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Clare County Council has appointed an acting director of services to co-ordinate the local authority’s response to the Ukraine crisis. Jason Murphy has been made Acting Director of Services (International Protection – Ukrainian Response) to strengthen the Council’s response to the current crisis by providing a focal point through a new, dedicated team. A spokesperson for the Council said it has played an integral role in the State’s response to the Ukrainian crisis thus far and this appointment was meant to consolidate that. “To date, we have worked with our communities and State agencies in the initial phase of this response. We are now taking steps to consolidate our approach and provide a coordination and activation role for services,” said the spokesperson. Reporting to the Chief Executive of Clare County Council, the role will specifically involve working with various partners such as the Community Response Forum, NGOs and agencies. Speaking about his appointment, Mr Murphy acknowledged “the crisis experienced by …

The Cumann na mBunscoil finals brought a riot of colour and excitement to venues in Ennis and west Clare recently. The Champion photographers were on hand, along with reporters to record the action and we present more of it here. If you like what you see in any of these galleries you can purchase pictures by contacting calling 065 6864150 or emailing sales@clarechampion.ie To see our full collection please visit: https://photos.clarechampion.ie/archive/ Photographs can be purchased via the above link. You can also contact us via Facebook.    

SHANNON Musical Society has announced plans to hold what will be its first show since 2020 on the week of February 12-18 of next year. The Society’s production will be Little Shop of Horrors, which it had planned to perform some months ago but decided to cancel due to continuing concerns about Covid-19. Director of the show will be Aodán Fox and he said they are looking forward to getting down to business once more. “Basically the new committee was elected and they decided that they’d continue with Little Shop of Horrors, which we were supposed to do in February just gone. “We’ve a slightly new production team in that our musical directors Carmel Griffin has stepped down and Shane Farrell is our new Musical Director. “Shane is from the Tuam area and he’d be well known from Operation Transformation. He’s just after winning a national AIMS award as best musical director for a production of Little Shop of Horrors …

BALLINA Killaloe Local Radio has announced the release of a new app to access the online station’s content. Ronan Ryan, the DJ behind the new app, believes this initiative will allow listeners to be entertained on the move while they also keep up to date on a variety of subjects. The app will be available free in Google Play and the iTunes App Store, allowing users who download it to listen to music around the clock, non-stop. It was created to include push notification functionalities, which allows users to be notified when their favourite show or DJ is broadcasting live. Aside from the basic radio functions, the app will also allow listeners to check out DJ profiles and learn more about them. Listeners will also be able to create an account for the app and check out the programme schedule to see what shows are the most appealing for them. The live chat feature will allow radio users to discuss …

A LIFETIME navigating Irish waterways and bringing their history to light was celebrated recently at the launch of a new collection of work by the late Brian J Goggin. Family members and friends of Mr Goggin worked together to publish a new 554-page book – Waterways and Means – a selection of his researched essays on the history of Ireland’s waterways. Speaking at the official launch of this new publication in Flanagan’s Bar, Ballina, Killaloe Ballina Historical Society chairperson, Arlene White, admitted the nine-panel waterways history tour of the two twin communities, which is now promoted on a local app, would never have come to fruition without Brian’s great input and support. Following the establishment of the Killaloe Ballina Historical Society in August 2017, Arlene recalled Brian was suggested as a guest speaker. During a subsequent discussion about a possible date, Arlene joked Brian had charmed her straight away after revealing that he could only confirm his availability once his …

CLAIMS that people have been seen injecting “in broad daylight” as well as “public urination and worse” in an Ennis lane-way have led residents to petition for the closure of a right of way. The concerns of residents of Dalcassian Park and Upper Turnpike Road were relayed at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where it was alleged that anti-social behaviour has been on the increase at the lane-way since a change in management at the Laurel Lodge hostel. According to Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy 62 out of 67 households closest to the lane-way to the rear of the Turnpike Road have signed the petition urging the council to extinguish the public right of way. She outlined that residents have experienced “ongoing intimidation”, detailing an incident where gardaí had to be called to deal with a number of men drunk and disorderly in the lane. “This is a very settled community with a lot of older people and they …

Clare County Council has partnered with the University of Limerick (UL) to sponsor a new PhD Scholarship Programme at the Cliffs of Moher Experience. Working with UL’s National Centre For Tourism Policy Studies (NCTPS) and The Kemmy Business School, Ireland’s most visited natural attraction this week welcomed the sponsored PhD student Ernesto Sanchez as part of the tourism research project he will undertake over the next four years.  The structured PhD programme will focus challenges and opportunities of responding to a paradigm shift in the tourism marketplace, including visitor experience, sustainable tourism, destination and visitor management and the role of technology in shaping tourism.  “This programme represents an excellent opportunity to collaborate with the University of Limerick in generating important research that will help to define and shape the future of tourism in Clare,” commented Geraldine Enright, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience. Ms. Enright added, “In addition to providing Ernesto a monetary sum to support his academic studies and research, the scholarship …

THE decline in vocations and the number of priests in the Killaloe Diocese has inspired a pastoral worker to write a new book outlining the need for more lay people to complete clerical duties. “Community at Heart” – who will bury our dead?” examines past community and traditions in the catholic church, current reality, future possibilities and guidelines for pastoral councils. It will be officially launched by well known author, David Rice in the Killaloe Hotel and spa on July 1. Marie O’Connell has been a pastoral worker in the Diocese of Killaloe, a choir member, a dancer in an all-girl troupe, and a voice for women. The University of Limerick administrator says she does her best writing in cafes, on park benches, on any beach, and at home in Ballina/Killaloe. The mother-of-three believes it will not be long before a priest will not be available to attend funerals, so who will? “Priests can’t be everything to everyone all of …