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PEOPLE may be on tenterhooks over Brexit but there are indications that the local economy is still performing well, with unemployment falling again in February. There were 4,876 signing on the Live Register in February, down from 5,045 in January. Year on year, the number signing on is down by 939, or 16% of the February 2018 total. West Clare County Councillor Ian Lynch works in construction and he said there has been an improvement. “It’s more positive than it has been. In the construction sector, on a national scale, there has definitely been a pick-up but in the Mid-West Region, there is no major activity. What I’m finding is that the smaller contractors, who are doing houses and extensions and stuff, are actually gone a little bit quieter. But while there is no huge demand for work, they’re still tipping away; there aren’t long spells of three or four weeks out of work. “You’d find a lot of them …

GARDAI made two arrests at Shannon Airport this morning as two people are believed to have breached security fencing. They were questioned at Shannon Garda Station and it is understood that they are part of an organisation, US Veterans for Peace. One flight was delayed due to the incident.   In a statement Shannon Airport said it could confirm “that two intruders were apprehended on the Shannon Airport airfield at approximately 10.25am this morning. They were intercepted and detained within five minutes and then taken into Garda custody.” At 6.30pm this evening the men were still being questioned at Shannon Garda Station.  

THE objections of local residents to a new 1,000,000ft² data centre counted for little on Monday, as a proposal to vary the County Development Plan to facilitate the project at Toureen, on the outskirts of Ennis, was unanimously passed by Clare County Council. The council claims that the project could deliver 200 permanent data centre jobs, another 150 ancillary jobs and 50 maintenance jobs. Some 1,100 construction jobs would be supported over five years of construction. At the council meeting, director of service Liam Conneally reiterated his view that if the project goes ahead, it will be “a game changer” for Clare and Ennis. However, the data centre would not be one of the three largest employers in the county even if what is projected comes to pass. Prior to the meeting, members of the council got a report from chief executive Pat Dowling, which summarised a number of submissions that had come in from the public, including one from …

THE Clare Champion has learned that Kilkee businessman and tourism consultant, Cillian Murphy, will stand for Fianna Fáil in West Clare in the local elections on May 24. The tourism consultant will join sitting councillors, PJ Kelly (Lissycasey) and Bill Chambers (Cooraclare) on the Fianna Fáil ticket. Twenty eight elected members sit on Clare County Council, representing four electoral areas across the county.

PRESIDENT Trump could be on his way back to Clare, later this year. Mr Trump met with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today in Washington. Subsequently the Irish Times reported that he had said he is likely to make his way to Clare before the end of 2019. President Trump is reported to have said:“I will be coming (to Ireland) at some point this year. I missed it last year, and I would have loved to have been there. It’s a special place and I have a very warm spot for Doonbeg, I will tell you that. It is just a great place.”

Clare County Council has signed a contract with Ward & Burke Construction Ltd for the long awaited construction of the River Fergus (Ennis South) Flood Relief Scheme. The €9.7m scheme represents the final phase of flood defence works throughout the town and includes the townlands of Clonroadmore, Ballybeg and Clareabbey. The works to be undertaken include the upgrade of the existing flood defence embankment between the Quin Road and the N85 Clareabbey Bridge at Clareabbey and separate Flood Overflow Culverts from St Flannan’s Stream and Ballybeg Stream to the Clareabbey flood plain Construction work is expected to begin in late April and will last approximately 27 months (until late 2021). Carmel Kirby, Director of Physical Development, Clare County Council, said that works completed under the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme will “significantly reduce the risk of flooding” in the St Flannan’s College, Ballybeg and Tobertaoscain areas of Ennis, which experienced serious flooding following heavy rains in November 2009.

GARDAI have confirmed there were no injuries as a result of an accident on the N18 Limerick to Shannon Road which led to traffic disruption this (Tuesday) morning. Units of Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service and Shannon Fire Service were called to the scene after a truck overturned on the northbound lane near Bunratty at around 7am. The route was closed to traffic and diversions were put in place, leading to increased traffic through Cratloe and Sixmilebridge. The road was re-opened shortly afterwards with Shannon Gardai confirming that there were no injuries. Meanwhile, a fuel spill has taken place the slip from the M18 to the N85 at Junction 12 Ennis. And elswhere on the motorway, there is a breakdown northbound at Junction 15 Crusheen which is blocking the left lane.

CLARE County Council has opened a Book of Condolence for the late Michael Ryan of Lahinch, at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis and at the West Clare Municipal District Office in Ennistymon. Mr Ryan, who was Global Deputy Chief Engineer at the United Nations’ World Food Programme, was among the 157 people on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff in Addis Ababa on Sunday. Members of the public are being invited to sign the Books of Condolence in Ennis and Ennistymon during opening hours (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). “On behalf of Clare County Council and the people of Clare, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to Michael’s family and his wide circle of friends and former colleagues,” Mayor of Clare, Michael Begley, said. “