Regional

SHANNON Fine Art student, Asha Murray, has been named the first ever recipient of the TUS Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) Global Travel Award, worth €5,000. The inaugural award ceremony was held on the Technological University of the Shannon’s Clare Street Limerick Campus last week as part of the inaugural Masters in Fine Art Exhibition reception. As the first ever winner of the award, Asha plans to use the funding to enrol in a master class in Berlin, and complete internships in some of the most recognised art galleries across the world. “This award will allow me to continue to achieve the goals I have set out for myself after leaving LSAD and to support me to reach them; whilst also giving me the confidence that I can make a place for myself in a global sense,” she said. The moving images artist plans to enrol in a film course or workshop in Berlin. “The course I have …

One of Clare’s best small businesses will get a chance to exhibit their business to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships next month as part of the Local Enterprise Village. Moher Cottage, located beside the Cliffs of Moher on the Wild Atlantic Way, is supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare and is a destination gift store, manufacturing and selling their own fudge, prints and gifts under their ‘Moher Cottage’ brand. Founded by Caitriona and Kevin Considine, with decades of hospitality and business experience between them, spotted the need for a new visitor experience for those visiting and living in Co. Clare. Moher Cottage is also online on www.MoherCottage.com The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will see over 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the 3 days of the event. The …

More than two thirds of couples are meeting online, according to the author of a new book “Third Time Lucky at Table L2”. The increasing popularity of online dating has prompted a Broadford woman to provide a guide with useful tips to navigate what can be a “quagmire” for those who are ill-prepared to distinguish between a virtual lothario and a genuine lover. It is a book about internet dating, demonstrating what to expect when looking for love online interspersed with true stories of romantic adventures and misadventures. The book will be launched in the Washer Woman, Ballina, Killaloe on Saturday, September 2, at 7.30pm. Now living in Ballina, Killaloe, her book has a happy ending as she chronicles how she found love just across the river with her current partner. “I was at a wedding recently where the couple met on “Plenty of Fish”, which was where I met my partner, Kerry Blake, who is in my final chapter,” …

After a combined total of 362 years of education, staff and students at the Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School, performed their last official acts last Friday, as the class of 2023 collected their Leaving Certificate results. The schools, which have been central to the lives of tens of thousands of people across North and West Clare over their lifetimes, officially amalgamated on Monday to form the Ennistymon Community College. Each of the former school buildings will remain in operation for the time being however, as the state of the art new school on the Lahinch Road is not yet completed. The buildings at Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School have been renamed the North, South and Central Campus of the Ennistymon Community School respectively, until the new building is officially opened. Junior and Leaving Certificate Classes will remain in their original base school for the time being, while other non-exam classes …

As more than 1,200 Clare students picked up their Leaving Certificate results this morning, three North Clare secondary schools were completing their very last official acts as places of study. There were large gatherings of students at the Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School today, as the last Leaving Certificate classes from each school collected their results. The schools, which will officially amalgamate on Monday to form the Ennistymon Community School, collectively represent 362 years of education in the region. Schools across Clare have reported generally positive results this year, and the same was true of the students in the thee Ennistymon schools. “It’s a very special day for our school. We’ve had such a long history of Leaving Cert results going right back to the 1920s, and what a great group to finish with. They are outstanding students at all ability levels,” said Seosaimhin Dhomhnallain, principal of Scoil Mhuire. “We are very pleased with how …

A CLARE mental health counsellor has been moved to deliver a suicide prevention talk in Ennis after receiving news that a childhood neighbour had died by suicide. Sheila McMahon, who is based in the UK and originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, said, “I was told it was the second suicide in the village within a week” adding that on the same day she was aware of two others who died by suicide in the county. “This is horrendous really when you sit back and think about it.” The registered mental health counsellor works to help arm people with the skills and tools to help anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide, or suicide intent, as part of her continuing mission to “create positive change” and stop the stigma in the Midlands and wider UK. Sheila even faced a fear recently and challenged herself to learn to ride a motorbike, in an emotional effort to encourage more people to learn to help those at potential …

AN Ennis doctor who helped save the life of a hurling fan after he collapsed in a busy Dublin train station has modestly told us, “I think there was a lot of luck involved and I was in the right place at the right time.” Dr Carly Lewis, who is originally from the Tulla Road in Ennis, sprang into action and performed CPR on the man who is in his 70s after discovering he had no pulse. Fortunately he is now doing well, and following the experience Dr Lewis is appealing to the public to get Basic Life Support training saying, “The more people who are trained, the better the outcomes all round”. Dr Lewis was in the Drumcondra train station with her sister having come from watching Clare play Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park when the emergency situation unfolded. She recalls they were about to get on the train when she noticed a commotion on …

LONDON LADY Catherine had been planning to move back to the West of Ireland to enjoy a slower pace of life, when she found herself grappling with a cancer diagnosis.  It was the persuasion of her son that brought her to the door of Gort Cancer Support. Despite some initial hesitancy, Catherine crossed the threshold of Hollyblue House to discover services that have proven to be hugely beneficial to her. “I don’t know what to call them angels or saints,” she told The Champion. “When you come here you never talk about cancer and there’s a beautiful, peaceful vibe. You definitely feel better after a visit.” With welcome signs in English and Portuguese, Gort Cancer Support is a truly inclusive place. All kinds of services are available from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), prosthesis fittings, and reflexology to play therapy. Practical services are offered by a fleet of volunteer drivers who take people to appointments. The service is coordinated from this …