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THE electricity bill for Ballina Riverside Swimming Pool jumped by 52% in August 2022, according to new figures released by the local pool committee. Pool manager, Paddy Collins admitted this massive hike was a “huge shock to the system” and will have implications on how the outdoor heated swimming pool will be run next year. “If ESB bills keep on increasing, some businesses will close. The rising electricity bills will have a massive impact on the pool. We have to heat a huge volume of water. “We will have to be careful about when we are going to open and close. I can’t see us opening in September next year. “We will have to be tighter on our hours and will have to look at how we are running the place. Everything will have to be re-evaluated next year. “I am involved in other sports clubs, which are struggling as well. Purchasing LED lighting involves a huge outlay for clubs.” …

Michael O’ Connor watched Sixmilebridge dismantle Clonlara in the Junior B hurling semi final on a score of 2-23 to 1-7 From the start of this season the intention in Sixmilebridge was crystal clear. Get as many teams as possible out and make them competitive. So, to this end they had four adult teams in semi-finals over the weekend and special emphasis in its own quiet way was in getting one side into Junior A in 2023 and one side into Junior B for next season. One part was achieved within Tulla and on Sunday morning in dreadful conditions they eased past Clonlara in Cratloe for seal a place in the Junior B final against Inagh/Kilnamona on Sunday week in Tulla on county final day. The day before the Clonlara men suffered demotion to Junior A and so there was a need to rally the forces in this tie to bolster morale. Sixmilebridge played with the strong wind in the …

A MAN alleged to have carried out a burglary and four thefts over a 45-minute period in Ennis on Wednesday, has been refused bail.  Nathan Egan (29), with an address at Sandfield Court, Ennis, appeared at Ennis district court this Thursday charged in connection with a series of offences at businesses in the town centre on October 12.  Egan is charged with stealing various items from Haven Pharmacy, Abbey Street; Lifestyle sports, High Street, and Eurogiant, O’Connell Square.  He is also accused of stealing a racer bike valued at €1000 at the Friary car park.  Egan is further charged with entering the Queens Hotel as a trespasser with intent to commit theft.  Garda Joe Kearney told the court he arrested Egan on Abbey Street at 6.20pm on October 12. The court heard the accused was charged with five offences.  Garda Kearney said the accused made no reply to any of the charges after caution. Solicitor Tara Godfrey applied for bail …

A LATE Ennis HPV vaccine advocate has been honoured with a new catch-up vaccination programme that is named after her in collaboration with the Department of Health. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly lauded the tirelessly campaigning work of Laura Brennan when he spoke to reporters outside University Hospital Limerick on Thursday. Minister Donnelly and the family of the late Laura Brennan, have announced the Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine Catch-Up Programme.   Laura died with cervical cancer at the age of 26 in March 2019 but her legacy of advocacy of the HPV vaccine has lived on. Last October, she was honoured with a portrait in the Royal College of Physicians and the RCPI shared an image of Laura’s portrait recently to mark what would have been her 30thth birthday. “We remember her courage and grace as she bravely shared her story while advocating for the HPV vaccine. “Laura’s portrait sits proudly in our historic No.6 Kildare Street, a reminder of her …

THERE will be planning applications next year for two major projects involving retail, office and housing in Ennis town centre. Briefing councillors this week, chief operating officer of Ennis 2040 Kevin Corrigan said it is intended, between office and large retail, to develop about 5,000 square metres of space, including more than 50 apartments. Mr Corrigan, outlining a number of masterplans, claimed significant progress is likely to come in the next two years. “We’ll be lodging two planning applications for town centre sites in 2023, so between office and large retail we intend to develop about 5,000 square metres of space, 50+ apartments,” he told county council members. “The funding models are still being developed, we’re hoping the construction will start after it goes through planning in 2024,” he added. “We’ll be doing a masterplan next year for the Post Office field and we’re hoping to commence construction in 2024 or 2025.” Restating some of Ennis 2040’s purposes Mr Corrigan …

IT seems you can’t move in Clare for American TV crews with yet another travel show filming in the county recently. Following on from earlier high profile Samatha Brown and Michael Londra visits, a crew from the NBC TV network in the United States has been filming in the Banner county recently. They were filming here for four separate TV shows which will be seen by millions of people, or potential American holidaymakers for Ireland, later this year and during 2023. Tourism Ireland invited the NBC crew to come and film here for the Today show (news and talk morning show), 1st Look (weekly travel and lifestyle show which reaches around 1.2 million viewers), Open House (architecture, design and real estate show which reaches over 1.5 million viewers) and NBCLX (a local news network). Their busy schedule was designed by Fáilte Ireland and with more good news about transatlantic services for Clare this week, it is expected to lead to …

INCOME has exceeded expenditure in Shannon Parish for two of the past three years, according to income and expenditure accounts for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The accounts, published recently showed income exceeding expenditure by €59,464 in 2019 and by €10,475 in 2021. In 2020 however, expenditure exceeded income by €1,294. In 2019 the offertory collections in Shannon came to €136,096. In 2020 and 2021, when pandemic restrictions were strictest, the figures were €90,264 and €93,603 respectively.  In general income fell heavily during the pandemic, down from €256,274 in 2019 to €111,399 in 2020 and €144,840 in 2021. To put it in context, the combined income from 2020 and 2021 was almost exactly the 2019 amount. The parish received a tax rebate of €34,951 in 2019, along with much smaller sums in 2020 and 2021. Over the three years there was over €55,000 in shrine income, while the parish received €19,000 in donations and bequests. Repairs and maintenance were the biggest …

WORK has commenced on delivering the new €90 million 96-Bed Block at University Hospital Limerick, which will result in a net increase of 48 new in-patient beds. However, the UL Hospitals’ Group has confirmed this new extension will take at least two years to complete and the new facility will then have to be equipped and commissioned before opening to patients. Described by the group as the next step in increasing acute bed capacity in the Mid-West, the new 9,800 square-metre block will be built over the existing Emergency Department and Dialysis Unit and will consist of 96 en-suite single rooms over four floors. Approximately half of the beds will be new beds for inpatients while the remainder will be replacement beds allowing the hospital to close or refurbish some of the more outdated inpatient accommodation on the site. This will allow for greater compliance with national guidelines and international best practice on infection prevention and control. Speaking in Limerick …