Lifestyle

A KILLALOE long distance swimmer negotiated a treacherous strait of water with mixed current during a 45.866 kilometre swim around the Big Apple in the United States of America. Wearing a Munster red togs with FOLEY 8 on the back and an Irish flag on the front, Rosie Foley and her best friend Andrea Newport swam together in tandem under all 20 bridges around Manhattan Island. They swam 28.5 miles in eight hours and 28 minutes. To make sure Rosie and Andrea were safe in the busy waters, they were accompanied by another close friend Fionnuala Walsh from Cappa near Kilrush, who swam this route eight years ago, on one of three support boats. There was also a kayaker beside them from New York Open Water and they had plenty of support on dry land. “My husband Pat, who was born in New York, and three children Oisin, Brendan and Siofra plus Andrea’s partner Alex were on land,” said Rosie. …

FINALISTS will be unveiled on Friday July 22 in a national competition, in which The Burren and Lough Derg are in the running, for the title of Best Place to Holiday in Ireland. The two Clare locations – both of which enjoy international renown for their natural beauty and tourist attractions – were unveiled, earlier this month, on The Irish Times list of ‘20 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022’. The locations were nominated by close to 1,200 people from across the 32 counties. The Burren which was one of seven regions to be selected, received six nominations, while Lough Derg, received three. Clare will, of course, have to share Lough Derg’s success with counties Galway and Tipperary, both of which border the lake. The competition is being run in association with Fáilte Ireland, and last took place in 2012. On that occasion, Loop Head Peninsula emerged as the eventual winner. This year, each of the nominated locations was …

FATIGUE and tired limbs failed to dampen the sense of achievement at the Belvoir carpark of the 12 O’Clock Hills last weekend, as hikers and walkers returned from a hugely successful Great East Clare Hill Challenge.  Up to 130 hikers and 15 guides participated, in ideal weather conditions, in the 30km hike, which they completed in eight to nine hours. There were no medals for anyone competing, just the great feeling of accomplishment on completion. This strenuous hike had an early start at 8am from Two Mile Gate, Killaloe. From there, hikers made their way, in stunning July sunshine, to the summit of Moylussa at a height of 532m, the highest peak in Clare. Then, they followed a boggy track along Sliabh Bearna to Cragnamurragh the second highest mountain in the county. After a short break, hikers continued past the Enchanted Lake and then made their descent to link to the East Clare Way and into the village of Broadford …

MINISTER Heather Humphreys was in Lahinch this morning to officially open the Lahinch Leisure Centre, a shining example of smart energy usage and generation. As part of its €6m renovation and expansion, the Centre has enjoyed an extensive energy retrofit under the auspices of the Tipperary Energy Agency. Now, alongside its top of the range insulation and ground source heat pump that heats the pools, solar panels on the roof generate much of the centre’s energy requirements. Alongside that, the ductwork throughout the centre is made from recycled materials. Indeed, no fewer than 3,717 plastic bottle have been repurposed to this effect The centre’s green journey began in September 2018 when engineers from the agency completed an energy audit to understand how much energy the building was using and pinpoint necessary works to upgrade the facility. Following the audit Tipperary Energy Agency were appointed Mechanical and Electrical Design Engineers and Energy Consultants. Prior to the retrofit, the leisure centre (part …

JUST a few short months after undergoing her third spinal surgery, 20-year-old Ennis student Derinn Finnerty has taken the crown of Miss Clare. Derinn, who is studying Global Commerce at NUIG, was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at 16 years of age however she has been determined not to let this stop her following her dreams. She has now been named among the 37 finalists vying for the coveted Miss Ireland 2022 title in this the competition’s 75th Jubilee year. She tells us, “It’s just been amazing, it’s been crazy since I was crowned. Every day there is something new to do, and I’m loving it. “I’ve had so many people wishing me well. I’m just so honoured to be able to represent the county.” Derinn is determined to raise awareness of scoliosis, a condition which results in an abnormal curvature of the spine, and she is working with Irish charity Straight Ahead to raise funds to support children waiting on …

A CLARE man has been appointed to the board of Ireland’s largest youth organisation. Kilnaboy’s Seán Roche moves to the top table of Youth Work Ireland after 43 years of voluntary service to Clare Youth Service and Kilnaboy Youth Club. Youth Work Ireland comprises nationwide youth services from Donegal to Cork and a national office that works together to support, empower and educate young people through the delivery of best practice youth work services.  Seán has represented the voice and experience of rural youth clubs within Clare for many years and CEO of Clare Youth Service Margaret Slattery said his move to the national forum will be very positive. “This is a significant appointment for Clare. Seán is a strong voice representing the experience and challenges of rural youth services  and their importance to the health of the community and wellbeing of young people especially those who are rurally or socially isolated,” said Ms Slattery. “I know that he will bring …

The Cliffs of Moher Experience has announced a partnership with J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey to create a new series of Irish whiskeys finished in sherry casks in the iconic O’Brien’s Tower. Clare-based J.J. Corry has selected single malt, pot still and single grain whiskeys from around the island of Ireland to mature within the tower, which was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brien on the edge of the world-famous cliffs in 1835. Working with partner Cooper Casknolia and Bodegas in Montilla & Jerez, the casks have been seasoned for over 18 months before being filled with J. J. Corry whiskey. They will end their maturation process with the wild Atlantic Ocean breeze in O Brien’s Tower and the whiskeys will be released as a series of bottlings later this year. “As custodians of the Cliffs of Moher we are proud to continue the longstanding tradition of supporting local suppliers, dispersing economic benefit and meeting our sustainability goals” explained Geraldine Enright, Director …

Celine O’Donovan on the journey she undertook following her cancer diagnosis   IT is almost six years to the day since I got the news that I had breast cancer. It still amazes me that those two simple words could dramatically alter the course of my life in an instant. Nothing would ever be the same again. The life I knew just disintegrated before my eyes and I was left reeling. I’m sure anyone who has been given difficult news or come face to face with tragedy will understand what it’s like. Everything stops in that moment while life continues on as normal all around you. It is hard to comprehend how the world keeps on turning when you have been dealt such a devastating blow, but it does. The truth is, no-one escapes devastation in life. As tough as it is, and I know there are some tragedies that are beyond comprehension, I firmly believe that how we view …