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THOUSANDS of people from all over the Mid-West will flock to participate in and watch competitions to mark the 30th annual South-East Clare Show at Bridgetown Showgrounds on Sunday, July 24. Some new additional activities have been introduced for families, children and patrons both in the leisure and competitive capacity as the Show celebrates three decades. With a total prize fund of €20,000 and more than 2,500 equestrian, cattle and horticultural entries expected, the 2022 Show will draw thousands of people to watch feature classes such as Champion of Champions in the Limousin Pedigree Cattle and a newly introduced Angus Section. According to the organisers, this show will provide a guaranteed enjoyable day out for families and their friends. The Show has once again chosen Milford Care Centre as its charity of choice, and the committee looks forward to presenting a donation after this eagerly-awaited event, considering Milford touches the hearts of so many people. The Show is chosen venue …

HOUSING dominated debate at the July meeting of the local authority, with members resolving to write to Minister Darragh O’Brien, asking him to declare a housing emergency.  A motion from Councillor Donna McGettigan called on the minister to “introduce an immediate moratorium on evictions” for a period of three months, and to increase income thresholds for social housing support.  “I saw this motion being passed by Limerick City and County Council and brought it here,” she said. “This is now an issue affecting all social classes. There are just 13 properties available online to rent long-term in Clare. A two-bed apartment will cost €1,000 a month and that’s just not affordable. We are increasingly seeing families having to take in family members and couch surfing is the norm.” The Sinn Féin member accepted that local authority staff are doing their best and she urged her Council colleagues to write to the minister seeking more support.  “The homeless action team are …

THE €6 million redevelopment of Lahinch Leisure Centre will attract thousands of visitors to this North Clare hotspot and create in the region of 100 jobs. That was the confident prediction of Rural and Community Minister Heather Humphreys before she officially unveiled the new state-of-the-art leisure facility this week. Minister Humphreys said the spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean from the centre reminded her of Seamus Haney’s poem Postscript where he urged people to drive out West to the Flaggy Shore. As part of the government’s Our Rural Future, she outlined old buildings were receiving a new lease of life to regenerate rural towns and villages. In February 2019, she recalled the centre secured €2.9 million from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund, which was one of the first in the country to receive money from this fund and also received €250,000 from the LEADER programme. Funding from the RRDF also provided improvement for the public realm, car park, promenade and …

PARISH priest Father Arnie Rosney is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his ordination, with a silver jubilee mass at Ss John & Paul Church on Saturday evening at 6.30pm, followed by a parish reception at the Oakwood Hotel. Entering the priesthood is a major commitment, opening the door to one way of life while closing other doors, and as Father Arnie made his way through Maynooth in the early to mid 90s, he increasingly realised that it was for him. “I’m not sure it (becoming a priest) was something I always wanted to do, but I always thought it was something worthwhile doing. I saw it as a good way to spend my life. “When I was going through Maynooth I never expected to see the whole thing through, I never expected that. But as you went up along and got closer to it, you got more settled into it and you suddenly realise this way of life is for …

Derek Dormer speaks with Clare’s joint coaches and joint captains ahead of their All-Ireland junior camogie semi-final against Antrim tomorrow afternoon Clare have been here before at this penultimate stage of the competition, 60 plus minutes away from the Final. On Saturday they will face into their third semi-final in a row so does that change the approach in any way? The management team of Conor Dolan and John Carmody feel that semi-finals are all about winning no matter what, it’s just about getting over the line. (Conor Dolan): “It’s the worst game ever to lose in any sport, losing a semi-final is horrible, you’re sixty minutes away from Croke Park and the occasion of an All-Ireland Final with all the fanfare that goes with it. Lose the semi-final and all you’ll have is regrets but win and you’ll be playing in the Mecca of hurling and have memories that will last a lifetime’ (John Carmody): “For me the way …

Ballyea begin the defence of their crown as favourites to retain the Canon Hamilton Cup. Eoin Brennan breaks down the senior groupings ahead of the opening weekend   Group 1 – Newmarket-on-Fergus, Feakle, Whitegate, Clonlara, Sixmilebridge Considering that four of these teams have contested at least the last four stage in the past six years along with a Whitegate side off the back of their most encouraging senior championship campaign to date, it’s a pool made all the more perilous by the fact that only two will emerge unscathed to the knock-out stages. All five will legitimately feel that they can negotiate their passage to the last eight. However, the frontrunners will undoubtedly be Sixmilebridge who have consistently appeared in the business end in six of the last seven seasons with a little matter of four Canon Hamilton titles emanating from that rich period. Their neighbours Newmarket-on-Fergus, meanwhile, who are the seeded team after soaring to last year’s semi-finals, seemed …

St Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games held their Annual County Athletic Finals on Saturday in glorious sunshine in John O’Sullivan Park, Lees Road, Ennis, writes Mary Phelan. Over 600 children from 24 areas across the county participated in Relays and Track and Field events. At the opening ceremony, where all the competitors and their mentors assembled on the track, Chairperson Paula Byrne O’Connell welcomed everyone to the first proper County Athletic Finals in three years. She welcomed Mayor of Clare Tony O’Brien, President of Clare Community Games Mrs Cecilia O’Sullivan, the County executive committee, all the volunteers at area and county level who give so much time and energy for the children of Clare. Without these volunteers there would be no community games. She thanked Clare County Council and the caretaker at John O’Sullivan Park for the wonderful facility to host the finals. She also thanked the parents and children for turning up on such a warm day. She …

While there was plenty of debate and in-depth discussion over a 90 minute period centred around the 17 rule change motions brought to the recent Clare District Soccer League (CDSL) AGM, the only vote of the night was taken for Connolly Celtic’s proposal to amend Rule 47 (d) regarding the allocation of points for repeated walkovers. In essence, it was a reversion to the rule that had been in situ up to last year’s AGM where if a team fails to fulfil a fixture, the three points would automatically be given to the disappointed team, except when a team has played less than half its scheduled matches, then its record shall be deleted completely. Rhine Rovers were successful in their amendment to the 2021 convention that ‘if a club failed to fulfil a second fixture at any stage of the same season, it’s record for that season shall be expunged and all remaining teams in the division shall be awarded …