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Big Apple or Ennistymon dilemma for Willie

North Clare matchmaker, Willie Daly has been invited to New York for St Patrick’s Day, following the recent publication of an interview with him in one of the best-known newspapers in the United States. The Lisdoonvarna man was invited to the city by a group of publicans in Brooklyn, to conduct a matchmaking weekend there, after an article about him appeared in the New York Times on February 3. “I was invited off the back of the article but, really, I always have St Patrick’s Day at home with my grandchildren and we always participate in the Ennistymon parade, so I have to weight it up against that,” he said. Last year, following national headlines made by whistleblowers, Willie and his family entered the parade as the tin whistle blowers. “I have suggested to the people who have invited me that maybe April 1 or May Day might be alternative times for a matchmaking weekend. St Patrick’s Day is busy …

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Online resource to tackle bullies

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly has launched two new resources to help support young people affected by bullying. Tackle Bullying (www.tacklebullying.ie), an online resource for young people affected by bullying, was developed at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) at Dublin City University and funded by National Lottery Funds. The centtre was established in 1996 by Professor Mona O’Moore and is led by Dr James O’Higgins Norman. It is the first forum of its kind and encourages teenagers to share their experiences with their peers or offer support to others. While the forum will encourage peer-to-peer conversation, all posts will be monitored by professionals and an option to contact one of the moderators directly will be available to those feeling very unhappy or have a serious issue they’d like to discuss. The website will also contain some useful information on the subject such as tips on staying cyber-safe and newspaper articles which might be …

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St Pat’s students highlight importance of ports

ST Patrick’s Comprehensive, Shannon has won the inaugural Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) Transition Year Schools competition. Education Minister, Jan O’Sullivan presented the winners with a €2,000 cheque for their school, while there were also medals and an iPad for each team member. The purpose of the competition was to deepen the understanding of port activity on the Shannon Estuary and its contribution to the economy. It was titled The Importance of Ports in the Mid-West and was open to students in Clare, Limerick and Kerry. The Comprehensive students devised a booklet for primary schools, which gives younger students a greater understanding of the estuary and port company’s activities through games, quizzes and other learning tools. Team member Sinead Quinn said, “We really had no idea how important SFPC is. Many of us live just five miles from Shannon Airport and we never even knew there was a fuel jetty there. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. When we …

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Killaloe centre shortlisted for award

A dementia specific respite and daycare centre in Ballina/Killaloe, has been shortlisted for a prestigious Irish Healthcare Award, 2015. Waterman’s Lodge, which has been nominated under the Specialist Centre of the Year category, is one of two national respite centres run by the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland. A former hotel, the premises was acquired by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland in 2008 and extensively modernised and converted into a dementia specific care centre. The purpose of the respite centre is to provide dementia specific person-centred care to the person with dementia and their carers in the community. The centre can accommodate up to 11 respite clients per week. Currently there is 35 staff employed at Waterman’s Lodge all of whom have received dementia specific training. The Irish Healthcare Centre Awards 2015 will be presented on March 27.

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Daffodil Day 2015 launched

As the most recent statistics show 15 people in Clare being diagnosed with cancer every week, the countdown is on for Daffodil Day on Friday, March 27. Supported by Dell, this year marks the 28th Daffodil Day, Ireland’s longest running and biggest fundraising day. The society announced a growth in cancer incidence that is sure to have a direct impact on its services; increasing the need for the people in Clare to support Daffodil Day so they can reach their fundraising target of €3.5 million for 2015. Speaking at the launch of Daffodil Day, John McCormack, chief executive officer, Irish Cancer Society said, “Every family in Clare is touched by cancer, and these new figures confirm that cancer rates are growing. As cancer is increasing, so are our efforts to fight it. As the national cancer charity we are working harder to ensure that every family in need of support in Clare has access to our services. To meet the …

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Anne’s crew remember her to Rapunzel

STAFF members in St Joseph’s Hospital are planning a ‘crew cut’ for a fundraising event in memory of their former colleague, Anne Fox, who lost her battle with cancer in September 2013. Three of Anne’s former colleagues are stepping forward for the short back and sides by hairdressers from K&G Hair Salon on Parnell Street, at the function in O’Keeffe’s Bar, Lifford, on February 27. But that’s not all. The group, and the 10-year-old niece of one of the volunteers and the daughter of another, will then hand over their tresses to the Rapunzel Foundation to make into wigs for children and adults who suffer from alopecia. Tommy Guilfoyle, Deirdre Allan and her daughter, Mary, who works in Ryan’s Centra, and St Joseph’s colleague, Nuala Casey haven’t had a haircut since last April or May. Tommy’s niece, Ava Burke, aged 10, a pupil in Gaelscoil Micheál Chiosóg, has never had more than a trim. Now she’s prepared to have 14 …

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Private King remembered 100 years on

ONE hundred years ago this week, 26-year-old, Private Patrick King, who was born in Kildysart and lived in Turnpike, Ennis, died of “exit wounds” near Bailleul in France. According to information from the Clare Museum, Private King arrived in France with the 2nd battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment on August 14, 1914, just 10 days after war was declared. The South Lancashires were part of the 3rd Division that engaged in winter operations between November 23, 1914 and February 6, 1915. His division was involved in an attack on Wytschaete on December 14, 1914, which had resulted in high casualties. Private King was wounded just a few days before the ending of winter operations and died of his wounds on February 2, 1915, in a hospital close to where he is buried. In 2008, a successful effort was made to reunite Private King’s World War I Victory Medal with its rightful owners, following a Clarecastle man’s discovery that it …

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Pakie gets Newmarket running again

THE Ryan family in Newmarket endured a very difficult emotional rollercoaster in the spring of 2009. The birth of Abbey Ryan, the first granddaughter in their extended family, on March 3, 2009 brought great joy to everyone. However, the death of her father, Pakie, (34) in early April, left a cloud hanging over the entire family. The sports fanatic and Newmarket character would have been 40 on Monday, January 26. During his illness, Pakie received great support from his wife, Frances, relatives, friends and the local community. His father, Christy recalls Pakie repeatedly said there were people much worse off than him, even in the middle of his cancer battle. Two or three years after his death, it struck Christy that Pakie had 34 years of happiness, he was never sick and never in hospital. Frances describes the spring of ’09 as a “battle of emotions”, which was a bit too much for everyone to take in, as there was …

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