Diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014, health campaigner, Vicky Phelan told a Broadford author how grateful she was to be still able to complete mundane tasks like ironing and driving her children to school three and a half years before her untimely passing. Marie O’Connell had attended a charity event launched by Ciara McCullough for the Children’s Grief Centre in Limerick which Ms Phelan, who was a guest speaker, acknowledged her children would need after her death. Impressed by both Ms McCullough and Ms Phelan, Ms O’Connell contacted them after this event. On the night, Ms O’Connell stated it was funny, as the audience was waiting for Ms Phelan to arrive, it transpired she forgot she had an engagement because she was ironing, which she admitted during her talk. In an email to Ms Phelan, Ms O’Connell recalled how the two inspirational women had reminded people about the importance of living life to the full and acting on their beliefs …

A Killaloe tennis coach has served up an ace by setting up Blind Tennis in Finland for the first time before managing a team that won two bronze medals at the World Blind Tennis Championships. Tennis is the fastest growing sport for visually impaired people in Ireland, which has up to 160 active competitive and social participants from zero a few years ago. Coaching sighted tennis for 15 years, Wesley O’Brien has been involved in teaching blind tennis for the last seven years. The Killaloe coach decided to impart his skills in a country where blind tennis was never played previously. In January 2022, he contacted the Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Finland, Teemu Purho and asked if the association would be interested in a new blind tennis programme he could bring to the country. A zoom meeting was set up between Mr O’Brien, the CEO of Tennis Finland and a representative from the International Blind Tennis Association. Having received …

  TWO Clare people living with Type One Diabetes have organised the seventh annual Thriveabetes Conference in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, which runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, October 5th. Thriveabetes has hosted six national conferences, which have been attended by 250 people at each one. It involves nine volunteers from seven counties, including Christine Meehan and Gráinne Flynn, Ennis, who are the founders of Thriveabetes. Gráinne was diagnosed with diabetes at age 20, more than thirty years ago. She created a diabetes support group in Clare in 2007 when I struggled to find the care and support I needed to help me manage my diabetes. This is where Gráinne first met Christine. Christine was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in her 30s in 2006. She describes those first few years of trying to get to grips with it as often being “a daily struggle, juggling all the different elements that have an affect on my blood glucose …

A local disability activist has expressed disappointment Budget 2025 fails to address the structural changes required to support disabled people in Clare to live independently. Ann Marie Flanagan, co-founder of Equality Not Care, says it is time to prioritise rights, dignity, and autonomy for disabled people, rather than perpetuating a “narrative of dependency”. The Budget introduced several measures aimed at supporting disabled people. These include once-off grants to help with additional costs associated with the rising costs of living, a €12 increase in the disability allowance, as well as other provisions such as fuel allowances and energy bills for those who are the named bill payer. While these measures will certainly offer some relief, particularly for those facing the escalating cost of living, Ms Flanagan believes they fall short of addressing the broader and more systemic issues disabled people face in Ireland. One of her key criticisms is that the government has once again failed to implement the recommendations of …

  Independent Ireland Clare General Election candidate Eddie Punch has called for a budget demonstrating commitment and support for farmers and small and medium enterprises recognising that people need to keep more of their own hard-earned money. “The budget must tackle wasteful expenditure. It is incredible that total government expenditure for 2025 is projected to be €105 billion, up from €67 billion in 2019. The tax take is now too high on the coping classes – people who get up early, work hard and pay for everything. These are also the people who are now struggling with the cost of living crises, mortgage and rent affordability and child care.” “I believe that childcare should be an allowable expense against income tax. I believe that income taxes need to be reduced for ordinary people working in low to middle income jobs. People such as Gardai, nurses, construction workers, factory workers. “That’s why I believe there should be a minimum 1% reduction …

IT looks as if hundreds of adventure race competitors have enjoyed the unique experience of running across the water on the longest temporary pontoon bridge ever built in Ireland last Saturday for the last time. Conceived and built for the first Quest Lough Derg in 2019, Elite Event Management came up with the idea when faced with the logistical challenge of moving participants safely across the water from Killaloe to Ballina. While Elite Management is planning to host Quest Lough Derg again next year in Ballina and Killaloe, organisers are hoping the temporary pontoon may no longer be necessary once the new River Shannon Crossing is operational, which is expected to be open before September 2025. In a joint partnership between Elite Event Management, Waterways Ireland, Tipperary and Clare County Councils, it is Ireland’s biggest temporary pontoon over the Shannon at 170 metres, and was the fourth time a new bridge had been built in Killaloe in 300 years. In …

It is unclear from an operational perspective as to who is in charge at the University of Limerick (UHL) site on any given day, according to a new report published by external medics. The UHL Support Team Report 2024 acknowledges the focus and engagement by the various management teams in respect of patient flow and notes the participation of a significant number of senior staff in the on-call rota. Notwithstanding the absence of a management team member, who was on leave during the review, the report stated that “it is unclear from an operational perspective as to who is in charge on the UHL site on any given day”. Furthermore, the report said is not clear as to what ‘Handover Plan’ is shared at the day and night interfaces. The external support team who analysed services at UHL included HSE’s National Director Grace Rothwell, director of nursing and integration at Waterford University Hospital Orla Kavanagh, and retired emergency medicine consultant …

Craig Casey will never forget the emotional high after Munster won the 2023 United Rugby Championship (URC) final, defeating defending champions DHL Stormers 19-14 in Cape Town. Played before an official attendance of 56,334 in DHL Stadium, Munster scrum-half Craig Casey replaced Conor Murray in the 66 minute and was part of a move involving Mike Haley, Jack Crowley and Shane Daly that created the opening for John Hodnett to score a vital try in the closing stages. “Winning the URC in South Africa was the highlight of my Munster career to date. Growing up around the province and being a Munster fan, you always associate Munster with winning trophies. “To be part of the team that broke the 12-year drought without a trophy was unbelievable. I want to emulate this a few more times throughout my Munster career,” he said. Asked how Munster overcome the power and strength of the Stormers, Craig recalled the Reds managed to impose their …