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Tag Archives: Kilrush

New Ferry Service for Scattery Island

A new ferry operator has been appointed to Scattery Island and the new service will commence next May. West Coast Marine, based at Kilrush Marina boatyard, has been awarded the contract as the exclusive service providers to the island and will introduce a regular scheduled service with multiple departures daily . West Coast Marine, was launched in April this year by Kilrush natives Irene Griffin and her business partner Gerard Hamilton. The new ferry service, called Scattery Island Tours, will operate a minimum of three scheduled trips daily with increased runs expected in the peak summer months. The service will depart from Kilrush Marina through a dedicated ticket sales office located to the side of the existing marina building. Historically, access to the island has been affected by low tides, however, the new service will use a specially designed shallow draught passenger vessel, which will offer increased access to the island throughout the day. Irene Griffin of West Coast Marine …

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13 superintendents in Kilrush in 25 years

WHEN a new superintendent transfers to Kilrush later this month, he will be the 13th officer over a 25-year period to hold the post. Superintendent John Galvin will move on promotion from Ennis to the Kilrush Garda District, when Superintendent Martin McGonnell relocates from West Clare to Blackrock in Dublin on December 13. Superintendent McGonnell was stationed in Kilrush for 20 months. Addressing the point that having such a high turnover of superintendents in Kilrush is not ideal, Clare Garda Chief Superintendent John Kerin acknowledged it is an issue. “There has been a very high turnover, which certainly has not been desirable from my perspective. But, having said that, a lot of the people who have come have brought a lot of experience from different policing perspectives with them. We’ve learned from some of the people that have come there over the years,” he said. “I’m absolutely delighted to have a person of John Galvin’s capability and standing in the …

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Clare Champion focus on Christmas shopping

The Clare Champion Christmas Shopping Guide will be published this Thursday as part ofyour favourite weekly newspaper. Running to 72 page, the guide highlights the huge range of retail and service providers in local towns and villages, which offer all kinds of Christmas presents, both for children and the young at heart. With so much to on our own doorstep, there is little need to stray beyond County Clare to fill your festive season shopping list. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Bill Chambers has encouraged people to be supportive of each other – to reach out to each other this Christmas. “I want to extend a warm welcome home to those who have travelled to Clare from abroad this Christmas. To those who are unable to come home this year, I want to say that you are in our thoughts. “Christmas is a time of great celebration and it is also a time for reflection. It is a time for …

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HSE accused of failing to plan for GP crisis

Clare Deputy Dr Michael Harty has pledged to raise the Shannondoc cutbacks in the county at this week’s session of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health. Dr Harty has acknowledged the changes to the Shannondoc out-of-hours services in Kilrush, Ennistymon and Killaloe are a reduction to the medical cover for patients. He claimed these changes are another manifestation of the mismanagement of the health service and highlighted the failure of the HSE to anticipate and plan for the medical manpower crisis which faces general practice and the wider health service. He said all out-of-hours services are experiencing difficulty in finding locums to supplement local GP rosters. “The working commitment and conditions of service required to work in single handed rural practice are too onerous. Consequently, GP positions are not being filled when they become vacant. The contract underpinning these working conditions is in need of urgent review and renegotiation. “Newly qualified GPs and established GPs are emigrating to work in …

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Kilrush engineer wins award

Kilrush native and former Dublin City Engineer, Michael Phillips, has won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Engineering Award,’ at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2016. In his work at Dublin City Council, Phillips has been responsible for strategic planning of infrastructure and implementation of ground-breaking projects such as the Dublin Port Tunnel, Ringsend wastewater treatment works, the Santiago Calatrava bridges of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett and latterly, the Rosie Hackett Bridge, over the River Liffey. The overall Engineering Project of the Year Award was won by the Corrib Onshore Gas Pipeline. The winners were announced at the seventh annual Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, in association with ESB, at a special ceremony held in the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin. Speaking at the awards ceremony in the InterContinental Hotel Dublin, Caroline Spillane, Engineers Ireland Director General, commented on the vast array of engineering talent that had gathered for the flagship awards ceremony. “The engineering profession is the real winner of this year’s …

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bill slattery

Nominations invited for Cissie Roughan Award

Clare County Council is seeking nominations for the Cissie Roughan Award 2016, a civic award honouring individuals and voluntary organisations that have contributed significantly to the town of Kilrush. Set up in 1993 by Kilrush Town Council to give public recognition to Councillor Cissie Roughan’s work as a member of the Local Authority from 1980 to 1991, the civic award promotes and encourages participation and achievement in the arts, social, business, education, sporting and general life of the town. The award scheme is open to anyone to nominate the person or persons, not necessarily resident in Kilrush, who have made an outstanding contribution to Kilrush society. Councillor Bill Slattery, Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District said, “Clare County Council is aware of the vital importance of community spirit and activity to the town, and of the positive contribution and effect of those who strive for community spirit and welfare in a range of endeavours. Such people play a vital …

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New video-link GP service for Kilrush

Plans have been unveiled for the provision of a video-based remote doctor service in Kilrush, as efforts intensify to halt cutbacks in the out-of-hours Shannondoc service in West and East Clare. It remains to be seen if this will satisfy campaigners seeking a full restoration of GP out-of-hours services throughout the county. Under a new rationalisation plan, which was supported by doctors at a recent annual general meeting, Shannondoc’s Kilrush and Ennistymon services will relocate to Miltown Malbay during weekdays, with the same operating hours applying. Kilrush and Ennistymon will only now open at weekends until 7pm. Shannondoc is to introduce a video-based remote doctor service at its Kilrush centre, allowing it to remain open nightly for two hours. The new service provides for a remote doctor to connect with the Kilrush clinic via a secure, high-definition video link. Patients will contact Shannondoc as they normally would and a triage nurse will first determine if the patient requires a GP …

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shannondoc

Shannondoc cuts are ‘deeply flawed’

The planned reduction in GP out-of-hours services in Clare has been condemned as “deeply flawed” by Deputy Timmy Dooley. Shannondoc’s Kilrush and Ennistymon service will close from Monday to Friday, relocating to Miltown Malbay, while the out-of-hours clinic will only open at weekends in Kilrush and Ennistymon. The Killaloe clinic will open during weekends only, on an as-needs basis, with a mobile doctor serving the centre. At weekends, the operating hours will change from 9am to 9pm to 2pm to 6pm, with patients to be seen in Limerick, Ennis and Nenagh centres outside of those hours. The changes to the Killaloe service will start next Monday while the timeframe for changes in West Clare is expected in the near future. The problems caused by the reduction in the number of centres from five to three were outlined by Deputy Dooley, during a special debate in Dáil Éireann. The Fianna Fáil Deputy said it is clear that the evidence upon which …

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