Regional

LOCAL students have had the East opened up to them by  Japanese teacher Midori Hayes, who has not just instilled the students with a passion for her language, but also her native culture. They are now reaping the rewards of their new skills.

Traditional music will reverberate in one of the county’s most unlikely locations later this month. Castleconnell Stone Fort, thought to date back to between 400 and 1,200 AD, will host an Irish traditional music concert on Tuesday, June 19 at 9.30pm.

Two health service staff in the HSE West Forum region were sacked because of persistent absenteeism, a senior health official has revealed.

A decision on controversial plans to construct a €34 million retail park on the outskirts of Ennis is to be made in the coming days by An Bord Pleanála.

GROWING dissatisfaction with the high number of prefabricated buildings at Parteen National School eased this week after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn approved new permanent classrooms for the school.

BALLYALLA Lake could once again become the favourite beauty spot for Ennis people with confirmation that improvements are planned for the amenity. The lake, which in the past was a very popular recreation site for locals, has now been included in Clare County Council’s draft beach improvement programme for 2012 – 2015. Ballyalla Lake was not originally included in the draft programme, prompting calls for the amenity to be added.Proposed works at Ballyalla under the programme now include the resurfacing of footpaths and clearing of walkways through the woods and replanting tree beds between parking bays and the removal of dead hedging and replanting along the frontage. It is also planned to improve interpretive panels in the area, to include information about wildlife and other information and there will be anti-litter signs.The programme also outlines plans for improvements to picnic areas and the introduction of seats of a more natural character. The county council also proposes to continue footpath improvements …

STATE-of-the-art digital speed signs, which have been credited with reducing the speed of traffic on the Tulla Road, are set to be further rolled out on Cusack Road.Calls have been made to put in place even more of the solar-powered signs in the Ennis West electoral area.At a recent meeting of Ennis West Electoral Area Councillor Tony Mulqueen urged the council install more of the signs saying, “They are proving very helpful to road users making them aware of speed zones”.“They are excellent, of all of the things I have seen done over the last few years, they are just brilliant.”Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer for the Ennis Electoral Area informed the meeting, “Ennis Town Council provided four digital speed signs on the Tulla Road as part of their 2011 road works programme. Provision has been made in the Ennis Town Council Roadwork’s programme for the provision of two further digital speed signs on Cusack Road.”He stated that in meetings …