Regional

WARM tributes have been paid to the late William McLysaght, co-founder of the Raheen Hospital Support Group, as preparations get underway for the official launch of a new extension.  Last Wednesday, support group members, politicians and staff of Raheen Community Hospital were briefed on a Phase 2 extension, which contains six new bedrooms and other facilities. Contracts were also signed for works to upgrade kitchen facilities. These are set to get underway shortly.  Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney said that Mr McLysaght, from Raheen, Tuamgraney, had been instrumental in developments at the community nursing unit.  “William did Trojan work for the support group and for the hospital,” he said. “All of the improvements couldn’t have been achieved without the support group or without William. He did fantastic work and was dedicated and generous with his time and energy.” With the second phase of expansion of the hospital due to be launched officially, Councillor Cooney paid tribute …

A WEST Clare patient was directed to seek GP out-of-hours treatment outside their own catchment area, a local councillor has claimed. Speaking at a recent HSE West Forum meeting, Councillor Cillian Murphy said he was contacted by a person in West Clare who stated they were directed to other centres in Ennis, Limerick or Nenagh instead of Kilrush. “If you want to shut a service in an area, the easiest thing to do is to refer people onto another service in a different area. This reduces your client base for the service in the area.” He said it is not good enough to expect people in West Clare to drive to Miltown for an out-of-hours GP service when the Kilrush centre is not operational. He proposed there should be some way of improving this service for West Clare patients. Speaking to the Clare Champion, he said it takes longer to travel from Kildysart to Miltown than it is to go …

SEVEN decades after the discovery of Doolin Cave one of the original cavers who made this amazing find returned to North Clare at the weekend to help mark the momentous anniversary. Doolin Cave has celebrated its 70th birthday marking its discovery by cavers, Brian Varley and J M (Mike) Dickenson in 1952. Brian, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year, returned to Doolin where a commemorative plaque acknowledging the cavers’ achievement was unveiled. Helen Browne, proprietor of Doolin Cave Visitor Centre with husband John, explained that the plaque has been placed on the way into the cave so everybody who visits will be able to share in Brian and Mike’s story and the hard work which led to their great discovery. “It was very special for us to be able to welcome Brian to Doolin Cave, he is such an amazing character. We were honoured to have him return to the cave to unveil a plaque dedicated to him and …

THE Shannon Summer Music Festival will take place on this Saturday, June 11, in the Town Park.  It is being organised by Chris Walshe and he said there will be something for all age groups on the day. “It starts at 2pm and from 2-6pm we’ll have children’s entertainment. We’ll have face painting, balloon modellers, kiddies disco and we’ll have a DJ. From 6pm on it’ll be live music on the main stage in the Park.” All of the acts during the evening are local. “First up we have the Kirby brothers, then we have Adam Moloney, then we have a band called North of Fortitude, then we’ve a band called the Mangled Badgers. “The last band then, the headliners, is a band called Sticky September. You might know the bands One September and Sticky Fingers. The two of those are joining forces for the evening.” It is the first major outdoor event in the town for several years and …

HUNDREDS of volunteers in this county have answered Clean Coasts and National Spring Clean joint call to organise a clean-up to protect the wild Atlantic ocean this month. Ten clean-up events took place in Clare this Wednesday supported by 200 volunteers who had been provided with free clean-up kits by the two non-governmental organisations (NGO).  World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on June 8 to highlight the important role the ocean has for our life and the planet. In 2022, the focus was once more be on the 30×30 campaign: to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilise the climate, Experts believe it is critical that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean are protected by 2030. One of the big issues affecting the Atlantic is marine litter which has become a global problem for both humans and marine life. Research shows that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and …

OBJECTORS to plans for the construction of a new housing development in an historic Ennis area designated an Opportunity Site in the County Development Plan have insisted they don’t want it to become an “opportunity lost”. Two separate appeals by residents against the proposal have now been lodged with An Bord Pleanala following the granting of permission by Clare County Council to Eko Integrated Services Ltd for the ‘Buttermarket Development’ of 37 residential units and a cafe with digital working hub at the Drumbiggle Road, Buttermarket Street and Simm’s Lane. The site is in an Architectural Conservation Area of Ennis. An appeal has been lodged by Mary Burke and Pat Conboy who have purchased and are renovating a property on Carmody Street. In a previous submission to the council during the initial planning application, they argued that the proposed density of the development “will entirely destroy the fabric of this neighbourhood.” And a separate appeal, lodged by local Stephen Loftus …

HIGHLY acclaimed aerial dance troupe Fidget Feet are coming to Scariff Harbour this weekend, as part of Crinniú na nÓg.  The national festival of youth creativity, which takes place on Saturday next (June 11), is supported by Clare County Library, the Council and Creative Ireland. This year’s event will see the spectacular ‘Flutterby 2’ performed on the shores of Lough Derg. A magical show for children aged four to 12 and their families, there are two sessions per day, each lasting 90 minutes. The sessions are hands-on and will be made up of three parts.  The first part is called ‘Make’. This is an active arts and crafts session. Families can join in the fun to make caterpillars, moths and butterflies together with the Fidget Feet team.  Then, it’s time to ‘Walk’. This part of the session involves meeting Bláithín. Bláithín loves caterpillars, moths and butterflies and you are invited to follow her on her adventurous journey with Uncle Rusty …

A REDUCTION of 50% in energy use in homes and non-residential properties is a target that the community of Clooney/Spancillhill has set itself over the next seven years.  Also outlined in the recently-launched Energy Masterplan for the area are opportunities for a community-owned solar farm, a coppice to produce biomass, smart meters, solar panels, a sustainable bus service and more charging points for electric vehicles. The visionary document has been produced by Clooney/Spancilhill Development Association through funding and mentoring support from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Mentor Gearóid Fitzgibbon was among those to attend the launch of the Masterplan in Clooney last Wednesday night (March 25), as well as officials from Clare County Council and the Killaloe Municipal District Cathaoirleach, Councillor Joe Cooney.  Clooney National School will also play a key role. As part of the process of drawing up the plan, it was chosen for an energy audit from the non-residential sector. From the energy saving measures …