Regional

THE Indian Ambassador to Ireland, Debasish Chakravarti, unveiled a plaque to Kilkee-born scientist, Sir Edwin J Butler, at Kilkee library on Tuesday. Mayor of Clare Pat Hayes also attended the ceremony.Edwin Butler was born in 1874 in Kilkee, where his father was resident magistrate. He graduated in medicine from Queen’s College Cork, now University College Cork, where a building is named in his honour, in 1898.After graduation, Edwin won an 1851 exhibition travelling scholarship and studied mycology (fungi) in Paris, Freiburg, Antibes and Kew. In 1901, he was appointed cryptogamic botanist to the Government of India.He trained mycologists and technicians in India, set up a herbarium and culture collection, inspired workers and advanced knowledge and research. In 1905, he was appointed imperial mycologist at the new Agricultural Research Station in Pusa and in 1920 was appointed agricultural adviser to the Government of India. He is known in India as ‘The Father of Indian Plant Pathology and Mycology’.Edwin investigated the diseases …

DEFENCE Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Seán McCann will open the 13th annual Doonbeg Jazz Festival at 9pm on Friday in the Igoe Inn.Lieutenant General McCann joined the Defence Forces as an Army Cadet in 1970. A cavalry officer, he was previously Deputy Chief of Staff (Ops), Director of Operations and Director of Cavalry, as well as instructing in the Military College and the United Nations Training School. He is a graduate of University College Galway (UCG) and of the United States Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth).On October 6, 2011, Lieutenant General McCann was formally inducted into the International Hall of Fame (IHOF) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.The jazz festival will run throughout the upcoming bank holiday weekend. This year the festival will feature 10 bands from Germany, the UK and Ireland in a 29-performance programme.Among the groups travelling to Doonbeg will be Jazzonahz from Trier, Germany; Jazz Main from Edinburgh; The Bourbon Swing Band from Northern Ireland, …

  THE Clare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland is among the first in Europe to begin offering an innovative literacy programme for adults with Down Syndrome in Ennis. The programme, Latch-On (Literacy and Technology Hands-on) was devised in Australia and has begun this week in the Clare Language Centre with 12 students taking part in the two-year course. According to Barbara Roche, treasurer of the Clare Branch of DSI, “This is a very exciting time for our adult members and offers them a chance of a lifetime to begin or improve their literacy through the world’s best adult literacy programme. A lot of hard work has gone on in the background to get us to this stage so we are delighted to see the course starting this week.” Down Syndrome Ireland has been awarded the national licence to exclusively offer the programme in Ireland, the first European country to succeed in acquiring the licence. The adult literacy programme is set …

THE pair of White Tailed Sea Eagles that were nesting in Mountshannon  will not be growing in numbers just yet, as the eagles have flown the nest where they were believed to be nurturing eggs.

WITH her bubbly personality and brightly coloured hair you wouldn’t think there is much that could leave veterinary nurse Bev Truss speechless. However that’s exactly what she was on discovering she had been named Ireland’s Veterinary Nurse of the Year at the weekend.

More than 100 people turned out to witness the unveiling of a commemorative stone in memory of much-loved Gort historian, Tom Hannon, at Kiltartan last week.

FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan acknowledged he was largely preaching to the converted when he addressed Shannon Chamber members at a breakfast meeting on Monday, but he urged all there to use the influence they have to help the referendum pass.

WORK has started on a €1.2 million sports and recreational development in Killaloe, spearheaded by former Lions and Ireland rugby caption Keith Wood.