Whitegate 0-18 Youghal 0-18 (AET) NO-ONE really thinks November hurling is a great idea. It evokes images of water-logged pitches and scrappy, uninspiring matches but sometimes things don’t work out that way at all, like on Sunday, when Youghal and Whitegate produced a really entertaining clash in Sixmilebridge. Credit is due to the East Clare side for showing great character and fitness the day after achieving their goal for 2013, toppling Feakle in the county final. On Sunday, their year looked as good as over when they trailed by 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time, Youghal having scored the last seven points of the half. It seemed that even if the Whitegate spirit was willing, surely fatigue would make a comeback impossible. However, come back they did and with Brendan Bugler and George Waterstone shining, they were within seconds of producing an unlikely victory, before Youghal’s Damien Ring hit an immense free from his own half, which forced extra time. Again …

Ennis will provide a welcome break from the winter blues, the rain and the recession this weekend when the town resonates to the sound and strains of the best of Irish traditional music. The county town will host the twentieth instalment of the Ennis Trad Festival and the festival’s magnetic appeal will draw musicians and audiences from all over the country and further afield, providing a financial fillip for those in the hospitality sector. The official launch will take place this Thursday at 6pm in the front bar of The Queens Hotel. Ennis native, musician extraordinaire and noted scholar Dr Geraldine Cotter will cut the proverbial ribbon. All are welcome to attend or play as the mood takes them. Later that night, at 8pm in The Great Hall of the Templegate Hotel, Ann Lynch-Loyns will launch her debut CD “Silvery Light”. Ann comes from near Oldcastle Co Meath but now lives close to Newmarket. She learnt her first songs from …

SHANNON Airport’s recovery continued in October, with the month showing a growth in passenger numbers of almost 5% on the same period last year. After years of decline, the airport has been moving in the right direction since the summer, with consistent monthly improvements. In October there were 116,901 passengers at Shannon, compared to 111,699 in October 2012. The biggest increase in October came in European traffic, although US traffic was also up by 4%. Shannon Group CEO Neil Pakey said the October figures rounded off a great week for the region, in which Limerick’s programme for its year as the National City of Culture was unveiled. “This week is a special one for the region, with the very exciting programme launch for Limerick National City of Culture 2014. The Shannon Group will play a pivotal role in the project by bringing in visitors for the many flagship events in the programme next year. We are equally pleased that Shannon …

THE Labour Relations Commission has invited both Aer Lingus and the IMPACT Trade Union to talks in Dublin on Friday. It follows an overwhelming vote for industrial action by IMPACT members, who work as cabin crew. The decision to close the cabin crew base at Shannon is just one of the issues that form the background to the dispute as IMPACT spokesman Niall Shanahan explained; “By the time we were putting a ballot paper together it had become a live issue, but up until that it had been issues about rosters, breaches of previous agreements made with management and what had been identified as a sort of withdrawal by management from industrial relations processes over the previous couple of years. “The mechanisms we had to solve problems in the past, it seemed the company were unwilling or unable to engage with them. This led to a back up of an awful lot of problems, deep feelings of resentment among cabin …

A NUMBER of parking initiatives are set to be put in place in the town in the run-up to Christmas in a bid to encourage shopping in the county capital. However, Ennis Town Council will put in place a scaled-back pedestrianisation policy on what had previously been proposed, following discussions with local businesses. At this week’s meeting of the local authority, town clerk, Leonard Cleary stated that in preparing the town’s pedestrianisation plan for Christmas, the council sought opinions from business people, ratepayers and property owners. It had originally been proposed to pedestrianise O’Connell Street on a number of Saturdays leading up to the festive period, as well as the days immediately before Christmas Day. The council received a number of submissions in relation to the plan, with Ennis Chamber suggesting pedestrianisation on two Saturdays, as well as the days leading up to Christmas. Mr Cleary revealed at this week’s meeting that “a larger December pedestrianisation policy does not seem …

SCREECHING birds, chainsaws roaring, horses running loose and excessive noise are just some of the difficulties that residents in the Watery Road area of Ennis are dealing with, according to one local councillor, who has called on Clare County Council to take action. Councillor Tommy Brennan voiced his concerns at this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council about a number of vacant properties in the area. He outlined that locals have complained about the excessive noise of chainsaws being used, as well as wild fowl and guinea fowl “screeching all day and all night”. He added that loose horses are being kept across the road. Councillor Brennan described the situation as a “downright disgrace”, urging that Clare County Council, as the housing authority, deal with the matter. He was supported by Councillor Brian Meaney, who commented that local residents are “dealing with a nuisance”. “The situation on the Watery Road simply can’t continue. It’s an eyesore, it’s a fester. It …

AN ENNIS-based garda’s own car registration number has been cloned and is being used on a Volkswagen Golf, wanted in connection with a spate of burglaries in the county. The revelation came at a public meeting of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee and senior gardaí also confirmed that a speed van also had its plates cloned. The issue of cloned plates was raised by Councillor Tony Mulqueen. He said he was aware of members of the public who had received speeding fines in the post in respect of times and locations where they could not have been. He said it is “so easy to clone” registration plates and is “very upsetting” for people affected by this practice. Chief Superintendent John Kerin said they are aware of the practice and that gardaí are not immune, as he outlined details of a car wanted by the gardaí. “There were 11 or 12 burglaries committed in the last month in the county, in which …

A KILRUSH man, who is now director of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), said he had no choice but to leave West Clare as a young man. Brian Sheehan was reflecting on how public attitudes and opinions have changed so much since the early 1980s, as he spoke to The Clare Champion following the announcement that a referendum on gay and lesbian marriage will be held in 2015. “I knew I had to leave Kilrush as soon as I possibly could. I knew I was gay from a very young age and I knew I had to get out. Dublin was where I eventually got to,” Mr Sheehan said on Wednesday. “I had thought I would have to go abroad but decriminalisation came and circumstances changed. I realised I wouldn’t be a criminal if I stayed here any longer. At the time, I always felt that it would be absolutely impossible to be myself in Kilrush. I knew …