Regional

A UKRAINIAN interpreter who fled her warn torn country is pleasantly surprised with the quality of accommodation that is being provided for refugees in Lisdoonvarna. In an interview with the Clare Champion outside the Lisdoonvarna Pavilion, Nadiia Melnyk praised Lisdoonvarna Fáilte CLG and local people for the tremendous welcome and supports they have provided for Ukrainian refugees. Asked about the reception refugees have received in Lisdoonvarna, the interpreter said she was happy with the accommodation and facilities. “I was prepared to sleep on a bunk bed in a gym because I saw what was happening in Poland. I was really surprised we were going to live in a hotel. “When I saw the Hydro Hotel, I was shocked. I didn’t expect the food and the social welfare payment of €206 for a refugee that is older than 24 years old. “A lot of Ukrainian refugees want to work because they don’t feel it is right to get everything and give …

SHANNON is set to see two festivals this June, one being organised by Damian O’Rourke of Cuppa Tea TV and the other by Chris Walshe of Hippo Sound and Lighting. The Shannon Summer Music Festival, which Chris is working on, will be a one-day event on June 11, while Damian’s one will be over the last week in June, and will be known as the Wings Festival. Both are being supported by Clare County Council and by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Speaking this week about the Shannon Music Festival, Chris said, “It’s taking place on June 11 in the Town Park. It’ll be taking place around the bandstand, early on there’ll be a family fun day with music, children’s entertainment, cultural performances. “In the evening then, from around 6pm onwards, there’ll be a main stage there where bands and local performers will take over, it’ll be live music for the rest of the evening.” …

THE Ballyvaughan community continues to prove itself willing and welcoming to Ukrainian refugees with various collections and fundraisers being organised with the help of the Ballyvaughan Development Group. With the sudden surge of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland, the Ballyvaughan Community Facebook page became a kind of forum for organising what was needed and where. Karen McDonnell, who runs administrates and runs social media accounts for Ballyvaughan Development Group, explained that an email address quickly followed to streamline the process of distributing supplies to the refugees. She said, “What I did was monitor the comments on our social media and redirect people to co-ordinate it better. “Now, we have coalesced with Lisdoonvarna Fáilte, who have a full-time office. We have linked up to found a new website, NCCommunity.ie, which is now the umbrella group in North Clare for recognising needs and matching them with what we can offer. Last week, we had so many donations that we had to declare …

MOTORISTS have been seen driving on a pedestrianised area of Ennis’ Parnell Street in the evening, prompting calls for barriers to be put in place. Councillor Mark Nestor highlighted the concerns of local businesses located on the town centre street at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. He stated, “There are businesses operating in the pedestrianised section of Parnell Street after 6pm but over the last number of weeks there has been an issue of cars driving up the street when they shouldn’t.” He requested that Ennis Municipal District erect temporary barriers at the end of the pedestrianised section of Parnell Street, to stop traffic coming up the street. The motion was seconded by Councillor Pat Daly. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, “The contractor is awaiting for ESB connections to the retractable bollard to be completed and then the bollards can be commissioned. “The Ennis Municipal District will arrange temporary traffic management to obstruct errant drivers from entering from …

THE murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Sligo horrified the country last week and the tragedies were marked by a vigil at the Town Park on Monday night. Councillor Donna McGettigan was one of those in attendance and she said her son Jamie, who is transgender, had been involved in organising it. “There wasn’t a huge turnout, but there was a nice, small crowd there on a Bank Holiday Easter Monday, it needed to be marked.” She said that it was very important that people show their revulsion at the killings. “Of course it was important to mark it. We had been out for Ashling Murphy as well and it’s important to show that we stand with the LGBTI+ community against homophobia and transphobia, to show that this kind of behaviour can’t go on. “On the night I said that children aren’t born to hate, they’re taught how to hate. As a community, as parents, as schools, we …

Antun Pasalic will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Killaloe by Bishop Fintan Monahan in the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in Ennis this Sunday, April 24, (Divine Mercy Sunday), at 3pm. Antun is a native of Zagreb, Croatia. He first came to Ireland when he was 18 years old and worked for some time in the Cistercian Abbey in Roscrea. He began his studies for the priesthood in St. Patrick’s College Maynooth in 2015. Ordained as a deacon in September 2021, he has been ministering in the Ennis Parish and Abbey Pastoral Area since then. During his time of formation Antun has ministered in Ennis, Nenagh and at Knock Shrine. Antun’s parents, Marko and Anđa, and his family, will travel from Croatia to be present at his ordination on Sunday. Mr Davor Vidis, the Croatian Ambassador to Ireland will also be in attendance. Fr. Antun will celebrate his First Mass of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral …

EXPENDITURE on the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme increased dramatically from about €6 million to €14.4 million a new report has revealed. An examination of the considerable additional expenditure was outlined in the Statutory Audit Report to Clare County Council for December 31, 2020 at the April meeting of the local authority. This was due to emergency work that was necessary during the project and the urgent installation of a sheet pile wall along the full length of the originally proposed earthen embankment to protect 120 homes, numerous commercial properties and community buildings as such as St Flannan’s College. The original contract award for the earthen embankment was €5.1 million, while design emergency work required following the slippages cost €1.8 million. The cost of sheet pile design defence was €8.5 million, while the credit provision for the original works not completed was €1 million. The total revised cost of the contract was €14.4 million. After negotiating on a revised tender …

THE Shannon Tidy Towns group is planning a significant clean-up of the town on Saturday, beginning at 11am at the bandstand in the Town Park. Secretary of the group Derek Clune said, “It’s part of the National Spring Clean that happens once a year, and in conjunction with that, we’re having it on April 23.” Explaining how it will work, Derek added, “What we do is we divide the town into zones. We meet at the Town Park, there’d usually be 40 or 50 people and we distribute them to the different zones. “You have the Drumgeely side, the centre of the town, the Town Park, the Tullyvarraga end and the Ballycasey side. “During the week then, obviously not on the Saturday, we bring the schools out, St Caimin’s and the Comp, and we normally do the River Walk with them, which gets them involved as well. “The Ukrainian people will be coming out as well on the 23rd, so …