The finals of the inaugural Clare Primary schools debating competition were held last week in the Clare Education Centre, Ennis.

THE number of people signing on in Clare increased slightly in the first month of the year.

WHILE Saturday’s Lift the Burden, Jobs not Debt march in Limerick is being organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, all are welcome to attend.

EDITORIAL OUTRAGE at the cutbacks in the health service, in terms of the cap on staff replacements, proposals to slash wages for new nurses and capital expenditure cuts was mollified to some degree in Clare this week.

THE apology by Gerry Adams for the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996 should be welcomed by everyone. It should not be dismissed merely as a stunt by Sinn Féin in its efforts to gain respectability.

DEPUTY Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan has used Class A drugs, such as cocaine and LSD, in the past. This was news in the Irish media this week. He stated that his experiences were mainly negative and that people should be aware of the potential pitfalls of using such substances.