A former Smith O’Brien’s hurler who died in Milford Hospice following an illness bravely borne with great courage and dignity has been described as an “inspiration” during his Funeral Mass  recently. Thousands of mourners lined the Main Street in Killaloe on Sunday to pay their respects to Liam Walsh, Walsh’s Bar, Killaloe and Ballykildea, Killaloe for what was one the biggest funerals held in the town since the death of former Munster and Ireland rugby legend Anthony Foley. Members of Smith O’Brien’s GAA  and Camogie club shouldered his coffin from Rory Scanlan’s house to the entrance to Reilig Lua graveyard. A guard of honour of club members was formed from the church past his beloved GAA grounds onto the graveyard. Fr James Grace said the community felt deep sadness and grieving following the death of Mr Walsh. Expressing his sympathy to his “broken hearted” family, he assured them of the support of the community during this terrible time. A …

Another new councillor will be elected in the Ennis Muncipal District following confirmation Ann Norton (Ind) will not be contesting the June local elections. Following the shock departure of Fine Gael councillor Johnny Flynn from the election race, Councillor Norton’s decision not to run again boosts the chances of a new independent candidate winning a seat. Having served two terms from 2014 to 2024, Councillor Norton (52) said she had always given herself a ten-year timeframe to achieve certain goals in local Government. The Independent councillor believes she used her time in politics to highlight various issues affecting people with disabilities. She now wants to spend more time looking after her daughter, Nicole, who has cerebral palsy and other issues, as her health has deteriorated in recent years. Due to the increase in hospital visits with Nicole, Ann explained it is hard to focus on caring for her in the hospital when her phone is ringing in connection with council …

CLARE patients who are concerned about persistent high levels of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) have been urged to support another protest – “Drive To Save Lives” this Saturday. Hot on the heels of a demonstration outside UHL coinciding with the visit of Health Minister Stephen Donnelly (FF) on Thursday, the Mid-West Hospital Campaign has organised a vehicle convoy to drive home the message that one Emergency Department (ED) is not enough for the region. This latest protest marks 15 years since the controversial removal of 24-hour casualty cover from Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s Hospital on April 6, 2009. There will be a convoy leaving Ennis at 11am. Clare Marts complex has allowed participants to gather in their car park from 10.45am. The vehicle convoy will leave Ennis and travel the old road via Clarecastle and Newmarket on Fergus to Limerick City. It will converge with the Limerick and Tipperary convoys at the main assembly point near St …

SMALL acts of kindness can make a big difference to a person living with dementia, according to Limerick dementia advisor, Sean Donal O’Shea. Mr O’Shea urges any family member who is caring for a person with dementia to contact their local dementia advisor. He also believes a person should also contact their local general practitioner who will know the family and their circumstances. “There is a dementia advisor in every county now. Six or seven years ago, there were only eight dementia advisors in the country. Now we have 31. This shows the Government is listening,” he said. “I have been lobbying with the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland since 2007. There was nothing in budget after budget. In the most recent budget, ringfenced dementia funding has been provided, which is very valuable. “It is the small things that are the big things for a person with dementia. Covid-19 was an eye-opener for everyone when we were all locked in to …

A talented Cratloe jockey, who enjoyed a “fairytale” Cheltenham victory, features in a new television series on RTE One. Mark McDonagh (22), who rode a winner at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, appeared on the fourth episode of “My Uni Life”, and will return on the seventh episode on Friday, March 29. This new series shines a spotlight on a diverse range of students and staff with interesting subject matters. The programme-makers contacted the Sports Department at the University of Limerick where Mark was studying Accountancy and Finance and the sports scholarship student was put forward by Noreen O’Connell. Filming took place at UL, Michael Hourigan’s yard in Patrickswell, and a race in Wexford Racecourse. Mark rode his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Banbridge in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, the last race on the final day of the 2022 meeting. His success meant that all seven races on the day were won by …

More than seven out of ten people living in the Crusheen area are travelling to work by car, according to preliminary research carried out by consultants appointed by Clare County Council. It has also emerged there has been a 50% increase in population to approximately 5,800 in the Crusheen area over a 20-year period since the 2002 Census. Mark O’Connell of Repucon Consulting outlined its initial work on the preparation of a Socio-Economic Study on the benefits of reopening the Crusheen Railway Station on the Western Rail Corridor at a recent Killaloe Municipal District meeting. Mr O’Connell told the meeting the consultants have seen what projects like this can do for rural regeneration and help the social and economic fabric of communities. The consultants plan to adopt an evidence-based approach by consulting with people in the locality of which about 4,500 people are older than 15. This will involve extensive community research, linking in with all the various community groups …

Sinn Féin’s chances of winning a seat in the Killaloe Electoral Area have been boosted by the entry of Dr Martina Cleary to the Local Elections race. The chairperson of the Clare Pyrite Action Group Dr Martina Cleary has been announced as Sinn Féin’s candidate in the East Clare constituency. Dr Cleary is the founder and chair of the group since 2020 and successfully lobbied for a Defective Concrete Block Scheme for Clare homeowners affected by the pyrite issue. This included the securing of half a billion euros in funding for Clare and Limerick families. In a statement issued to The Clare Champion, Sinn Féin stated the Crusheen resident will continue her campaigning work but hopes to also tackle many other issues when elected. Dr Cleary is a Teachers Union of Ireland rep at the Technological University of the Shannon, where she is a lecturer. When asked why she became involved in politics, Martina said she has always been unofficially …

The continued closure of long-stay beds and some respite beds at Ennistymon Community Hospital has been condemned as “totally unacceptable” by former Clare County Councillor and local election candidate, Bill Slattery (FG). In a statement issued to The Clare Champion, he said that serious questions need to be answered by the HSE and hospital management as to why vitally important and much needed services are being denied to the community. “A huge amount of money and time has been invested by the people of North Clare in this facility and they deserve a return on that investment,” he said. Mr Slattery recently wrote to HSE CEO Bernard Gloster to highlight concerns about the continued closure of 12 beds at Ennistymon Community Hospital. He pointed out that six respite beds have remained unused in the old wing of the hospital since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, an additional six beds in the newly developed long-term ward – which is …