Regional

TEACHERS and staff at St Flannan’s College have voiced opposition to plans for the development of a €25 million 100-bed community nursing unit on land used as playing grounds by the Ennis secondary school. According to a statement issued by the staff of St Flannan’s the proposal “will have a seriously negative impact” on the student population. “The green field site in St Flannan’s College is the last remaining site of its kind in Ennis. Urban sprawl is taking up much more of our green spaces each year. Once this land is built upon it will be gone forever,” it states. The teachers and staff have detailed reasons for their opposition to the plans including that during the academic year many teams of various sports regularly train on the pitches. “With so many students on the fields at any one time all our field space is utilised, including much of the space that is suggested for development under the proposed …

THE Drehidnagower Bridge in Ennis has been described as “lethal” as fresh calls have been made for a separate footbridge and footpath to be built to protect the safety of pedestrians. Councillor Mary Howard said she felt like a “scratched record” as she “once again” asked for funding to be sourced for the works at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Responding to the motion Conor McDonagh, Executive Engineer, Road Design, said, “Transportation consultants have been appointed under this Active Travel scheme to carry out a transportation assessment, which includes a feasibility and option selection report to examine pedestrian / cyclist permeability over the Drehidnagower bridge. “They are currently undertaking necessary surveys on-site and preparing a suitable Multi Criteria Analysis under which all viable options will be assessed to determine the most appropriate solution. “When the emerging preferred option has been established, it will be necessary to apply to the NTA for further funding and seek approval to progress …

HOUSING Minister Darragh O’Brien has announced draft legislation to support the remediation of apartments and duplexes with fire safety defects constructed between 1991 and 2013. The Government is also set to cover costs already incurred, which is good news for owners of property at Bru na Sionna in Shannon; more than five years ago it emerged that works costing €4 million were required there. Clare TD Cathal Crowe said that it is a very welcome development for the property owners who were shocked to find that their homes hadn’t been built to the required standard.  “Today marks a major step in ensuring that the owners of the apartments in Bru na Sionna receive the remediation that they have long asked for,” said Deputy Crowe. “In a 2017 inspection, an inspection of the development identified serious defects, which caused serious concern among the owners about how the €4 million bill would be footed. “The scheme approved today will help to protect …

THE Manchester Martyrs Monument in Kilrush has been repaired and restored by Clare County Council with grant aid coming from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Historic Structures Fund. The restored monument was officially opened by Councillor Ian Lynch and Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, on Friday last. The Manchester Martyrs’ Monument was erected in 1903, the realisation of a long-standing ambition of the people of Kilrush to erect a fitting monument to commemorate the memory of William O’Meara Allen, Michael Larkin and William O’Brien. The trio had been executed in Salford, Manchester, in 1867 for the successful rescue of a Fenian prisoner. Their execution sparked demonstrations and marches both in Ireland and the UK and fostered a rise in nationalism that culminated in the Easter Rising of 1916. The monument was made possible through raising funds from the local population and the Irish diaspora in America. The monument is composed of a …

PEACE group Shannonwatch held its first protest of 2023 last Sunday. Spokesman John Lannon said that the monthly protests will continue throughout 2023. “The conditions at Shannon are still the same. There are US military planes landing and taking off, in particular the troop carriers are coming through, there are other planes as well. “There has been no response from the authorities or the Government to all the requests we have made over the years for proper inspections, for information about what’s on the planes and where they are going, so the protests will continue.” There were relatively small numbers there last weekend, but he said that is usually the case at the start of the year. “January is always a poor month in terms of turnout. I can’t remember how many we had there, I think there were 10-15. “The protests have been ongoing since January 2008, with the exception of the months during the Covid lockdown when congregations …

SIMON O’Reilly came to Clare to work for a week, after spending much of his early life in Australia and Holland. Twenty-three years later, the musician, composer and producer is still here.  He has certainly been busy during those two decades developing his music studio between Lahinch and Doolin and working with artists including Luka Bloom, Susan O’Neill, the ConTempo Quartet, the Monks of Glenstal, Davy Spillane and Kila. A composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music video maker, Simon has also found the time to showcase the musical energy of the West at festivals both local and international.  Under the banner of Doolin Arts, a not-for-profit organisation which describes itself as a “flying column of creative souls” committed to supporting and defending the arts, Simon co-founded Hedge School. The eclectic offering brings together creative artists and producers of all kinds in a series of workshops, performances and conversations that will take place from January 27 to 29 in Doolin. The …

MET Éireann’s annual report for 2022 showed Shannon’s mean temperature was 0.5 degrees above the long term average, reflecting global warming trends. According to its findings Shannon had 3% less rainfall than its long term average, while enjoying 1501 hours of sunshine, 15% above average. There were some especially notable temperatures recorded Shannon this year, including its highest July temperature on record, when 30.8 degrees was recorded. The highest August temperature on record at Shannon was also recorded (30.0 degrees) and the highest minimum temperature ever seen in Ireland during November was recorded at Shannon as the temperature never dipped below 14.9 degrees on Friday, November 14. The report stated that Ireland’s warming trend continued in 2022, and we are warming in line with the global average. It noted that other countries are warming at a greater rate than Ireland and the summer of 2022 saw multiple heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures across Europe and around the world. The spring and …

A DETAILED design and locations for bus stops as part of plans to develop an Ennis town bus service is expected to be completed by the National Transport Authority within the first nine months of this year. The establishment of the bus service has been described as “crucial” by Councillor Johnny Flynn who, at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, urged that preparations begin immediately to ensure infrastructure is in place to support the service. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, stated that the provision of the service “has been a priority for all involved in the delivery of services for the former Ennis Town Council-Clare County Council Ennis Area and Ennis Municipal District Council.” And he said the council will assist the NTA in the “timely completion” of required infrastructure designs and installation. Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Flynn welcomed the news that the NTA plan to have a two route Ennis bus service in operation by early …