Breaking News

TWO Clare women will be hoping to help Ireland’s volleyball team to victory in a European Qualifier round robin series in Iceland this weekend. Caitríona Ní Riordáin and Amy O’Sullivan, both from Ennis, will play the first of the qualifiers tonight against The Faroe Islands at 9pm. Ireland face three countries over three consecutive days. Following this evening’s Faroe Islands game, they play host nation, Iceland, at 3pm Saturday and the concluding match is against neighbours, Scotland on Sunday also at 3pm. Caitriona plays as a libero and Amy is an outside hitter. They both play for club, Munster Thunder. Amy has recently featured for the Ireland U19s who picked up silver in the recent CEV Small Countries Association Championships and now makes the step up to the senior team. The matches can be viewed on the following YouTube channel, or you can type BLÍ – Blaksamband Íslands into YouTube.

PROTESTS are being planned to highlight the state of local health services, particularly the situation at the region’s main hospital where the number being treated on trolleys frequently exceeds 100 people daily. The Mid-West Hospital campaign is organising a day of action starting at the former Debenhams store in Limerick this Saturday at 1pm. The following Saturday, May 21, at 2pm there will be a protest at the Square in Ennis. A former election candidate for Sinn Féin, Noeleen Moran said the Mid-West Hospital campaign is not aligned with any party, and wants to get support from across the community. “It goes back to 2019, we had the first public meeting in the Old Ground. There’s a mixture of people from all political parties and none, and trade unions are supporting it too. “It started because of the level of overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, there was a need to do something. “Marie McMahon was one of the founding members, …

Clare county board has said no-one connected in any capacity with it or the senior hurling camp attempted to lobby the central hearings committee on Ian Galvin’s behalf. Galvin’s appeal against the controversial red card he received against Cork was due to be heard on Monday, but it was deferred amid claims that members of the committee had been lobbied with a view to influencing the case. The committee has since imposed a one-match suspension on Galvin, who will now miss Sunday’s Munster SHC clash with All-Ireland champions Limerick in Ennis. Galvin was contesting his red card against Cork last Sunday week, in a case originally due to be heard last Monday night only to be delayed in controversial circumstances for three days. On Wednesday Clare County Board chairman Kieran Keating said that no one connected with the board had made any attempt to influence the proceedings. “It wasn’t anyone on our executive or anyone connected with us. I don’t …

AN ASSURANCE has been issued on the delivery of the Killaloe Bypass and Shannon Bridge Crossing, against the backdrop of rising costs in the construction industry.  The matter was raised at Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council on foot of the monthly Management Report. Councillor Pat Burke noted a paragraph referring to the “inflationary cost of building projects” and sought an assurance that the multi-million bridge and bypass are on track. “There is a little bit of concern on the ground,” the Fine Gael member noted.  Senior Engineer at the Project Management Office, Seán Lenihan agreed that there are a number of challenges facing big infrastructural projects. “Everybody knows about the pressures the construction industry is facing,” he said. “Our project is no different. This job was priced last August and we concluded negotiations with SISK. I would like to allay any fears. SISK have not withdrawn. The department has not withdrawn any funding. There are some genuine concerns over …

The Barn Owl was once a much more common sight throughout Clare but in recent years has suffered widespread decline. This summer, Birdwatch Ireland is conducting a survey of the barn owl population in Clare and is seeking the assistance of the public in its endeavours. Have you seen a Barn Owl, do you know of a potential Barn Owl nest site or have you installed a Barn Owl nest box in Clare? You can not report this information on Barn Owls in Clare to BirdWatch Ireland. Over recent decades, Barn Owl populations have suffered widespread declines and are now a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland. As a top predator and sentinel species for the health of our countryside, the declines in Barn Owl populations are extremely worrying. The intensification of agricultural practices has resulted in the loss of suitable Barn Owl habitats, including a reduction of prey-rich foraging habitat and nesting sites. Alongside these land use changes …

Avenue United moved to the summit of the Maloney Hardware Premier Division following a successful objection to the eligibility of a Sporting Ennistymon player. An objection from Avenue Utd that a Sporting Ennistymon player didn’t have an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) was upheld by the CDSL at a virtual meeting on Monday. The FAI became involved in this contentious matter. As a result of their successful objection, Avenue Utd get two extra points having drawn 1-1 with Sporting last month. The additional points move them to the top of the Premier Division, one ahead of holders Newmarket Celtic. Mountshannon Celtic lost 2-1 to Sporting Ennistymon as they were the first club to bring this issue to attention. They successfully appealed the result and were awarded all three points by the Munster FA. Ennis Town FC were also awarded two points having drawn with Sporting 3-3 last month. This sees them move to fifth position on the table ahead of last …

CLARE’S County Coroner is to write to the State’s national roads agency to highlight concerns over a motorway exit where a Crusheen publican and Glanbia milkman lost his life four years ago. At the inquest into the June 2018 death of Michael Fogarty (57), the man’s widow, Bridget asked that coroner Isobel O’Dea highlight the concerns raised by Judge Brian O’Callaghan in court over the exit where her husband died. At the conclusion of the inquest in Kilrush Courthouse, Mrs Fogarty said that very deliberate comments concerning “deficiencies at Exit 13” were made by Judge O’Callaghan at Ennis Circuit Court last December. The mother of three adult children aged 34, 30 and 26, Mrs Fogarty said that she was raising the matter of Judge O’Callaghan’s comments “in the public interest”. Ms O’Dea stated that she would write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to highlight the judge’s concerns. Mrs Fogarty agreed with Ms O’Dea when the coroner said “it doesn’t help …

A FUNDRAISER entitled Marching For The Maternities has raised over €27,000 for the neonatal intensive care units in Limerick and at the Coombe in Dublin. The fundraiser was the initiative of Sergeant Eddie O’Brien from Killaloe and Lieutenant Jonathan Hughes of Limerick both had children who were born very prematurely last year. The event saw soldiers complete the Great Limerick Run half marathon in uniform while carrying gear weighing 30 pounds, while colleagues based in Lebanon and Kosovo also took part in events at their bases. Eddie, whose son Max was born 12 weeks prematurely last October, said his little boy is doing very well now. “He’s doing great thank God, there’s no issues, he’s hitting all his markers and doing great, very healthy.” Max was born on October 1 instead of the due date of December 22, and spent ten weeks in hospital. Lieutenant Hughes’ daughter Daisy arrived at just 23 weeks, and Eddie says she is also quite …