West Clare

A KILFARBOY couple have come together with eight other ‘dyed in the wool’ sheep farmers to champion a rare Irish breed and to campaign for a fairer price for their produce. Kieran and Bernie Shannon are among the founding members of The Galway Wool Co-op, who overcame the challenges of lockdown, to champion the merits of the Galway sheep. On Saturday last (June 26), members got to meet in person at Athenry Mart, when they took part in a ‘Wool Meitheal’ and sell their wool to a major processor in Donegal. “Wool prices are shockingly low,” Bernie explained. “An awful lot of wool is now coming in from China and our aim is to get a better price for Galway wool.” The award-winning farmers have 37 sheep currently and also farm suckler cows on their 100 acres. Kieran, a fourth generation farmer, said that while breeds like the Galway sheep produce high quality snow-white wool, many buyers are no longer …

A MEMORIAL inscribed with the message ‘Inár gCuimhne go deo/Always Remember’ marking the County Clare Nursery (Mother and Baby Home) has been unveiled in Kilrush. The memorial to the women who gave birth in the Kilrush-based County Nursery, the children who spent their lives there, and the infants who died there, was unveiled at Toler Street in the west Clare town by outgoing Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Councillor Mary Howard, in the presence of Council Chief Executive, Pat Dowling. Following publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in January of this year, Clare County Council apologised for its role in the County Nursery, which was owned and financed by Clare County Council during its decade of operation, 1922-1932. Clare County Council acknowledged, “with profound regret”, its role in the failure to meet the care needs of women and children resident in the County Nursery. As part of addressing its role in …

ONE of Ireland’s premier celebrity couples have been living it up in the Banner county in recent days. Brian O’Driscoll and Amy Huberman have been busy making their appreciation for Clare known via their instagram accounts. Recent posts by the couple have attracted a huge amount of attention and a thousand welcomes from Clare users of the platform The former rugby international sought dining recommendations on his Instagram stories. Actor Huberman has also been busy posting highlights of her trip. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amy Huberman (@amy_huberman) Clare people were quick to weigh in with suggestions to O’Driscoll’s request and some al fresco dining on Kilkee beach ensued. Huberman’s picture of her chips from Nolan’s attracted over 17,600 likes.

MILTOWN Malbay has had a colourful make-over and is looking ahead to a bright future, after an enhancement project which has given a facelift to 30 local properties. Community interests, businesses, homeowners and school students have been working together for a several months on the initiative, which includes the painting of a number of murals on landmark buildings. Last November, Miltown Malbay Community Enhancement secured €40,000 to paint buildings and shop fronts, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, and the funding has led to an estimated investment of up to €90,000 locally. “Like a lot of rural towns, Miltown has been on its knees,” said committee member Seán Malone. “We set up a group five years ago that has since turned into the Enhancement Committee. We’re working on several projects including walking trails and thanks to some perseverance, we managed to secure the €40,000. “That was to paint 30 buildings and we then decided to do the murals.” Expertise …

THIS Tuesday, the Kilrush and District Historical Society conducts a lecture on one of the most famous evictions and resistance movements during the Land War which took place in July 1888 on the Vandeleur Estate near Kilrush. The Vandeleur evictions are still remembered locally as one of the darkest periods in the area’s history. Spectators to these evictions numbered in the hundreds, and there was even a sizeable press corps to document the events. Major E. J. O’Shaughnessy, a visiting Irish-American activist, his wife Margaretta Dunn O’Shaughnessy, and her sister Ellen Dunn, were among the witnesses to the evictions, and Major O’Shaughnessy subsequently wrote extensively about his experiences. Major O’Shaughnessy’s great grandson, Ed O’Shaughnessy, has spent over six years studying the many photographs taken during the evictions and the photographers who took them. He has the wonderful advantage of access to family archives and memories handed down since 1888. KDHS has arranged with Ed to deliver a lecture on his …

ESSENTIAL water network improvement work may cause supply disruption in Miltown Malbay-Mullagh area in the coming weeks with substantial works scheduled for this Wednesday. Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is carrying out water main improvement work between Mullagh and Milltown Malbay. In order to progress this essential work, there may be disruption to water supplies in the area this Wednesday, June 9 from 10am to 10pm and Wednesday, June 16, from 10am to 4pm. These works will impact water supply primarily to Milltown Malbay village but will also impact on Spanish Point and surrounding areas. These works may also impact on all group schemes fed from the supply including Rinnen and Glendine schemes. The map pictured outlines areas where consumers will be affected. Given the volume of tie-in connection works required on June 9 and a planned water outage from 10am to 10 pm, customers within the areas marked both red and green will more than …

THERE is to be further disruption to water supplies in a west Clare community this week as work progresses on water main improvements. These works will impact water supply on Tuesday, June 1, and Thursday, June 3 between 10am and 4pm primarily to Milltown Malbay village. They may however also impact on Spanish Point and surrounding areas. These works may also impact on all group schemes fed from the supply including Rinnen and Glendine schemes. Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is installing 4.7km of new water main to replace old mains in the area which were bursting frequently. This will result in a more secure and reliable water supplies for local residents and businesses as well as a number of Group Water Schemes supplied from the public mains. This works got underway in October and are expected to be completed by the end of June. It may take 2-3 hours for normal water supply to return …

THERE will be disruption to water supply in a Clare community this week as part of essential improvement work. Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is carrying out water main improvement work between Mullagh and Milltown Malbay. In order to progress this essential work, there will be disruption to water supplies in the area on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, May 25 from 10am to 4pm works will impact water supply primarily to Miltown Malbay village; but will also impact on Spanish Point and surrounding areas. These works will also impact on all group schemes fed from the supply including Rinnen and Glendine schemes. On Thursday, May 27, from 10am to 4pm works will impact water supply to the same areas and schemes. It may take 2-3 hours for normal water supply to return to all customers, but, Irish Water says, it is important to continue to follow the HSE guidance on hand-washing. The work involves the …