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Call for better access to amenity park in Killaloe

ACCESS to those with disabilities to one of East Clare most popular amenity areas needs to be improved, in the view of members of the Killaloe Municipal District committee. There was strong support for measures to improve access to Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, following a motion tabled by Killaloe-based Councillor Tony O’Brien. Located a few kilometres outside the town at Ballycuggeran, it is a designated Blue Flag bathing area and has seen record visitor numbers over the summer months. “As things stand currently, people with disabilities are unable to access the amenity park and improving the infrastructure is essential,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “The park is a fantastic facility on the eastern shore of Lough Derg. It’s a major tourist attraction and very popular. It’s necessary that everyone should be able to access it.” Councillor O’Brien welcomed the response from the executive of the council which said the authority had applied for Clár funding to carry out accessibility …

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Clare woman on top Down Under

A CLARE woman has been named as one of Australia’s rising stars appearing on a list of the country’s top Early Achievers. Dr Rachel Kelly, originally from Spancilhill but now working in Tasmania, is a marine socio-ecologist whose work focuses on connecting people with the ocean. Her work has been recognised among 40 Early Achievers in Research in a prestigious list compiled by national newspaper The Australian, as well as being named in the top five list of social sciences researchers. The Early Achievers Leaderboard lists the five top researchers from Australian universities and research institutions in eight major discipline areas, who are less than 10 years into their career. Dr Kelly’s research has highlighted how improving knowledge and engagement with the oceans among communities can support marine conservation. The 29-year-old tells The Clare Champion that being listed among the top 40 Early Achievers was “a huge surprise, and so great to have good news in 2020.” She explains, “The …

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Lisdoonvarna playground reopening restores vital community amenity

HUGE community efforts have been credited for the reopening last Friday of the playground in Lisdoonvarna. The venue, which is popular with kids and their extended families, has been described as one of the jewels in the crown of the facilities available for the town and a network of other centres in North Clare. The playground, which is next to the popular Cois Céim Childcare Centre, and part of a wider community amenity park, was closed as part of the nationwide response to the pandemic. An inspection discovered that in order to continue to meet standards set out by insurers, a significant – and costly – schedule of repairs was needed. “Fundraising during Covid-19 was difficult for everyone involved and they deserve huge credit, as do those who contributed so generously,” said Councillor Joe Garrihy, Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District and a board member of the community development association, Lisdoonvarna Fáilte. “Friday’s event was actually the first official …

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Pyrite Action Group call for more political support

POLITICAL support is increasing for a number of Clare householders whose properties are beginning to crack and crumble as a result of defective material in the blockwork. Since it was formed at the start of last month, the Clare Pyrite Action Group has had more than 30 people come forward from all parts of the county to highlight the condition of their homes. After a virtual meeting with Deputy Cathal Crowe last week, the action group is to hold an open event on Monday in the hope of garnering the support of more Oireachtas members and county councillors. To-date, a number of parliamentary questions have been tabled on their behalf about the possibility of extending a remediation scheme for those affected by defective blockwork, but none has received a positive response. Last week, the Department of Housing approved a call to have Limerick city and county taken under the remit of a scheme for homes where pyrite is present in …

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Rebecca O’Neill crowned Miss Clare 2020

SHANNON’S Rebecca O’Neill has been crowned Miss Clare 2020. The beauty therapist will now go on to represent Clare in the Miss Ireland finals, with Rebecca saying she wants to use this platform to inspire the younger generation to get involved in local charities. Rebecca also wants to promote positivity and well being in her local community. The 19-year-old was presented with the crown at the combined Miss Tipperary, Miss Limerick & Miss Clare (Miss TLC) virtual event which took place on Facebook Live on Sunday. This year marked the unprecedented merger of the three events events due to Covid-19 restrictions. Siobhan Fitzpatrick from Kilmaley was named first runner-up in Miss Clare and is looking forward to the the Miss Ireland semi-finals in a few weeks time. MC for the event was former Miss Clare Lauren Guilfoyle while male model and blogger Patrick McLoughney and Former Miss Sunday World and Miss Tipperary Esme Mansergh Wallace directed. The team were keen …

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Call to reinstate North Clare businesswoman to Fáilte Ireland board

AWARD-winning North Clare businesswoman Breege O’Donoghue should be reinstated to her position on the board of Fáilte Ireland, according to Clare’s Fianna Fáil senator, who has warned about the risks of “blood letting”. The Boston native stepped down last month after controversially travelling to a non-Green List country, at a time when a major summer ‘staycation’ campaign was running. Ms O’Donoghue also tendered her resignation as Chair of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI), but has since been reinstated, prompting Senator Timmy Dooley to call for her to be reappointed to the tourism board. “I very much believe in the public health message,” said Senator Dooley, “but we need to be really careful of the blame game. The kind of expertise that Ms O’Donoghue has is not in huge supply. It’s not the same things as having a government minister resign. They can be moved around reasonably easily.” Ms O’Donoghue’s was the second resignation from the board of …

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AIMS success for Ennis Musical Society

THEY may had to cut this year’s show short due to Covid-19, but the Ennis Musical Society still managed to hit the high notes at this year’s AIMS awards. The local group, who had to cancel this year’s production of Seussical the Musical just days into its run, took home the title of Best Programme at the annual awards which Rachael Culligan, chairperson of Ennis Musical Society has described as the “equivalent of the Tony Awards” in amateur musical society circles. The society had a total of three nominations in the competition, also coming in runners up in the Best Actor category for Brian Roche and Best Singer for Hazel Park. “We were delighted with the win, and we were delighted to get nominated in three categories because it’s not easy to get an AIMS nomination. The AIMS amongst the musical creative circles is quite highly regarded, it’s the amateur equivalent to the Tony Awards.” She paid tribute to all …

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Call for ‘joined up thinking’ as storm season approaches

JOINED up thinking between agencies including the local authority, the ESB and Eir, as owners of the phone infrastructure network, has been called for in the wake of Storm Ellen in East Clare. Addressing the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Burke said the storm had had a far more serious impact on East Clare than had been forecast. “If you were in Ennis, Quin or Tulla,” he said, “you’d hardly have noticed that there had been a storm. But, there was an awful lot of damage in areas around Scariff, Mountshannon and Whitegate.” The Fine Gael member commended the work of council crews, the fire service and local farmers and landowners. “Local people were out helping with chain saws and tractors to open a number of roads,” he said. “We’re very grateful to them and there was a very coordinated approach taken between themselves and the council and the ESB.” In relation to the extensive …

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