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Fiona McGarry

A scene from a former Clare convent, whose exact location has not been disclosed, feature in Abandoned Ireland by photographer, Rebecca Brownlie

Photographer captures eerie beauty of empty Clare convent

IMAGES of a former Clare convent building feature in a new photography book that captures the eerie beauty of abandoned buildings the length and breadth of Ireland. The exact location of the convent has not been disclosed in order to deter vandals, but the black and white photos taken by Down native, Rebecca Brownlie, speak of a bygone era of prayer and sacrifice.   The images feature in Rebecca’s book Abandoned Ireland, which includes a total of 150 scenes from abandoned Big Houses to humble cottages, schools to prisons, churches and dance halls. Rebecca’s publisher, Merrion Press, said that while these buildings may now be abandoned, they are far from empty. “As a photographer, Brownlie’s instincts are remarkable,” her publicist said. “In the seemingly ruined and mundane she finds diamonds in the rough; her images of the ordinary ephemera of past lives – dusty love letters, rusting spectacles, photographs yellowed and curled with age – paint the pictures of real …

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Calls for better links between East Clare villages

CLOSER links between the villages of Bridgetown and O’Brien’s Bridge could be on the horizon, after a well-received motion from Councillor Tony O’Brien. The Fianna Fáil member, who is also Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, has proposed the installation of a footpath, incorporating a cycle lane, from the village of Bridgetown to O’Brien’s Bridge and Upper Ardnataggle on the R463. “This necessary piece of infrastructure would enable the community to access their local amenities such as the church, school, public houses and community playing pitch,” a motion before the Killaloe Municipal District outlined. “In the case of the primary school alone, it would cut down on a huge amount of private cars using the area on a daily basis as students cannot walk or cycle to school because of road safety concerns.” The Killaloe man told the end-of-year district meeting that the area in question is “very large and highly populated”. “This is very necessary infrastructure,” he said. “The area …

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Updated decision date on Clare village sites plans

A DECISION is expected next month on an application to create four serviced sites in Quin, with outline permission for four detached homes on them.  Concerns had been raised by local authority planners over a number of aspects of the proposals, but the developer has recently responded to a Further Information (FI) request, in a bid to address these.  Jimal Investments applied in September for permission to demolish an existing house and store at Quingardens, and to create four services sites with an access road and connection to public services. Outline permission to construct four houses and garages on the serviced sites was also sought.  No objections were made, but in November, the Council contacted the company seeking FI on three aspects of the plans – storm water drainage; bat roosts and the site layout.  The letter from the local authority expressed “serious concerns” over arrangements proposed for the discharge of storm water. It asked the developer for calculations of …

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Redesign submitted for proposed homes in east Clare village

DESIGNS for three homes proposed for the village of O’Callaghan’s Mills have been revised by the developer, after planners described them as “highly suburban” and “not acceptable for a village setting”.  East Clare Construction have just submitted a response to a Further Information (FI) request from the Council. This 12-page document includes fresh house designs which the company have described “suitable for this village”. The developers have also responded to other issues raised by the local authority and reduced the proposed floor level for one of the sites. They have corrected a misprint on the previously-submitted layout map to show the correct ground level, removing the perception of a sharp gradient where the proposed access road connects to the R466.  The company, whose directors are listed as Joe and Teresa Cooney of Ballymacdonnell, Bodyke, have also clarified their intentions for another parcel of zoned lands in their ownership close to the development site. The FI response said that, “any further …

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Quin adventurer completes sixth stage of global adventure

ADVENTURER Declan McEvoy is back on home ground for Christmas after completing the gruelling sixth stage of his round-the-world motorcycle odyssey.   In September, the Quin native set out from Lusaka in Zambia, with the aim of travelling along the West of the African continent, all the way to Dakar in Senegal. Last month, he reached Banjul in Gambia, after a marathon motorcycle trek. Throughout the epic African journey of more than 10,000km, Declan had been keeping friends, family and followers updated on WhatsApp. “Reaching Banjul could only be described as a surreal experience and if I’m to be honest I felt somewhat emotional on my arrival,” he said. “There had been times throughout this trip that I wondered if I’m ever going to make my planned destination, but for some reason it seems I just did. It takes more than determination and stubbornness, the latter apparently of which I have in abundance, to make such a journey through Africa …

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Double celebrations in Oatfield this Christmas

CHRISTMAS at Oatfield in East Clare will see a double celebration, as the community marks the completion of works to restore the village’s famous Barn Church, which dates to the 1600s. The careful restoration, upgrading and development of what is believed to be the oldest church in the Killaloe Diocese, has taken almost a decade, and is the result of huge dedication on the part of the local community. Since 2013, thanks to intensive fundraising, essential repairs have been carried out on the protected structure. These include works on the doors, bell tower, storage building and foot-paths. Other work has been done on erecting piers and gates at the car park entrance, as well as the full refurbishment of the kneeling boards in the church. In 2020, local man Donal Ryan created and installed a replica of the original, historical altar, which was removed in the 1960s. In the last couple of weeks, with the completion by Lenihans contractors, of …

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Tulla’s Christmas cheer restored as lights go back up

FESTIVE lights are burning brightly once again on Tulla’s Main Street after a complaint forced their removal from ESB poles earlier this month. The goodwill of residents and businesses on Main Street has resulted in bespoke brackets being installed so that Christmas lights could be hung back up last week. The street had been without its seasonal illuminations for some days after a complaint was made to the ESB about the positioning of the lights which had, in a decade-long tradition, been suspended from the poles. While there was no question of the lights drawing any electricity from those, the ESB was forced to act on the complaint. Despite their dismay at not being contacted directly by the complainant – likened by some to the Grinch – the Tidy Towns committee quickly rallied its resources. A dedicated Christmas lights team went above and beyond the call of duty to get brackets installed, so that the festive sparkle could be restored. …

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Hopes of saving east Clare community’s lands from dezoning

A BID has been made to have the local authority take over a sewage treatment plan in Kilmurry so that lands in the village might not be dezoned for development. A motion was tabled by the Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, calling for the local authority to take over the plant for the Ballymulcashel housing estate. “I have talked to a builder,” he told the November district meeting. “Some years ago, a pilot project was undertaken and work done and a whole new system put in. The plant is brand new and fully funded. It is unfortunate that it is still in private ownership. We may need to take it on, or Irish Water won’t entertain it. In my view, it has to come into local authority ownership.” Councillor O’Callaghan explained that under national guidelines informing the forthcoming development plan, lands that will not be serviced in the lifetime of the plan, must be dezoned for …

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