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MNÁ Ag Gaire (MAGs) Women’s Shed has confirmed that, with support from the Clare County Council and Haven Horizons, it will now be providing activities to help the displaced Ukrainians living in Ennis. MAGs will be partnering with Clare Immigration Support Centre; Limerick-Clare Education and Training Board and other volunteers in creating this new enterprise, the Ukrainian Community Hub. Existing services by these agencies and MAGs will continue alongside of this new project for Ukrainians. A spokesperson for MAGs explains that activities will include; assistance with immigration issues; members of Ukrainian community to meet; English classes; providing a place for the displaced to meet, converse, etc; Ukrainian women setting up a shop for needed items such as necessities, etc and other skill share programmes in conjunction with Clare Haven. “The need to meet the Ukrainian emergency is great. Our facility for MAGs offers many opportunities to meet those needs. “In concert with the Clare Immigration Support Centre, Haven Horizons and …

A TOTAL of 1,264 houses were sold at market value in Clare last year, according to figures from the CSO, with an average price of almost €217,000, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. The average price increased by €26,000 compared to 2020, with the market soaring in Clare. The median price (half buyers paid more and half less than this figure) is sometimes seen as a better barometer of affordability and it was €195,000 in 2021, up by €10,000 on the 2020 figure. With the market very strong again, it is a huge contrast from the recession years. Over €274 million was spent on market-value transactions in Clare last year, compared to just €62.5 back in 2011. The mean sale price in Clare in 2014 was less than €114,000, not much more than 50% of last year’s figure. Auctioneer Diarmuid McMahon said that there is very little stock available within Clare, and with remote workers moving here, there …

A VARIETY of mouth-watering events have been unveiled for the 2022 Burren Slow Food Festival this month. Slow Food Clare’s eclectic programme for this year’s event which takes place over the weekend of Friday, May 20 to Sunday May 22 will comprise tastings, talks, markets, a banquet and more besides. However, if you haven’t already got a ticket for Friday’s festival-opening seafood supper on Inis Oirr, you’ll have to wait for next year as it is sold out. On Saturday, May 21, the Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna will host the annual farmers’ market and showcase, the 2022 theme of which is dedicated to raising awareness about the concept of “GEOfood”. GEOfood is an international brand for food produced in UNESCO Global Geoparks (www.geofood.no). Sara Gentilini, inventor of the GEOfood initiative and project manager at MAGMA UNESCO Global Geopark in Norway, will join Deirdre O’Shea, Head of Tourism Clare County Council and Birgitta Hedin-Curtin, Slow Food Clare and the Burren Smokehouse, by video link …

A mother has described as “pure evil” the actions of a woman who stole from and desecrated her daughter’s grave on three separate occasions. At Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Kirsty Donnellan told the court that she was “in a state of shock, anger and despair” when finding that her daughter, Scarlett’s grave had been desecrated in May 2020. Ms Donnellan said that to have someone disturb your child’s grave and steal items from it is “the most hideous crime one could ever be a victim of”. During the course of her victim impact statement, the mother of three told the court that eldest daughter, Scarlett (17) had died just 20 months prior to the thefts from her grave at Tulla graveyard. Concerning the grave thefts, Mairead O’Sullivan (41) has entered 18 separate guilty pleas concerning charges of stealing goods with a combined value of €597.50 from graves at cemeteries at Drumcliffe and Templemaley outside Ennis and also from Tulla cemetery. There are 14 victims in the case as …

Having soared to Munster Final managerial success over Clare in 2017, Sunday’s defeat cut deep for Kieran Kingston as it was Cork’s third successive big-match reverse. The criticism of August’s All-Ireland Final pummelling at the hands of Limerick had been sated somewhat by a hugely positive National league campaign. However, the wheels came off in the final against Waterford and that malaise has extended into the championship as Limerick and Clare have realistically put paid to the Rebels’ hopes of advancing to this years All-Ireland series. “We came into the game in control of our own destiny and after today we lose that control so it goes without saying that it was massively disappointing.” Began the Cork manager in the adjoining dressing room in Thurles immediately afterwards. “We had a very bad start, we were playing into the breeze in the first half and I think we were really nervous for the first 20 or 25 minutes and made some …

PRACTICAL demonstrations of the benefits of some of the latest advancements in antenatal education and neonatal care will form part of International Day of the Midwife celebrations in the regional maternity hospital this Thursday. University Maternity Hospital Limerick is issuing commemorative birth certificates to the mums of all babies born in UMHL on May 5 to mark the day which celebrates a century of continual progress in maternal and child care through quality midwifery. The day is acelebration which has the theme of ‘100 Years Of Progress’, and also encourages all members of the global community of midwives to advocate for investment in quality midwifery care around the world, improving sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health in the process. Midwives from UMHL will also be participating in the National Midwifery Conference, ‘Coming Together to Showcase and Celebrate’, which is hosted by the National Women & Infant Health Programme and Office of Nurse & Midwifery Service Directorate. The national …

There were no exceedances for pesticides in the public drinking water supplies in Clare in 2021, according to Irish Water. However, the utility is urging domestic gardeners, farmers, grounds keepers and other users of pesticide products to consider the environment and whether pesticide use is necessary in the first instance. MCPA is still the most commonly detected pesticide in drinking water sources and is present in many commonly used herbicide products used to control thistles, docks and rushes. However it often ends up in drinking water supplies. Irish Water is asking users of any herbicide or pesticide products in Clare to consider the vulnerability of the water supplies to pesticide contamination and the importance of these supplies to the local homes and businesses in the community. Deirdre O’ Loughlin, Irish Water’s Regional Drinking Water Compliance Specialist said: “In Clare, there have been no exceedances for pesticides in the past year which is good news. “While our consultation with the HSE …

SHANNON Tidy Towns carried out a litter pick in conjunction with the An Taisce National Spring Clean recently which enjoyed a high level of community engagement. Derek Clune of the Tidy Towns said it had gone very well and there had been a good level of support. “It was a great day, an enjoyable day. I’d say we had around 50 people, maybe a few more. There were people from different parts of the town and a group of Ukrainian people came out as well. “We met at the Town Park and from there we headed out north, south, east and west for two hours. Over the course of it we collected 35 bags of rubbish. “We came back again to the band stand and had some refreshments, we had tea, coffee and some cakes and biscuits. “It was a great day, an enjoyable day and it was a successful day that we got that much rubbish collected off the …