Tuamgraney’s internationally acclaimed novelist Edna O’Brien has been buried in Holy Island in keeping with a request she made to her family years ago. In the region of 150 mourners were ferried from Knockphort, Mountshannon to this picturesque monastic site by numerous boats with assistance from Clare Civil Defence volunteers and under the watchful eye of the Killaloe Coast Guard and the RNLI. Chief Celebrant Fr Donagh O’Meara described Ms O’Brien as an “extraordinary woman” and “speaker of truth” who held up a mirror to Irish society during her Funeral Mass in St Joseph’s Church, Tuamgraney on Saturday. “We didn’t thank her for it. Like a lot of prophetesses of the past, we undermined her, we isolated her and rejected her message and she must have deeply felt that,” he admitted in reference to the fact that her debut novel Country Girls was banned and burned in East Clare in 1960. He noted that it must have been …

Ballina Riverside Pool has made a big splash to mark its 50th anniversary by unveiling its future plans for solar panels to cut its expensive electricity costs. This heated 25-metre outdoor pool opened its doors for the first time during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 1974. There was a carnival atmosphere at the pool on Saturday with pop and rock music provided by DJ Vinny as well as refreshments organised by Lisa O’Sullivan and Mary Collins Cora Scanlon won a season family pass for the pool in 2025 worth about €1,800. Pool Co-ordinator, Paddy Collins has been a constant presence at the pool, which is managed by Tipperary County Council but is run by a local committee. “It is great to keep any community project going for 50 years. Living beside the River Shannon, every child should learn how to swim,” he said. Back in the early seventies, there was no playground or astro-turf all-weather training area as the …

TOURISM providers in East Clare have expressed concern about the reduction in boaters and visitors to the area during the summer months. Cliona Coyne, who runs the Berrytree Café in Mountshannon estimates a drop of between 20% and 30% if not more on certain days last month compared to July 2023. In fact, some days she has been forced to send staff home early due to a lack of trade, which is something she doesn’t like or wants to do but hasn’t an option if she is not even earning money to pay them. While Ms Coyne was expecting a strong trade in June, this didn’t happen. She has noticed a lot less boaters and foreign and Irish tourists in East Clare this summer. She told The Clare Champion that Irish tourists have gone abroad because they didn’t want to a repeat of last year’s wet summer, while foreign tourists believe Ireland has got too expensive and they are finding …

Significant reductions in scheduled care are in effect across UL Hospitals’ Group until further notice as the group manage high volumes of patients through our Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL). There were 127 patients waiting for beds at UHL on Wednesday, which is a very high figure during the summer months. Demand for emergency care at present is adversely affecting wait times and patient experience and at a meeting of the executive management team this Wednesday, attended by the Regional Executive Officer, Ms Sandra Broderick, a number of measures were agreed upon to de-escalate the UHL site, reduce wait times and improve patient flow. This has resulted in the deferral of elective inpatient and day surgery, endoscopy and outpatient appointments until further notice at UHL, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. Services at University Maternity Hospital Limerick continue as normal and patients there are advised to attend for their appointments. In a statement …

The Bishop of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan is one of the 30 contributors to a new book on the benefits of integrated education as a vehicle for radical change in Northern Ireland, which is edited by a Lough Derg author. “If a United Ireland were to be declared in current circumstances, the Unionist hardliners would be out with their guns. They have said so to the author of this book. We must first work towards a United Northern Ireland where both sides accept and respect each other; where ‘otherness’ is seen not as a threat, but as the enrichment that difference can bring. This can be achieved only by educating the children of both sides together for a considerable time. We need therefore to persuade those in power to make this happen.” This is the opening of a new book ‘The Sundered Children’ edited by the author, former journalist, college lecturer and teacher of journalism and writing, David Rice, who celebrated …

TRIBUTES have come pouring in following the death of Tuamgraney’s internationally acclaimed novelist Edna O’Brien (93) on Sunday. President Michael D Higgins said it is with great sorrow that I have heard of the passing of a dear friend of Sabina’s and his, Edna O’Brien. “Edna O’Brien has been one of the outstanding writers of modern times, her work has been sought as model all around the world. “Edna was a fearless teller of truths, a superb writer possessed of the moral courage to confront Irish society with realities long ignored and suppressed. “Through that deeply insightful work, rich in humanity, Edna O’Brien was one of the first writers to provide a true voice to the experiences of women in Ireland in their different generations and played an important role in transforming the status of women across Irish society,” he said. While the beauty of her work was immediately recognised abroad, President Higgins stressed it is important to remember the …

A new colourful eye catching piece of artwork on the side wall of Liam O’Rian’s Pub in Ballina featuring local images, has generated a lot of interest from locals and tourists. The mural depicts local landmarks such as Brian Boru’s Fort, St Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe Bridge, the Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe train station and Ardnacrusha Hydroelectric Power Station, which resulted in a lot of changes in the river landscape after the construction of the Shannon Scheme. Ms Acheson enjoyed creating an interesting water spiral shape with buildings around it and a constant flow from the sky to the hills, lake and river. “I did all the buildings in black and white and nature in crazy colours to ensure nature wouldn’t get lost in the overall image. This also provides a bit of a contrast,” she said. The centre image in the mural shows a turbine under construction during the building of Ardnacrusha Hydro Electric Power Station in the late 1920s. A …

Annual wages totalling €22 million are paid to more than 220 employees of Beckman Coulter in East Clare, an economic impact assessment has shown. The economic impact assessment carried out by independent market research experts Repucon revealed that the economic impact of the company was €183 million based on annual GVA (Gross Value Added) in 2023. The report also shows that the employment income impact of the company for the regional economy in 2023 was €55 million, of which €22 million is provided through its 220 plus employees living in the county. Over the next five years, Beckman Coulter’s regional employment income impact is projected to generate €380 million. The O’Callaghan’s Mills pharmaceutical company contributed €34.691 million in wages and salaries to its 560 employees in 2022, according to accounts filed for the end of December 2022 to the Companies’ Registration Office (CRO). Beckman Coulter Ireland, Lismeehan, O’Callaghan’s Mills, continues to see an increase in headcount, with an average of …