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The Really Truly Joyful Ennis Gospel Choir are on song for a post Covid return. The popular choir are relaunching their programme and they are currently recruiting new members. The choir will be holding an open night on Thursday, February 9 at 7.30pm in the Chapel Lane Community Hall in Ennis. There are no formal auditions as such required to join the choir, but you do need to have a basic singing ability and a willingness to sing. “If you’ve ever wanted to join a choir, make new friends and have a bit of fun through the medium of music, then we are the group for you,” says director Fiona Walsh. “There’s no formal audition, just come along to our open night. We are quite a friendly, inclusive bunch, exuding enthusiasm and joy wherever we go ……and that’s why we’re called the Really Truly Joyful Ennis Gospel Choir. This spring we are developing a show that we plan to take …

A SHANNON student has been recognised at a national science event for her innovative app that helps visually and hearing-impaired people navigate buildings. Cliodhna Forrestal, 16, from St Patrick’s Comprehensive, was awarded  second place  in the Technology Software category at Teen Turn SciFest, a competition promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Her project was one of 47 exhibiting at the event in Dublin along with five others  from the Comp.  The app called ‘Project Breadcrumbs’ helps visually or hearing impaired people to find their way around buildings.  In order to learn how to code and to develop her app from a small idea into a real project, Cliodhna worked with Teen-Turn’s Project Squad. Project Squad is a 12-week after-school programme that partners girls with a mentor, who supports them to bring their science idea to life. Before working with Teen-Turn Cliodhna had never coded and had no idea how to go about developing an app from scratch. “Starting off …

A 90-year-old Shannon man, who was living independently prior to hospitalisation, was emotionally traumatised by spending two nights on a trolley in University Hospital Limerick (UHL), family members have claimed. Mick Phelan endured a “horrendous” time on a trolley in December 2014, according to his son, Blaise, who has called on the UL Hospitals’ Group to address chronic overcrowding in the hospital. His daughter, Marena, said Mick went from someone who had bought spare ribs and cabbage for his family before hospitalisation to a person who suffered emotional distress after his trolley experience. A GAA fanatic and one of the founder members of Wolfe Tones GAA club, he trained club underage teams and was manager of the club’s best football teams in the early seventies. In addition to travelling to see GAA games all over the country, he regularly acted as a steward for Leinster matches and All-Ireland finals in Croke Park up to the age of 83. His last …

CLARE musicians have banded together to show their support for the Irish Red Cross’ ongoing humanitarian work in Ukraine. A fundraising night of music has been organised in Ennis with performances by Isolated Frequency, U Can Dance and Patrick Roche along with some special guests. The event, in Treacy’s West County Hotel, will take place on Friday, February 10 starting at 9pm with people urged put on their dancing shows and enjoy a night of music while supporting a worthy cause. The fundraiser has been organised by a committee including Nigel Devine, Steve Flaherty, Katie Devine, Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy and Deputy Mayor Councillor Mary Howard. Nigel tells us they were moved to do something having seen the effects the war has had on the people of Ukraine. “We have all seen the pictures on TV and how the whole world has been affected by what is going on in Ukraine. It’s always the innocent that suffer. …

A MAJOR increase in the number of people using the Western Rail Corridor from Limerick to Galway has proven the case for the re-opening of the train stop at Crusheen, according to a local councillor.  Figures just released show an increase of just over 14% in the numbers using the service in 2022 when compared to 2019, the last full year of figures. “This means that more than 600,000 passengers used the line last year, up from 531,000 in 2019,” Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District said. “The Western Rail Corridor remains the fastest-growing rail link in the country.” The figures were also welcomed by Councillor Pat Hayes who called at the November meeting of the Killaloe district for a business case to be made for the re-opening of the rail stop at Crusheen. “To be honest, the members of the travelling public using the Limerick to Galway rail line have made that case themselves,” he said. …

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a large telecoms mast at the Eir Exchange in Scariff have been given the green light by An Bord Pleanála. While the Council had refused the mast last August, the appeals board has now overturned that decision Developer Eircom, trading as Eir, lodged an appeal last September after its proposals to remove an existing wooden pole and replace it with a 21m structure were turned down by the local authority. It followed a major campaign of opposition from local residents and a group called East Clare Community Residents. Deputy Michael McNamara had also made a representation asking the Council to engage with those who had made submissions.  Following the appeal, the Council asked An Bord Pleanála to refuse the mast and to copper-fasten its decision to refuse. These included the impact of the structure on a visually prominent site where it would “dominate the eastern approach to Scariff, inherently alter the character of the town and the …

THE second Wings Music Festival will be held in Shannon over the course of a week from February 20-26. It follows the initial festival which was held last June, and organiser Damian O’Rourke said that holding it before the summer could see an even greater level of local interest and engagement. “There’s a lot going on in the summer. The winter is a good time for it, with the dark evenings you might have more people who would like to go to a gig and get involved in something,” he told The Champion. “When it’s the summer people might want to head off, whereas in the winter it’s more suited to indoor gigs. “I was a big fan of the Winter Music Festival in Sixmilebridge. That was at the end of January, I loved that vibe and I’m trying to pull a few bits from what they created and bring it to Shannon. “I hope they come back. I didn’t …

CLARE County Council has officially launched a new heritage plan and design guide for one of north Clare’s most important towns. The plan for Lisdoonvarna sets out proposals to inform and guide the town’s future development and ensure the conservation of its rich heritage. The Lisdoonvarna Heritage Plan and Design Guide proposes numerous upgrades, public realm improvements and developments. A Heritage Trail is proposed to connect the many heritage sites in the town, including the Spa Wells, bridges, significant buildings and views, which, alongside an audio guide, can highlight local stories, folklore and history along the trail. Other proposed upgrades include public realm improvements for the Main Square, Lower Main Street and Tivoli Terrace, along with conceptual drawings for the town’s arrival points, the Twin Wells, Rathlaun Wells, and the viewpoints at the Spectacle Bridge, Gowlaun Spa and Maryville House. The Heritage Plan and Design Guide also makes proposals for the Spa Wells complex. The Lisdoonvarna Spa Wells holds a …