Coolmeen 5-3   Kildysart 1-4 COOLMEEN U-12 ladies had a comprehensive victory over Kildysart last Monday evening. Kildysart were first off the mark with a point from Amy Murphy but Coolmeen responded with an excellent goal from Makayla Normoyle. Murphy scored another two points for Kildysart.Sinéad McCann popped over a point and Makayla Normoyle found the back of the Kildysart net again, leaving the half-time score at Coolmeen 2-1, Kildysart 0-3.

PRIMARY school inspector Gerry Kearney recently launched the booklet, Curriculum and Technology – Twelve Schools – Twelve Approaches, at the Clare Education Centre, Ennis.This project began in January, when all primary schools affiliated with the Clare Education Centre were invited to demonstrate how they were effectively and innovatively using ICT to support and challenge pupils in their learning. From this initial process, 12 schools expressed an interest in sharing their practices with the wider educational community in the region.All interested parties were invited to the Clare Education Centre in early 2013 to discuss, develop and begin to document innovative practices from their classroom. Advisors encouraged schools to share their practice through group discussion and dialogue. Furthermore, advisors demonstrated ICT resources, with schools then being invited to trial these resources in their own classrooms. This process continued with visits to schools to assist the project from local Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) regional advisors, David McMahon and Michael James Malone …

EFFORTS to restore the Blue Flag status at one of West Clare’s most popular beaches were deemed too expensive and too risky by Clare County Council. Now though, a local councillor wants to have one of the possible solutions identified by the local authority, re-examined.The beach at Spanish Point lost its Blue Flag status in 2002 and was closed briefly, along with two other beaches, last year after E-coli traces were found in the water. Councillor Michael Hillery recently asked the council how it planned to restore the beach to Blue Flag standard.Paul Moroney, senior engineer, Transportation, Water Services and Environment Directorate, gave a detailed written response outlining what the council considered.“The position remains the same as 2012. Spanish Point failed the bathing water quality criteria because it has a small stream entering the beach,” he explained.At the time, Clare County Council proposed a number of solutions.“Chlorination of the stream was ruled out as unacceptable as the dosing rate could …

KILRUSH Town Councillor Ian Lynch is asking that the Government establish a Department of Emigration to help support the thousands of Irish emigrants leaving the country. Councillor Lynch told The Clare Champion that he knows of four families who have left West Clare. He completed the Leaving Certificate in 1995 and says that while his contemporaries didn’t immediately emigrate, several have left the country in recent times. “In my year, we had 58 people sitting the Leaving Certificate. Even after college, only about eight of us headed off on our travels but now in an era of uncertainty, as many as 20 of us have emigrated to start a better life. We are not even part of the emigration generation. The generations after us, especially those who completed their Leaving from 2005 onwards, find themselves graduating from third level with no job prospects,” Councillor Lynch stated. Emigration significantly hit the Kilrush Community School class of 2001. “The class of 2001 …

THE Mullagh-owned Mall Brandy ran the race of his life to set up a new track record for the 350 yards at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium on Friday night.

FARMERS have had a difficult start to 2013 due to the slow start to the growing season. Regardless of the time pressure, farmers should make sure they retain safety at the top of their priority list over the coming months. Many dangers on the farm are obvious – poorly maintained tractors and machinery; unguarded PTO shafts and inadequate fencing. However, farmers need to look out for danger as they carry out their routine tasks. For example, when preparing for spraying, it is vital to pay extra attention to handling and storage of chemicals and spraying equipment.During the breeding period, it is important that farmers are conscious of possible dangers with particular regard to the introduction of new bulls to the herd. Every bull, no matter how docile he might appear, must be treated as a potential danger.With such a late spring, the movement of cattle out onto grass might require extra hands on deck, which again implies safety considerations. The …

THE inaugural Division 6 hurling final will take place on Saturday at Cusack Park, when the throw-in time is 5pm.

ON Wednesday Loop Head Tourism (LHT) announced details of a parking initiative for cycling and walking tourists in the peninsula.The ‘Park Your Car’ initiative enables visitors on walking or cycling holidays to park their car for the duration of their stay in the Loop Head area, while their personal belongings are delivered to their places of accommodation. Accommodation and activity providers and other hospitality industry members in the peninsula have signed up to the initiative.The tourism initiative forms part of ‘Summer on the Loop’ featuring a range of activities and events taking place across the peninsula, recently named the Best Place to Holiday in Ireland.The programme features Clare’s first working Hedge School in 200 years as well as a series of food, heritage and activity-based trails including Currach Racing in Kilbaha (June 16); Hell of the West Triathlon weekend in Kilkee (June 21-23); Kilkee Loophead Maritime Festival (July 12-14); Carrigaholt Family Festival (August 15-18); Nell Galvin Traditional Music Festival in …