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EFFORTS to speed up the turnaround of Council properties once they become vacant have been called for by the Chairperson of the authority’s housing committee. Councillor Gerry Flynn called for a comprehensive survey of all residential property owned and rented by the Council, with a focus on older developments. He told the January meeting of the local authority that this approach would reduce the need for major renovations when the tenancies are surrendered back to the Council for future letting. Addressing the meeting, the Shannon member said the Council is moving to a Planned Maintenance Programme for its 2,700 properties. He noted that the Council had an approved loan of €10 million for maintenance, of which just €3 million has been drawn down to-date. “It was always expected that there would be a surge after Covid-19 in relation to maintenance, I would expect further drawdown of this loan,” he said. “I think it’s important we take a more proactive approach …

ALONGSIDE the Cliffs of Moher being named the country’s best visitor attraction in the Irish Independent Reader Travel Awards, there was further good news for Clare. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park was also in the top ten, while Hotel Woodstock was ninth in the best hotels category. Sean Lally of Hotel Woodstock said that he was thrilled to be included. “Head over heels! We’re the only Clare hotel listed in it and since we got it over the weekend the phones have been ringing off the hook in terms of bookings and enquiries and website bookings are well up on what they normally would be for this time of year. “It’s a busy time for web bookings anyway, but they’re well ahead and you can see the spike in terms of traffic to our website. It has really been exceptional. We didn’t see this coming!” He feels that the use of social media, which the hotel has become famous for, …

An UNEMPLOYED Ennis man has failed to convince a judge that the €26,000 he received for ‘three trotters’ helped finance him purchasing a Toyota jeep for €43,000 in cash in €50 notes. At Ennis District Court, Judge Mary Larkin has dismissed a fresh bid by Ned Doherty (32) of St Michael’s Park, Ballymaley, Gort Road, Ennis to have Gardai return his 20-2 Toyota Hilux jeep. Judge Larkin said that she was “more confused than ever” after hearing about the various sums Mr Doherty is claiming to have used on the jeep’s purchase. Judge Larkin said that the evidence from Mr Doherty was a mix of ‘don’t know’, ‘can’t remember’ and ‘don’t deal with money’. Mr Doherty purchased the jeep in cash from a County Roscommon car dealer on February 23 2021 but it was seized 10 days later as part of a wider Garda operation that also involved the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) on March 5 2021. Making the ‘police …

A LARGE-scale housing development has been given the green light for the village of Tuamgraney, despite concerns raised by a number of local residents. Conditional permission for the 52 homes on Dock Road, has been granted by Clare County Council in the face of fears about a “population explosion” which would turn Tuamgraney into a commuter village. The planning application was submitted by Michael Pearl in April of last year. The proposals generated six objections, including one from a group called ‘Reddan’s Quay Residents’. That submission raised objections to the principle of development; over-development; housing design and layout; traffic and pedestrian safety; flooding; and environmental impact. The submission described Tuamgraney as having “a small close knit community of residents” and said large-scale developments had not been built, despite the fact that some have had the benefit of planing permission. The objection contended that the proposed estate “will have a severe impact upon the physical and social fabric of the village”. …

THE proposed development of a new wind farm near Bridgetown will result in an average of one truck passing the village every 90 seconds during an eight-hour day, a local lobby group has claimed. RWE Renewables Ireland has submitted a planning application to construct eight wind turbines with a blade tip height range from 169 metres to 176 metres, a hub height range from 102 to 110 metres and a rotor diameter of 138 meters, the length of a GAA pitch. It will also involve the construction of a large compound in Roadstone, Ballymena, alterations on the road layout of regional road R466 between O’Briensbridge Cross and Ballymena and excavation of 11 kilometres of road from Ballymena to facilitate the laying of power cables to Ardnacrusha Power Station. Plans have been submitted for a ten-year construction phase for eight turbines with a 35-year operational life once commissioned with a total output of 38 megawatts. The Fahybeg Information Group has warned …

EDUCATION Minister Norma Foley has said that attempts will be made to provide Clare schools with the resources they need to accommodate the large amount of refugees who have arrived in the county since the start of 2022. Concerns have been voiced by Ms Foley’s party colleague Cathal Crowe about a shortage of school places in Shannon, and the Minister said in Ennis last Friday, that attempts must be made to match accommodation with where schools have extra capacity. “I want to acknowledge in the first instance the incredible work that has been done by schools throughout the country, notably here in Clare. “It’s nothing short of remarkable, what has been achieved by school communities. We’ve been very lucky in one respect that we’ve had capacity to provide places for almost 14,000 students. Notwithstanding that, we still have more students coming, we have capacity for around 50,000 places at primary level and around 20,000 places at post primary. “The challenge …

SEVERAL roads on the Wild Atlantic Way are “not fit for purpose” due to the increasing number of coach tours and vehicles using these routes, a local councillor has claimed. In light of the success of the Wild Atlantic Way and in particular the ever-increasing popularity of the route along the West Coast of Clare, improvement funding has been sought. Councillor Joe Garrihy has called on The West Clare MD to write to Fáilte Ireland, and the ministers for Tourism and Transport to seek appropriate ring-fenced and increased allocation of funding to upgrade, maintain and bring to appropriate standard the road surface, markings, lay-bys and roadside boundaries along this route. “The international marketing and resulting increased traffic along with ever increasing numbers of large coach tours on this route is bringing a usage and scale of wear and tear at a level, which requires ring-fenced funding over and above the standard roads allocation to ensure a quality product and experience …

Clare cyclist Imogen Cotter has been named on the Irish team for the upcoming UCI eSports Cycling World Championships. Cotter has received a wild card to compete in next month’s World Championships. The selection caps a remarkable comeback for Cotter who just over a year ago was struck by a van driving on the wrong side of the road while she was on a training ride in Spain. The Ruan woman had just signed her first professional cycling contract at the time but despite fears that the collision could cost her a career in the sport, she was able to compete again eight months after the accident when racing at the 6th Grote Prijs Beerens in Belgium. Earlier this month, Cotter was confirmed as part of the renamed Fenix Deceuninck squad’s new development team and will compete as a UCI Continental rider. Before the crash, Cotter was in the form of her life as she secured the biggest race win …