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Clare County Council took home a gold medal at the annual Community and Council Awards held in Dublin recently. The local authority won first place in the National Impact Award category for its Covid Heroes Award & Card Writing Initiative. A silver award was won in the Best Waste Management category for its Clare Waste Awareness Week initiative. The Council also took bronze awards in the Best Connected Council category for its Waterways Ireland Virtual Open Day; best disability access and inclusion category for its ‘Age Friendly Clare Digital Nursing Home Initiative’; Clare Fire Service was awarded in the Emergency Response Person/Team of the Year category. Announcing the Clare Covid Heroes initiative at the time, then Cathaoirleach Mary Howard said the idea was to provide recognition for people who have helped others, with no expectation of any reward. “This initiative is about celebrating the ‘everyday heroes’ all around us who have been quietly helping and supporting others during the past …

A judge has warned the parents of two ‘school shy’ children that she will send both to jail unless their children have a 100 per cent attendance record in school from now on. In one case, a 15-year-old girl has not attended school at all in the current school year while her 11-year-old brother has missed 80 out of 117 school days. At Kilrush District Court, Judge Mary Larkin was told that the girl’s mother informed a TUSLA Education Welfare Officer that her daughter wasn’t attending school because ‘she didn’t like it’ and suffers from ‘anxiety’. The TUSLA Education Welfare Officer said that the 11-year-old boy wasn’t attending school because of ‘headaches’ and that he was being bullied at school but she stated that there was no evidence to support the bullying claim. Judge Larkin said that the anxiety explanation for the 15-year-old girl “has been pulled out of the bag today at the very last minute in the heel …

Munster Minor Football Championship Round 1 Clare 4-18 Waterford 0-4 CLARE couldn’t have asked for a more ideal or indeed comfortable start to their Munster campaign after bypassing Waterford in style in Wolfe Tones GAA in Shannon on Thursday evening, writes Eoin Brennan. The shot count alone of 45 to 10 in the hosts’ favour told the tale of a sorely one-sided contest that was lit up by inside duo Cathal Talty and Conor Fennell who between them accounted for 4-10 of the home side’s handsome tally. Fennell, a survivor from the minor class of 2021, raided for 3-2 including a brace of first half rebound goals in the space of three minutes that finally lifted Clare to new heights. Up to that point, Clare’s utter dominance wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard as four missed goal opportunities were matched by as many wides to only lead by 0-3 to 0-0 by the 20 minute mark. Fennell had kicked two of …

In the lead up to the Easter bank holiday weekend, the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal and are asking people to take some basic precautions to stay safe when they visit the coast or participate in water activities, be it coastal or inland. The organisations also extended a warm welcome to new residents and visitors to the island, many of whom may not be familiar with tides and Irish sea conditions and encourage them to seek local advice before engaging in any water or coastal activities. See also www.watersafety.ie/ukraine Water temperatures are still very cold at this time of year and Cold Water Shock can affect everyone. To avoid this, people should acclimatise to the water slowly to get used to the cold. The Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland advise everyone intending to take part in any water-based activity or coastal walks to make sure they check in advance …

A BAN on the ‘Z’ symbol, as a sign of support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, has been sought by a member of Clare County Council. Clare Colleran Molloy has called on the Minister for Justice to criminalise the use of the symbol. She told the monthly local authority meeting that the ‘Z’ now “means Russian war crimes, bombed out cities, thousands of murdered Ukrainians”. The Fianna Fáil member spoke of her own horror and sadness at seeing the symbol appear in Clare. “Since the invasion by Russia of the independent sovereign state of Ukraine, I have been astonished to see the ‘Z’ symbol appear in my own backyard, appearing on fairy doors on the trees in Ballybeg woods, and on the Clareabbey bridge wall,” she said. “Thankfully, the Clareabbey bridge wall was cleaned up in advance of Minister Humphreys’ visit to open the Greenway on Thursday last.” The Quin native also hit out at recent pro-Russian demonstrations in Dublin …

THE new Ennistymon River Walk has been described as a “spectacular natural amenity” by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. During a visit to Clare last week, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, visited projects that are supporting the ongoing development and revitalisation of Clare’s rural towns and villages, including an extended DigiClare hub and two community and tourist amenities. The projects in Ennistymon have received funding under the Rural Development Investment Programme, which includes a number of integrated funding interventions. Contributions came from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Connected Hubs Fund and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). Minister Humphreys officially opened the Ennistymon River Walk for which Ennistymon District Community Organisation (EDCO) was granted funding of €69,000 under the ORIS in 2018 to carry out works to the existing river walk. The project, which cost around €94,000 overall, was delivered by EDCO with assistance from Clare County Council’s Rural Development …

LIFE in rural West Clare is captured to stunning effect in a new exhibition from Mary Foudy O’Halloran which opens in Kinvara on April 15. ‘Revisited’ re-examines the everyday lives of rural Irish women in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and reworks the ordinary objects and tools of their hard physical work. Mary’s other recent solo exhibitions include ‘Weighed’ at the Ballina Arts Centre and ‘Endurance’ in association with the Clare Arts Office. The latter also examined the past in the now, questioning the ordinary and familiar and objects of loss. Mary works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating ordinary household objects in her work. Growing up in rural Clare, Mary was not unusual in being raised in a house without electricity and running water. Speaking about the body of work, she explained that all lives were heavy with labour, but women bore the biggest brunt of the hardship. “In putting this exhibition together, I wanted to acknowledge …

ENNIS’ first ever Friendship Seating area has been launched by the Ennis Mental Association (EMHA) in co-operation with the Ennis Municipal District. Ennis Mental Association (EMHA) is a community-based volunteer-led organisation that, for the past 30 years plus, has consistently focused attention on mental health issues and promoted wellness and well-being in the wider community. Located by the Fergus in the Abbey Street Car park, the Friendship Seating area is designed to provide an attractive and inviting space where people can sit and be open to engaging in conversation with whoever joins them. The area has been specifically designed to provide everyone, including those of limited mobility, with a convenient and comfortable place to meet, to rest and to connect with others. Maria Molloy, Chair of Ennis Mental Health Association, speaking at the official launch last Thursday, welcomed people to the new Friendship Seating Area saying she hoped it would become a hub of conversation and friendship and even become …