Tag Archives: Fanore

A man and young child were rescued from the sea at Fanore in North Clare over the Bank Holiday weekend. It’s understood the pair were caught in a rip current and got into difficulty. According to one eyewitness, a person on a paddle board saw that they were in trouble and went to their aid. In the meantime, a lifeguard on duty at beach at the time also observed the swimmers were in difficulty and jumped into action. The paddleboarder quickly reached the swimmers who grabbed onto the board. The lifeguard swam out to the pair and helped bring them safely ashore. It’s understood they were shaken but otherwise unharmed and did not require medical attention. The eyewitness said: “It all happened very quickly. The paddle boarder got to the man and child quickly and the lifeguard swam out in her t-shirt. The rip in Fanore is as bad as I’ve seen anywhere. It can be very deceiving and dangerous.” …

A man has died in hospital after he got into difficulty while swimming in North Clare on Tuesday evening. Two people were reported to have been in danger after they were pulled out to sea at Fanore at around 9.15pm. The alarm was raised and a search and rescue operation was quickly mounted. The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard, National Ambulance Service and Gardaí responded to the scene. The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was also tasked to the incident. On arrival at the scene, emergency services found that a young child had been taken to safety by others in the area while the helicopter crew carried out a search for the man. The man was quickly located and the helicopter winchman/paramedic was lowered into sea to pluck the casualty from the water. Efforts to resuscitate the man were quickly carried out on board the helicopter as he was flown to University Hospital Galway. The helicopter …

A MAN has appeared in court charged in connection with the alleged discovery of animal “carcasses” on his land in Fanore, writes Ronan Judge. Ivan O’Driscoll (47), with an address at Fanore More, Fanore, appeared before Ennis District Court this week charged with 10 alleged offences contrary to the Animal and Health and Welfare Act 2013. Five of the charges are contrary to section 12 of the Act and allege Mr O’Driscoll did neglect or was reckless regarding the health and welfare of animals. The other five charges are contrary to section 11 of the Act and allege Mr O’Driscoll failed in his duty to protect the welfare of protected animals in his possession. Two of the charges allege offences were committed on dates between October 1, 2019, and April 2, 2020. The remaining eight charges concern alleged incidents on April 1, 2020, and April 9, 2020. All of the charges relate to alleged offences at lands in Derreen West, …

FANORE gardener Carl Wright has certainly reaped what he has sowed with his hard work at Caher Bridge Garden seeing him named among Ireland’s Garden Heroes. Carl, who is originally from Devon and moved to Clare in the 1990s, appeared on the new RTÉ One show Ireland’s Garden Heroes last Thursday, wowing the judges with his creative use of space and winning the show. Speaking to The Clare Champion Carl told us he is delighted with the win, adding that he was “quite surprised” when judge Ingrid Swan turned up to give him the good news. “They managed to cover their tracks pretty well. They said they were coming to do a bit of filming that hadn’t gone right last time, so we just assumed that’s what they were doing and then they turned up and surprised us”. He hadn’t seen the show, or the other gardens he was up against, until Thursday night. “I didn’t know what the other …

NESTLED deep in the heart of the Burren, Caher Bridge Garden in Fanore has over the years been wowing garden enthusiasts from all over the world, even bringing some to tears of joy. The award winning garden has appeared in magazines, newspapers and the Top 100 Gardens of Ireland book among other esteemed publications. So, it is surprising to discover that this Thursday (July 22) will see the garden make its very first television appearance, featuring on RTÉ One’s latest series Ireland’s Garden Heroes. The show, which will be broadcast at 8.30pm reveals the hard work and imagination ordinary people have put into their gardens across the island. Carl Wright, the man behind Caher Bridge Garden tells us that he never intended to be a gardener, but once he started he couldn’t stop. Describing the hidden gem as an “obsession”, he says, “I don’t think there is another garden in the country like it”. Originally from Devon, Carl first began …

LOW-BUDGET tourism was debated by the council’s Rural Committee this week when members heard that some visitors are going so far as to dispose of the contents of campervan sewage tanks in public toilets. Councillor Cillian Murphy said one particular blog had advice on travelling the Wild Atlantic Way without spending a penny. “This includes a guide on how to dump the contents of a sewage box,” he said. “It talks about walking into a shopping centre with a bag in order to do so. Explain to me the economic value of that.” The Fianna Fáil member made his remarks when asked by Councillor Pat Burke about the experience in West Clare last summer. It followed a presentation to the Rural Committee of The County Clare Tourism Strategy 2030. Councillor Burke welcomed positive tourism developments for East Clare, but raised concerns about the restriction of services due to the pandemic. “We had a number of campers arrive at Dromaan Harbour …

AHEAD of the May Bank Holiday Weekend, Clare County Council is urging the people of Clare to maintain their efforts to suppress Covid-19. “The sacrifices that people have made, combined with the rollout of the vaccination programme, are having an impact, but we all need to continue doing the things that protect us from Covid-19. This will help to reduce the chance of outbreaks in healthcare settings, workplaces, our homes, and schools,” said Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council. “We have cause for cautious optimism as we look to the future. This is a reflection on the truly commendable commitment that the people of Clare have shown. I understand that many people feel fatigued. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has advised that adherence with public health advice, combined with the vaccination programme, is key to exiting this pandemic in the coming months. That prospect gives us huge motivation to move forward. “As we look ahead to …

UPGRADES are being sought for a heavily trafficked section of the Wild Atlantic Way running through North Clare to the Cliffs of Moher. The call came at the meeting of the West Clare Municipal District when Councillor Joe Killeen said local people and visitors alike would benefit from improvements to the route from Ballyvaughan, through Fanore and Doolin. “There are around 1.5 million tourists using this route every year going to the Cliffs of Moher and traffic is often tail-to-tail,” he said. “I was on the road recently when four cars pulled over to look at a fishing competition. Until they returned to their cars, nobody could pass. This area is the jewel in the crown of the Wild Atlantic Way and there are issues with the road surface and alignment, as well as a lack of areas to pull in.” The Corofin native noted that the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar had recently visited Ballyvaughan and that action needed to be …