South Clare

WHEN Laura Collins and her husband Paul held their new born baby on New Year’s Eve not quite two years ago, it was a celebration the Sixmilebridge family will never forget. The couple had barely been allowed to hold their son since he was born, four days previously. A few hours after he came into the world, little Luan had had to be rushed to a neonatal care centre in Cork. Diagnosed with a form of brain damage known as Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE), Luan was in a race against time to secure treatment. His parents faced an agonising wait – first for a specialist ambulance to come from Dublin, then the transfer to Cork. All the while, the clock was ticking down on the crucial six hour window for the start of a breakthrough treatment to bring down Luan’s body temperature and stop progressive damage to his brain cells. “To us, Luan seemed fine,” Laura said. “His condition was …

A KILLALOE based tennis coach, who has introduced the sport of tennis to residents of a Greek refugee camp, is urging the public to support charities like Lighthouse Relief who are helping those fleeing war torn countries. Wesley O’Brien, a coach at the Killaloe Tennis Club said while the issue may have gone off the news cycle, it is still a major international crisis that needs continued support. He said rather than sitting on a beach in Lanzarote he wanted to do more with his skills and wanted share the joy of tennis with those less fortunate. In 2018 he got in touch with a number NGOs and was directed to Lighthouse Relief, who work with refugees from Syria, Iraq and Turkey. The charity has a base on the island of Lesvos where they have a first responder team who help migrants fleeing by boat. Their second base is at the Ritsona refugee camp where they cater for more than …

The owner of undeveloped land on the banks of Lough Derg has taken issue with the terms of an enforcement notice issued by Clare County Council.

A KILLALOE group of musicians and songwriters are hoping to score a big hit with a new song celebrating the Clare hurlers’ bid for All-Ireland glory.

HIGH King of Ireland Brian Boru, who ruled from Killaloe, could be the central theme of a major international festival next year.

SECURING payment of a €145,258 bond from Bank of Ireland could be key to putting a permanent lid on sewerage overflows in an Ardnacrusha housing estate.

PARTEEN residents took matters into their own hands this week and blocked a local road, in a bid to halt earthworks for road widening planned by Clare County Council.

THE roar of up to 140 supercar engines will get a barbecue festival on the shores of Lough Derg off to a flying start this month.