Regional

AT LEAST three pubs in Lahinch are not allowing stag parties any more, Bill Slattery claimed at this week’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee.  Just days away from the June Bank Holiday weekend he said he was pleading that a couple of Gardai be provided to Lahinch for the hours between 7pm and 3am on Bank Holiday weekends over the summer. “People are afraid to drive through the area at that hour,” he claimed. Mr Slattery said that at the moment Ennistymon Garda Station is closed at night time and if there is anti-social behaviour, Gardai have to bring those involved to Kilrush.  Speaking afterwards Mr Slattery said that many young visitors to Lahinch have been noticeably wilder since restrictions ended, and there has been an absence of Gardai at nigh time. “Since the restrictions were lifted there seems to be a different mindset among the stag parties that are coming into Lahinch, they’re coming in large groups …

ARTWORKS created by pupils from New Quay National School in the Burren will go on display early next month at the Courthouse Gallery in Kinvara.  An exhibition entitled ‘Creative Mapping’, will run from June 3 to 12 at the gallery which is the base of Kinvara Area Visual Arts (KAVA). The show is the culmination of initiatives support by The Arts Council, Clare Arts Office and The Department of Education.  School Principal Mary Reidy said the show will combine pieces from two art projects which children have participated in. “As a recipient of a Creative School grant award in 2020 New Quay National School is certainly busy these days,” she said. “An after-school art appreciation programme has been re-established since Easter, this is offered as a free programme to children from First Class upwards and will continue up into the early part of June. This is facilitated by local parents Ellie Farrell and Cate King. With the help of Creative …

THE closing off of the entrance to the Cluainin apartments at Tullyvarraga could result in a death, so difficult does it make access for emergency vehicles, the May meeting of local councillors heard. In a motion before the meeting, Fianna Fáil’s Pat O’Gorman said, “I’m calling on this Municipal District to reopen the entrance to Cluainin apartments as a matter of health and safety. “There are a lot of residential care facilities within the above address, which call on emergency services on a more regular basis. “When there is an emergency and the Eircode is given out the ambulance is not directed to the house but to the entrance that has been closed off by Clare County Council. “The entrance has to be reopened or at the very least in the meantime the maps should be updated.” However a report from Senior Executive Planner Gareth Ruane explained the reasoning. “The Cluainin housing development received planning permission to use a temporary …

A WINDOW of opportunity for creativity at St Joseph’s Hospital was created as part of the recently held National Arts in Nursing Homes Day. Clare based artist Rachel Macmanus visited the Ennis hospital and painted an artwork inspired by the stained glass windows of St Joseph’s church to the delight of residents. The project was one of a number of nationwide events for National Arts in Nursing Homes Day, held as part of Age & Opportunity’s Bealtaine Festival. Rachel, who has been a part of other creative projects at the hospital pre-Covid 19, tells us she was happy to be able to return to St Joseph’s. Drawing upon the stained glass windows of St Joseph’s Church as inspiration, Rachel painted her own version of the windows directly onto the windows of the hospital’s Sun Room, a congregational gathering space for the residents of the hospital. “The windows of St Joseph’s Church are very beautiful and tranquil and my idea was to bring some of …

SIXTH year student, Odhran Cunningham has been awarded the Kilrush Community School Sports Scholarship Award for 2022. Ramona McCarthy, Deputy Principal, Kilrush Community School praised the student saying, “Odhran is a most worthy winner. During his time in KCS, Odhran displayed excellent leadership qualities and no little amount of skill as he represented the school with distinction.” Odhran has represented his club, Kilrush-Killimer, and Clare. He played wing back for the Clare U20 Football team in their recent Munster Championship run, as well as their successful Liam O’Connor Cup campaign earlier on this year. He was selected as Clare FM’s Man of the Match in their final outing against Kerry last month. This annual award is sponsored by Saint Gobain. “Odhran is an excellent role model for our students and we wish him every success in his future sporting and academic endeavours,” the deputy principal concluded.

A local environment lobby group has accused Galway county councillors of showing a “blatant disregard to their legal obligations” after their call to halt the decommissioning of the controversial Derrybrien Wind Farm. The ESB has confirmed it will begin work on dismantling the 70 wind turbines in accordance with planning laws and regulations after An Bord Pleanála refused its application for substitute consent for the development. The application for retrospective permission was made after the EU’s Court of Justice found Ireland was in breach of environmental standards in relation to the works carried out at the site. Galway County Councillors recently supported a motion calling on the government to direct the ESB to recommence operation of the Derrybrien wind farm and in doing so provide whatever legislative requirements that are necessary to ensure it may not be legally contested. EU fines amounting to a lump sum of €5 million and a daily fine of €15,000 plus legal costs were imposed …

AN APPROVED housing body seeking to build 11 social houses and two apartments in Mountshannon has been sent back to the drawing board by Clare County Council. In March, Inis Housing Association lodged plans for housing of varying size and design, and a single building containing the two apartments. The site, which is three quarters of a hectare, is close to St Caimin’s Church of Ireland on Main Street. After an initial assessment of the plans, the Council has now requested Further Information on nine aspects of the project.  Planners said that “having regard to the scale, extent and location of the proposed development, it is possible that subsurface archaeological remains could be encountered during the construction phase” of the works.  They have asked that Inis Housing Association to commission an Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) involving test excavations. The request follows a submission on the project from The Development Applications Unit (DAU) of the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local …

WORK is expected to get underway this week on a long-awaited playground for communities in South-East Clare. The facility will serve the communities of Westbury, Shannon Banks, Carraig Midhe, Parteen, Ardnacrusha and beyond This follows representations by Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey to the Rural Development Directorate of Clare County Council who informed him that a resolution has been reached on a series of issues relating to the site of the new facility. Commenting the background, Deputy Carey said that €92,500 was allocated from the Hinterland fund six years ago to develop recreational services in areas of Clare that bordered Limerick City. Matching funding from Clare County Council brought the total up to €185,000 and a number of potential sites were considered as possible locations for a playground to serve the local communities. “Following the scoping of these sites and the elimination of some proposed locations, a playground committee made up of local community members was formed and they …