Deputy Cathal Crowe has called on the government to publish long-awaited new planing guidelines for wind turbines without any further delay. Frustration is growing among communities throughout Clare who have major misgivings about the proliferation of wind turbines and the ongoing delay in updating the 2006 national wind energy guidelines. In fact, the government commenced a public consultation process on these guidelines on December 12, 2019. In November 2019, Deputy Crowe recalled they were due to come before the Dáil for ratification but these draft guidelines were not brought into law and have sat on Minister Eamon Ryan’s desk. “I raised this at a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and I was backed up by a number of rural deputies. “The National Guidelines on Wind Energy date back to 2006, which are outdated and not fit for purpose. “New wind farm guidelines are absolutely vital, no matter what side of the fence you are on. If you want a proliferation of …

REVITALISING Shannon Airport to ensure it becomes a key economic driver for Clare and the Mid-West is one of the key objectives for the new Clare County Council chairman, Councillor Tony O’Brien. There have been calls for the election of a council representative to the Shannon Group, which the new first citizen believes should be seriously considered by the Department of Transport. Councillor O’Brien, who became the first public representative from Killaloe, to be elected as council chairman has called for due diligence to be undertaken to ensure the terms and conditions of workers in Shannon Heritage sites are fully protected before the council’s proposed takeover is fully completed. Stressing the need to improve co-operation with the University of Limerick, he said there is huge development potential on the 214 acres in South-East Clare if the new Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) can proceed as planned. “I am humble enough to know that one person can’t deliver on my own. I …

PLANS have been floated for a new end of season celebration in Killaloe next month, marking people’s ever-evolving relationship with wild water. One of the organisers, Rev Paul Fitzpatrick hopes this inaugural event will grow and develop into an annual celebration, marking the end of the season. The Dean’s Vicar of Killaloe and Stradbally Group of Parishes is keen to extend hospitality and “the extraordinary ambience” of Killaloe to all visitors. “All personal contact is now made and there is such amazing collaboration support and generosity around for this celebration,” said Reverend Fitzpatrick. “The inaugural event will complement so much all that has and is presently happening. Flags are really flying for Clare, Tipperary and Killaloe. “Our human relationship with wild water is ever-evolving. In past times water seemed to bear greater symbolic significance when a body of water represented a liminal interlude on the way to another world. It was used as a transport vector for cultural, pastoral, and …

KILLALOE Community Garden has become a focal point on Saturdays for people to socialise with green-fingered gardeners who have transformed part of a local field into a “green oasis of peace”. Last year, the community garden received a huge boost following the allocation of a €18, 000 grant from the Department of Community and Rural Affairs through Clare County Council. This helped the committee to erect a new fence to earmark the community garden, a new pergola/potting shed and a steel shed to accommodate tools and equipment. A new polytunnel was also erected recently much to the delight of members. Five of the 23 plots in the community garden are communal where soft fruits, apples, pears and plumbs, rhubarb and onions are also grown. Established in 2010 with the help of the Killaloe Ballina Family Resource Centre and Bridgetown organic farmer, Jim Cronin, this community initiative now has 30 members. In fact, it has grown so much in popularity, the …

HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly has admitted he is concerned about the “significant risk” to patients attending the ED in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) which was identified in a recent report. After welcoming the recent Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report following the unannounced inspection of the Emergency Department (ED) in Limerick in March, Minister Donnelly said he was concerned about some its main findings. He was responding to a Dáil question tabled by Limerick Sinn Féin Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, who asked the minister what steps are being taken to address the issues raised in the HIQA report following its unannounced inspection of the ED in UHL. Eleven local hospital consultants recently called for immediate action to bring an “intolerable situation for patients and staff to an end” at University Hospital Limerick. The consultants have asked UL Hospitals’ Group chief executive officer, Colette Cowan to work with them to correct immediate problems so that this current “intolerable situation for patients …

CLONLARA has benefited from a major clean-up after the local development association entered the national 2022 Tidy Towns’ Competition for the first time in 25 years. Spearheaded by the Clonlara Development Association (CDA), local volunteers have been very busy preparing for the visit of the national tidy towns’ judges, which can take place any time from June 11 to August 5 without any advance notice. Philippa Keogh of CDA said the village is looking “fantastic”, and noted all the hard work is greatly appreciated by local residents. The last time Clonlara entered this competition was back in 1996. CDA asked the local primary school St Senan’s National School would they get involved with Tidy Towns and they decided to take up their offer of running a colouring competition. The winning posters were then printed on corriboard, when the theme was anti-litter and Pollinator messaging. The group has just received the printed signs and has placed them in key areas around …

A UKRAINIAN refugee, who was forced to flee Odessa, is thoroughly enjoying working in North Clare where her safety is guaranteed. Anastasia Hordieieva (31) is working as a swim teacher in Lahinch Leisure Centre, as part of an eight-hour shift three days a week. In an interview with the Champion, Anastasia revealed she only started to have a good night sleep when she felt safe in her new Lisdoonvarna hotel residence. “When I was travelling through Romania I couldn’t sleep properly and would wake up after just two hours. Now, I can have a good sleep. “The war in Ukraine is a horrible nightmare,” she outlined. On March 20, Anastasia arrived in North Clare on her own, having escaped the horrors of the Ukrainian war. Her mother, who is an accountant in a pharmacy company, is still living in Odessa, as she has to take care of her grandmother, who recently suffered from a heart attack. On February 24, Anastasia …

NO safety recommendations have been made following the publication of a report into an incident on Shannon Airport’s runway in December 2, 2019 when the nose gear of light aircraft collapsed after landing. The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport has issued its final report into an incident the nose landing gear of the Piper PA23 aircraft collapsed, causing the aircraft’s two propellers to strike the runway. The aircraft came to rest on the left side of the runway. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was uninjured and exited the aircraft safely. The 36 year-old had 284 hours flying experience, of which 82 were on type. There was no fire after the landing. The Airport Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, and as a precaution, covered the aircraft and the adjacent runway surface in a blanket of fire-retardant foam. On January 12 2022, the perator informed the Investigation that following a take-off from Shannon …