By Seamus Hayes Cratloe 2-22 St Jospeh’s 2-6 CRATLOE went into Saturday’s clash with St Joseph’s in the knowledge that victory was essential and it was also important to win by as big a margin as possible, as scoring difference could end up deciding what teams will progress from this group to the knock-out stage. They left Cusack Park having achieved their target and they are now right back in contention for a place in the play-offs. They will, of course, be pleased with that but will readily acknowledge there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to taking chances as they hit a total of 16 wides against the Doora-Barefield side. Their manager, Joe McGrath, observed, “It took us a while to get going. We got off to a nice start and had control of the game but we conceded two sucker punches that put us on the back foot. We recovered reasonably well and were ahead at …

THE creation of 40 new Aer Lingus jobs at Shannon to service the airline’s transatlantic services in the New Year is under threat this week. This is due to disagreement between the airline and trade union IMPACT, which represents cabin crew staff, over the staffing of the flights and as a result Aer Lingus has said it will be outsourcing the work. They have also warned that some of the existing cabin crew jobs may be jeopardised. The trade union claims that the airline has failed to negotiate with them in a meaningful way, and they are balloting their members for industrial action. IMPACT also claims that Aer Lingus are using scare tactics to try and get what they want, and it is imperative that their members don’t give in to them. In a letter to staff, Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller put the blame firmly on IMPACT. “I wish to update you on an important and very regrettable …

THERE was a substantial reduction in the number of people signing on in Clare during September. There were just shy of 9,000 people (8,983) on the live register in Clare during September, compared to 9,613 in August. The drop of 630 equates to a reduction of 6.5%. Most of the people on the live register in Clare are attached to the Social Welfare Office in Ennis and unsurprisingly that’s where most of the reduction was concentrated. While there were 5,535 signing on in Ennis in August, this was down to 5,094 in September, a drop of 441. This was the biggest drop at any of the four Social Welfare Offices in Clare, while the figures also improved at the other three. In Ennistymon it went from 1,369 in August to 1,318 last month. At Kilrush it dropped from 1,310 to 1,279 and in Tulla from 1,399 to 1,292. The number of under 25s signing on in Clare dropped by 154, …

Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-18Tulla 1-8 WHILE Tulla squandered a few chances and the Newmarket goal was down to the blinding sun, rather than any forward instinct, there was no doubt the Blues were deserved winners at Clarecastle on Saturday. They moved the ball very well, while Colin Ryan was in great form, hitting 11 points, three from play. He was well assisted by Eoin Hayes, who got through a lot of work. Tulla had the backing of the breeze but after a quarter of an hour they trailed by 0-7 to 0-1 and it was always going to be tough for them to recover after such a poor start. They improved in the second quarter, started to dominate territory and cut the gap to three points, 0-8 to 0-5, while they had also had a penalty saved. Again in the second half, after Cathal Dinan scored their goal, they brought the gap down to just two points going into the last quarter …

BEYOND The Brooklyn Sky, a play about returned emigrants and the tensions amid a group of old friends, will be performed in Glór on October 18 and 19. The play was written by Kerry man Michael Hilliard Mulcahy and is set in his native town of Brandon. It is directed by Peter Sheridan. A group of friends are reuniting after 20 years but their shared past is a powder keg that can easily explode. They all grew up together in Brandon, before leaving for America in the late ’80s. As sometimes happens, the land of opportunity didn’t live up to their expectations and they returned home, chastened, but wiser. However, things happened between them in America, things of the heart and things of the purse and many of the issues were never resolved. The reunion is because one of their group, Jack Flynn, has flown solo across the Atlantic and the stage is set for a celebration. Peter outlined some …

ALTHOUGH it had a closing down sale lately, Xtra Vision at SkyCourt is not in fact closing. SkyCourt manager Pat Kelly said, “This is a welcome boost for SkyCourt. It would have been a devastating blow to lose Xtra-vision as an anchor tenant. We knew that the Shannon store has always traded well and that’s why the landlord worked closely with the new owners throughout the receivership process to convince them of this fact. “We are delighted that our efforts have been fruitful and look forward to seeing a new vibrancy and exciting developments at the Shannon store, which is now undergoing a refit to recommence trading.” He also said that Senator Tony Mulcahy had campaigned strongly to keep the store open. Welcoming the news, Senator Mulcahy said; “The decision by Xtra-vision to remain at Shannon demonstrates the value of shopping local. Even during the scale-down period, Shannon consumers stuck with a local outlet as opposed to going elsewhere. All …

In the aftermath of the recently launched 500L, the Fiat 500 family continues to grow with the introduction of a new 500S, which brings a sportier look to the range. Inspired by Abarth editions of previous Fiat’s, the new car is designed to appeal to those who want the look of something a bit out of the ordinary, combined with affordable running costs. The 500S gets new front and rear bumpers, new side skirts, a boot-lid mounted rear spoiler, dark chrome detailing, chrome exhaust, rear privacy glass and new alloy wheels. A total of eight body colours are available now, with matt black available soon. The interior features new sports seats, a flat bottomed steering wheel and red detailing on the seats, wheel and gear lever. A matt silver dashboard also makes an appearance. Powering is provided either from the 69 bhp 1.2 petrol or the 85 bhp TwinAir turbo petrol. Both models come with air conditioning, Blue & Me …

Up to 325 procedures covering surgery, out patient appointments and clinics in six acute  Mid-West hospitals were cancelled on Tuesday as a result of the junior doctors’ strike. The HSE has confirmed the cancellations affecting Clare patients were in the University  Hospital Limerick, University Maternity Hospital, Ennis Hospital, Croom Hospital, Nenagh Hospital. According to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), Sunday cover plus an Intensive Care Unit ((ICU) registrar will be provided at University Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital and Nenagh Hospital on Tuesday. “It is up to the hospital to make the necessary arrangements with regard to any cancellations they feel are necessary. “Chemotherapy services and dialysis will be protected. If further cover is needed over and above Sunday cover to ensure this then that will be provided,” said an IMO spokeswoman. The Mid-West HSE has stated any patient whose operation, clinic appointment or service is affected is being contacted directly by phone. Any patient who doesn’t directly  hear from the …