Tag Archives: Spanish point

MAYORSTONE Gardai in Limerick are investigating following the discovery of a woman’s body in Ardnacrusha on Friday. The woman was discovered close to a stream, near Ardnacrusha Power Station. The  deceased woman is believed to have been in her 60s. Meanwhile a teenager, who was surfing in Spanish Point has been hospitalised, following an accident on Friday evening.The teenager is being treated at University Hospital Limerick.  

JUDITH Ironside, a woman whose voluntarism permeated through local and national organisations all her life, died peacefully at home in Spanish Point this week. Wife of the late James Ironside, a well-known vet, Judith was a person who threw herself headlong into any projects she became involved in. She was a founding member of Ennis Soroptomists, one of whose most significant achievements was to set up Caring for Carers, subsequently to become Caring for Carers Ireland, with a presence in 23 counties. Judith was a great ambassador for West Clare in a quiet way, as she attended many prestigious functions over the years. She was especially proud of Spanish Point and Miltown Malbay and was involved in several committees who shared a common goal of working to achieve major social and infrastructural improvements in the area. She was an active member of the local Church of Ireland community and was a member of the committee responsible for the €22,000 restoration …

Portumna landed the Irish Mixed Foursomes in dramatic fashion when Damien Burke holed the winning putt at the second extra hole. Burke partnered Mary McElroy to victory in the decisive match, which went to the 20th, sinking a crucial five-footer to seal the winning point against the Ulster champions, Ballybofey & Stranorlar for a 3-2 win. This was a second green pennant for the club, who had previously won the Irish Mixed Foursomes at Bandon in 2009 In the final Portumna’s James McLoughlin (0) and Rachel Madden (22) beat T Griffen (8) and M McHugh (15) 5&3; Ger Lynch (6) and Bernie Kilmartin (19) beat F Wilson (10) and D Devaney (11) 4&3; Damien Burke (4) and Mary McElroy (17) beat J McMenamin (8) and S Maloney (18) 20th; P Cahalan (12) and A Fahey (13) lost to E Bradley (14) and M McConnell (10) 3&2; G Brehony (14) and M Kelly (13) lost to S Carlin (10) and J …

The communities of Spanish Point, Kilkishen, Shannon and Quin are busily preparing for the adjudication stage of 2018 IPB Pride of Place competition, which takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday. The four communities have been nominated by the Rural Development Directorate of Clare County Council to participate in annual all-island competition, which is run by Co-operation Ireland and aims to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that communities make to society. The Castle Bog Walk project in Kilkishen, which features in the ‘Community Wellbeing Initiative’ category, will be visited by Pride of Places judges on Tuesday morning. The judges will then move on to Shannon which is representing the county in Population Category 5 (Population over 5,000) in recognition of its many leisure, sporting, social and educational facilities built by an active, vibrant and engaged community. On Wednesday morning, judges will visit Spanish Point which is included in the Islands & Coastal Communities Category of the competition in recognition of …

THE Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin Andrews, visited St Joseph’s Secondary School in Spanish Point last week, at part of his day-long visit to the county. Originally from Canberra, which is the administrative capital of Australia, Mr Andrews has visited the county a few times prior to this trip, in a private capacity. “I’ve been here a couple of times on holidays and I came down for the Fleadh Cheoil last year. I have an interest in music generally and, as a whim, I decided it would be a good idea to learn how to play the uileann pipes when I came to Ireland. I’m not sure that I’ll inflict my skills on you at this stage,” he laughed. The ambassador has worked for 30 years in the Australian public service and has served for just under two years in his current role. He visited Spanish Point due to the area’s connection with a local man, who made the Clare …

I squinted into the morning gloom. A mist hung over the green, obscuring the flag from view. Taking a deep breath, I fixed my eyes on the ball and drew back the club. The grip quivered between my clammy palms. I looked up towards the green again, then down at my ball. If I could just chip it out of the rough- “Hit the ruddy thing!” I flinched violently, losing my balance as my club rocketed towards the ground. It struck the ground with a jarring thud, sending me reeling. I spun away, wincing, as my ball trickled over the ridge. David fixed me with steely glare. He was dressed head-to-toe in tweed. The buttons of his waist-coat quivered beneath the weight of his paunch. He wore a deer-stalker, jammed over the crown of his head and a pair of thick leather boots. His mouth was nothing more than a thin slit beneath his thick, lustrous whiskers, curling beneath his …

THE Clare Association in Dublin has selected 38-year-old Spanish Point hotelier John Burke as their Clare Person of the Year for 2018. He was named at a meeting of the association on Tuesday night. Last May, John made history, when he became the first Clare man to successfully climb Mount Everest. The mountaineer, who runs The Armada Hotel, made the climb to fulfil a personal dream and also to raise awareness and funds for the charity, Elevate, which he and his wife, Aoibhín Garrihy, established to promote well-being among young people. Aoibhín accompanied her husband to Nepal, where he climbed Mount Everest and, on reaching the summit, he remembered his Clare roots by planting the saffron and blue flag. Afterwards, he described the final night of the climb as hell on earth. He witnessed casualties of the mountain first-hand and could see the fear of death in the faces of other people who were making the climb with him. On his …

A CLARE brother and sister, hailed as heroes after saving a swimmer from a rip current in Spanish Point, have revealed it was “lucky” circumstances that resulted in them being in the right place at the right time. Bernard and Róisín Cahill from Clarecastle dashed from their car after spotting a swimmer in trouble in the sea off the West Clare beach.  The quick-thinking off-duty lifeguards leapt into action, using a borrowed kayak to rescue the middle-aged man and bring him to safety. “We would never normally be coming through Spanish Point that late. The circumstances that surrounded us being there – you couldn’t make it up, it was so lucky. And any other people in the car driving past that situation mightn’t have even spotted him.  It’s mad,” said Bernard. After spending the day working as a lifeguard on Lahinch beach, he and a colleague travelled to White Strand to pick up Róisín, who had also been working as …