of the destinations list in the country. We are also committed to increasing the overall number of bed nights and the average spend of day-trippers to our many visitor attractions,” he said. Mr. …

EAST Clare gardaí and the Department of Agriculture were today [Thursday] commended for what was described as “without question the most outstanding piece of police work” in a cattle rustling case. Remarkably the comments were made by the defence counsel for Padraig O’Brien, (42), of Magherigh, Mountshannon who pleaded guilty at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court to 15 counts of theft offences relating to the animals worth €17,000. The offences involved the theft of five in-calf heifers from Bohatch, Mountshannon between January 17 and 18, 2015; the theft of six heifers from Kilrateera, Mountshannon between May 23 and 24, 2013, and the theft of four cows from Bohatch between December 8 and 9, 2013. Gardaí and the Department of Agriculture used DNA testing to trace the stolen cattle through their progeny providing links back to O’Brien. Presiding Judge Gerald Keys commended the gardaí for their “Trojan work” highlighting that this country’s system of tracing cattle is “one of the best in …

The Limerick Tunnel will be closed this Monday evening for scheduled maintenance. Direct Route, which operates the tunnel, says both the northbound and southbound lanes will be closed from 8pm until 6am on Tuesday morning. Diversions will be in place via junction 4 (Cratloemoyle) for traffic travelling from the Clare side while northbound traffic will be diverted at junction 2 (Dock Road). The diversion route includes the R445 (Ennis Road), the R527 (Condell Road) and the N69 (Dock Road).

A NEW dermatology clinic in Ennis Hospital has spared Clare patients the time and expense of regular trips to University Hospital Limerick. The clinic, run once a month by locum consultant dermatologist Dr Maeve Lynch and Sheila Ryan, advanced nurse practitioner in dermatology, can accommodate up to 20 outpatients per clinic. “It is a general dermatology seeing all the common skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne and skin cancer patients. We see patients of every age from birth up to the elderly,” said Dr Lynch. “The clinic started in September 2016 and we are running it once a month. The aim is to improve access for patients in Clare to save them having to travel in to Limerick. It has just started but we are pleased with how it has been going so far,” added Dr Lynch. Patricia O’Gorman, Operational Director of Nursing, Ennis Hospital, noted: “It is part of the strategy for the UL Hospitals Group that …

A tourist was removed to hospital with a serious leg injury following a fall on a walking trail at the Cliff of Moher yesterday evening. Doolin Goast Guard unit confirmed that volunteers were tasked to assist the HSE ambulance after a walker sustained a leg injury on the walking trail, south of the viewing platform. HSE Paramedics and Cliffs of Moher Rangers treated the casualty. Coast Guard members stretchered the casualty from the path onto a farm track and to the road where a waiting ambulance removed the woman to hospital.

The Lough Derg RNLI came to the assistance of a fisherman who got into difficulty on the lake on Sunday evening. The lifeboat was launched just before 6pm when the man’s boat became wedged on a rocky shoal in Youghal Bay. The fisherman, uninjured and wearing a lifejacket,  was taken on board the lifeboat while his boat was then taken off the shoal and towed to Youghal Bay. Lough Derg RNLI Deputy Launching Authority Peter Kennedy said boat users should bring charts with them and know the areas close to shore marked as un-navigable.

Clare County Council has joined local authorities across the country in raising a flag to coincide with the first annual LGBTQ Pride festival of 2016 which is taking place in Dublin this week. The Council is participating in the inaugural ‘Having Pride in Local Government’ initiative which is being coordinated by the Local Government Management Agency. Councillor James Breen, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council raised the Pride flag outside Clare County Council’s Corporate Headquarters at Áras Contae an Chláir on the New Road in Ennis. Councillor Breen said the raising of the flag is also a mark of respect for the victims of the shooting in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.

A post morten examination is to be caried out on the body of a young man taken from the sea in Kilkee earlier today. Gardai, who are continuing with their inquires into the death of the man in his 20s, believe it may have been a tragic accident and that the man may have fallen into the water during the night. The alarm was raised at around 8.15am when emergency services received a report of a body in the water not far from the beach.  The Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard was alerted and responded to the scene along with gardaí. Shortly before 9am, the coast guard boat crew recovered the body from the water. The remains have since been taken to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination is to take place.