Regional

“A GOOD man in every way,” was one neighbour’s description of the late Dr Brían O’Rourke, scholar, author, songwriter and linguist, who was laid to rest in Feakle this week.  Crowds thronged St Mary’s Church and the Angelus bell rang out, as the simple wicker coffin was carried in, adorned with carnations and roses – a nod to Brían’s famous comic ballad, ‘Chantal de Champignon’. Figures from the worlds of politics, literature, drama and broadcasting attended the funeral, as well as former colleagues from the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) where Dr O’Rourke had previously lectured in Heritage Studies.  Brían, a native of Ratheniska, County Laois, passed away, at the age of 73, at his home in Magherabaun on Friday, April 8. His funeral mass was concelebrated by his brother Fr Caoimhín. His broadcaster brother, Seán and sister Anne, brought up the offeratory gifts. Symbols were presented of Brían’s life. Among them was a copy of his book, Blas …

FORMER members of the Doolin Coast Guard unit played a part in the recovery of the body of one of two missing men in north Clare last week. The former unit members managed to locate one body at Aille na Searrach at around on Thursday, April 7, at around 1.30pm. Remaining members of the Doolin Coast Guard Unit are not allowed to search near certain sections of terrain around the cliffs between Doolin and Liscannor. Tom Doherty told The Clare Champion he thought he saw what seemed to be a body in the waters near a cliff shelf on Tuesday, April 5, but the weather was too bad to investigate this matter further. After enlisting the help of another former volunteer, Bernard Lucas, they went down to investigate on Thursday, April 7, at about 1.30pm and located the body. A mobile phone belonging to the man who they located was passed on to Gardaí for identification purposes. On Friday, garda …

THE new Ennistymon River Walk has been described as a “spectacular natural amenity” by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. During a visit to Clare last week, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, visited projects that are supporting the ongoing development and revitalisation of Clare’s rural towns and villages, including an extended DigiClare hub and two community and tourist amenities. The projects in Ennistymon have received funding under the Rural Development Investment Programme, which includes a number of integrated funding interventions. Contributions came from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Connected Hubs Fund and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). Minister Humphreys officially opened the Ennistymon River Walk for which Ennistymon District Community Organisation (EDCO) was granted funding of €69,000 under the ORIS in 2018 to carry out works to the existing river walk. The project, which cost around €94,000 overall, was delivered by EDCO with assistance from Clare County Council’s Rural Development …

LIFE in rural West Clare is captured to stunning effect in a new exhibition from Mary Foudy O’Halloran which opens in Kinvara on April 15. ‘Revisited’ re-examines the everyday lives of rural Irish women in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and reworks the ordinary objects and tools of their hard physical work. Mary’s other recent solo exhibitions include ‘Weighed’ at the Ballina Arts Centre and ‘Endurance’ in association with the Clare Arts Office. The latter also examined the past in the now, questioning the ordinary and familiar and objects of loss. Mary works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating ordinary household objects in her work. Growing up in rural Clare, Mary was not unusual in being raised in a house without electricity and running water. Speaking about the body of work, she explained that all lives were heavy with labour, but women bore the biggest brunt of the hardship. “In putting this exhibition together, I wanted to acknowledge …

ENNIS’ first ever Friendship Seating area has been launched by the Ennis Mental Association (EMHA) in co-operation with the Ennis Municipal District. Ennis Mental Association (EMHA) is a community-based volunteer-led organisation that, for the past 30 years plus, has consistently focused attention on mental health issues and promoted wellness and well-being in the wider community. Located by the Fergus in the Abbey Street Car park, the Friendship Seating area is designed to provide an attractive and inviting space where people can sit and be open to engaging in conversation with whoever joins them. The area has been specifically designed to provide everyone, including those of limited mobility, with a convenient and comfortable place to meet, to rest and to connect with others. Maria Molloy, Chair of Ennis Mental Health Association, speaking at the official launch last Thursday, welcomed people to the new Friendship Seating Area saying she hoped it would become a hub of conversation and friendship and even become …

A PROFOUND sense of grief spread across East Clare following the untimely death of Whitegate’s Michael ‘Mikey’ Hynes.  The 22-year-old was a past pupil of Scariff Community College and a fourth-year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick (UL). His funeral mass at St Flannan’s Church, Whitegate, last Sunday (April 10) afternoon attracted hundreds of mourners to pay their respects and to support Michael’s parents Declan and Annette; his sisters Katie, Alison and Corinna; and his grandmother Teresa Hynes. Councillor Pat Burke, a neighbour of the Hynes family, said the scenes witnessed in recent days were unprecedented. “The outpouring of grief and sympathy for Michael and his family is something we have never seen before,” he said. “I have never seen as many people line the streets of Whitegate for anything, ever. There were six or seven different guards of honour from the likes of the national school, to the senior hurlers, to classmates from UL. Despite the crowds, …

SADNESS has been expressed in Ennis with the news that the popular Coote’s bakery will be closing on Saturday after decades in business. According to the Coote family the “hard decision” was made to shut the bakery due to “forever rising costs” which have made it no longer sustainable to continue. However they have assured that Coote’s shop on the Kilrush Road will remain in business. A post on social media on behalf of the family, accompanied by a photograph of the bakery’s ovens, stated this week, “For the bones of 70 years, these oil ran ovens have produced millions of Coote’s pans, thousands of apple tarts and hundreds of other products. “Over those years generations of the Coote family have worked tirelessly day and night along with a great team of long term bakers to serve the people of Clare and beyond. “Unfortunately due to the forever rising costs across this industry it is no longer sustainable so we …

HUNDREDS of East Clare homes are still waiting to receive their forms, almost two weeks after Census night. The CSO has put the delay down to “a number of factors including enumerator vacancies in a small number of areas, a householder being unable to receive a form in person or an enumerator not having sufficient access to the premises to leave a census form in a secure location”. While a spokesperson described the number of homes without forms as “small”, local estimates put the figure at at least 500. It is understood the issue affects areas including Flagmount, Feakle, Scariff, Killaloe and Broadford. “If you were writing a book about this, people just wouldn’t believe it,” said Councillor Pat Hayes. “It’s very unsatisfactory and I’m totally annoyed. I understand there was a staffing issue for the CSO, but the solutions that were put in place to solve the problem clearly didn’t work. “You’d imagine that in the modern world this …