A YOUNG jockey has told how she was inspired by a late Killaloe girl with special needs to resume riding in her memorial race, a few months after receiving her own Epilepsy diagnosis. Ali O’Brien (14) Tullaheady, Nenagh, was thrilled to win the Brianna Lynch Memorial Cup at the North Tipperary Foxhounds Point-to-Point at Lisboney, Nenagh recently. In November 2019, Brianna Lynch (9) died in her sleep from SUDEP – Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy – leaving her family devastated. Her mother, Arabella Scanlan, a well-known Killaloe horse trainer, provided Ali with one of her horses, Bridget, to ride in the memorial race for her daughter, a few weeks after the teenager had decided to get back on a horse following her own Epilepsy diagnosis in December 2021. Ali didn’t want to go back riding in December and January in the wake of her Epilepsy diagnosis. When her medication wasn’t working, Ali often wondered was this how Brianna, who was …

A SITE visit of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) found permissive boarding with beds placed “anytime, anywhere, even and including mixed gender” five months before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new unpublished report has revealed. Serious questions about the model of care being adopted in UHL were highlighted in a draft report – “Review of Unscheduled Care Performance” concerning nine public hospitals, which has been released by the Irish Patients’ Association. Chaired by Prof Tom Keane, former President of the RCSI and joint National Lead Clinical Programme in Surgery, the review team, included external clinical and management expertise from NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government and NHS England. They visited nine public acute hospitals including UHL and Galway University Hospitals from August 16, 2019 to November 18, 2019. Overcrowding continues to be a problem in UHL, with 95 patients on trolleys in the hospital on Wednesday, April 6, which once again was the highest in the country. UHL had 36 …

A Quin-based terminally ill cancer patient has recalled his “amazing emotional experience” after completing an unplanned climb of Croagh Patrick with former RTE journalist, Charlie Bird last Saturday. It is estimated that more than €2 million has been raised by the “Climb with Charlie” charity treks for Pieta House and Motor Neurone Ireland. John Wall decided to travel to Westport with a group of friends in a show of solidarity for cancer patients Vicky Phelan and Brian Lynch, but had no plans to climb Croagh Patrick because he felt he wouldn’t be physically able and had no prior training. However, after travelling to the base of the mountain he climbed about one third of they way up on his own and was going to turn back after two others had gone ahead on the ascent. “I decided I would get to another peak and go down again. Then I did the flat section in the middle section before arriving at …

  A GOVERNMENT minister has lauded the reception provided by community groups and organisations to help the integration of an estimated 800 Ukrainian refugees in North Clare. Speaking outside the Lisdoonvarna Pavilion, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys pointed out the influx of Ukrainian refugees from their war-torn country had doubled the population of Lisdoonvarna. The Fine Gael Minister said there has been a “wonderful effort” by numerous community groups in North Clare, which has ensured Ukrainian refugees have been provided with a very warm welcome as they settle into their new surroundings. “There has been a wonderful effort across the board in Lisdoonvarna and I think it is very important to recognise that. “We are going to try and help them find jobs and match them with employers. There are a lot of job offers coming in. But we are not rushing anyone into work, we want to get them settled into this country first.” Asked would …

A STATEMENT from a government minister claiming a 44% reduction in Clare’s social housing waiting list since 2016 has been criticised as “spin” by a local councillor. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien welcomed figures published in the 2021 Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA), which show a substantial reduction in the number of households on Clare’s social housing waiting list since the first annual assessment was conducted in 2016. The 2021 SSHA shows 1,100 households in Clare were assessed as being qualified for, and in need of, social housing support as of November 17, 2021. This figure is down 101 (8.4%) from 1,202 households recorded on November 2 2020. This figure also represents a total decrease of 866 (44%) households since 2016 when annual recording of the SSHA began. The minister outlined the social housing list has fallen from 1,966 in 2016 to 1,952 in 2017 and dropped to 1,004 in 2018 before …

NUMEROUS people in parts of East Clare didn’t receive a national Census form, it emerged this week. Deputy Michael McNamara has confirmed people living in Scariff, Tuamgraney, Feakle, Killaloe and rural locations near Flagmount didn’t receive a Census form, which they were required to complete on Sunday night. The Independent Deputy said it seemed there was a blanket exclusion for some rural parts of East Clare as well as those living within the urban speed limits of Scariff. “The legal obligation for people is to fill in a Census form if you are given one. Everyone should have been given a Census form. “If the government didn’t have enough enumerators, they should have sent the Census forms by post,” the TD said. “Completing the Census is important for a variety of reasons. Funding is allocated based on population. “If Shannon was a town with a population of in excess of 10,000, there would be more funding streams open to it. …

THE incidence of Covid-19 in Ennis has jumped 56% above the national average prompting a nursing union to call for the reintroduction of mandatory mask wearing. The 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 has almost doubled in the Ennis area over the past week. There were 469 cases of Covid-19 in the Ennis Local Electoral Area (LEA) from March 1 to March 14. This translates into a 14-day incidence rate of 1,517, which was much higher than the national average of 1,188. Since then, the number of Covid-19 cases in the Ennis LEA has jumped to 885, and the 14-day incidence is 2,863 compared to the national average of 1,871 from March 15 to March 28. Apart from the Ennistymon LEA where the 14-day incidence is 1,657 following the detection of 272 cases during this period, the 14-day rate is higher than the national average in other parts of the county. There were 399 cases recorded in the Kilrush LEA during …

A NORTH Clare tillage farmer and agricultural contractor has claimed a government initiative encouraging more tillage production in response to the Ukrainian war is “waste of time” and a “hair brained scheme”. Previously involved in electronics, Shane Nolan left his work in Dublin in the early nineties and took over his father’s farm in Finavara and started renting land for tillage. The secretary of the Western Division of the Association of Farm & Forestry Contractors of Ireland (FCI) pointed out a dairy or beef farmer would have to reduce the amount of cattle on their land to try and grow a tillage crop. “It would be like me milking cows. I might know what a cow looks like but I wouldn’t know how to maintain a cow. At least with tillage crops I know what I have to do. It is like asking a doctor to go and wire a house.” He said non-tillage farmers have approached him seeking advice …