East Clare

Arlene Harris on the poignant process of sorting through the contents of her old family home – the famed Merriman Tavern – for auction this weekend SELLING the family home is always going to be a poignant experience, but going through its contents and organising them for auction is even more of an emotional wringer. And when you add to that, the emptying of a business which is choc-full of antiques and memorabilia, the task gets even harder. This is what I have just experienced, having emptied my parent’s bar, The Merriman Tavern in Scariff, for an auction which takes place on April 23. Growing up in this centuries-old stone building (where incidentally Eamon DeValera once made a speech from the room which later became my parent’s bedroom), I had a very colourful childhood. Week after week, the bar played host to everyone from Clannad and the Chieftans to the Wolfe Tones, Paddy Reilly, Christy Moore and Planxty. Finbar Furey …

BOAT users have been advised to carry up to date charts and stick to main navigation channels in the wake of a cruiser running aground in Lough Derg. Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat came to the aid of a lone skipper on 30ft cruiser that had run aground, inside Red Island on the south-western County Clare shore on Sunda evening. At 8.03pm Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat Jean Spier launched with helm Eleanor Hooker, Owen Cavanagh, Joe O’Donoghue and Ciara Moylan on board. At 8.18pm the lifeboat had the casualty vessel in sight; it was located inside Red Island, north of Holy Island. Aware of an extended shoal inside Red Island, an RNLI volunteer took soundings off the bow and, using on board electronic navigation, crew plotted a safe course to the casualty vessel. At 8.21pm RNLI crew noted that the skipper on the casualty vessel was signaling with a light, waving and calling to them. Unable to make out what he …

AMBITIOUS plans for an outdoor cultural activities space at a lakeside park in Mountshannon have received the green light from planners. Earlier this year, Mountshannon Community Council, who are spear-heading the project, secured a funding award of €54,860 from The Department of Rural and Community Development, to develop the facility at Aistear Park. Conditional planning permission has been granted despite two objections from residents of the town’s Main Street. Planners have asked that steps be take to allay their concerns over the impact on views of Lough Derg. After considering the application and two identical objections, which raised concerns that the open roofed structure would be “rarely used”, and could damage views and attract anti-social behaviour, planners supported the principle of the development. They described the pavilion as “modest in scale relative to the overall park area”, and said it “will not inhibit the use of the area for play and recreational activity”.  In relation to the concerns about visual …

THE East Clare Memorial Committee will begin its second century of commemoration this Easter Sunday.  The group, who have annually commemorated both the East Clare IRA and Scariff Martyrs across the last 100 years, have once again planned to remember those who fought for Irish independence.  At the East Clare Memorial Park in Tuamgraney, where the East Clare IRA and Cumann na mBan Brigades are commemorated, a wreath will be laid at 10am. This year, Chairman of the West Clare Brigade Commemoration Group, JT Larkin, will be called on to perform the ceremonial duty.  Mr Larkin will lay a wreath in honour of the West and East Clare IRA Brigades who combined in April 1921 to attack the heavily militarised town of Kilrush. In April 2021, members of the East Clare Memorial Committee travelled to West Clare to acknowledge the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Kilrush Ambush.  At the ground of Scariff Roman Catholic Church, a wreath will …

RESIDENTS of an East Clare housing estate who have spent almost two decades with unfinished roads and kerbs are to have their situation addressed before the end of the year.  Councillor Alan O’Callaghan confirmed that Clare County Council has pledged to carry out works at Maigh Dara in Quin, including a final overlay of tar, as well as repairs to kerbs and paths. Close to €200,000 has been sourced by the local authority to tackle the long-standing problem which has affected the 45-home estate since the estate was built around 17 years ago.  “There are fairly extensive works to be done and I’m delighted that the Council has been able to sources the funds needed,” said Councillor O’Callaghan. “The money will come from a number of different pots and will run to more than €190,000. Many residents have been living with this since the estate was built and having man holes protruding and other issues has been a big inconvenience …

“A GOOD man in every way,” was one neighbour’s description of the late Dr Brían O’Rourke, scholar, author, songwriter and linguist, who was laid to rest in Feakle this week.  Crowds thronged St Mary’s Church and the Angelus bell rang out, as the simple wicker coffin was carried in, adorned with carnations and roses – a nod to Brían’s famous comic ballad, ‘Chantal de Champignon’. Figures from the worlds of politics, literature, drama and broadcasting attended the funeral, as well as former colleagues from the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) where Dr O’Rourke had previously lectured in Heritage Studies.  Brían, a native of Ratheniska, County Laois, passed away, at the age of 73, at his home in Magherabaun on Friday, April 8. His funeral mass was concelebrated by his brother Fr Caoimhín. His broadcaster brother, Seán and sister Anne, brought up the offeratory gifts. Symbols were presented of Brían’s life. Among them was a copy of his book, Blas …

A PROFOUND sense of grief spread across East Clare following the untimely death of Whitegate’s Michael ‘Mikey’ Hynes.  The 22-year-old was a past pupil of Scariff Community College and a fourth-year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick (UL). His funeral mass at St Flannan’s Church, Whitegate, last Sunday (April 10) afternoon attracted hundreds of mourners to pay their respects and to support Michael’s parents Declan and Annette; his sisters Katie, Alison and Corinna; and his grandmother Teresa Hynes. Councillor Pat Burke, a neighbour of the Hynes family, said the scenes witnessed in recent days were unprecedented. “The outpouring of grief and sympathy for Michael and his family is something we have never seen before,” he said. “I have never seen as many people line the streets of Whitegate for anything, ever. There were six or seven different guards of honour from the likes of the national school, to the senior hurlers, to classmates from UL. Despite the crowds, …

HUNDREDS of East Clare homes are still waiting to receive their forms, almost two weeks after Census night. The CSO has put the delay down to “a number of factors including enumerator vacancies in a small number of areas, a householder being unable to receive a form in person or an enumerator not having sufficient access to the premises to leave a census form in a secure location”. While a spokesperson described the number of homes without forms as “small”, local estimates put the figure at at least 500. It is understood the issue affects areas including Flagmount, Feakle, Scariff, Killaloe and Broadford. “If you were writing a book about this, people just wouldn’t believe it,” said Councillor Pat Hayes. “It’s very unsatisfactory and I’m totally annoyed. I understand there was a staffing issue for the CSO, but the solutions that were put in place to solve the problem clearly didn’t work. “You’d imagine that in the modern world this …