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Tag Archives: Gort

Fundraising for Gort Square revamp steps up a gear

THE iconic statue of Christ the King in the heart of Gort will be the focal point for a rejuvenated town centre, as a local fund-raising campaign has been intensified to provide upgraded seating, planting and paving. The Burren Lowlands Group, which works with 16 local parishes in North Clare and South Galway, has just teamed up with a local business woman to run a fund-raising raffle to boost efforts to cover the cost of enhanced paving around The Square. The Dolly Tub, which is a new business based in Peterswell and run by Susanne Orsford, has donated five gift boxes containing had-made sanitisers, balms, soaps and candles. “We have extended our fundraising efforts because, while we’re very grateful for all of the support received to-date, we need a little more money to really get the project right,” explained Kathleen Bell Bonjeau of Burren Lowlands. “We had hoped to have the second phase of the redevelopment complete by Christmas, but …

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Taking a loop around Gort

  WHILE work on Phase 1 of the Gort River walk has been delayed due to Covid-19, the overseeing development group has been busy planning Phase 2, which includes an upgrade to an old footbridge in Lavally. Phase 1 has been funded by the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), but Phase 2 is looking to advance planning permission and depending on funds application for match funding using Rural Regeneration or ORIS schemes again. “There is so much potential for this amenity,” highlight ed David Murray, chair of the group. “We have an old walking route of significant heritage and natural value right at our doorstep and with very little investment we could have a 3.4km loop from the centre of Gort along the river” In recent times, the walk was heavily used by the community as it dealt with Covid-19 restrictions and it’s become a very active route at weekends. “We have a plan for Phase 1 to enhance the …

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Gardai discover arms cache

Army explosives experts have dealt with a suspect device, believed to have been a pipe bomb, found in a remote location on the Slieve Aughty mountains near Gort. The  device was discovered by gardaí along with a quantity of ammunition as part of an ongoing intelligence-led operation at Scalp Hill, close to Castledaly, on the main Gort to Loughrea Road. Detectives located two boxes of ammunition and a pipe containing a suspect device in a section of woodland during the search operation. The device was made safe by the Army Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit. All items seized will be subject to technical examination and investigations are ongoing. This afternoon  gardaí in Loughrea issued an appeal for information in connection with the discovery of the ammunition and what is now believed to be components of a pipe bomb. Items located at the scene have been removed for forensic examination. They are appealing to the public who may have been in this area recently …

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Major revamp for landmark Gort monument

WHEN work began to renovate the Christ the King statue in Gort Square, locals were heard to comment, “He’s getting released from jail!” The Burren Lowlands Group had commissioned local architect Brent Mostert to develop a vision of the statue as a focal point in a rejuvenated square. He began by removing the worn iron railings around the statue base, which were replaced with cut limestone paving. Jethro Sheen of Sheen Stone-Works Gort carried out the work and his fine craftsmanship has been remarked upon. This serves to enhance the monument to allow for seating and a more open plan aspect. Already residents and visitors can be seen sitting and talking at the base. In phase two of the renovations, seating and planters will be installed. The railings will be commissioned to another area of the town, perhaps along the proposed riverwalk for all to enjoy. As the main market town for the Burren Lowlands region, the Burren Lowlands Group …

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Burren Lowlands gets funding boost

BURREN Lowlands CLG was, has been approved funding of €182,786 for an enterprise development initiative which will create a focal point for activities to develop and attract additional jobs to the area of South Galway and North Clare. The allocation comes under the Enterprise Ireland Regional Enterprise Development Funds and will allow for a number of priority projects to advance in 2019. The Burren Lowlands vision is to make the region a better place to live, work and visit by focussing on three key pillars, community, enterprise and tourism. “This is the enterprise element of our strategy which we will be building on over the next three years with the expertise of a full time manager based in Gort, working with entrepreneurs and companies around the region” said Teresa Butler, voluntary project manager. Burren Lowlands CLG and the new manager will be focussing on a number of key areas; the development of a co-working space in Gort, an associate centre …

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‘IDA not supporting major Gort development’ claim

THE IDA has not provided any support to Natus Medical Incorporated in the development of a new Gort distribution centre . That was the claim made by Sean Langan, senior director of European operations for the company, when he spoke to The Clare Champion, following a sod-turning ceremony this week. “If anything, we’ve been hindered by them and slowed down by them,” he said. The company currently employ 125 people and Mr Langan said it is hoped to increase this to 200 before long. “The construction of the distribution centre will be finished in November of this year. We hope to open the building, probably in December of this year and begin to use it in January of 2019. There will be 25 positions initially in the warehouse but the target for the facility would be to bring it up to 200 people over time.” The initial 25 jobs will be in areas like distribution and customer services, with other …

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Strengthening family bonds with kidney donation

A GORT man, who donated a kidney to his brother, is organising an event in aid of the Irish Kidney Association this Saturday. This time last year, Gerry Quinn donated a kidney to his brother, John, after the latter had been on dialysis for more than a year. Kidney transplants where the donor is alive are still quite rare in Ireland, with only 50 taking place in 2016. The Quinn brothers’ story is a very positive one, in that there was a family member who was a match and willing to donate. Tragically, for hundreds of other dialysis patients across Ireland, they must await a phonecall relaying the news that someone has passed away before donation is possible. The lifespan of a kidney donated from a ‘foreign’ donor – a person who is not a family member – is usually between 10 and 15 years. A kidney donated from a family member is a much stronger match and will last longer. Indeed, …

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75 new jobs for Gort

A GORT company has been given permission for a large extension to its premises, which will result in 75 new jobs. Natus Manufacturing Limited, located at the IDA Park in the town, received planning permission for works with a gross floor space of 2,239m2. Their existing premises measure 3,800m2. While there are only 33 car parking spaces there at present, this is to increase to 90. The application says they are looking to construct a commercial unit for storage and distribution, which will be an extension to the existing manufacturing unit. Planning was granted, subject to 16 conditions, one of which was that, prior to the commencement of development, the applicant pay a development contribution of €31,346. Local Councillor Gerry Finnerty said, “There will be 75 more jobs; at the moment, there are 125 employed in it. The planning permission means a big increase in the size of the factory. Construction will start early in the new year and that …

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