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Breaking News

Johnny to call time on Ennis institution this Saturday

“This is no ordinary shop,” says Johnny Murphy as he prepares to close the doors of his family shoe repair shop in Ennis for the final time this Saturday. More than six decades after the business was first started by his father John Murphy Senior, Johnny has announced the closure of Ennis institution ‘Johnny Murphy Shoe Repairs’ in Cronin’s Yard/Taylor’s Lane. Since news of the decision to close was revealed, Johnny has been inundated with good wishes and messages of support from valued customers and friends. In fact, when The Clare Champion caught up with Johnny this week to reminisce on his time in the trade he had to pause a number of times to answer calls from people wishing him well. He tells us he has been touched by the outpouring of support and goodwill admitting that this has been an emotional week. “You would be made a stone if it wasn’t,” he smiles. Sitting in his shop surrounded …

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Elective Surgery Postponed In Ennis Hospital On Wednesday

THE surgical team in Ennis Hospital turned up for work on Wednesday to discover without warning day surgery was cancelled two days after overcrowding reached a new record of 130 patients on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick (UHL). That was the disputed claim made by Deputy Michael McNamara who has also revealed he stopped the transfer of his relative to UHL for medical treatment because she was afraid to go there and was treated elsewhere. However, the UL Hospitals’ Group has stated the decision to postpone elective surgeries in Ennis on Wednesday was communicated to all the Ennis-based theatre staff yesterday evening. The group acknowledged regrettably, the decision was not communicated to one member of the surgical team, who attended, and this matter is being rectified. A number of elective surgeries at Ennis Hospital and other UL Hospitals’ Group sites were postponed today on Wednesday as the group continued to manage a significant level of demand for emergency care as …

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Monsters, Misfits and Mayhem to take over Bunratty this Halloween

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in County Clare hosts its biggest Halloween celebration yet when Monsters, Misfits and Mayhem take over the castle grounds from Saturday October 28th to Monday October 30th. From ghosts swooping from the skies to a deathly torture chamber in the castle basement and from the witches’ kitchen to the haunted train that snakes through the Folk Park, no gravestone will be left unturned at the 26-acre visitor attraction later this month. The Witch’s Kitchen, located within the nearby Loop Head Farmhouse, will see Grandmother Witch prepare her latest magic spell in a cauldron filled with secret ingredients. The Witches come under suspicion too during the Witches Trial as Ardcroney Church is transformed into a courthouse for the event. The solemn wake of Mickey McNamara will be hosted in The Shannon Farmhouse where the farmer demonstrates he has some unresolved business to attend to as his family pray for their beloved. Visitors to the neighbouring outhouse …

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New Record Of 130 Patients On Trolleys At UHL

As University Hospital Limerick (UHL) achieves a new record-breaking 130 patients on trolleys, a nursing union has claimed the provision of safe and timely care is “impossible”. INMO Assistant Director for Industrial Relations for the Midwest, Mary Fogarty said the latest record, which was reached on Monday, comes as no surprise to her members who have been working in overcrowded and understaffed wards with no reprieve for years on end. “The fact that there are more patients on trolleys across the hospital itself than in the emergency department itself is making the provision of safe and timely care impossible. Patient flow out of the emergency department is proving difficult because of the sheer volume of trolleys across the hospital. “Our members are burnt out and demoralised as a direct result of their working conditions. It is impossible for them to provide safe care in a working environment that is persistently dangerous. “INMO members in the hospital met last week to …

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North Tipp has six times more Health Care Support Assistants than Clare

The number of Health Care Support Assistants (HCSA) employed in North Tipperary was more than six times higher than Clare in 2021, new figures have revealed. Councillor Cillian Murphy (FF) asked at a recent HSE West Forum meeting for a list of all the types of home care supports provided by the HSE, and the numbers of staff for each type that are directly employed by the HSE in Clare, Galway, Limerick and Tipperary for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023. The HSE confirmed there were just 28 HCSA’s employed in Clare in 2021 compared to 176 in North Tipperary and 218 in Limerick. This improved in 2022 when the number of HCSA’s in Clare jumped to 75, the number in North Tipperary stayed the same at 176 and the numbers in Limerick fell slightly to 215. All areas in the Mid-West benefited from an increase in HCSA’s in 2023 – Clare went up to 86, North Tipperary jumped to …

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Clonlara put past disappointments behind them to win race for the Canon

Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final Clonlara 3-18 Crusheen 2-16 It was the perfect Cinderella story as arguably having suffered more heartbreak than any other team in the county, Clonlara soared to a first Clare Senior Hurling Crown since 2008 in Cusack Park, writes Eoin Brennan. Three agonising final and six semi-final reverses in the intervening 15 years were wiped away by a commanding final performance that saw them lead from Micheál O’Loughlin’s emphatic breakthrough goal in the 18th minute to the finish. Having somehow been denied a hat-trick of goals up to that juncture including a break taking Donal Tuohy stop from Colm O’Meara in only the fifth minute, O’Loughlin’s strike following great work from Aidan Moriarty and Ian Galvin felt like a weight was lifted off Clonlara’s shoulders as they outscored Crusheen by 1-3 to 0-2 for the remainder of the half. Again Moriarty raced through the centre, this time offloading to Colm Galvin to flick to the net from …

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Woman dies after being struck by car

Gardaí are investigating a fatal road traffic collision that occurred this morning, Sunday 22nd October 2023 in Knockaveen, Clare. The collision occurred at approximately 8:55am and involved a car and a pedestrian. The pedestrian, a female in her 80s, was fatally injured. Her body has since been removed to the morgue at University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem examination is due to take place. There were no other injuries reported. The L8050 road at Knockaveen remains closed and local diversions are in place. A technical examination is being conducted by Forensic Collision Investigators. A Family Liaison Officer has been appointed to provide support to the family of the deceased. Gardaí in Scarriff are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them. Any road users who were travelling in this area between 8:45am and 9:15am and may have camera footage (including dash-cam), are asked to make this available to Gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact …

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‘It’s a moment I’ll never forget’

Another hero from 2010, Gearóid O’Donnell, feels that maiden title was a moment that will stay with him forever. “It’s truly a moment I’ll never forget, walking under the bridge with the Canon Hamilton for the first time in the history of the club. We had lost a final in 2007, a semi-final replay in 2008. 2009 was all about soul searching. It was a hurtful campaign after not getting out of the group. Like this current group we used that hurt and 2010 was our deliverance day. We had been coming but to finally get over the line was an unreal feeling, one I’ve told the young lads about, one that will live forever.” His successful side were on a path to the title for a couple of campaigns but this current crop have been transformed in literally a matter of weeks. It really has been Roy of the Rovers stuff. “Let’s be honest this was definitely out of …

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