The Clare Volunteer Centre is extending a warm welcome to Clare, Claire or Clair to participate in a record-breaking attempt this June as part of The Clare Gathering 2013.

THERE has been a broad welcome for an 11.5% increase in the financial allocation to the Mid-West Hospital Group for this year.

Current international and number one seed Moya Ryan from the Ennis Badminton Club won the Irish U-15 singles and mixed badminton championships last weekend in Lisburn.

PROPOSALS for a ‘knife amnesty’ in Ennis have been supported by members of Ennis Town Council this week. The suggestion is to be brought to the next meeting of the Joint Policing Committee.

Clare Primary Schools Handball Championships were held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week and produced some great play. Seventeen schools took part and the championships were played at Clooney and Tulla clubs. The winners go on to represent their schools at the Munster primary schools handball day in Kerry.

  Clare’s chess players have swept the board at the Munster Junior Chess Championships held in Shannon recently, scooping the U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 titles. Emma Louise Kenny took the U-8 title, Abby King the U-10 girls’ crown, Cian Wall, Munster U-12 (Cian is a previous winner of the U-8 and U-10 titles), Stephen Meaney, the Munster U-14, Robbie Meaney, Munster U-16 and James Danaher Munster U-18. The grouping are members of the ­Ennis, Quin and Shannon chess clubs and were among 60 players at the Munster Junior Chess Championships held in the Oakwood Arms on January 26 and 27 last. On April 5 to 7, the All-Ireland Junior Chess Championship will come to Shannon for the first time when it is expected that 120 chess players from across the country from U-8 to U-19 will descend on the county.

DIESEL that leaked from a bus forced the closure of the M18 northbound on Friday afternoon, which resulted in hours of delays for motorists.

ORGANISATIONS opposing the proposed 456-hectare deep-sea fish farm off the North Clare coast have this week countered claims made by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the body behind the project.