Tag Archives: clare county council

A DUMPING incident blocked a road in South East Clare and resulted in a county councillor having to get a tractor out to clear the way for children travelling to school, the local authority has heard. At the May meeting, Councillor Pat O’Gorman described Gallows Hill, Cratloe and Meelick as “particular hotspots for dumping”. He made his comments in support of a motion from Councillor PJ Ryan, who asked the authority to reduce the cost of disposing of mattresses and suites of furniture, in the hope that it might discourage fly-tipping. Councillor Ryan said he had to report mattresses dumped on the road and the riverbank in Meelick. “I was struck by the cost,” he said. “It needed a JCB, a truck, a general operative for traffic, a general operative to handle the lifting and an overseer. “Within days, I had to get furniture removed from a nearby hill. It costs €20 to dispose of a mattress and €50 for …

A LIFE-SAVING dog who helped its owner escape from a devastating fire has been hailed as a ‘Clare Covid Hero’. Former county councillor and well-known Clarecastle man Bernard Hanrahan narrowly escaped with his life after his home was engulfed in flames late last year. Bernard, known locally as the Bomber, was saved after being alerted to the blaze at his home in Barntick by his beloved dog Daisy’s incessant barking in the early hours of the morning. Daisy has now been named among the winners of the Clare Covid Hero award celebrating the county’s everyday heroes who have been supporting others during the pandemic. Luckily nobody was injured in the fire, however the house, which had been in the family for three generations, was extensively damaged and priceless photographs and memorabilia have been lost. The award certificate was presented to Daisy this week by Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Mary Howard, who also had a surprise for Bernard. She was …

CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a new bus shelter in Crusheen for south-bound passengers have been scrapped, after considerable local opposition. The village was earmarked for two new shelters after an assessment by the National Transport Authority (NTA). While the existing north-bound bus stop will be upgraded, plans for a new shelter, which would have necessitated moving back the boundary wall of a local housing estate by two metres, will not now proceed. The council’s decision to seek a new site has been met with relief from Deputy Michael McNamara, among others. “Bus shelters are badly needed but the location must be right,” he said. “I welcome the decision not to put the south-bound shelter in at the location originally proposed. For residents in Brodagh View, it would have inevitably resulted in people parking in that estate. That’s not what it was designed for. “When the estate was built, a development contribution was paid to Clare County Council. The council was …

IRISH Water has confirmed that it is working with Clare County Council to carry out repairs to two rising main bursts that may result in a wastewater discharge at Kilkee beach. Crews are working to repair the bursts as quickly and as safely as possible in adherence with current HSE and government Covid-19 advice. Tankers are on-site collecting wastewater to minimise any impact and discharges to the stream which leads to the beach. As a result of this incident, Clare County Council, in consultation with the HSE, has placed a bathing prohibition notice at Kilkee beach. It is likely that this notice will remain in place for a number of days pending the repairs of the wastewater and stormwater rising mains and the results of sampling of the bathing waters early next week, at which point the notice may be lifted. Updates will be available from www.beaches.ie. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other relevant stakeholders have been notified and …

CLARE County Council, on the advice of the HSE, has placed a prohibition on swimming in Kilkee due to a malfunction of Irish Water sewage infrastructure. Emergency remedial works are being undertaken by Irish Water. The notice states, “Do not swim until further notice.”

SMITH O’Brien’s GAA Club has received the green light for the construction of a new €100,000 multi-use games area (MUGA). Approval has also been granted for associated side fencing and netting, artificial grass surface, floodlighting and all associated ancillary and incidental works. The local authority considered the development would not seriously injure the area’s amenities. Clare County Council has passed the club’s planning application for its proposed works at their grounds in Shantraud, Killaloe, subject to three planning conditions. Prior to the start of the development, the club must submit full specification of the proposed floodlights, including wattage, for the written agreement of the planning authority. The floodlights have to be directed onto the playing surfaces of the astroturf pitch and have to be directed and cowled to avoid glare on the adjacent properties. According to the planning conditions, flood lighting on the site can only operate between the hours of 7am and 9.30pm only in the interest of traffic …

THE government has been urged to prove its commitment to rural Ireland by moving the department responsible for it out of Dublin. At the May meeting of Clare County Council, there was widespread and cross-party support for a motion tabled by Councillor Gabriel Keating calling on the authority to ask the Department of Rural Affairs and Community Development to decentralise “as an indication of their commitment to Our Rural Future policy document”. The Fine Gael member referred to the publication last month of the new strategy document, which runs to 122 pages. “Clare is a mostly rural county and we lead the way in terms of rural development,” he asserted. “We were the first authority to have its own rural development strategy. Now that 80% of public servants are working remotely, this may be our best chance to get a government department and it would mean a huge amount to this county.” The Fine Gael member urged Clare’s seven Oireachtas …

CLARE’S first citizen has spoken of how moved she and her family were by the gestures of sympathy extended by her Council colleagues on the untimely passing of her sister, Bríd. Cathaoirleach Mary Howard said it had been “a very strange time to lose someone and a very difficult time,” as she thanked members for a vote of sympathy to herself and to Councillor Gerry Flynn on the recent passing of his brother, Michael. Proposing the motion, Councillor Pat Hayes extended sympathy to Councillor Howard on “the sad loss of Bríd at such a young age” and the difficult time her family are going through. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil members of the authority, Councillor Hayes also extended sympathy to Councillor Flynn and proposed a 15-minute adjournment of the monthly local authority meeting. Seconding the motion, Councillor Ann Norton sympathised on behalf of the Independent members. “It must be an extremely difficult time to lose someone so young, and …