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People with disabilities or reduced mobility can now fully enjoy everything the Cliffs of Moher Experience in County Clare has to offer courtesy of two electric buggies.  Operated by trained staff, the Burren Buggy and Wild Atlantic Shuttle provide visitors with a guided tour of Ireland’s most visited natural attraction from the viewing platforms overlooking the majestic cliffs to the iconic 19th century O’Brien’s Tower. “The Lifts of Moher are proving to be hugely popular, particularly for individuals with mobility issues, those with disabilities, the elderly, their families and carers,” explained Geraldine Enright, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience. She continued, “This service is offered to those who are in need and the beauty of the experience is that users get to see and learn about the Cliffs in a way that they wouldn’t have otherwise.” “The buggies are electric in keeping with our sustainability ethos and are widely accepted by onlookers recognising the care and service offered by the Cliffs …

WATER Safety Clare (WSC) is working closely with the Irish Coast Guard, the Gardai and other groups to develop an early response support system along the Clare coastline. The initiative was announced by WSC chairman, Patrick O’Grady at the opening of the new €120,000 Lahinch Rescue and Training Centre, which will be used as a base by volunteers to provide support for community response groups. Clare LEADER provided a grant of €50,000, another charitable organisation provided €30,000 and the remainder was raised through fundraising. Procedures are being put in place that adhere to best practice for the safety and training of local volunteers from this new centre. Since the 1940s, WSC has worked to promote swimming and basic rescue techniques as life skills throughout the county. “Initial attempts to develop this Lahinch project were made in 1992. Unfortunately, the necessary support was not there to support these early efforts,” Mr O’Grady outlined. “Fortunately, this changed in recent years, at a …

THE TRANSFER of Shannon Heritage’s Clare sites into the ownership of the local authority cannot proceed without a funding package from government, Council members have been reminded.  At the July meeting of Clare County Council, CEO Pat Dowling said that while intensive work is ongoing on the matter, a decision is still awaited on vital financial support.  A written response to a motion tabled by Councillor Pat McMahon also noted that “the ambiguity surrounding Shannon Heritage ownership is having a negative influence on operations and the morale of the 170 no. employees”. Councillor McMahon’s motion urged the Council to look at opportunities to spread the benefits of Clare’s tourism product, in light of the transfer moves.  “We could explore something like the ‘Ring of Clare’ to bring people right through county,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “We could also hold a competition on branding and invite submissions from schools.” The Shannon area member also noted the lack of hotel beds …

CLARE fans planning on heading to Copper Face Jacks: The Musical at University Concert Hall Limerick are being urged to don the Saffron and Blue on opening night this week. UCH is encouraging the audience members to wear their county colours on Tuesday July 26 for the show starting at 8pm and with the production being in Limerick, fans of the All-Ireland champions will no doubt need little encouragement. “While much of our audience will be supporting the Limerick hurling team in the green and white, we are encouraging jerseys and county colours from every county,” said a spokesperson for UCH. They explained the storyline of the show, written by the renowned Paul Howard, lends itself to the GAA celebrations currently taking place. “This comedy musical is about love blossoming on the eve of a Dublin v Kerry All-Ireland Final, when a sweet Kerry girl ends up falling for the Captain of the Dublin football team in the famous Copper Face Jacks nightclub in Dublin.” …

NUMEROUS destinations in Spain and Malta are proving popular with almost 40,000 people expected to travel through Shannon Airport this August Bank Holiday weekend. The figure is indicative of the continued resurgence in airport traffic, representing 87% of the numbers that travelled for the same period in 2019. Sunny locations like Malaga, the Canary Islands, Alicante, Barcelona and Malta are popular this weekend, while those looking for a city break are jetting off to the likes of London, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Marseille on last-minute getaways. Shannon Airport’s Operations and Commercial Director, Niall Maloney said: “We are delighted to welcome passengers through the airport this weekend and can see the demand out there for those well-deserved breaks. This is the largest number of passengers for this period in three years. “We are focused on making travel as easy as possible for our passengers and growing their travel options from Shannon Airport. In addition to our popular traditional routes, we have a …

AN apartment building in the centre of Ennis was evacuated this afternoon following a fire. The blaze was reported at around 12.45pm in a ground floor apartment at Bindon Lane off Bank Place. Two units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the call along with Gardaí and National Ambulance Service paramedics. The response was mobilised by controllers at the Munster Regional Fire Control Centre in Limerick. On arrival, fire crews found a fire in the bedroom of a ground floor apartment. Firefighters quickly began tackling the blaze while other personnel commenced evacuation procedures knocking on apartment doors to alert residents. It was soon established that almost all residents made their own way to an assembly point after they followed the building’s own evacuation procedures when the fire alarm was activated. Fire crews found one elderly man in his apartment and helped him to safety. The man was assessed by ambulance paramedics and was found …

A JURY has returned not guilty verdicts at the trial of a Ballyea man charged in connection with a €50,000 drugs seizure in Clare. At Ennis circuit court, Benedict Brady (59) was found not guilty, by unanimous verdict, of the three charges against him. The charges arose from a garda search carried out in a wooded area of the Carnelly house estate near Clarecastle in April 16, 2021. Cannabis worth just over €50,000 was recovered during the operation. Mr Brady, with an address at Tiermaclane, Ballyea, pleaded not guilty to three charges: possession of cannabis; possession of cannabis for sale or supply; possession of cannabis for sale or supply at a time when the market value of the the drugs amounted to €13,000 or more. Mr Brady was one of two men arrested at the time of the raid. The other man, Paul Collopy (46), with an address at Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis and originally from Limerick, pleaded guilty earlier …

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD, has called on the public to follow water safety advice and to recognise the importance of adhering with some basic precautions in ensuring that any water-based recreation is enjoyed to its fullest. The minister’s appeal comes on world drowning prevention day, July 25, and in the wake of a number of recent tragedies, including one in county Clare The Minister stated that “too many people have suffered from the personal tragedy of lives lost owing to drowning accidents. We all have a role to play be it on the water or on the coast in practising some basic safety measures”. The Minister has joined the Irish Coast Guard in appealing to the public to follow water safety advice and above all else to be attentive to their own personal safety. The Irish Coast Guard is supporting this year’s campaign from Irish Water Safety which asks the public to ‘Do …