Tag Archives: west clare

Gardaí have dented the operations of a major supplier of class A drugs in West Clare, after cocaine and heroin, with a combined value of €26,320, was seized during a day-long search operation in Kilrush this week. The drugs were seized from a premises in the Chapel Street area on Tuesday, as part of a joint operation between the county’s Divisional Drug Squad and Kilrush gardaí. Searches took place across the town of Kilrush and involved up to 12 gardaí. One man was arrested following the detection on Tuesday and was detained under drug trafficking legislation. He was released without charge that night and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardaí also confirmed that they are looking for a second man in connection with this seizure. Chief Superintendent John Kerin said the drugs haul is among the highest in the county so far this year and warned that class A drugs have taken a foothold in …

Travel bible Lonely Planet has named two routes on the island of Ireland – the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route – as two of the “world’s ultimate road trips”, in its new publication Epic Drives of the World. The Wild Atlantic Way covers the length of the west Clare coastline from Loop Head to Ballyvaughan. Welcoming the news, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “The inclusion of the Wild Atlantic Way in Lonely Planet’s new ‘Epic Drives of the World’ is wonderful news and will surely help to inspire travellers everywhere to put Ireland on their holiday wish-list. It is another well-deserved accolade for Ireland and our spectacular scenery, which provides Tourism Ireland with a great hook to continue to promote the Wild Atlantic Way and the island of Ireland around the world as a ‘must visit’ destination.”

IN an innovative effort to add to the tourism product in West Clare, Loop Head Tourism has revealed early plans to deploy an electric bus linking Kilkee with the peninsula villages. It is envisaged that the bus would be powered by two wind turbines, which are located in the area and that it would cater for both tourists and locals. In tandem, the tourism body is planning to launch a network of bog road walking routes in the region, which would be directly linked to the proposed bus route. “As far as we’re aware, this would be ground-breaking. The innovative thing here is the electric bus. There are places in South America and South Africa where they operate hop-on hop-off local buses but they are public transport in effect. Tourists and locals use it,” Cillian Murphy of Loop Head Tourism told The Clare Champion. “Because of our settlement patterns, public transport is a big problem to provide for spread-out rural …

A lecture in Kilrush on Tuesday will examine how it has recently become possible to use DNA to identify where in West Clare ancestors of people who live in different parts of the world are from. The Kilrush and District Historical Society’s November lecture is entitled Reconstructing West Clare Family Histories Using DNA. It will be delivered by the society’s PRO, Paddy Waldron, in Teach Ceoil. “In recent years, it has become possible and affordable to use DNA comparisons to break down brick walls in ancestral research,” Paddy Waldron explained. “This talk will begin by briefly outlining the different inheritance paths of different components of DNA. “Y-DNA, for example, can shed light on the origins of Clare surnames, while comparing autosomal DNA has helped members of the Irish diaspora, from Sandy Hook to California to New Zealand, to identify the precise townlands in West Clare from which their mystery ancestors emigrated,” he added. Paddy Waldron has long been an avid …

Clare Gardaí are investigating the death of a woman in her fifties after a single vehicle accident in West Clare. The incident happened at around 11pm on Friday near Miltown Malbay. The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle when her car left the road and entered a field. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) where it is expected a post mortem will be conducted. The road was closed off for an examination by forensic collision investigators. This is the 13th fatality since last Sunday.

WEST Clare’s maritime history and unique landscape will be showcased at Loop Head Lighthouse this May Bank Holiday weekend through its status as one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland. This weekend a flagship festival will take place at eight of the 12 Great Lighthouses of Ireland, an all-island tourism initiative that also includes lighthouses at Hook Head in Wexford, Valentia Island in Kerry and Donegal’s Fanad Head. Loop Head will offer family-friendly events that include tours, storytelling and a local food and craft showcase. On Bank Holiday Monday, a guided walk will be hosted along the peninsula from 11am, while there will be food-tasting stalls from 12 noon until 2pm. “This three-day weekend festival celebrates the best of Loop Head’s stunning coastline through a series of events and workshops. The public will be able to enjoy the stories of our maritime past, explore the tower to discover its hidden secrets, get tips on being safe and enjoying our coast …

Angela Collins, Leitrim, Cree, has lodged an appeal against Clare County Council’s decision to grant Brian Sexton of Clare Broadband planning permission to retain a broadband mast at Cloonreddan, Cooraclare. As part of her appeal, Ms Collins submitted a letter from her consultant neurologist, Dr Harib Rahman of the Neurology Department, University Hospital Galway and Galway Clinic. “Angela Collins is suffering from microwave hearing, due to the location of the mast near her home,” Dr Rahman stated. Corofin planning consultant, Brendan McGrath submitted a number of planning documents on behalf of Ms Collins. In a submission to the appeals’ board, Mr McGrath stated that a visual inspection shows the mast is about 17 metres in height, 70% higher than the 10 metres stated in the retention application. “In my opinion, the documentation and information submitted are of poor quality. In addition to misrepresentation of the physical scale of the development, there are other deficiencies. “The submitted drawings and plans do …

A public demonstration relating to the shock closure of six childcare centres in West Clare and the subsequent loss of 53 jobs, will take place in Kilrush town square on Wednesday (February 24) at 12.30pm. News of the closures were relayed to staff by text message, following a West Clare Early Years board meeting, on February 13. In a statement to The Clare Champion, parents and former staff of West Clare Early Years outlined their reasons for the demonstration, which will be held two days before the 2016 General Election. “We the parents and former staff of West Clare Early Years have been devastated by the closure of the childcare facilities in West Clare. Fifty three workers and 400 families have been affected by the closures. The parents and staff met with Pobal last week at which time we were assured that everything that could be done would be done to re-open the facilities urgently. To date we still have …