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A PACKED Cooraclare Hall witnessed renowned historian and author, Eoin Shanahan, formally launch the booklet on the War of Independence in West Clare last week. Mr Shanahan described the booklet as a lasting tribute to the men and women who had made a significant contribution to sovereign independence. He praised the members of the area committees who had organised commemoration events in 2021 and had contributed articles to the booklet. The launch had a very poignant moment when two young boys, Rory Shanahan, great grandnephew of activist Willie Shanahan, and Conor Larkin, grandson of JT Larkin, lit the commemoration candle to the memory of all volunteers from every townland and district in west Clare. A minute’s silence was observed and this was followed by a moving rendition of ‘Mise Éire’ by Conor and Gráinne Fennell. A well-deserved standing ovation was accorded to the commemoration chairman, JT Larkin, for overseeing 16 separate commemoration events across west Clare. Mr Larkin said that …

LANDOWNERS along the route of the proposed Greenway from Scariff/Tuamgraney to Limerick are being given an assurance that the development will follow best practice guidelines on consultation. Following a briefing for Oireachtas members last Tuesday, Deputy Michael McNamara said that a code of practice, which has been drawn up in conjunction with several stakeholders, including farming representative bodies, will be followed. “Waterways Ireland have stated that they will be using the code for the development of greenways,” he said. “That provides a reassurance that landowner concerns will be given due consideration at every stage in this development. The Scariff to Limerick Greenway is a very exciting project. I’m delighted that it is now progressing and that community consultation is currently underway. I pushed, in particular for the development of the Errina Canal element during my previous term as a TD.” The Scariff man also expressed hopes that potential issues in the area of Parteen Weir could be addressed, through negotiation …

A GROUP of Ennis women are certainly on the ball when it comes to pitching in to raise funds for a local charity. Soccer Sisters Ennis, a newly established social soccer team based in the county capital, recently set out on a fundraising climb in aid of Clare Haven Services. Last weekend they took on the challenge of climbing the 12 O’Clock Hills in an event dubbed the ‘Hike for Haven’. So far they have raised over €2,600 for the local charity, with more donations still being accepted. Laura Thompson of Soccer Sisters tells us they have been “blown away” by the level of support they have received in raising funds for Clare Haven. “We see ourselves as very much a community team and we decided that we wanted to do something to mark international women’s day so we thought about helping to raise funds for an organisation that supports local women. “We were so excited to get on board …

NO part of Clare has less than 89% of its population vaccinated, according to the Central Statistics Office, but the level of people who have taken boosters is far lower. West Clare has the highest level of vaccination in the county, with more than 95.8% of people aged 12 or over there having taken it. The Ennistymon, Killaloe and Ennis Municipal Districts all had vaccination rates of between 93.6 and 94.7%. The Shannon Municipal District had the lowest level of vaccination in Clare, with approximately 90% of people there vaccinated. Of those who got fully vaccinated in the Ennistymon Municipal District, 69% went on to get boosted also. The Kilrush Municipal District is just behind at 68%, in Ennis and Killaloe the figure is 66%, while in the Shannon Municipal District it is 65%. All this shows that over one third of Clare people have not taken boosters, for one reason or another. Across the country in 90% of Municipal …

Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 3 Clare 0-28 Cork 2-20 Clare’s 2021 revenge tour soared to new heights in FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon when producing another stirring championship display to hold off Cork on their way to protecting their perfect start, writes Eoin Brennan. Having been edged out by Tipperary and Cork to exit both the Munster and All-Ireland Championships respectively last year, the Banner lowered both decisively in the space of seven days to effectively secure a place in the All-Ireland series at a minimum. What was most impressive was Clare’s ability to demonstrate every facet of their character when first blitzing the Rebels to soar eleven points clear by the 28th minute before having to show their teeth when reduced to 14 men for the final 20 minutes to keep a resurgent Cork at arm’s length. There were so many heroes that it was difficult to single any out but the mastery of captain Tony Kelly, …

With Cooraclare having shaded the verdict over Kilrush by a point on Friday evening, Eoin Brennan previews the rest of the Cusack and Garry Cup action which takes place tomorrow Cusack Cup Round 4 Ennistymon v Kilmurry Ibrickane at Ennistymon, Monday 11.30am (Jim Hickey, Cratloe) Fresh from Monday’s, sorry Tuesday’s senior football championship draw, Group 3 comes into sharp focus on Monday when first Ennistymon host last year’s finalists Kilmurry Ibrickane while Clondegad travel to Doonbeg. Of course, without their county contingents, it’s not a true barometer but it’s still adds bite to an already significant fixture as Ennistymon require a third victory to keep in touch for the knock-out places while the ‘Bricks, eight-in-a-row Cusack Cup champions as recently as 2018, are scrambling to avoid relegation alongside county champions Éire Óg. Doonbeg v Clondegad at Shanahan McNamara Memorial Park Doonbeg, Monday 2pm (John O’Connell, Cooraclare) Another Group 3 sighter for the summer but hopefully these next two clashes surpass …

LEAKAGE issues are set to be water under the bridge in central Ennis according to Irish Water as the town gets ready for a makeover. With Clare County Council due to progress with the town’s public realm enhancement project, Irish Water is set to commence vital infrastructure upgrades ahead of these improvements. Before all that works gets underway, Irish Water will replace aged watermains at High Street, Bank Place, O’Connell Square and O’Connell Street, with the aim of providing a more reliable water supply, reducing high levels of leakage and improving water quality. The works, being carried out as part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme, involve the replacement of over 680m of aged cast iron watermains with new modern pipes and is a continuation of the works completed on Parnell Street in 2019. The programme to replace the watermains is due to commence in mid-May. The section of works will take place from High Street through O’Connell Square/Bank …

DESPAIRING farmers are struggling to bear the brunt of rising costs, an East Clare dairy organisation representative has said. Clare Chair of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon has condemned a lack of action on the part of the government to address the issue. The O’Callaghan’s Mills man said farmers “are on the point of despair” waiting for measures to offset rocketing fertiliser costs. Mr McMahon pointed out that it is now two months since Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue indicated that consideration would be being given to some form of financial aid to farmers who have been hit by a quadrupling of fertiliser costs. He said the government’s passivity on the matter made a very stark contrast to the urgency shown by other EU member states, with notably less developed agri-sectors. Referring to Poland’s announcement, in recent weeks, that the European Commission had approved of a €836 million subsidy scheme for farmers under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, the well-known farmer’s …