News

GARDAÍ have linked a vehicle removed recently from a lake in Broadford to a crime that happened 22 years ago. A fisherman out on the water detected an image of the van on sonar equipment and alerted the authorities. After speaking to members of Killaloe Gardaí, who requested the support of the Garda Water Unit, the fisherman brought specialist officers to the location on the lake. Members of the unit launched a rib to pinpoint the exact location of the van which was brought to the surface and recovered from the water. During follow-up inquiries, Gardaí established that the vehicle had been reported stolen in 1998. Gardaí have confirmed that further enquiries are to be made.

ENNIS native and well known litigation solicitor Liam Moloney has just been appointed as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia by their Government. The new consulate will be based in Naas where Mr Moloney runs his successful Moloney Solicitors practice. A former past pupil of St Flannan’s College where he won a Dean Ryan Cup medal in hurling Liam has been running his legal practice in Naas for the past 21 years. He has immersed himself into life in County Kildare for longer than that having utilised his hurling skills playing for Naas GAA and the Kildare county senior hurling team but he still gets down regularly to his home county to visit family and friends. He is also a big Clare hurling and football supporter. Liam is also currently an executive board member of the Pan European Personal Injury Lawyers Association and a member of the Board of Governors for Ireland and the UK of the American Association for …

MORE THAN 3,000 courses are to be made available through colleges serving the Midwest, following an investment in an initiative to upskill people in response to the economic impact of the pandemic. 271 additional post-graduate places and 2,769 additional modular places will be available at the University of Limerick (UL), Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) after an investment of €30 million. Senator Martin Conway said the new free and subsidised higher education places would “help get people back to work, upskill workers and build economic confidence while continuing to manage the impact of Covid-19”. “People are really suffering as a result of this pandemic and the government is working to provide opportunities for those who have been most affected and ensure that they have the skills that are needed by employers today,” the Fine Gael member said. “Many courses focus on future proofing the skills of …

A CLARE-based migrants’ rights activist has given a broad welcome to a ground-breaking new report which recommends that the Direct Provision system should end by 2021. A publication compiled by an expert advisory panel working under the stewardship of Dr Catherine Day will now inform a White Paper being put together on the issue of accommodating those seeking asylum in Ireland. Bulelani Mfaco lives at the State-owned Knockalisheen direct provision centre, and is a prominent member of the Movement of Asylum Seekers of Ireland (MASI). The South African was also a member of Dr Day’s expert advisory committee. While MASI, who made a detailed submission last year to the committee, welcomed recommendations on the provision of housing, healthcare, and welfare payments to asylum seekers who do not stay in reception centres, it highlighted areas that continued to be of concern. Mr Mfaco noted that asylum seekers would continue to be open to discrimination under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). In …

RETAILERS around the county are receiving visits from Gardaí to ensure compliance with Level 5 restrictions, amid controversy over which shops and products are deemed to be essential. Clare Gardaí have confirmed receiving a number of complaints about apparent breaches of the rules. Despite the government outlining 16 different categories of retail that can continue under the highest level of Covid-19 restrictions, confusion has arisen. Several members of the public have contacted The Champion to say that certain retail outlets appear to be open when they shouldn’t be. Similarly, many retailers who are deemed to be non-essential, have taken issue with the sale of clothing by supermarkets. Retail representative groups say members are angry and confused. “We’ve been asking the government to make all retail essential at this time of the year,” said CEO of Ennis-based Retail Excellence, Duncan Graham. “There was a palpable sense of shock when we moved to Level 5. People are very anxious, they’re very worried, …

ALREADY struggling, Shannon’s woes were compounded on Wednesday, as it emerged that Ryanair will now have no flights to or from the airport between November 14 and December 12. With Aer Lingus having pulled its Heathrow service, and transatlantic services not running either, it means Shannon will be without any scheduled passenger services at all for a number of weeks, although it will still be open to service cargo, general aviation, transit business and hangar movements. It puts Shannon at one of the lowest ebbs in its history and on Wednesday it also emerged that the strategically crucial Heathrow service won’t be returned until April at the earliest. Reacting to the decision, Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said, “We are extremely disappointed with the news; it is a further illustration of the devastating impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector. This latest development effectively means we will have no scheduled services at Shannon for a month.” She said the …

THE brakes have been pulled by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on a proposal to install a right turning lane at an Ennis junction despite residents being “in fear of their lives”. The need for a traffic island to accommodate traffic coming from the Ennis side heading to West Clare and reinstatement of a hard shoulder at Kilmorane was highlighted at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Pat Daly stated that this junction is close to six residential houses and a business with a “serious health and safety issue there”. He stated that residents are “living on their nerves every day” describing the route as “very, very dangerous”. He added that the new business has seen the creation of 10 jobs, and a right turn is essential in ensuring its sustainability. However, John Gannon, senior executive engineer replied, “The TII have inspected and reviewed this junction and have assessed that the traffic movements do not validate a right …

A TENDERING process to appoint a new contractor to finish the County Library project in Ennis has been announced by Clare County Council. This comes following the appointment by the High Court of an examiner to Kilmihil-based development company L&M Keating Limited. Since July no building work has been carried out at the site of the planned new library adjacent to glór. Construction works begun back in January and the project had initially been due for completion next year, however that date was pushed out to 2022 when construction nationally was affected by Covid-19. According to a statement released this week by the local authority, “Clare County Council will shortly commence a tendering process to appoint a new contractor to the County Library project. The decision comes following the appointment by the High Court last week of an examiner to L&M Keating Limited. At this juncture we do not have a timeline for the appointment of a completion contractor.” A …