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TWO new Wifi hotspots are to be funded for Clare under the WIFI4EU initiative, according to Sean Kelly MEP. Each location will receive a grant of €15,000 from the EU while matching funding of €15,000 will also be provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Each successful local authority now has 18 months to select locations for the WiFi4EU hotspots and complete their installation to be ready for public use. These locations need to be ‘centres of public life’ where no other free WiFi service is already available. The WiFi4EU service will be free of charge, free of advertising and free from commercial re-use of data. The provision of free public WiFi supports the goal of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce of improving broadband access in rural communities; In addition to stimulating demand in high-speed broadband connectivity and encouraging widespread take-up at community level, the intervention will also have several positive knock-on effects ranging from enhanced access …

SOUTH Clare Youthreach in Shannon will close its doors for the last time in the coming days. The Shannon facility had the capacity to accommodate 13 learners at any one time. The service users are people who have left mainstream schools prematurely, for various reasons, and engaged with Youthreach to continue education. Young people aged from 15 to 18 were catered for in Shannon and they will now have to go to Ennis instead. The Shannon closure is an unpopular decision locally, and Councillor Mike McKee said the timing is unfortunate. “I’m very disappointed with the decision. While it had been expected I didn’t expect it’d happen during the middle of the term. It’s very unfortunate for the students that participated in the Youthreach course and I think it’ll have a detrimental effect on them, having to move to Ennis.” He added, “These are teenagers who left second level education for one reason or another. It could have been bullying …

MORE people are now living at the Direct Provision Centre in Lisdoonvarna than its contracted capacity. While this does not necessarily mean that the centre at the King Thomond Hotel is overcrowded, it does mean that the numbers coming to the North Clare village are greater than what locals were told would be arriving. According to figures provided by the Department of Justice, there are 117 people living there, while the contracted capacity is 115. In a statement accompanying the figures, the department said, “The contracted capacity is not the maximum capacity. It is what we would ordinarily pay as per the contract. It is not at all unusual for the actual number of persons present in an accommodation centre to be in excess of the contract. This does not indicate that there is overcrowding at the centre. The overcapacity may be due to family configuration reasons, eg where a baby is born to a family etc.” Paddy Dunne of …

THE Marine Casualty Investigation Board has today published its report into the incident in Kilkee, on September 12, 2016, which led to the Coast Guard volunteer, Caitríona Lucas, tragically losing her life. Speaking this afternoon, Transport Minister, Shane Ross, said that the reports recommendations will be implemented. The report found that there was  no evidence of an “effective management system” at the Kilkee Irish Coastguard Station. Catríona Lucas was a member of Doolin Coastguard but was on board a Kilkee Coastguard Delta rigid inflatable when she died. “I wish to again express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Caitríona, who lost her life so tragically, doing the volunteer work she loved. Caitríona was a talented, hardworking and deeply committed member of the Doolin Coast Guard Unit. She was a selfless member of a unique group of people, those men and women who dedicate themselves to the protection of others at great risk to themselves. Caitriona made …

Construction work on a new Multi-Service Innovation Centre located in the heart of Ennistymon will commence on Monday. Clare County Council has signed a contract with Jada Projects Ltd for the development which involves the conversion of an existing building, located on Parliament Street. The Multi-Service Innovation Centre comprises hotdesks with business broadband, incubation units for small businesses, meeting rooms, training rooms and full audio visual facilities. The first floor of the shared services building will be occupied by North-West Clare Family Resource Centre. Mol an Óige Steiner National School is also an existing tenant within the building complex. The local authority facility is scheduled to open in September 2019.

TWO Clare companies have been named as finalists in the 2019 Small Firms Association (SFA) National Small Business Awards. Shannon based CalQRisk have been nominated in the Innovator of the Year category while, Get the Shifts, who are also based in Shannon, have received a nomination in the Emerging New Business category. Thirty eight companies have been selected as finalists, from 14 counties, across eight categories. The awards prize package for all finalists includes participation in the SFA Business Connect event in February, a strategic management masterclass weekend, as well as broad-ranging national and local media coverage, all valued at €50,000. Finalists also receive five complementary tickets to the gala prize giving ceremony which will take place in the RDS in February 2019 when the category winners and overall winner will be announced. The category winners will be presented with a trophy and free membership of the Small Firms Association for one year. The overall winner will also receive a bursary …

CLARE Fine Gael TD Pat Breen, Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection will lead Enterprise Ireland’s two-day trade mission to Egypt which started on Tuesday (December 4). The 12 participating Irish companies offer products and services in the fintech, ICT, energy management, agritech and healthcare sectors. The trade mission is part of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy to diversify into new markets in preparation for Brexit. During the two-day mission, Minister Breen will promote trade with Ireland when he addresses the Egyptian Irish Business Forum followed by a meeting with HE Amr Nasser, the Egyptian Minister for Trade and Industry. He will also address a Business Networking Breakfast with key Egyptian influencers and industrialists and a trade reception at the residence of the Irish Ambassador to Egypt. Using the trade mission as a platform to reinvigorate Ireland’s trading relationship with Egypt, Minister Breen will meet with four Egyptian Ministers including HE General Younes El Masry, Minister …

UL Hospitals staff have joined forces with An Gardai Siochana, Rape Crisis Mid-West, Adapt House, Clare Haven and Ascend Services as part of the international campaign 16 Days of Action Opposing Violence Against Women. The global 16 day campaign on the UN Day opposing Violence against Women, runs until December 10. The campaign links actions in Ireland to global action on violence against women. Violence against women is embedded as one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which the international community have signed up to in order to address global problems of poverty and inequality. Organisations in Clare, Ireland and around the world are running a range of activities to raise awareness about issues of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. As part of the campaign, the Medical Social Work (MSW) Team at UL Hospitals invited staff, partner organisations and members of the public to their annual event at UHL on Monday, November 26. The event was launched followed by a …