WORK is to begin on the new traffic management plan in Scariff this year once the plan has been approved by Clare County Council, a meeting of the Killaloe Electoral Area Councillors has heard.Councillor Joe Cooney tabled a motion seeking an up-to-date report on the traffic management plan in Scariff and when it would be implemented. The electoral area councillors heard that one submission to the plan was received and that nothing in it required changes to be made to the plan, although there were points to be noted.The submission was made by Scariff Community Council, which made three primary observations.They noted that parking on Jones’ Road should be allowed towards the bottom half of the road, as it is proposed to make it one way. They suggested parking be allowed from Buglar’s Bow way down to the ambulance station on the left-hand side of the road heading down from the town.The community council also added that the cobblestones opposite …

THE East Clare Chernobyl Project is holding an open night for families interested in hosting a child from Chernobyl over the summer and is inviting people across East Clare to come along to find out more about the programme.Mary Moloney, from Quin, has been involved in the project for the past 14 years and has organised the open evening at the Community Hall in Quin next Monday night at 7.30pm.The information evening aims to address and answer any concerns people might have and will explain how the process works.Mary highly recommends getting involved in the project and asks people not to be put off the programme due to the economic downturn.“I’ve been involved in it for the last 14 years. East Clare Chernobyl was set up in about 1997 and the whole idea is to take children away from the high radiation in Chernobyl. In the summer time out there, the radiation is really quite intense. They feel if they …

A DOOLIN couple plan to Run-A-Muck in Kildare later this year as part of an initiative launched recently by Diabetes Ireland. Rebecca and John Flanagan will take part in the challenge as part of TEAM Diabetes Ireland to raise awareness and funds for diabetes and diabetes research.

COUNTY councillors for North Clare are to request a meeting with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in an effort to get clarity on the future of a sewerage scheme in one of the area’s most popular resorts.Confusion surrounds the Doolin Sewerage Scheme, with councillors alleging they are receiving contradictory information from the Department of the Environment about the possibility of funding for the scheme, a representative of the minister saying it cannot allocate funding because the council did not apply for it and Clare County Council saying it was precluded from doing so under the department’s own eligibility requirements.The decision to seek a meeting with the minister follows a request by Councillor Richard Nagle to Clare County Council asking them to outline, or provide, all correspondence received from the department in relation to proposals for the Doolin Sewerage Scheme.“The delay in the provision of the sewerage scheme has delayed the provision of all other infrastructure in …

Communities around the country are preparing for The Gathering 2013 and one South Galway village is off to a great start. Ardrahan is expecting 19 members of one family from the United States to descend on it over the summer but organisers are hoping to attract even more of the village’s diaspora home for its Gathering events in June.A group of local people have put together a programme for the weekend of June 21 including a welcoming concert, golf outing, parish tour and a GAA event. The weekend culminates in the annual vintage day in Labane on Sunday, June 23. “The event is to be a celebration of all that is good about the local community and anyone with a connection with the parish is invited to attend. in fact, a call has been put out to all in the parish to reach out to family and friends both near and far inviting them to return to Ardrahan for an …

A meeting will be held in South Galway for people interested in applying for the Community Support Scheme with a fund of €300,000.Galway County Council recently announced that funding is available for community enterprise facilities or services, community events, shows and festivals, improvements to community facilities, tidy town initiatives, social inclusion type initiatives and initiatives to increase participation in sport or physical activity.Also included in the scheme is support for arts and cultural activities for community groups and professional arts organisations and heritage funding for schools and community groups. Individual Artist Bursary Awards and Tyrone Guthrie Residency Awards are also available.The scheme was launched by the Mayor of County Galway Councillor Thomas Welby in Coole Park at the weekend. “Galway County Council is committed to supporting communities. With the great voluntary work that happens in communities, these funding supports can go a long way,” he said.“Despite budget cuts, Galway County Council is committed to working with and supporting our communities. …

A ROUND-TABLE discussion will be held in Kilrush on Tuesday, February 19, as part of the public consultation process for the preparation of the Draft Kilrush Town and Environs Development Plan 2014 – 2020.Members of the public are being urged to participate in the World Café-themed event at Kilrush Youth Centre at 7pm, which will be hosted by planners and officials from Kilrush Town Council.A year-long public review of the 2008 Development Plan for Kilrush, due to expire in 2014, is due to conclude on Tuesday, March 12, which is the deadline for receipt of written submissions or observations.Mayor of Kilrush, Mairéad O’Brien, is urging members of the public to review the draft plan.“This is the only plan that deals directly with the future development of Kilrush Town and therefore, it is important that the people of the town have their say in its formulation. Kilrush is at a crossroads in terms of how decisions we make today will have …

CLONDRINAGH National School senior infants and second-class teacher, Ailish O’Neill had her father, John, sitting in her class recently. Both are past pupils of the school, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last weekend. “When we heard that The Clare Champion was coming out for the photos, we said why not try and get a few past pupils in? When the school opened, Dad would have been in fifth class. He moved up from the old school in Pitfield, which is just down the road,” Ailish explained. Although her father was only in class for a short period, Ailish was reasonably content with how he behaved. “He was an A pupil. He was eagerly sitting in the front desk and nobody distracted him. He was very good,” she laughed. She was confident that if John had been in class for longer than a few minutes, he would have continued to excel. “I think he would have been. He was a great …