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It was 2.33pm on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 15, 1923, and the man everyone had come to see was finally prepared to speak to a crowd that had first embraced him as one of their own just six years previously and would remain faithful to all his causes for another 50 years. He was the ‘Man of Clare’, even though he wasn’t from Clare. Eamon de Valera. The Chief. The East Clare by-election victor of 1917 that kickstarted the revolution once more. The Sinn Féin leader. The former President of the Dáil. The Anti-Treaty leader. The man on the run. On this day, the Feast of the Assumption, the warrant for his arrest because of his leadership of the Anti-Treaty side in the Civil War that had only finished a few months previously, had yet to be served, but this was the day. He was banned from public speaking, but at an election rally called by his Sinn Féin …

Small tourism businesses across the county will be forced to close if Clare County Council continues to focus its tourism strategy on a small number of tourist hotspots. That is according to Clare Senator, Róisín Garvey (GP), who has accused the local authority of focussing on “making money” at three specific locations, rather than benefiting the entire county. The Inagh politician claims that Clare County Council is too focused on driving tourists to the Cliffs of Moher, Loop Head Lighthouse and Holy Island in East Clare, at the expense of the wider county. After a series of recent deaths on the county’s roads, Senator Garvey also says that the current tourism strategy is leading to a marked increase in car and bus traffic, without a corresponding increase to bed nights across the county. “On a local level we need to look at how sustainably tourism is being dealt with by Clare County Council. It can’t all be about the Cliffs …

After a combined total of 362 years of education, staff and students at the Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School, performed their last official acts last Friday, as the class of 2023 collected their Leaving Certificate results. The schools, which have been central to the lives of tens of thousands of people across North and West Clare over their lifetimes, officially amalgamated on Monday to form the Ennistymon Community College. Each of the former school buildings will remain in operation for the time being however, as the state of the art new school on the Lahinch Road is not yet completed. The buildings at Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School have been renamed the North, South and Central Campus of the Ennistymon Community School respectively, until the new building is officially opened. Junior and Leaving Certificate Classes will remain in their original base school for the time being, while other non-exam classes …

A large crowd is expected in Doolin this Sunday for a call-to-action of local people against the designation of the old Doolin Pier as a port. Hundreds of swimmers and other water users are expected to congregate at Doolin Pier at 6.30pm this Sunday, September 3, in a show of community strength against plans which could see people prevented from using the old pier for personal use. Local people have traditionally used the old pier in Doolin as a location for swimming and water sports. Indeed, Clare County Council stationed a lifeguard at the pier as recently as 2014. Earlier this year, signs were erected at the old pier which indicated that swimming was prohibited from that location. A new pier was recently completed in Doolin and many locals feel that the new pier should be designated for the use of ferries and boats, while the old pier should be reserved for the use of the public. “We are having …

  Major shortcomings in the provision of child and adolescent mental health services in the Mid-West have prompted an apology from the HSE. Serious concerns about the capacity of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to provide a safe service for young people in the region with mental health issues have been highlighted in a new report completed by the Mental Health Commission (MHC). Responding to the Commission’s critical report, HSE Mid West Community Healthcare stated it acknowledges deficits in the provision of CAMHS and apologises to children and families who have not received the standard of care that they or they expect. The HSE outlined it continues to progress a targeted series of service improvements in Mid- West CAMHS. The number of children waiting for a mental health appointment in West Clare has increased sevenfold in the last year up from 12 at the time of inspection in June 2022 to 91 in February 2023. The waiting list …

Irish companies can play a major role in the rebuilding of Ukraine, despite the ongoing war with Russia. That’s according to Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) who has returned to Clare after visiting Ukraine for the third time as part of a European political delegation. At the 2022 ALDE Annual Congress in Dublin, the Mountshannon native was elected as the Co-President of the grouping of liberal European political parties. Senator Dooley was invited as Co-President of the ALDE party to meet various parliamentarians and political leaders in Ukraine. He met President Zelensky, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and a number of government ministers. This is his third visit, having previously travelled to Ukraine in February and April 2022. The Mountshannon native said the Ukraine Minister for Reconstruction is anxious to bring construction expertise for other countries including Ireland via companies with good engineering and design skills to reinstate roads and bridges and other essential infrastructure that has been targeted. Despite the fact …

The Clare Arts Office in conjunction with Scariff Library Gallery is delighted to present “Vial” an exhibition of art by Marie Connole exploring Ireland’s Revolutionary Years. Since 2021, the Clare artist has been commissioned under the Decade of Centenaries Programme to create artworks highlighting events in Ireland, and particularly Clare, from 1913 to 1923. This latest exhibition brings together two recent projects completed by the North Clare artist, the Irrepressible Women of Clare Series, first exhibited in 2021, and the An Alchemy of the Civil War, first shown in 2022. Both of these exhibitions were developed from extensive research and a range of historical sources by the artist. The five portraits of ‘Irrepressible Women of Clare’ focuses on the lives of diverse women living in the county to understand the effects of Ireland’s War of Independence. The women are Georgina Frost, Kathleen Talty, Peg Barrett, Kathleen Griffin and Lady Beatrice Hare O’Brien. ‘An Alchemy of the Civil War’ is a …

The decision of the Electoral Commission to leave the Clare Dáil Constituency unchanged has been described as a boost to Fianna Fáil’s chances of winning two seats in the county. Deputy Cathal Crowe (FF) is delighted that the Commission has opted not to return part of South-East Clare to Limerick for the next General Election, as his decision to run for the first time in 2020 was greatly influenced by the return of this portion of the county. His Fianna Fáil party colleague, Timmy Dooley, believes the decision to leave the county intact for the next General Election is a boost for the party’s chance to secure two out of the four seats. Despite an increase in the Clare population by 9,121 (7.7%) from 2016 to 2022, the Commission decided in the interest of retaining the county boundary and maintaining continuity, it was decided to leave the Clare constituency unchanged. Deputy Cathal Crowe welcomed the decision to keep Clare’s constituency …