Regional

THE generous spirt of a young Scariff woman is to be remembered in a donation programme to support charities in East Clare. The annual charitable initiative of Derg Credit Union will honour one of its late members, Lasairfhíona Kennedy. The credit union invites charities operating within the common bond to enter an application process for a chance to obtain €5,000 for their charity. The amount allocated to the fund is decided by the board each year. This year’s winners are the East Clare St Vincent De Paul, “a very worthy cause in light of the difficult times we are in,” a spokesperson said.  In 2021, Lasairfhíona, a young member of the Credit Union, sadly passed away. Lasairfhíona, saved her money in a Jar she called ‘The Helping Hand’. The proceeds of the jar were regularly lodged to her credit union account and then sent by cheque to her various charities. The name of her jar reflected a theme ‘The Giving …

EVERY year the town of Ennis transforms itself into a field of golden yellow for Daffodil Day as the county capital embraces the annual fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society, writes Jessica Quinn. Volunteer fundraisers can be seen on almost every corner selling bunches of the spring flowers as well as other items in aid of the charity’s flagship fundraising day which is always generously supported locally. Behind this monumental effort has been a dedicated volunteer committee, many of whom have been involved with the charity for more than 30 years. After decades of service to the community, the organising committee are taking a well deserved retirement and they are encouraging others to take up the mantle to ensure that Daffodil Day in Ennis continues to be as successful as ever for the charity. Daffodil Day was brought to Ennis in 1989, one year after its initial launch in Dublin, by Michael Guerin Snr and following his passing, that baton …

ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour in parts of Shannon is leading to the “terrorising” of people trying to go about their daily lives, Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD has said. Deputy Cathal Crowe told the quarterly meeting of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee (JPC) that a stronger approach needs to be taken to tackle a raft of incidents in the town. “This is a parental and a policing issue,” he said. “There are kids being dropped off from Sixmilebridge, Quin and from across the region and they think their children are just spending time with their friends. “The truth is that there is terrorising going on in the shopping centre. Last week, a trolley was pushed down two or three flights of stairs and it narrowly missed a pensioner who was out doing the shopping.” Responding to the Fianna Fáil TD’s concerns, Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran said the issue of anti-social behaviour was widespread. “This is not just a concern for Shannon,” he said. “There …

LAKESIDE activities of all kinds are planned as part of ambitious proposals to develop a pavilion at Aistear Park in Mountshannon.  Earlier this month, the Community Council formally lodged plans with Clare County Council for the  facility, after extensive public consultation. The roofed, open structure, which will provide shelter from the elements, and have water and electricity installed, will be able to cater for festivals, performances, classes, social events and a host of other activities. Also awaited is an announcement from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, to which the Community Council has lodged a funding application.  “We looked at the situation with Covid,” explained Joanne Dunphy-Allen, Chairperson of Mountshannon Community Council. “We’re always looking to enhance the the community and to improve areas and boost what we have. We looked at situations where we’d had events and festivals. We had groups that were having difficulties being able to meet inside and do things, because of Covid. Also, we live …

DRUGS with an estimated value of €50,000 have been seized at Shannon Airport with the assistance of detector dog Harley. Revenue officers seized 2.5 kgs of herbal cannabis concealed within metal cans manifested as “Jasmine Tea”. The consignment had originated in the US and was destined for an address in Cork. Separately, at Dublin District Court Revenue officers were granted a three-month cash detention order by Judge John Campbell. This followed the seizure on 18 February 2022 of €10,000 at Dublin Airport. The cash was discovered when, as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers stopped and searched a passenger prior to boarding a flight to Instanbul, Turkey. The cash is suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and is detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation. Investigations into both seizures are ongoing. These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting organised crime groups and the importation, sale and supply …

PASSENGERS who were on board a Ryanair flight from Shannon have shared details of the terrifying experience they endured on the service to Birmingham. Last Friday was a day to forget for the unfortunate passengers who were flying to the UK city. After boarding their aircraft in stormy conditions, they were then left waiting for hours before the plane finally took off. After going to Birmingham, it was judged that they could not land safely and there was uncertainty for some time as to where they would go instead. Ultimately the flight was redirected to Prestwick outside of Glasgow. After landing there, the passengers were told they had two options, neither appealing. One choice was to take a bus to Birmingham, which could take in the region of eight hours. Their other option was to stay on the aircraft, which was going to take off once again, but they were told there was only a 50-50 chance that it would …

MORE details are being sought on a controversial plan for a 21-metre telecoms in an east Clare town, writes Fiona McGarry. While the Council originally indicated that a decision could be made this month, it has now asked developers Eir for Further Information (FI), following significant public opposition in Scariff and a representation from a local TD. Eir proposes to replace a 12-metre wooden pole, at its exchange on The Connacht Road, with a much higher mast with dishes, antennas and other equipment. When submissions closed at the end of January, a total of 11 objections had been made. One of those is a detailed document with 48 signatures on behalf of East Clare Community Residents. That objection raises concerns about public health, the proximity of the site to Scariff National School and the impact on the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) of Scariff and Tuamgraney. Deputy Michael McNamara made a representation on the file, “requesting the need for Clare County …

A section of Ennis town centre was sealed off this afternoon after a large sheet of metal was discovered in dangerous position on the chimney of three-storey building. It’s believed the sheeting, thought to be copper and weighing about three quarters of a tonne, was blown off the roof of nearby building where works are being carried out. This is thought to have occurred over the weekend when two storms hit County Clare over the weekend. The sheeting may have been on the roof at High Street since Sunday and only spotted on Wednesday morning. Workers from the building site realised a section of the roof they had been working on was missing but it was nowhere to be seen. When the sheet was spotted this morning, units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station and local Gardaí responded to the scene and soon realised the seriousness of the situation. A larger section of the sheet, which …