NEWS of the return of the Scariff Harbour Festival has been widely welcomed, after the pandemic forced its cancellation for the last two years.  The event will from July 29 to 31, and is set to be a major highlight on the county’s festival calendar. Organisers said they are still considering the impact that Covid may have on this summer’s event, but are promising a lively weekend that will showcase the rich heritage and culture of the area.  The Sunday night concert act has been confirmed as the Kilfenora Céilí Band. They make a very welcome return to East Clare have brought the town alive with music and dance during previous festivals.  Over the years, the annual event has brought a wealth of talent to Scariff and its environs and provided a forum for reflection on wider cultural and social issues. Details of the 2022 festival will be published on scariffharbourfestival.ie in the coming weeks and months. 

A LANDMARK crafts company in Tuamgraney has secured permission for a new apartment development which has been commended for its sensitivity to the local streetscape. The green light has been given to McKernan Woollen Mills Ltd, subject to six conditions. While planners were assessing the designs, they raised concerns about the impact on the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) in the scenic East Clare Village. Those concerns were allayed through Further Information (FI) supplied by McKernans. The revised designs were then commended by the Council’s Architectural Conservation Officer (ACO) as paying “homage to agricultural architecture of the surrounding hinterland”. The company lodged plans last June for conversion of an existing cottage into three self-contained apartments. In August, planners requested more details from the company, in relation to the potential impact on the character of the East Clare village. In their letter, planners said they had “serious concerns in relation to the overall design of the development and the impact of same …

A NEW ward extension for Raheen Community Hospital will be operational by the end of June, Scariff-based TD Michael McNamara has learned.  The Independent Dáil member confirmed that he has received an update from the Health Service Executive (HSE). “The extension which includes the provision of seven long-stay replacement beds, is currently under construction and is due to be completed during April,” explained Deputy McNamara. “Equipping of the ward extension will commence once construction has completed. The HSE has informed me that following equipping and the registration of beds by the Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA), the ward extension will become fully operational. It is anticipated that the facility will open by the end of June.” Deputy McNamara said the news will be very much welcomed by the people of East Clare who have “battled hard for investment” in the small community hospital. “When I was first elected as a TD in 2011, there was a proposal to close …

PROGRESS with the building of a number of new classrooms for Scariff Community College has been welcomed, following un update from the Minister for Education.  Approval for the construction of two mainstream classroom as well as metalwork and woodwork rooms, was given in 2017 and last week Minister Normal Foley gave positive news to Deputy Cathal Crowe. The Fianna Fáil member said he received a call from the minister who was in Boston for St Patrick’s Day. “She confirmed that her department has been examining tenders submitted for the development of two new mainstream classrooms and a metalwork room and a woodwork room for Scariff Community College and they’re now happy for this to now proceed to construction,” Deputy Crowe said. “There should be no further delays and I’m hoping the works can begin in earnest. I’ve been out to visit the school and saw how many of the classes were still being taught in prefab rooms – something rarely seen …

AMBITIOUS plans for a pavilion at Aistear Park in Mountshannon are the subject of objections from four local residents. County planners are currently assessing proposals for the roofed, open structure, which Mountshannon Community Council hope will blend into the lakeside landscape and serve as a sheltered and serviced venue for a range of cultural and educational activities. The plans have already been backed by The Department of Rural and Community Development, through a funding allocation of €54,860 announced in recent weeks. In February, the Community Council formally lodged plans with the Council for the pavilion, after a period of public consultation. In the following weeks, two local couples lodged objections to the development. The objectors have raised concerns about visual amenity, the proposed use of the pavilion and potential anti-social behaviour at the location. In two identical letters of objection, four residents of Main Street said that: “An open space is a special amenity in any village but one overlooking …

JOINED-UP thinking about rural regeneration and tourism development was called for for the West Clare area, when municipal district members met recently.  Councillor Joe Garrihy asked that the new national ‘Town Centre First’ policy might be examined in light of all of the existing local tourism development strategies in order to make sure their objectives are aligned. The Lisdoonvarna man called for a meeting with representatives of Fáilte Ireland, the Council’s tourism team and the management of the Cliffs of Moher to look at how the new policy aligns with documents including the Clare Tourism Strategy and plans for the future growth of the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and coastal tourism.  “I might be tilting at windmills, but I would like to see how the different objectives would be knitted together,” he said. “It’s a little foggy for me and I’m seeking clarity. I see a lot of strategies and there are exponential benefits if these align. However, I …

THE curtain will rise for the 73rd time on Clare Drama Festival, when it gets underway this Friday night (March 25) at Scariff Community College Hall. In addition to the home-grown talent, performers from as far afield as Mayo, Cork, Waterford, and Wexford will compete for the honour of winning at this prestigious event. Clare Drama Festival Chairman, Eamon Moroney welcomed the return of the live festival circuit after a gap of three years. He said the committee is looking forward to meeting old and new patrons to Scariff in the coming days. The festival will be officially opened by Louise Donlon, Executive Director of The Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick. Louise has been working in the arts for over 30 years, and has held roles including the General Manager of Druid Theatre Company, Galway at a time when the company was earning international acclaim. She was recently appointed to the Export Advisory Committee of Culture Ireland by Minister Catherine Martin. …

STUDENTS from Scariff Community College visited Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis to discuss how a submission they made has informed the preparation of the Draft Clare County Development Plan. As part of the public consultation process on the plan, third-year geography students, along with their teacher Ms Darina Sheridan, were welcomed by Council Chief Executive Pat Dowling, the Elected Members of Killaloe Municipal District, and Council Planning staff. The 22 students made a submission during the pre-draft public consultation process in November 2020, when they were in second year. This was part of a school project devised by the Council’s Forward Planning section. At that time, the students participated in a virtual discussion with the elected members of Killaloe Municipal District on their submission. During their visit to the Council last week, the students discussed how their submission informed the preparation of the draft plan and learned how they can have their say again at this stage of the …