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A DIGITAL tourism marketing campaign offering a five-day getaway break to County Clare attracted more than 34,000 entries from across the United States and Canada. Hosted by the Cliffs of Moher Experience and supported by Tourism Ireland, Aer Lingus and Clare tourism operators, the ‘Epic Trip’ competition targeted the North American market and reached an audience of 3.4 million people via Cliffs of Moher Experience social media channels. The winning couple, Peggy and Daniel Haukup from Wichita in Kansas, arrived in Ireland this Tuesday. Their prize includes Aer Lingus direct scheduled return flights from the USA with AVIS car hire and a five-night stay in County Clare with attractions and activities included. “The success of this digital marketing campaign is the result of a collaborative effort involving Aer Lingus and Tourism Ireland and is evidence that an inter-agency digital marketing campaign can be very effective at capturing a wider audience,” stated Geraldine Enright, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience. …

Clare’s run to an epic Munster final and to the All-Ireland semi-finals is reflected in a haul of eight nominees for the PwC All-Star Hurling awards of 2022. The Banner county has four defenders nominated in the shape of Ballyea’s Paul Flanagan, John Conlon of Clonlara, Cratloe’s Diarmuid Ryan and David McInerney of Tulla. Inagh Kilnamona’s David Fitzgerald and Clooney Quin’s Ryan Taylor are nominated in the midfield. While in the forward line Tony Kelly of Ballyea and Shane O’Donnell of Eire Og are in line for awards. Dating back to 1971, the All-Stars are selected by a team of GAA journalists from across print, radio, digital, tv and broadcast media. There will be two additional hurling selections honoured to cover outstanding players in the Joe McDonagh Cup and a Champion 15 from across the Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cup campaigns. The PwC All-Stars will be presented at a black-tie banquet in Dublin’s Convention Centre on Friday, October 28 shown …

STUDENTS across the county will have their fingers crossed this Thursday as the first round of CAO offers for college places are released. Among those are Ennis students Daniel Saunders and Emmanuela Moses who last week were delighted with their Leaving Certificate results. Daniel who was a student of Gaelcholáiste an Chláir is hoping to do an arts degree and study law at University of Galway. While Emmanuela of Ennis Community College has her heart set on Biotechnology at Maynooth University. Principal of both schools Brian O’Donoghue congratulated all of his students on the results of their exams, while reminding anybody disappointed that their school is there to offer support. “We are very proud of all of our students. Leaving Certificate results day is always a proud day for us all and we are delighted for all of our students.” He paid tribute to the hard work and dedication that the students have shown during a difficult two years due …

A MAN accused of assaulting his 74-year-old neighbour in an alleged unprovoked attack in Barefield last week has been granted bail. At Ennis district court this Wednesday, September 7, Ciaran Cullinan (32) was granted bail on conditions including that he reside at an address outside Clare. Cullinan, with an address at Curraderra, Barefield, appeared in court via video link from Limerick Prison where he has been on remand since his first court appearance on charges relating to alleged incidents at Curraderra, Barefield on September 3. After hearing this Wednesday’s bail application, Judge Patricia Cronin granted Cullinan bail subject to what she said are “serious conditions”. Cullinan was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear again in court on September 21. Cullinan’s application for bail was opposed by the State. In evidence, Garda Conor Langan said gardaí responded to a report of an alleged assault on a 74-year-old man in Barefield on the afternoon of September 3. The court …

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners from across the country ramped up their campaign against plans for a €450 million data centre in Ennis this week by handing in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Futureproof Clare’s appeal against the 10-year planning permission recently granted to Art Data Centres Ltd was submitted with the support of Ecojustice Ireland, Extinction Rebellion, and Friends of the Irish Environment. Air quality issues, water consumption, poor public consultation, public health impacts and climate and biodiversity impacts have been cited in Futureproof Clare’s opposition. Futureproof Clare together with Ecojustice Ireland are challenging the decision to grant permission on the following grounds: failure to adhere to Irish Statutory requirements, failure to have regard to relevant considerations, and failure to adhere to international and EU environmental law. Declan Owens, lawyer and chairperson of Ecojustice Ireland claimed that the site of the planned data centre would be “transformed into a further blight on the landscape” if the development goes ahead. The appeal …

A PERMANENT marker has been put in place in the townland of Killula, close to Shannon Airport, to commemorate a 1961 plane crash in which four people were killed. The crash happened early on the morning of January 27, 1961, when an air corps De Havilland DH.104 Dove crashed while on a training exercise. There were five people on board, four of whom were killed. A person involved in the preparations for Tuesday’s event said, “The air corps are laying a marker stone on a site where an Air Corps plane crashed in 1961, four people lost their lives in that crash, it was on the approach to Shannon, in a place called Killula, on the way in. “There was a temporary marker on the site but they’ve put on a permanent one, and they came down to do that on Tuesday.” He said that the crash saw the deaths of two air corps pilots and two air traffic control …

Colm Collins has been ratified for a tenth year as manager of the Clare senior footballers. The Kilmihil native is the longest serving manager of any one team in gaelic football with Mickey Harte working with the Tyrone footballers from 2003 until the culmination of the 2020 season before being appointed manager of Louth. At Tuesday night’s meeting of Clare GAA in Caherlohan, it was confirmed that Collins will be continuing as manager of the team. Clare reached the quarter-final stage of the All-Ireland series, losing out to Derry after a memorable come-from-behind win over Roscommon at GAA HQ. Although Clare fell to a heavy defeat to the Oak Leaf County, it was a positive year for Collins’ men as they qualified for the quarter-final stage for the second time in seven years. Under the Cratloe clubman Clare have risen from Division Four to Division Two, where they have competed since 2017. After losing a Munster Senior Football Championship quarter …

A YOUNG East Clare man, who runs a thriving beekeeping supplies shop, is a proof that it’s good advice to ‘bloom where you are planted’.   After his family moved from Holland to Tuamgraney, 23 years ago, Chris Jeuken, found his niche working with the skills and resources that nature gave him. He credits his father, Harry, an organic farmer, with inspiring him to be a self-starter. Chris moved from making and selling chicken coops, at the age of 14, to beekeeping and, most recently, to producing high-quality bee hives. His business, Apis Bee Supplies, which he started in 2017, as “a way to keep busy on wet days”, now boasts 2,000 customers nationwide. Chris admitted that adjusting to a new language and country, at the age of five, was a bit overwhelming. “Now it’s home,” he said. “There is less stress here and I like the friendliness and openness of the people, the greenness and the beauty.” Chris attended …