East Clare

STAFFING issues have been identified in a Killaloe nursing home following an inspection by an independent health watchdog. The Lakes Nursing Home can accommodate a maximum of 57 residents, and on April 6 last during an unannounced HIQA inspection, there were 54 residents in the residential centre. On the day of inspection there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to attend to the direct care needs of residents. The person-in-charge, however, confirmed that the centre was faced with ongoing recruitment challenges and that staff turnover was high. Records evidenced multiple shortfalls in the allocation of healthcare assistants. It was confirmed that when staff phoned in at short notice they could not be replaced. Residents had provided feedback to the provider through the resident surveys, voicing concerns on staffing in the centre. The results of a residents’ survey identified that 33% of respondents stated they were satisfied while 17% stated they were not happy and 50% were recorded as not …

A VIRTUAL tour of Quin Friary is now available on the website of the Quin Heritage Group.  Members of group were aware that the story of the 12th century Friary was not readily available to either locals or visitors. To this end, with the support of Clare County Council and Creative Ireland, members of Quin Heritage have devised a 12-minute video that shares share the story of Quin Friary over the centuries. The video also highlights many of the main architectural features found within the building. The piece includes floor plans and stunning drone footage, as well as a video walkthrough focusing on features of interest.  The tour is available on Quinheritage.ie. Those using a smartphone will be able to view the video, while moving around the Friary.

THE provision of a new sewage treatment plant in Broadford will have to be prioritised, according to the outgoing chairman of the Killaloe Municipal District (KMD), Councillor Joe Cooney. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Councillor Cooney outlined a lot of projects have been progressed in the Killaloe MD over the last year. These include the new Shannon River Crossing, Iniscealtra, local authority housing developments in Tulla and Scariff and action taken on derelict buildings. One of the most positive developments is the possibility of securing a pilot scheme to provide a new sewage treatment plant in Broadford village. Unless rural towns and villages can secure new sewage treatment plants, he warned further closures of shops and post offices are inevitable. There are about ten locations in the KMD, which don’t have access to proper waste water treatment facilities, he said. Clare County Council will be putting forward two locations in the county to the Department of Housing for …

EMIGRATION stories from East Clare parishes to the United States will be the focus of a talk at Waterways Ireland Building in Scariff on Bank Holiday Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 during the local Harbour Festival. It will be followed on both days by free individual genealogical sessions to assist people in creating their family backstories or guiding them through stages of that journey. ‘An Epic Journey – from East Clare to Ellis Island’ is a story told through the eyes of professional genealogist, Jane Halloran Ryan, who will explore the reasons why a cross section of East Clare emigrants made the journey through Ellis Island at the turn of the 20th century. “I will be telling the story of what brought people from parishes like Scariff, Mountshannon, Whitegate, Tuamgraney, Ogonnelloe and Killaloe, to board a ship for Ellis Island, looking into whether they remained in New York or went elsewhere and what they ended up doing,” said …

AN UPLIFTING Feakle Festival is promised from August 4 to 8, with a surge of interest in the return of full in-person workshops, sessions and concerts.  Organisers of the 35th festival have just launched a new website, which captures a sense of what’s in store as some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians prepare to gather for the eagerly-awaited event. “We’re thrilled with how the site has turned out,” said Aoife Hayes, a member of the festival’s organising committee. “Planning for the site was done by our full team, but because I’m one of the youngest people involved, I got the job of working on the layout and the script. The site was created by Jereon Bos (Artvaark Design) and we left the design completely his hands.” The site has several important features, including a direct link for ticket sales to the Glór box office. “Tickets were always available through Glór,” Aoife said, “but now we have the link straight to …

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 …

AFTER more than 11 years of celebrating the fortnightly mass at the famous Barn Church in Oatfield, Canon Dan Spaight bade the local community a fond farewell last Saturday night. Retired for some years, after his ministry in Middlesborough in the UK, and now living in Ennis, Canon Spaight is a native of Cratloe and was ordained in 1959. “There were a total of 437 priests ordained across Ireland that year,” he recalled. “That was some number.” Canon Spaight enjoyed his ministry and his retirement to Ennis has proven to be an active one. He was approached more than a decade ago by sacristan Noreen Brandon and Parish Council member, the late Geraldine Crehan, to say mass in Oatfield. “It was round two weeks before Christmas in 2009 and I agreed,” he said. “The weather was very bad and I wondered if things continued, if I’d ever get there. I was told not to worry because there were people with …

ONE landowner in South-East Clare looks set to earn almost €2 million in total from wind farm payments over a 30-year period, if it obtains planning permission, a local lobby group has claimed. RWE Renewables has published a map with the proposed location of eight wind turbines at Fahy Beg, Fahy More North, Ballymoloney and Ballyknavin in Bridgetown. The Fahybeg Windfarm Information Group has estimated that one land owner may receive €1.92 million in total during the life time of the proposed 38.5 mega watt wind farm, which will break down to the equivalent of about 4.8 mega watt per turbine. Interestingly, a Limerick firm of solicitors will accrue the largest payment of an estimated €2.5 million as it is the land owner for two turbines and is listed as part owner of another one with a deceased land owner, who also owned land for a separate turbine before he died. Two other land owners own land where one turbine …