News

STUDENTS are being encouraged to take a leaf out of the book from one of the county’s most successful festivals. Preparations are already in motion for next year’s Ennis Book Club Festival which is set to take place from March 5 to 7, 2021. Festival director, Dani Gill and the committee are currently working on plans for the 15th festival. Book clubs have always been at the heart of the festival’s programming and this year the festival aims to develop new audiences by setting up the TY Book Club. Ennis Book Club Festival are inviting Transition Year classes from Clare schools to participate in a series of workshops on book clubs with Sarah Moore Fitzgerald. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald is a professor and award winning author based at the University of Limerick. She will host three workshops with TY classes from four schools in November, December and January online. The first workshop will give students tools and techniques to generate sharper …

THE delay in restoring full GP out-of-hours services in Clare three weeks after a HSE pledge about the full resumption of facilities has been criticised by a union official. In response to a Dáil question from Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, the HSE primary care general manager, Carmel McLaughlin outlined that Shannondoc has commenced the restoration of services on September 14 in Hospital, Roscrea and Thurles and that planning is underway in relation to the resumption of services in Clare. Ms McLaughlin stated the HSE and Shannondoc were committed to the full restoration of all services that were in existence pre Covid-19. A spokesperson for Shannondoc said, “As a result of the Covid-19 public health crisis, a consolidated model of service operating from five treatment centres across the Mid-West was introduced at Shannondoc. “These changes were necessary to protect its GPs, its front-line staff and patients while ensuring the service was maintained to patients through-out the mid-west during the crisis. “Shannondoc, supported …

A “huge opportunity” to boost visitor numbers to Ennis with the plans for a Greenway from the county capital to West Clare has been highlighted by local councillors, with calls being made on landowners to get behind the proposal. Ennis councillors Johnny Flynn, Ann Norton and Pat Daly alongside Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, at a meeting of Clare County Council, sought an update on the likely completion dates for sections of the previously commenced portion of the West Clare Greenway from Ennis to Lahinch. The councillors pointed out that there has been “significant increased Government funding announced for Greenways.” Councillor Flynn outlined that the plans had been proposed back in 2006 as he sought clarification on the progression of the Greenway from Ennis outwards. Councillor Norton stated, “After this length of time why hasn’t our Greenway come about? We hear so much about what others in other counties have to offer.” She continued, “it would be fantastic if we had another …

THE Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has announced that it is planning to transfer the management of hostels including Laurel Lodge in Ennis to other homeless charities with specialist expertise in the sector. The society says that it believes that the move will benefit those who use the services of its hostels as managing homeless hostels is moving beyond the capacity of a volunteer-led organisation such as SVP. As most of the funding for the hostels comes from the state SVP is in discussion with the respective local authorities and the HSE to facilitate the transfer of its services. There are nine hostels involved which between them have almost 300 beds per night for homeless people. In addition to Laurel Lodge in Ennis they are in, Carlow, Cork (2), Limerick, Longford, (2) Waterford and Wexford. Laurel Lodge provides 13 places for homeless men. SVP National Secretary Andy Heffernan says that as a volunteer-led organisation, the SVP structure is …

PANDEMIC restrictions are putting increased pressure on rural post offices, as the move towards a cashless society accelerates, according the post master for Scariff and Feakle. Brian McMahon said that while rural post offices had been commended as centres of help and support for the community, there was no real recognition from government of the pressures created by Covid-19 restrictions. “The government is striving for a cashless society,” he said. “That has meant more payments to bank accounts, rather than in person at the post office. The reality is that communities need cash and in some cases, we are the major supplier in places where there is no bank or cash point in many areas.” Mr McMahon added that the terms of the new contracts issued to post masters were not as favourable as those issued two years ago. “Under the old contracts, we counted our transactions over a three-year period,” he noted. “Now we are counting them month-by-month. As …

AN Ennis councillor has pledged his portion of General Municipal Allocation funding to finding a solution to the decades-long “dangerous” situation at the Corrovorrin – Tulla Road junction. Councillor Johnny Flynn at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District vowed that if funding is not forthcoming from central government that his GMA should be used to find an interim measure to improve the junction. Residents of Corrovorrin who have been regularly attending council meetings to stay updated were in the public gallery. Councillor Flynn had sought a progress report on the proposed junction improvement measures being planned and a likely completion date.   John Gannon, Senior Executive Engineer replied, “The Corrovorrin-Tulla Road Junction will be included in Clare County Council’s application for funding under the Departments low cost safety improvement works for regional and local roads to be carried out by Local Authorities during 2021. Subject to departmental approval the expected time fame for completion will be Autumn 2021.” Councillor …

A TULLA lecturer has been awarded one of just two publication scholarships by the Royal Irish Academy. Dr Eilís Ní Dheá, who is a lecturer in the Department of Language and Literary Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), has secured a Publication Scholarship by the Royal Irish Academy. This prestigious scholarship was one of just two to be awarded nationally following a public competition open to all lecturers in academic Irish throughout the country. It will allow Dr Ní Dheá to devote her time to the completion of her new book entitled, “Saothrú an Léinn Ghaelaigh i gCo. an Chláir”, The Gaelic Manuscript Tradition of Co. Clare 1700 – 1900. The awarding committee, under the chairpersonship of Professor Ciarán Mac Murchaidh from Dublin City University (DCU), were unanimous in their decision to grant Dr Ní Dheá this scholarship having been “extremely impressed with the standard, scope and substance” of her publication project. Dr Ní Dheá said she is absolutely delighted …

DEER are said to be causing significant damage to farms and forests in East Clare, with the pandemic being blamed for a slow-down in the processing of permits for hunters, five weeks into open season. Concerns have also been raised about the ongoing issue of illegal deer hunting, which a major conservation and management organisation described as a recurring problem in the east of the county. “There are landowners in East Clare who might go out to find 30 to 40 deer on their grazing,” said William Shortall of the IFA  said. “As the population of deer expands, they’re competing for food and that’s what drives them into grassland areas and tillage. What we need in the long term is an agency with responsibility for the overall management of deer, who will be able to put effective plans in place to control their numbers. We’re entering the rut now, where stags move off their territory in search of females, so …