Breaking News

A WEST County Clare cancer survivor who turned to cannabis for pain relief after the “horrible” ‘Oxycontin’ opioid drug played havoc with him has been convicted of cultivating cannabis plants. At Kilrush District Court, Judge Mary Larkin fined James Lawrence (61) of Kiltumper, Kilmihil, Co Clare €100 after he pleaded guilty to the cultivation of cannabis without a licence at his home on July 3 2021. Judge Larkin told Mr Lawrence that she wished him well. She said that she just wished someone of Mr Lawrence’s age would find a better way and not have to come into court “and if he has issues, I would like him to resolve them without having to come in here”. Sergeant Louis Moloney told the court that during the course of a Garda search of Mr Lawrence’s home on July 3 2021, a quantity of cannabis herb was discovered in the living room and three cannabis plants were discovered in a bedroom. On …

Gardaí at Kilrush are appealing for witnesses following a fatal traffic collision on the N85 this Friday afternoon. Shortly after 1pm, Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a collision involving three vehicles on the N85 near Inagh (on the Ennistymon side of Inagh village). The occupant of one of the vehicles, a man in his 60s, was pronounced dead the scene a short time later. Two other people injured in the collision were taken from the scene by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening. The road at the scene is currently closed to facilitate examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and traffic diversions are in place. Investigating Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to come forward. They are also appealing to those with camera footage (including dash cam) from the area at the time, to make it available to them. Anyone with information is …

FOUR decades ago the centenary of St Flannan’s College was commemorated with an album of traditional music featuring some of the best of Clare’s musical talent. The album was originally issued on cassette in 1981 and marked a peak in the success of traditional music at the Ennis school, buoyed by the folk revival and the growth of the Fleadh Cheoil movement through the ‘70s. Now in 2023 that album has been remastered to its original pristine condition, and it will be relaunched this weekend at a very special concert. The relaunch of the classic trad music album St Flannan’s Céilí Bands Reunion takes place in glór on Sunday, January 22. A nostalgic night is in store, bringing old musical comrades back onstage together, who haven’t met for 40 years – and they will share the limelight with the college’s current crop of trad music talent. By the early 1970s, the traditional music revival in Clare had brought many young …

A SERIOUS accident took place on the N85 this afternoon, which has resulted in traffic disruption between Inagh and Ennistymon. In a statement this afternoon, the Garda press office said “Gardai and emergency services are attending the scene of a serious road traffic collision on the N85 at Ballyea Cross, Inagh, Co Clare today, January 20, 2023. “The road is closed with local diversions in place.” They declined to provide any further information about the incident, however it is understood to have occurred around lunchtime and to have involved two vehicles. Kind regards,

A WOMAN was knocked down and injured in Clarecastle, sparking calls for action to be taken on a “dangerous junction” in the village. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District last week heard Councillors Paul Murphy and Tom O’Callaghan voice their fears for public safety at the junction where three roads meet. Councillor Murphy proposed that a Road Safety application be prepared and submitted “as soon as possible” seeking funding to improve safety at the junction of Barrack Street, Old Road and Church Drive / Creggaunahilla. “This is a dangerous junction where three roads meet and there is the added complication of a carpark being adjacent to it also, a number of pedestrians have been knocked down and this needs to be given priority urgently,” he said. While Councillor O’Callaghan also asked the council to review the Church Drive road “on safety grounds in Clarecastle due to increased traffic to and from Creggaunnahilla Housing Estate”. Responding to both councillors’ proposals …

RETAILERS in Ennis have weathered “the perfect storm” in recent years and are now facing “retail Darwinism – survival of the fittest”, believes Ennis Chamber’s CEO Margaret O’Brien. The county capital has seen some retail outlets shut their doors for good, and there are fears that more closures are yet to come. However Ms O’Brien insists Ennis is “in strong position to attract new outlets”, adding that support is needed from the local authority and landlords to realise the town’s full potential. Meanwhile, Gwen Culligan, one of the county’s best known retailers, believes the coterie of agile, independent retailers in Ennis have given the town a strong backbone. “We can’t hold back change, but we can do our best to work with it, in order to survive and thrive,” she says. Ms O’Brien toldThe Clare Champion, “Recent years must have felt like a running battlefield for retailers. The Covid pandemic wreaked havoc for two years, then came the war in …

ONE of the overall winners of this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) has strong connections to the Banner County it has emerged. Shane O’Connor, who along with his teammate Liam Carew took home the coveted top award, is the son of Mary O’Connor from Kildysart and her husband Michael. His cousin Owen O’Connor has wished the pair and their families “heartiest congratulations”. Shane’s uncles are Mike and Pat Casey, Kings Road Kildysart, his grand aunt is Maureen Corbett of Lisheen, Ballynacally and his grand uncle Tommy Eustace is also from Kildysart. “The lads were very dedicated and all of their work was recognised with this award. Shane loves spending time in Kildysart,” said Owen. Shane and Liam, both aged 18 and in sixth year in the Abbey School, Tipperary won with their project Assessing the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescents’ life and development. The coveted prize was presented to the winners in the RDS in Dublin …

GRITTING of the county’s roads during December’s sub-zero temperatures was commended by Council members who also called for more to be done to keep rural routes safe. A joint motion, tabled by Councillors Cillian Murphy, Shane Talty, Ian Lynch, Joe Killeen, Joe Garrihy and Cathaoirleach Tony O’Brien highlighted “significant difficulties” in many rural communities. The motion also asked for a review of what constitutes a “strategic regional route” in the Council’s priority list in the winter gritting plan.  Councillor Murphy commended the work of Council teams over the cold snap. “There are a number of routes across the country that that seem to provide the critical key transport corridors for communities,” the Loop Head man said. “Just because they have lower population density, it does leave them at far more risk of isolation than many other communities. I had a call from the school in Kilkee where school and public transport were not operating because it was unsafe to do …