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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 …

A PROFOUND sense of grief spread across East Clare following the untimely death of Whitegate’s Michael ‘Mikey’ Hynes.  The 22-year-old was a past pupil of Scariff Community College and a fourth-year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick (UL). His funeral mass at St Flannan’s Church, Whitegate, last Sunday (April 10) afternoon attracted hundreds of mourners to pay their respects and to support Michael’s parents Declan and Annette; his sisters Katie, Alison and Corinna; and his grandmother Teresa Hynes. Councillor Pat Burke, a neighbour of the Hynes family, said the scenes witnessed in recent days were unprecedented. “The outpouring of grief and sympathy for Michael and his family is something we have never seen before,” he said. “I have never seen as many people line the streets of Whitegate for anything, ever. There were six or seven different guards of honour from the likes of the national school, to the senior hurlers, to classmates from UL. Despite the crowds, …

CLARE Senator Timmy Dooley travelled to Kyiv earlier this week, where he met political leaders including Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, while he was brought to the sites of the atrocities close to the city. “We travelled out to Irpin and Buca, to see at first hand what the occupiers did while they were there. There is utter devastation, homes completely demolished, attacks on civilians, you can see where people were shot in their cars as they tried to escape,” he said. Senator Dooley said there were appalling attacks on civilians and there are strong indications of war crimes. “We were taken to a churchyard where people had been buried temporarily by the priest and the local community, just necessary for a sanitary point of view. In some cases they were able to get body bags to bury them and in other cases they had to buried in mass graves without any body bag. Now that they have pushed the …

CLARE County Councillors have expressed concern about the lack of a definite commitment to provide an economic dividend to the county if the controversial Lough Derg water abstraction proceeds. Irish Water is planning to proceed with its €1.3 billion project to pipe water from the Parteen Basin to Dublin using a 170 kilometre pipeline. Irish Water Resources Specialist, Angela Ryan said she would bring the request for a community dividend back to Irish Water to see if it can provide any more information on this proposal. She stated that any proposed economic dividend for Clare would be considered by Irish Water. While acknowledging the Shannon Scheme provided economic benefits for the country, Councillor Johnny Flynn said it posed major financial difficulties for Clare County Council, which wasn’t provided with any funding to deal with health issues for 5,200 workers. Councillor Flynn noted Clare County Council was so badly hit by increased costs it went into a dissolution in 1942. He …

SADNESS has been expressed in Ennis with the news that the popular Coote’s bakery will be closing on Saturday after decades in business. According to the Coote family the “hard decision” was made to shut the bakery due to “forever rising costs” which have made it no longer sustainable to continue. However they have assured that Coote’s shop on the Kilrush Road will remain in business. A post on social media on behalf of the family, accompanied by a photograph of the bakery’s ovens, stated this week, “For the bones of 70 years, these oil ran ovens have produced millions of Coote’s pans, thousands of apple tarts and hundreds of other products. “Over those years generations of the Coote family have worked tirelessly day and night along with a great team of long term bakers to serve the people of Clare and beyond. “Unfortunately due to the forever rising costs across this industry it is no longer sustainable so we …