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A BIRTHDAY party organised by an Ennis granny for her one-year-old grandson “had got out of control” by the time Gardai called to the family home close to midnight, a court has heard. At Ennis District Court,  Inspector David Finnerty told Judge Alec Gabbett that around 40 people were in attendance at Kathleen McDonagh’s (49) home at 21 Childers Road, Ennis at 11.50pm on February 15 last year when Gardai called. The country was under Covid-19 Level 5 lockdown at the time when a ban on the staging of house parties was one of a range of restrictions in place aimed at halting the spread of the virus. Judge Gabbett said to solicitor for Ms McDonagh, Tara Godfrey “did the 40 people get Covid-19 is the question?” In response, Ms Godfrey said: “I have no idea on that Judge and I haven’t any information about any difficulty or outbreak arising out of this gathering at all.” Ms Godfrey pointed to a …

WITH the county’s population having grown by over 7% in the last six years and gone up 40% since 1991, it’s hardly surprising that the existing housing stock is under serious pressure. Clearly there continues to be great demand for housing in Clare, with house prices here now higher than during the Celtic Tiger years, and with renters in many cases paying over €1,000 a month for a house. Enda Galvin of Galvin Construction said that there is a high level of demand. “We are currently building in Crusheen, we’ve commenced 29 homes there and got planning for 42 more. “We’re also building in Tulla, we’re building 17 homes there and have planning in for a further 36. In the next month or two we’re hoping to open a site and build homes in Shannon. We’re finding it very busy and there is a big demand.” He said that at the moment there is a shortage of sites in the …

THE asking price sought for houses in Clare has more than doubled since the lowest point of the crash, the latest property price report from Daft.ie shows. Its research showed that the average price for a property advertised on daft.ie in the second quarter of the year was €241,191. This was an increase of 5.2% on the first quarter of the year and of 14.2% on the second quarter of last year, while it is an increase of 101.7% on the lowest point of the crash. An average one-bed apartment in Clare now costs €99,000, 22.7% higher than it was in the second quarter of 2021. A two-bedroom terraced house typically costs €121,000, up by just over 20% year on year. A three-bedroom semi-detached house now costs on average €168,000, up 17% year on year, while a four-bed bungalow now costs €309,000, up 10%. A five-bedroom detached house now costs on average €325,000, up by 14% since the second quarter …

Additional psychological services will need to be provided for Ukrainian students in Clare schools when the trauma of the illegal invasion of their country really sets in. That’s the view of new Ennistymon Community School principal, Orla Conway, who believes more back-up services will have to be made available to help schools cope with the devastating impact of the war. “It is like a bereavement for them at the moment. They are numb. When reality sets in autumn and we start heading in to winter the trauma will come then. “That is when we will really need to be ready for this in schools in September, October and November. That is why having strong pastoral care systems in schools is so important. “We are all traumatised from the war. Children in schools already have a level of trauma post Covid-19, they may have lost loved ones and the fear it may happen again. The Ennistymon Electoral Division has the highest …

UPGRADING water and waste water infrastructure and implementing a new County Development Plan have been prioritised by the new West Clare Municipal District (MD) chairman, Councillor Shane Talty. The Lahinch postmaster said these two issues have to be viewed against the backdrop of a national housing crisis and the dramatic 70% increase in Clare’s population since 2011. He recalled Councillor P J Kelly has stated the County Development Plan is an impediment to the sustainable growth of rural communities. “From the Burren to Loop Head, our young people are facing impossible obstacles trying to build their own homes with their own resources. “They are dealing with issues such as visual impact, scenic routes, national roads and other reasons to prevent homes being built in the area. “I believe we must do everything in our power between now and next spring to ensure the new plan becomes an enabler for development for all communities, urban and rural, big and small. “Often …

IT WAS a soft day in North Clare when one of folklore’s most intriguing characters made his first public appearance at The Michael Cusack Centre. Banished from Ennistymon, even before he had been cast in bronze, the Púca roamed the rocky Burren until he found a cosy lair at Poll a Phúca in Carron. A public backlash against proposals to install the statue in Ennistymon, provided the opportunity to the operators of the Cusack Centre to offer an alternative home. While someone, or something, seemed to be playing puck with the weather last Saturday, the welcome for Aidan Harte’s sculpture could hardly have been warmer. The queue of cars bound for the official launch was matched only by the beeline of visitors eager to rub the creature’s toe and get a selfie with the now world-famous statue. Visitors were captivated by the piping of Blackie O’Connell as raindrops drummed their rhythm on the canopy of trees in the Púca’s shady …

FAMILY Carers Ireland in Clare has revealed there has been an increase in demand for its counselling service with carers “mentally and physically fatigued to the point of burnout”. According to David O’Connor, Family Carers Ireland Carer Supports Manager in Clare some carers do not even have the time to come in person to counselling sessions, instead using the service by phone. “That is how much pressure they are actually under, they are under huge amounts, and time is just such a finite resource. It just continues to add to their stress.” He believes more needs to be done to support carers, saying “joined up thinking” and a holistic approach is needed across all sectors including government, the HSE and Family Carers Ireland. A minimum amount of respite hours per month per family would go some way towards alleviating the strain on carers, he adds. He was speaking in light of recently released results of a study by researchers at …

COUNCILLOR Michael Begley is the new Cathaoirleach of the Shannon Municipal District, having been elected unopposed at Tuesday afternoon’s AGM. Sinn Féin’s Donna McGettigan was elected as Leas Cathaoirleach, also unopposed. After taking the Chair, Councillor Begley said that he hopes the Clonlara flood relief scheme will conclude in October or November, while he said he was looking forward to Town & Village renewal schemes being progressed in Drumgeely and Clonlara. He said that the Shannon Flood Defence scheme should not “be let fall through the cracks”, while he said the upgrade of the N19 is also important, particularly as the need for Shannon Airport to be used more extensively grows apparent. Councillor Begley said that while he wouldn’t be wishing misfortune on Dublin Airport, that people in Clare “won’t shed any tears if there are further problems”. He said he was glad to see the Shannon Masterplan being progressed, and that hopefully the One Shannon Hub will go through …