TWO Clare Champion journalists were winners at the Local Ireland media awards last week, Jessica Quinn winning the best news story category and Carol Byrne taking the National Lottery Best Community story award. The awards ceremony took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone last Thursday night and was hosted by RTÉ personality and Clareman Marty Morrissey. The awards were open to all 43 member titles of Local Ireland and their staff and it attracted hundreds of entries across the country. Cork newspaper The Southern Star was the only other newspaper to win two awards on the night. Jessica’s award came for a story on the proposed Supermacs development close to Clarecastle, which appeared in August of last year headlined ‘Bogus letters shocking’. In the story, Anne Marie Russell told The Clare Champion that she had received a letter in the post from Clare County Council addressed to her father, with a receipt for €20 paid for a planning …
Read More »The Champion Report -Episode 3
THE latest news and views from Clare Champion journalists Carol Byrne and Owen Ryan. This week they discuss the inquest into last May’s double drowning in Ennis, the plight of Shannon Airport, the Kilkee murder trial, LIT opening a Clare campus and the impact of smartphone use on young minds. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/575356677″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]
Read More »Eagle-eyed birdwatchers ruffle drug dealers feathers
GARDAI swooped in on drug dealers who were using a wooded area in Broadford, County Clare to stash cocaine after eagle-eyed birdwatchers called in suspicious activity in the area. The game was up when birdwatchers spotted more than avian activity while in a forested area in the townland of Fermoyle and this prompted them to alert the gardaí that someone was falling fowl of the law. On foot of the information an intelligence led operation was put into place with gardaí in Killaloe and Limerick flocking to stake out the area. Drugs, which are suspected to be cocaine and valued in the region of €40,000 were uncovered on foot of the operation at Fermoyle in Broadford on Wednesday night last [January 25]. Inspector David Finnerty of Killaloe Garda Station confirmed that an “intelligence-led operation” was launched focusing on the wooded area in Broadford last week. He said with the assistance of the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit and Limerick gardaí an …
Read More »Skeletal Remains in Fanore are those of woman buried at Sea
Gardaí have confirmed that the skeletal remains that washed up on the Fanore coast last month were those of a woman buried at sea in 2016. Superintendent John Galvin of Kilrush Garda Station said the family of the deceased have been informed and they are no longer investigating the matter. He said the deceased woman had been buried off the West coast following her death in 2016. The remains were found by walkers on September 19 last at Poulsallagh in Fanore. Following a post mortem and DNA analysis the identity of the deceased was established and contact was subsequently made with the family.
Read More »Sam Represents Ireland at World MMA Championship
AN avid sportsman in his formative years, Sam Slater tried every sport available to him in the small-town rural setting, where he grew up in East Clare. He tried traditional sports, like hurling, rugby and soccer, which was his main sport, but having discovered mixed martial arts by playing a computer game, he thought this sport was too good to be true. “We were on a holiday in the UK for three weeks and me and my brother were playing UFC 2009 Undisputed on X-Box and we were loving it. There were loads of little real video clips but we were saying that it couldn’t be real – it’s probably like pro wrestling, it’s not real. We did a bit of research and we realised this sport is actually real, so, from then, I had to try it. I was just 15 at the time and living in East Clare so there was nowhere to try mixed martial arts (MMA),” …
Read More »Clarecastle man pleads guilty to dealing Cocaine
A 62-year-old Clarecastle man has pleaded guilty to having €4,000 worth of cocaine in his possession for sale or supply at a sitting of Limerick District Court this week. Gerard Casey of 68 St Joseph’s Terrace, pleaded guilty to charges of having cocaine for sale or supply and possession of the illegal drug on April 20, 2017 at a sitting of Limerick City District Court on Monday, October 2. The Clarecastle man has admitted having the drugs at Bunlicky – a townland on the N18 earlier this year. The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to the matter being dealt with summarily before the district court on a plea of guilty only, and jurisdiction was accepted. A probation report was ordered and the matter was adjourned to December 6 next for this to be prepared and it is likely that sentencing will take place on that date.
Read More »Gardaí seize more than €26,000 worth of Class A Drugs in Kilrush
Gardaí have dented the operations of a major supplier of class A drugs in West Clare, after cocaine and heroin, with a combined value of €26,320, was seized during a day-long search operation in Kilrush this week. The drugs were seized from a premises in the Chapel Street area on Tuesday, as part of a joint operation between the county’s Divisional Drug Squad and Kilrush gardaí. Searches took place across the town of Kilrush and involved up to 12 gardaí. One man was arrested following the detection on Tuesday and was detained under drug trafficking legislation. He was released without charge that night and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardaí also confirmed that they are looking for a second man in connection with this seizure. Chief Superintendent John Kerin said the drugs haul is among the highest in the county so far this year and warned that class A drugs have taken a foothold in …
Read More »Michelin Success for Clare Chefs
History was made this week when a North Clare pub secured its first Michelin Star, the first public house to receive the accolade in the country. The Wild Honey Inn, in Lisdoonvarna owned and run by prominent chef Aidan McGrath and his partner Kate Sweeney was awarded a Michelin Star in the 2018 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland earlier this week. This wasn’t the only Clare success at the awards event, as Sixmilebridge woman, and head chef at the Five Fields restaurant in Chelsea, London Marguerite Keogh retained the Michelin star she received last year at the same event. The Wild Honey Inn has been a Michelin Bib Gourmand holder since 2010 and becomes the only newcomer to join what is now an 11-strong list of Michelin Star restaurants in the Republic of Ireland. Rebecca Burr, editor of the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland, said, “It’s such good news that Ireland has its first pub with a Michelin …
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