Gardai in Killaloe are looking for the help of the public in trying to identify three males who were seen near a house in Clonlara which was broken into and an assortment of jewellery was stolen. The break-in occurred between 3pm and 4.55pm on Tuesday of last week at a house in Kildooras. One of males believed to be in his 20s was wearing a royal blue jacket while a second, in his 30s, was wearing a Northface jacket. The third was a young man in his teens. A second house nearby was also tried but no entry was gained. The jewellery stolen included two gold braclets, a 30” chain and pendant, a 24” gold chain, an 18” gold chain, an 18ct gold and diamond pendant, a gold woven bangle, a gold tie pin, a gold cameo pendant and chain, a gold and emerald pendant, a gold chain, gold cuff links and a gold charm bracelet. Anyone with information as …

Nearly €5m is to be spent on developing 25 new social housing units in Clare, as part of a new nationwide investment programme. Ten homes are being built in Quilty, along with 15 more at Tullyglass in Shannon at a combined cost of €4.75 million. The money forms part of a newly-announced investment programme worth €312 million that seeks to build 1700 new homes throughout Ireland. Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly said the first major direct build social housing programme is part of the first phase of  the Government’s social housing strategy. €312 million has been approved which will see an additional 1,700 social housing units come on stream by 2017 with an estimated 3,000 additional jobs in construction created. The projects, which cut across each local authority area, range in size from small numbers of units to projects of over 50 units for some of the Dublin local authorities. Minister Kelly said local authorities …

The Burren Food Trail is among four Irish finalists of this year’s EDEN (European Destination of Excellence) competition. The Burren Food Trail will be vying with Wild Atlantic Way So Sligo Food Trail, Cong Food Village and West Waterford for the top accolade, the winner of which will be announced on May 22. The theme of the 2015 competition ‘Tourism and Local Gastronomy’ and the four Irish locations chosen are currently preparing for on-site assessments during the week of Monday, May 11 when they will be visited by a panel of expert adjudicators. This assessment will allow each applicant an opportunity to provide further evidence of their Tourism and Local Gastronomy destination of excellence. Held every two years, EDEN focusses on a different aspect of tourism each time with the winning destination to receive a promotional photo shoot to market itself as well as €5,000 towards highlighting its attractions. The winning entry will also represent Ireland at a ceremony and …

Millions of French commuters are seeing ads for Ireland on large billboard posters as they pass through the busy metro stations of Paris. Tourism Ireland in Paris has teamed up with French airline Transavia to highlight the new daily flight from Paris-Orly Airport to Dublin, which is due to begin on 1 June. The campaign with Transavia includes some 550 ads in the Paris metro highlighting great value fares to Ireland, which are grabbing the attention of commuters with a beautiful image of the Cliffs of Moher – and reminding them why they should put Ireland on their holiday wish-list for 2015. It includes online advertising and a competition on Facebook. This is the first time that Transavia will fly to a northern European destination. Ireland is not currently served from Orly Airport – so the new flight represents an important opportunity for both leisure and business tourism from the all-important French market. France is one of our top four …

Junior Minister Simon Harris will visit Clare later today to meet local representatives to discuss flood and local heritage issues. He will visit Quilty at 1.45pm to hear of and speak with people whose property was destroyed by the floods of January and February, 2014. Later in the afternoon, at 4.30pm, he will travel to Mooghaun Hillfort in Newmarket-on-Fergus to view developments at the site. Mr Harris, the youngest member of the current Dáil, is the Minister of State at the Departments of Finance PER and Taoiseach with Special Responsibility for the OPW, Public Procurement, and International Banking (incl IFSC).

Gardai in East Cork are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident in which a Tulla man was fatally injured. Thirty three year-old Cathal Torpey received fatal injures when struck by a car on the Cork side of Castlemartyr at approximately 5.15am Monday morning. He was removed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he later died. He is the only son of Margaret and the late Martin (Mar) Torpey. The driver of the car was uninjured. The road was closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Gardai are appealing for witness to contact Midleton Garda Station on 021- 4621550, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

A Dublin man who was taking part in a motorbike rally which he helped  organize for Down Syndrome Ireland died in a motorcycle crash near Kilrush yesterday. Aidan Lynam, a 44 year-old father of three from Lucan,  had helped collect more than a €1million for the charity. The fatal crash occurred outside Kilkee on the Kilrush Road at approximately 11.45am. Mr Lynam was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick where he was later pronounced dead. The driver of the car was uninjured. The stretch of road was closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Witnesses are asked to contact Kilrush Garda Station on 065- 9080550.

Gardai are treating as suspicious a fire at a house in Corofin which resulted in two people having to be taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. The fire occurred around 8am this morning at the house at Gort Road and gardai have since completed a technical examination of the scene. Several units of the fire brigade and two ambulances from Ennis responded to the incident. Both men, one a pensioner who lived at the house, and a man who helped rescue him from the property, were treated with oxygen at the scene before being removed to hospital.