CLARE County Council has access to more than 3,000 tonnes of rock salt to treat the county’s roads during the coming winter. A third of the available salt stock is currently in storage and has been held over from last winter, which was one of the mildest in recent years. An additional 2,000 tonnes of salt is available to the council to draw down when required from the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the Department of Transport (DTTAS). Council staff have already participated in their first road treatment operation of the winter.  The surface temperature dropped low enough last weekend for a number of trucks to be dispatched from the local authority’s maintenance facility at Beechpark, near Ennis. Senior engineer, Tom Tiernan confirmed that the availability of more than 3,000 tonnes of salt was the same as what was made available to the council during last winter. These stocks will be used to treat strategic national, excluding the motorway network  …

Ennis will provide a welcome break from the winter blues, the rain and the recession this weekend when the town resonates to the sound and strains of the best of Irish traditional music. The county town will host the twentieth instalment of the Ennis Trad Festival and the festival’s magnetic appeal will draw musicians and audiences from all over the country and further afield, providing a financial fillip for those in the hospitality sector. The official launch will take place this Thursday at 6pm in the front bar of The Queens Hotel. Ennis native, musician extraordinaire and noted scholar Dr Geraldine Cotter will cut the proverbial ribbon. All are welcome to attend or play as the mood takes them. Later that night, at 8pm in The Great Hall of the Templegate Hotel, Ann Lynch-Loyns will launch her debut CD “Silvery Light”. Ann comes from near Oldcastle Co Meath but now lives close to Newmarket. She learnt her first songs from …

A NUMBER of parking initiatives are set to be put in place in the town in the run-up to Christmas in a bid to encourage shopping in the county capital. However, Ennis Town Council will put in place a scaled-back pedestrianisation policy on what had previously been proposed, following discussions with local businesses. At this week’s meeting of the local authority, town clerk, Leonard Cleary stated that in preparing the town’s pedestrianisation plan for Christmas, the council sought opinions from business people, ratepayers and property owners. It had originally been proposed to pedestrianise O’Connell Street on a number of Saturdays leading up to the festive period, as well as the days immediately before Christmas Day. The council received a number of submissions in relation to the plan, with Ennis Chamber suggesting pedestrianisation on two Saturdays, as well as the days leading up to Christmas. Mr Cleary revealed at this week’s meeting that “a larger December pedestrianisation policy does not seem …

SCREECHING birds, chainsaws roaring, horses running loose and excessive noise are just some of the difficulties that residents in the Watery Road area of Ennis are dealing with, according to one local councillor, who has called on Clare County Council to take action. Councillor Tommy Brennan voiced his concerns at this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council about a number of vacant properties in the area. He outlined that locals have complained about the excessive noise of chainsaws being used, as well as wild fowl and guinea fowl “screeching all day and all night”. He added that loose horses are being kept across the road. Councillor Brennan described the situation as a “downright disgrace”, urging that Clare County Council, as the housing authority, deal with the matter. He was supported by Councillor Brian Meaney, who commented that local residents are “dealing with a nuisance”. “The situation on the Watery Road simply can’t continue. It’s an eyesore, it’s a fester. It …

TWO Clare hotels have received the highest accreditation available under the Green Hospitality Awards (GHA) programme after they successfully reduced their energy consumption by almost a third and reduced the amount of waste going to landfill by over 60%. The Armada in Spanish Point and Hotel Doolin join an elite group of just seven Irish hotels who possess Platinum accreditation under the hospitality sector’s only environmental accreditation programme, which is supported by the EPA through the National Waste Prevention programme. In awarding the Clare hotels, both operated under hotelier John Burke, the programme inspectors noted their combined efforts to reduce water consumption by 38% per guest, cut the amount of waste going to landfill by 62%, and reduce electricity per guest by 28% since joining the programme two years ago. “The green programme has led to a consequential reduction in operating costs at both hotels and in doing so has enabled us to offer the best possible value to locals …

YOUNG people from the locality headed to Guingamp in France, Shannon’s twin town, last week to discuss local democracy and how they can get actively involved in local politics. The exchange, as part of an intercultural link with Guingamp, Aue in Germany and Kadan in the Czech Republic, looked at how democracy works at a local level in each of the towns and the issues that affect young people in the area at a local level. Five young people from Shannon and the surrounding area headed up the trip, with the support and company of Mayor of Shannon Greg Duff and Clare Youth Service Youth worker Aoife Guilfoyle. In advance of the trip, Councillor Duff commented, “The emphasis will be very much on the young people taking part in this exchange as they explore their place in local politics and I want to do everything I can to facilitate their interests and learning. I see this very much as a …

To this day, Pat Guthrie vividly remembers the summer of 1954.  His father purchased a battery radio for the princely sum of £16. It was also the year he listened to his first All-Ireland hurling final radio commentary, leading 60 years later to his book which chronicles the careers of RTE’s radio sports commentators. IT was the first weekend in September and John Guthrie headed the few miles down the road from his thatched home in Commons North to Corofin village, to Pat Reidy’s bicycle repair shop on Church Street. It was a chore he was growing accustomed to, having the recently-purchased wet and dry radio battery charged and at the ready. That weekend was particularly special for the Guthrie family, as they tuned into their first All-Ireland hurling final radio broadcast. It was a final that elevated Ring to legendary status as he won his eighth All-Ireland medal, eclipsing the record shared in hurling by Kilkenny’s Sim Walton, Dick …

MEMBERS of the general public are being urged not to supply any waste material to persons who do not hold a valid waste collection permit for fear the material will be used to fuel bonfires. Last year the Clare Fire Service sustained substantial costs responding to bonfire-related incidents as well as cleaning up after Hallowe’en bonfires. The fire service attended 10 bonfires at a cost of €11,826 in 2012. “Bonfires are an illegal, dangerous and a costly tradition,” explained Adrian Kelly, Clare Chief Fire Officer. “Bonfires are often built close to houses and other property presenting risks to personal safety and property. Hallowe’en is one the busiest times of the year for the fire services and responding to bonfire call outs creates a strain on existing resources. “I would like people to be aware of the fire safety hazards that arise from illegal bonfires, where the burning of highly combustible materials may lead to serious injuries or death,” he added. …