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HE has interviewed hundreds of people over more than 40 years, but a handful stand out for Eddie Lenihan, among them the late Jimmy Armstrong of Quin. Back in 1982 Eddie’s book Long Ago By Shannonside brought Jimmy’s stories to the public, and he has now published a revised addition with some extra chapters, entitled The Man In The Big House. Eddie visited Jimmy numerous times in the early 80s at Our Lady’s Hospital in Ennis, where he lived for years, although Eddie says it is highly dubious that a man like him should have been there at all. In the preface to The Man In The Big House Eddie writes of Jimmy’s delight when the original book came out as it showed he was in a place that he didn’t need to be. “This was proof, if proof were needed, that he was a man of sound mind.” Jimmy petitioned successive Ministers for Health for a review of his …

SAINT Francis Credit Union is contributing €4,000 to Clare Haven Services through its Social and Cultural Fund. The credit union embarked on the support as part of its community outreach and social engagement in the Clare area. The fund is designed to support non-profit organisations to a maximum of €4,000 and had a number of deserving applicants, such as Clare Haven Services. Speaking about the Social and Cultural Fund Louis Fay, CEO St Francis Credit Union, said, “Clare Haven Services is a well know support group in the Clare region, it is highly regarded within the community, and I know our members would be happy to support. “St Francis Credit Union is also non-profit organisation and is well aware of the importance of support from local business and communities throughout Co Clare. We look forward to seeing Clare Haven continue on with the incredible support they provide.” Dr Siobhán O’Connor, manager of Services, Clare Haven Services said: To be a …

As the closing date for entries for the ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022’ approaches, its emerged that Clare has the ninth highest number of nominations so far. More than 450 people have entered the competition from every county in Ireland and 20 of them have nominated various locations in County Clare. With the closing date of June 7 fast approaching, Cork leads the way on 80, Monaghan lies in second on 60 and Kerry in third on 49. Waterford is fourth on 38 while Dublin is next on 33 and Donegal has 31. Mayo is next on 27 just ahead of Galway on 26 with Clare and Wexford (10) rounding off the top ten. The ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland’ initiative was launched by The Irish Times in association with Fáilte Ireland as the country gears up for what promises to be the first ‘normal’ summer in three years. The competition last took place in 2013 with …

NEITHER the Ennis nor Shannon areas currently meet the required criteria for them to be designated Rent Pressure Zones, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has told the Dáil. Clare TD Cathal Crowe asked the Minister if he would consider a rollout of rent pressure zones to include centres such as the two Clare towns. Explaining how areas are deemed Rental Pressure Zones, the Minister outlined the specific criteria to achieve the designation. Firstly, if the information relating to the area, as determined by reference to the Residential Tenancies Board Rent Index quarterly report, shows that the annual rate of increase in the average rent for that area is more than 7% in each of at least four of the six quarters preceding the period immediately prior to the date of the Housing Agency’s proposal. Secondly, the average rent for the area in the last quarter, as determined by reference to the information used to compile each RTB Rent Index quarterly report, …

“Avenue are back,” exclaimed captain Dylan Casey as he held aloft the Clare Cup after a 2-1 victory over Newmarket Celtic broke the latter’s decade-long stranglehold in Frank Healy Park, Doora. First quarter goals through influential attacking duo Elias Kunz and Eoghan Thynne set the tone for a merited first cup crown for the storied Ennis club since 2011. Their composure and assurance throughout belied their relative inexperience albeit that the guile and inspiration of Avenue’s centre half partnership of captain Casey and Conor Mullen provided the rock-like foundation of their win. Newmarket did grab a spectacular goal from a curling Eoin Hayes free kick in the 95th minute but it was to be the last real act of an absorbing heavyweight contest. There had been some anxious moments and fightback too in Newmarket’s historic nine in a row (COVID accounting for the absence of a 2020 competition) but in truth, outside of that last gasp consolation goal, there wouldn’t …

Gardaí in Limerick have charged the man that was detained in relation to the searches under Operation Coronation, in conjunction with Operation Tara in Clare and Limerick on Friday, May 27. The man, aged in his 50s that was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, in Henry Street Garda Station has been charged in relation to the seizure and is due to appear before Limerick District Court this Monday morning at 10.30a.m. The female, aged in her 30s that was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, in Henry Street Garda Station has been released without charge and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigations ongoing.

THE lack of bags for dog waste or bins on the Shannon Estuary Loop is causing a problem, Councillor Pat O’Gorman told a recent meeting of Shannon Municipal District. At the meeting Councillor O’Gorman put forward a motion looking for bags and dog waste bins to be installed along the route. In a written reply Senior Executive Engineer Tom Mellett said, “Clare County Council currently operates a leave no trace policy. To this end additional waste bins are not encouraged. “Scoop bags are provided by our environment department and are available free of charge from the Shannon MD office upon request.” However, that did not satisfy Councillor O’Gorman. He said that even when people do pick up the waste, they have nowhere to go. “People will pick up the poo, but where do they put it after?” He said that in some cases they actually hang it on trees on the walk. Councillor O’Gorman said that in one case he …

BEFORE a sliotar was struck in the 2022 championship, an easy way to fill some space before any battle was joined was to do a round of the pundits, be they ex-players or ex-managers who have been there and done that, or the GAA hacks who actually do this thing for a living. See what they think. See what their expert predictions are from the hurling ditch, for good or for ill, and why. See what shall come to pass after all the ash has been clashed — not forgetting the bamboo too — and the dust of hurling’s late spring and high summer campaign has finally settled. What’s it to be lads, and lassies too as we’re well down the road to having gender quotas [and there’s nothing wrong with it] in the world of GAA punditry? Who will the movers and shakers be? Or, parsing it down to the bare facts, who is going to come out of …