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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inpatients while the remainder will be replacement beds allowing the hospital to close or refurbish some of the more outdated inpatient accommodation on the site.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 …

INSPECTORS from an independent health watchdog have claimed that breaches of national standards identified in Ennistymon Community Hospital last year were not adequately addressed by the time of a follow-up visit in May of this year. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspector found that record keeping, individualised assessment and care planning, infection prevention and control, and the maintenance of the premises were not in line with regulatory requirements. The previous inspection on the July 7 2021 in the HSE-run facility had identified non-compliances with the Birch Suite. The inspector had identified that a glass panel wall and a glass door did not provide adequate privacy. The window openings were defective and could not be closed securely. There was no interesting view from the room as it overlooked a narrow passageway and grey concrete wall. The compliance plan submitted following the inspection had detailed these issues would be rectified by October 29 2021. However, this had not been completed. …

ANTICIPATION is building ahead of the release of the new single by acclaimed Clare-based singer-songwriter, Steo Wall.  ‘More Blacks More Dogs More Irish’ is a hard-hitting new single, whose name is a play on words taken from the signs that used to hang on shops and pubs in England in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The single will be the first release taken from Steo’s eagerly anticipated second studio album, Street Wisdom For Lost Souls. The track features Toshín, an African Irish soul singer who starred along- side Steo and a host of other emerging artists on a two-part RTÈ music series entitled Foster & Allen, Lost in Music. The second and final episode airs this Thursday, October 13, at 10.15pm on RTÈ One.  Mixing traditional Irish folk with some contemporary Irish rap, Steo brings the listener on a journey from the badlands of his native Dublin to the beauty of the West coast of Ireland. Steo paints a picture of …

AT THE sentencing hearing last Friday of Patrick Ballard for the murder of Sharon Bennett in Ennis in early 2021, Detective Garda Noelle Bergin detailed the background to the incident. She told prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn SC that Ms Bennett died on February 10, 2021 having been assaulted by Bennett two weeks earlier on January 28. Outlining the events that led up to the murder, Mr McGinn said that both Ms Bennett and Ballard had been living in temporary accommodation in Ennis and were habitually drinking in the centre of Ennis on the afternoon of January 28. At the time of “the violence” the pair had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, added the detective. At one point, there was a “clear disagreement” between the accused and Ms Bennett, which resulted in the mother-of-two kicking or “striking” Ballard in the face. Ms Bennett, Ballard and a third man Hussein ‘Jamesie’ Abdullah left the car park area to enter a public toilet …

HUGE numbers of dead sea birds are washing up on Clare’s coastline due to avian flu, prompting a call for state assistance to deal with the issue. “We are seeing huge numbers of dead sea birds around our coast, in particular gannnets, due to the avian flu,” said Councillor Cillian Murphy. “I’m not a scientist but what I understand from speaking to  people who are is that normally the avian flu would die off in the summer when they’re in their colonies, but this particular variation hasn’t, and it has really impacted on seabirds really heavily.” With many of the birds washing up on beaches, he said that Clare County Council staff members have to deal with them appropriately and need protective clothing. He put forward a motion requesting the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine “allocate funding to local authorities for the additional resources required to deal with the costs of cleaning up and managing the consequences of …

THE town of Ennis lost one its legends this week with the passing of local business man Jack Heaslip a day after he celebrated his 96th birthday. Jack, who was originally from Knocktopher, Kilkenny, was well-known throughout Ennis and Clare with Heaslip’s shop a fixture of O’Connell Street since 1960. Speaking at his funeral mass at Ennis Cathedral on Thursday morning, Jack’s friend Bishop Willie Walsh said that while it was a sad occasion, Jack had lived a very full life. “We gather, I think, in both sadness and in gladness. In sadness at the departure of a dear friend, but in gladness too, to have known such a lovely, gentle person, who enriched so many of our lives. Gladness too, I think, at the manner of his departure having just celebrated in song and story his 96th birthday. We thank God for his truly blessed and full life.” Delivering a eulogy, his son Sean said Jack had been a …

HAVING spent years pampering pooches, Ennis dog groomer and trainer Deirdre Ryan will this week be getting some style tips of her own when she appears on national television. Deirdre, who runs D.R. Dogcare, will be treated to a makeover on the popular RTÉ daytime entertainment show Today this Friday. She tells us she is looking forward to her new look, which she is planning on showcasing at the upcoming launch of her new book and online dog training course. Explaining how her appearance on the show came about she says, “I saw a Facebook post asking for applications for their popular makeover segment. I am approaching 20 years in business and will have a celebration in December to mark it. “I know I’ll have no time to get an outfit or make much of an effort so I thought, why not?  Getting professional advice on hair, makeup and styling is something I have never experienced. “I am used to …

TO mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Gort Cancer Support is holding a Breast Health Information Evening.  The event takes place in Gort Cancer Support’s Studio in Garrabeg, Gort (H91 WFP8) this Thursday, October 13, from 5pm to 9pm. A series of guest speakers will cover a range of topics including the possible symptoms of breast cancer, the importance of self-examination, areola restorative tattoos, the BRCA (breast cancer) gene, as well as post-mastectomy lingerie, swimwear and protheses. Those intending to visit can come along to one talk or listen to them all. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served. More details are available on 086-1724500. More information is available on Gort Cancer Support Centre’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.