Two high performance models have been added to the Golf range, the new Mk 7 having been launched late last year in Ireland. The new Golf was the best selling car on 131 plates and has already been awarded the titles of European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year. The new variants are the iconic GTI and the more practical, but no less fun, GTD. Visually, there’s almost nothing to choose between the two, save some minor differences in trim. It’s down to personal preference whether the high revving nature of the petrol or the torque and fuel economy of the diesel floats your boat more. The new GTI is powered by a new 2.0 litre TFSI which produces 220 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. This is enough to take the car from 0-100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds. Top speed is an impressive 246 km/h. Emissions are particularly low, at 139 g/km, especially given …

A North Clare photographer was named the overall winner at the British Wildlife Photography Awards held in London this week. George Karbus, who has lived in Lahinch for the past nine years, attended the ceremony in Mall Galleries in London where he picked up the top accolade. In doing so he had to pass on the opportunity to go to another awards ceremony in Hong Kong where his images featured in the final five in two categories in the Red Bull Illume Photography Awards. Mr Karbus won the top prize at the British Wildlife Photography Awards with an image of a dolphin underwater entitled In the Living Room. “The photograph was taken in the most intimidating and surf-heavy spot on the Coast of Northern Ireland. I encountered this playful dolphin that suddenly started to surf the deep tube inside the waves. Each time the dolphin got into the wave, I dived underneath, held my breath and waited for the moment …

GARDAÍ are investigating a number of incidents of ­burglaries and thefts over the past two weeks and are warning people to be vigilant and to ensure their premises and property are secure as the long nights set in. A senior garda based in Killaloe warned “The long evenings are coming to an end now and as we get into September, October and November, crime does pick up. “I’m appealing to the public to pick up the phone to us if they see a car acting suspiciously. They should ring it in and try if they can at all to get some portion of the registration number. Sometimes this is all that is needed to break a case for us”. A pub in Kilmore was broken into between 1.15am on Tuesday, August 27 and 7.15am on Thursday, August 29, by forcing open the rear door. Two televisions, a black 19” and a black 32” and four bottles of spirits were stolen. …

Gort is going global thanks to a new project in the town, which it is hoped, will bring the South Galway town to a new audience. It is not technically on the airwaves but Gort Local Radio is online. Broadcasting intermittently for the past few weeks, founder and volunteer Donal Hanlon believes South Galway needs its own voice. “This came about through a radio media production course that the VEC run in Gort. It is led by Sinead Morgan and I was on the course since last November. I approached Sinead and I told her I felt Gort needed a local radio station. There is no radio station between Clare FM and Galway Bay FM. They cover Gort but they are commercial radio stations. This is totally community based,” he explained. Community Radio Stations are owned and controlled by the communities they serve. “We like Connemara FM. It is a good community station and that is one of the standards …

Kinvara recently hosted a family fun day to raise money for ‘Che Kinvara’. Sonja Luan Devine tells The Clare Champion about her son Che, community spirit and the importance of school. Che O’Grady is 11 years old. He loves stories. He loves DVDs. He loves school. Che also suffers from Cerebral Palsy. He is non verbal and has difficulties swallowing. Last week he returned to school after the summer holidays. Walking through the gates, Che found the piece of his life that had been missing since the end of June. “Every Summer my child progressively falls apart from the lack of routine and the lack of seeing his friends. Children with intellectual disabilities need routine to feel a sense of security. He is happy in a routine and when he loses that he slowly falls apart. He can have a meltdown. He sometimes flings himself on the ground and screams and shouts. In Lidl he does full circles of the …

HE’S more used to soccer and rugby, but Shannon Airport’s new CEO Neil Pakey has already got the hurling bug. From Troon, on Scotland’s west coast, he has spent a lifetime following the fortunes of Scottish sides, he says that hurling has an appeal all of its own and that he can’t understand how it isn’t better known around the world. “I was lucky enough to have gone to the quarter final between Clare and Galway and the two things that got me most were the speed of the game and banter between the fans. “You almost need a trained eye to follow the ball, the game is that fast. Only for the umpires and their green and white flags, I really didn’t know wheter or not the players had actually scored.” The banter among the supporters was what got to him the most. “I learned all sorts of things from the fans, including the wide variety of names to …

“RATS the size of cats” are making themselves known and are causing issues for residents in various parts of  Shannon. The town council heard this week of one case where a child can’t be let play on a lawn because of the amount of vermin, while there are issues in a few parts of the town. The matter was raised by Councillor Cathy McCafferty, who called on Clare County Council to “take urgent and immediate action to address the rodent problem in Aidan Park  and Finian Park that is a cause of much concern for residents.” She said that several people had contacted her about the issue. “Over the summer we had a number of complaints over the rat infestation in Aidan and Finian Parks and nothing appears to have been done.”

The Tulla Trad Festival will kick off this Friday  with a parade through the East Clare village by the Chapel Gate Wrenboys. Dressed in traditional costumes, the wrenboys will lead the torch lit procession at 8pm, which will ensure that music resounds across the village signalling the start of the festival’s programme of events. The procession concludes at Tulla Courthouse where the group will give a performance following the official opening by musicians and Clare FM presenter, Eoin O’Neill. According to the organisers,interest for this year’s festival workshops is coming from not alone all the four provinces and across the UK but across Europe. “A group of musicians are boarding a train south of Paris for Cherbourg then by ferry to Rosslare and on by bus to Ennis especially for Zoe Conway’s workshop. Zoe, who will be amongst the tutors at the workshops, is among the most sought after fiddle tutor worldwide.  Her list of achievements belies her youthful age …