Home » Breaking News (page 2)

Breaking News

Clare always up for Down challenge

Clare won’t be lacking in confidence going to Páirc Esler on Sunday as they shoot for Division 2 football for 2025, because history tells them the man from the Mournes are always beatable, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. Hard to believe it’s 31 years ago now, but it’s worth reeling in the years to a memorable afternoon in February 1993 because when this Sunday comes it’s a reminder of what can be achieved when a group of footballers believe. More than that, when they are fully convinced. The last Sunday of the month it was, and to say there was a fever over football because of the Clare team of the day is putting it very mildly. The Banner Ballers were the only show in town, and one of the biggest draws in the country. Just a scan of some of the other big games that were on that same League Sunday proves this true. Mayo played Kerry in Crossmolina in …

Read More »

New book takes a magical journey into the Slieve Aughty mountains

Deep in the Slieve Aughty mountains, on the border between Clare and Galway, lies a stand of ancient trees. In the very centre of that forgotten wood, in a spot not seen by human eyes for generations, sits a large, stone well. And in that well, lives an all-powerful witch. The deep woods of the Slieve Aughty mountains has become the inspiration for the debut book for South Galway author, Méabh McDonnell. Written during the Covid 19 pandemic, ‘Into the Witchwood’ tells the story of a young girl called Rowan, who was always warned not to enter the woods. “During that first lockdown, we were stuck at home in Kylebrack and basically doing nothing for days and days. So we started walking in the woods every day, to try and get out of the house,” said Méabh. “I started doing that thing that you do when you stare at something for too long and you start to see patterns. I …

Read More »

Cross border challenge for Tara

Growing up in a twin community straddling two counties has helped a World Dance Championship entrant to take part in Rose of Tralee selection conventions in successive years. Tara Brady, Ballina, will participate in the Tipperary Rose selection in the Anner Hotel on March 24, a week before she will be competing in the World Dance Championships. Last year, Ms Brady (23) participated in the Clare Rose competition following encouragement from her uncle, Eddie O’Gorman, Killaloe. “It was a fabulous experience. I met so many intelligent, brilliant, funny girls. I would probably have never met them only for the Clare Rose because they all came from different backgrounds and age groups,” she said. “I am still in contact with some of those girls today. I would encourage any woman who is thinking about entering the Rose competition to go for it. “You learn a lot about yourself and it is a great confidence builder. The whole emphasis is on the …

Read More »

Councillor calls foul on dog owners in Lahinch

Two motions about dog fouling, which were before the March meeting of the West Clare Municipal District (MD), gave rise to a good humoured debate amongst councillors. Councillor Liam Grant (GP)asked the council to address the serious dog fouling issues in Lahinch, requesting it to target several days to enforce dog fouling fines in an effort to stop the issue. The councillor said he wants to see something similar to the “slow down” days conducted by An Garda Síochána. He has also requested data on how many dog fouling fines have been issued by the local authority in Lahinch over the last three years. “In Lahinch, this came up as I was involved in a beach clean on the St Bridget’s Bank Holiday weekend, organised with a couple of different community groups…the amount of dog fouling – I think I counted 20 bags of poo myself,” he said. “There is a weird trend that is happening of people picking up …

Read More »

Green Rebel is ready to set sail

A Killaloe Sailing Club member is on the crest of a wave preparing for the second time to become the first Irish person to complete an around-the-world race known as the “Voyage for Madmen”. Pat Lawless now has a driving desire more than ever to try and win the 2026 Golden Globe Race, after he had to retire from the 2022 race when his self-steering failed 1,200 nautical miles west of Cape Town. With a heavy heart, after repairs he sailed Green Rebel back home to Ireland. Without a self-steering system, he was unable to achieve his dream. He could have made repairs and continued the voyage under Chichester Class as a one-stop circumnavigation, but decided to retire. “I felt terrible shame because of all the support I received. You learn from shame because you don’t want to feel it again. I was heartbroken, I was trying to fix it. When I got into Cape Town everyone was so nice …

Read More »

Blazing a trail for women in science

    An Ardnacrusha third-level student scooped €3,000 as part of a prestigious prize to help her academic pursuits. Eva McMahon (21) was one of the three University of Limerick students from the Faculty of Science and Engineering who received prestigious awards from Regeneron Ireland. Ms McMahon, Kate Storan from Dooradoyle and Anna Feenan from Carrigaline were presented with their awards at a special ceremony in Regeneron’s Industrial Operations and Production Supply (IOPS) facility in Raheen, Limerick recently. Students from the University of Limerick were given the unique opportunity to compete for awards in Quality Control, Manufacturing, or Engineering, depending on their specific field of study. The students were tasked with the exciting challenge of developing a project based on a topic provided by Regeneron. They presented their work to a group of business representatives, followed by an interactive question and answer session, allowing them to engage directly with Regeneron colleagues. The three award winners received a paid internship at …

Read More »

Ennis relief road could cost €10 million

MORE than €10 million is needed to complete the Ennis Northern Inner Relief Road, Clare County Council has confirmed. Clare’s Oireachtas members are now set to be invited to a special meeting of the Ennis Municipal District to hear first hand about the need for funding for projects in the county capital including the completion of a route connecting the Gort and Tulla roads. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Mary Howard (FG) described the link as a “necessary piece of infrastructure” for the development of the town and alleviating traffic issues. The councillor pointed out that, over the last number of years, the council has been planning for the future of the town including the upcoming introduction of a town bus service, cycle lanes and other projects. She requested an update on the status of the road planned through the grounds adjacent to Our Lady’s Hospital, linking the Gort Road with the Tulla Road. …

Read More »

Kelly watch the stars

Ennis actor, Kelly Gough, will star in the Irish television premier of a new feature film in the Irish language later this week. Tarrac, which was written by Eugene O’Brien, tells the story of Aoife Ni Bhraoin, played by Gough, who returns home to Kerry when her father becomes ill. Her father, Brendan ‘The Bear’ O’Briain, played by Lorcan Cranitch, is in recovery following a serious heart attack and Aoife must return home to look after him. While at home, Aoife is forced to face the grief of her mother’s death, which she has been ignoring for years. A lot has been left unsaid between Aoife and her father and this must be rectified before Aoife can truly start to heal. While all of this is happening, Aoife reconnects with a group of rowers who form an all-female rowing team. Against all odds, the team decides to take on the high-stakes Naomhóg rowing competition. Set on the Dingle Peninsula, the …

Read More »