Tributes were paid this morning to Kilbeacanty and Galway hurler Niall Donoghue following his sudden death yesterday. Niall (22) was a member of the Galway U-21 panel that won the All Ireland in 2011. He broke on to the senior panel last year and played in the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. “The heart of Kilbeacanty Hurling Club and parish has been left devastated and saddened by Niall’s sudden passing,” said club chairman Justin Fahy. Mr Fahy expressed sympathy to the Donoghue family from the club, its members and players. “Niall was our son, our brother, our friend, our hero and was an integral part of our club. There are no words today, we are rocked to the core and just devastated. We ask you all for your thoughts and prayers and your support for Niall’s family and our community,” he continued. Club member Gerry Finnerty says the community of Kilbeacanty is “trying to come to terms” with the loss. “He …

MOUNTSHANNON Community Council is the recipient of a €1,000 funding boost, as part of a nationwide campaign aimed at supporting stand-out community groups and clubs by local retailer Spar. Patron of the Helping Hand Community Fund and Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor was on hand at a gala event in Dublin recently to acknowledge Mountshannon Community Council on their success. The SPAR Helping Hand Community Fund of €50,000 was launched earlier this year as part of the brand’s celebration of its 50th anniversary in Ireland. Funding recipients have been selected on the basis of their contribution to their local communities, along with their need for additional financial support. Speaking about the funding, Tom McNamara of Mountshannon Community Council said, “We are delighted to accept this funding, which recognises our role in the local community and which will go a long way in helping us to provide this worthwhile service”. Katie Taylor said “Mountshannon Community Council is obviously a cornerstone of …

Ryanair has announced eight new routes facilitating 300,000 additional passengers per year from Shannon Airport. The new services will begin in April 2014 and include routes to Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, Nice, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Faro and Munich as well as increased services on the Shannon to Stansted route. The announcement comes after the Government’s abolition of the travel tax in Budget announced last week. Details of the new flights were announced at a conference in Shannon Airport, hosted by Michael Cawley, deputy chief executive and chief operating officer of Ryanair, this Thursday. Shannon Airport Authority chairman, Rose Hynes and airport chief executive officer, Neil Pakey were also be in attendance. Deputy Joe Carey acknowledged the new deal would deliver a significant boost to passenger numbers at Shannon and would also have a positive knock-on impact on tourism-related enterprises in Clare. Following the introduction of independence at Shannon Airport in January, he pointed out passenger numbers from the United States were up …

  Come to our facebook page to enter our competition for a family ticket for 4 to a Hallowe’en fun day out at Bunratty Folk Park on Bank Holiday Monday, October 28.

OVER 6,000 new Clare children aged five or under will be able to benefit from free GP care following Budget 2014. Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy has stated that 10,709 Clare children will be eligible for free GP care under a new Government family friendly measure. The Department of Health estimates that 43% of children and adults nationally are already covered by a full medical card or GP visit card. Applying this percentage to Clare, 6,104 new Clare children will no longer have to pay up to €50 to visit their local GP once this new measure is rolled out in the county next year. The estimated cost of this new measure nationwide is €37 million and it will also mean 49% of the population are now covered for free GP care. According to Senator Mulcahy, this initiative will have a huge impact on thousands of  families across Clare, who will no longer have to stump up to €50 every time their …

THOSE involved in the Shannon Venue Ltd, which is seeking to provide a new iconic, multifunctional civic and arts centre for the town, say they are well on their way to meeting a target of raising €1 million in funding by the end of 2013. In a statement this week, the group said locally-based EI Electronics has “committed significant funding to the project and, in so doing, becomes the first company to make a financial commitment to this very progressive cultural undertaking for Shannon”. EI Electronics managing director Mick Guinee said, “It is appropriate, as we celebrate 50 years in business in Shannon in 2013, that EI Electronics should give the lead to the corporate sector by making a significant contribution to the funding of the Shannon Venue. The majority of our employees come from Shannon and the environs and I believe that the proposed multi-functional civic and arts centre will enrich the lives of these people and their families. …

By Seamus Hayes Four teams remain in the race for the Hamilton Cup, the prize for the winners of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship. With Ballyea having secured their passage to the last four with a surprise but fully merited win over a fancied Crusheen side on Saturday, the remaining three places were filled on Sunday afternoon. Sixmilebridge, Clonlara and champions Newmarket justified favouritism when accounting for Tubber, O’Callaghan’s Mills and Inagh-Kilnamona respectively. The Mills were somewhat unlucky to lose out by a point to Clonlara in a tie that required extra time before the South-East Clare side went through by the minimum margin. Cathal O’Connell was their top scorer with 0-8, while Colm Galvin scored five points. O’Callaghan’s Mills contributed handsomely to the most exciting game of the day and were unlucky to bow out of the title race. They will now turn their attentions to the Clare Champion Cup (senior league) semi-final and the senior B final. Champions …