PEOPLE in South-East Clare have been offered a chance to get back in shape after enjoying all the food and treats of the Christmas festivities by participating in a fundraising walk on St Stephen’s Day. The picturesque O’Briensbridge Loop Walk will provide the ideal backdrop for a 7.5 kilometre sponsored walk to Ernagh Bridge and back to the village. Starting at 12pm, donations will be accepted on the day for the upkeep of lovely walks, which were reopened recently thanks to members of the O’Briensbridge Montpelier Community Group. Refreshments will be provided in Bonner’s Bar after the walk. The O’Briensbridge loop walk is a fantastic amenity used by thousands of people each year. It is a great asset in the community, providing locals and visitors with countless hours of enjoyment on the serene banks of the Shannon. The group recently redeveloped the walk, improving the surface. It appeals for assistance raising funds to buy equipment and materials to maintain this …

MENTION Micheál O’Hehir and Marty Crotty immediately responds with a twinkle in his eye. The retired Kilbaha farmer is a GAA fanatic who lived for Mr O’Hehir’s memorable hurling, football and horse racing commentaries from 1938 to 1985. Listening to and watching Gaelic games has given Marty great joy. “Only for the GAA, I would be dead a long time ago,” he quipped. Sometimes on Sundays he listens to one match on the radio and keeps an eye on another one on television with the sound turned down. He can still recite all the names of the 15 starting Cavan All-Ireland winning teams in 1947 and ‘48 and the Meath all conquering side in 1949. “It is a great past time. I don’t know how people who don’t follow GAA manage, what do they be doing at all? It is hard to do without the GAA,” he said. His passionate love affair with Gaelic Games was fostered by legendary GAA …

CONSTRUCTION work has started on a new €165,000 multi-use games amenity (MUGA) that will benefit from the proceeds of the Christmas Day Swim at Twomilegate, Killaloe. A Killaloe woman is one of the main drivers of a new MUGA near Boher National School, which will be fully accessible for people with disabilities and will be a major addition to recreational facilities in the Killaloe/Ballina area. Born in Ballyvalley, Killaloe, Nicola Welford is now living in Boher and is the chairperson of Boher Community Development Group, who are fundraising to complete the state-of-the-art MUGA. Their ambitious plans include introducing targeted programmes for groups with disabilities such as Autism, workshops on inclusive sport and training to help those who may find sporting activities difficult to master. The group has worked hard raising funds for different projects over the last two years. An allocation of almost €93,000 has been secured from Sports Capital funding as well as €20,000 from Tomar Trust. Up to …

EMERGENCY response times for West Clare patients are back in the spotlight again after a Kilrush woman endured an eight-hour wait for an ambulance. The elderly woman did receive medical assistance from a member of the fire brigade and off-duty medical person while she was left lying on the floor in her home. This case was highlighted at a recent HSE West Forum meeting by Councillor Cillian Murphy where he stressed eight hours was too long for anyone to be waiting who needs hospital care even if it wasn’t a high acuity case. The Kilkee-based councillor said this person would have been ideal to receive treatment from a community paramedic. “If an eight-hour wait is what we are expecting, I would like a response on that.” Chief Ambulance Officer, J J McGowan admitted the ambulance response time fell short of their standards. “If you would like to send us the details, we would like to see what happened in that …

A TREASURE trove of old photographs from Killaloe and Ballina have been reprinted in a new publication produced by a local historical society. Instead of producing The Journal, this year, the Killaloe Ballina Historical Society has created The Album. Spanning 150 years from the 1840s to the 1990s, the publication contains more than 100 images of people and places in the Killaloe and Ballina area. The only exception is an old engraving in St Flannan’s Cathedral from 1748 to show readers what this historical place of worship was like before the first tower was constructed. The photographs are based on five main themes – the River Shannon, churches, schools, businesses and people. It was designed and laid out by society secretary, Deborah Dudgeon, who pointed out people love looking at old photographs. “We will probably do the Journal next year and another Album the following year. We have not got two forms of publication that we can alternate. When we …

SUBSTANTIAL spending in further education and training will be invested in Clare campuses run by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) over the coming years, according to a senior official. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board recently announced an investment in the region of more than €1 billion as part of the launch of its new 2022 to 2026 Strategy Statement. Paul Patton, Head of Further Education and Training, confirmed there has been a €3 million investment in their Ennis campus, which has led to the introduction for the first time of apprenticeship courses, which were previously only available in Shannon. There are three new electrical apprenticeship workshops in Ennis and a new beauty and hair dressing salon, as the LCETB is now responsible for providing the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship Programme for the entire country. Two weeks ago, Bridget Haren of Bridget Haren Hair and Beauty, Ennis was one of their first graduates in the country …

A NATIONAL Coast Guard representative body is supporting calls from Clare’s Oireachtas members for the establishment of an independent review of the national management of the Irish Coast Guard organisation. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, the national executive of the Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association (ICGVRA) confirmed it fully supported calls from Clare deputies and senators for an independent inquiry into Irish Coast Guard management. In last week’s Clare Champion, Senator Martin Conway called for fundamental review of Coast Guard operations throughout the country, provided it is independent and it includes a stipulation national management must cooperate as some personnel at national level have serious questions that need to be answered. Deputy Cathal Crowe said he can’t see how Coast Guard units nationwide can perform to their optimum when the national organisation has inadequacies in terms of how it is being led. Independent Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne said she would support an independent review once it provided …

CLARE County Council insists it requires the full €15 million government funding package to ensure the proposed transfer of Shannon Heritage sites proceeds. The council has consistently argued that assuming ownership of Shannon Heritage sites can’t have any significant impact on services or commercial rates in Clare, which it believes demonstrates their case for the full funding package it has requested. In order to secure the future of the heritage assets and employees, the Department of Housing told the Clare Champion the Shannon Airport Group has had extensive engagement with the relevant local authorities since early 2021. “Shannon Airport Group continues to engage with Clare County Council in relation to the proposed transfer of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Craggaunowen, Knappogue Castle, and Cliffs of Moher Retail Outlet. “As part of its engagement with the Shannon Airport Group, Clare County Council identified a funding gap for which it sought Government assistance to enable it to take over the sites. The …