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HUNDREDS of East Clare homes are still waiting to receive their forms, almost two weeks after Census night. The CSO has put the delay down to “a number of factors including enumerator vacancies in a small number of areas, a householder being unable to receive a form in person or an enumerator not having sufficient access to the premises to leave a census form in a secure location”. While a spokesperson described the number of homes without forms as “small”, local estimates put the figure at at least 500. It is understood the issue affects areas including Flagmount, Feakle, Scariff, Killaloe and Broadford. “If you were writing a book about this, people just wouldn’t believe it,” said Councillor Pat Hayes. “It’s very unsatisfactory and I’m totally annoyed. I understand there was a staffing issue for the CSO, but the solutions that were put in place to solve the problem clearly didn’t work. “You’d imagine that in the modern world this …

Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 2 Cork 1-19 Clare 1-17 It was more Biddy Late than Early as Clare’s luckless Under 20 campaign ended in the cruelest possible manner for the second time in seven days in O’Garney Park Sixmilebridge on Wednesday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Within touching distance of victory against Limerick only to be agonisingly floored by Cathal O’Neill’s dramatic injury-time 1-1 blitz, amazingly Clare would be struck down by an almost identical smash-and-grab operation as Cork fired the last four points to also steal a one point win. Having led for one hour and 45 minutes of their two hour campaign against last year’s Munster finalists Limerick and Cork, Clare somehow ended up with only gut-wrenching heartbreak. Granted, it’s a result business but someone somewhere must be pulverising a Clare voodoo doll as it’s almost unthinkable that this would happen a second time. After all, aside from a three minute spell following Diarmuid Healy’s spectacular volleyed …

A BIRD’S eye view on the past is what a dedicated group of Quin residents are hoping to share, after a year spent delving into the fascinating heritage and history of the area.  With the restrictions of lockdown putting a new focus on everything local, many communities have had the opportunity to find out more about their immediate environs. A thriving village with many non-native residents, Quin also boasts an abundance of features of historical interest. These stretch back into the Bronze Age and the Knocknafearbreaga Alignment of standing stones close to Clooney. They also include Magh Adhair, the inauguration site of the Dalcassian O’Briens and, of course, the magnificent Franciscan friary, dating to the 1400s.  As lockdown began to ease last year, Quin Heritage Group was born. Almost 12 months later, a committee of four have gathered a wealth of images, videos, articles and surveys which they have made available through a state-of-the-art website. Yvonne Gallagher, Siobhán O’Sullivan, Michael …

THE Easter Bunny will make a special appearance in playgrounds throughout East Clare as part of a fundraising event for Clare Crusaders’ Clinic. Children can meet the Easter Bunny on Saturday, April 16, in O’Briensbridge at 11am, Broadford at 11.45am, Tulla at 1.30pm and Ennis Fairgreen at 3.30pm for a chat and photographs. Parents can make donations to the collection buckets that will be available at the playgrounds. The idea behind the fundraiser came from The Easter Bunny, Tina O’Loughlin, Broadford, who visited children’s gardens last year to collect money for the local playground development. Tina approached Lourda Doyle who felt this fun event should be repeated this year for Clare Crusaders. Lourda said it is important to raise money for Clare Crusaders, which provides a lot of free therapy to children with special needs. The Easter Bunny visited Barney’s Kids Club on Sunday, which was a huge success for both children and parents, as part of an initiative for …

GARDA Headquarters is to carefully examine a ruling by a circuit court judge who found that a Clare man was unlawfully arrested at a garda checkpoint, because the arresting garda informed the man he was detaining him to check he actually was who he said he was. In the first stage of a two-part ruling, Judge Francis Comerford, at Limerick Circuit Civil Court, said he was satisfied that, Anthony O’Donoghue, 36, with an address at St Micheal’s Park, Gort Road, Ennis, Co Clare, had been unlawfully arrested. Mr O’Donoghue is suing the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice, and the Attorney General, for alleged false imprisonment, damages, aggravated damages due to alleged assault and battery by the application of handcuffs by gardai, trespass to the person, as well as an alleged breach of his constitutional right to bodily integrity. Judge Comerford, who is to finalise his ruling regarding claimed damages in the case, said: “Gardai cannot arrest people they don’t …

WITH road deaths nationwide in 2022 up almost 50% on the same period in 2021 a special safety appeal has been launched ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. The Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána launched the appeal in light of the worrying increase in fatalities on the roads – 50 so far this year. The campaign appeals to all road users to slow down, wear seatbelts, not to drive when impaired, or distracted – particularly by illegally using your phone while driving – or when tired. While the RSA and An Garda Síochána have issued a general appeal for road users to take greater care on the road this Easter Bank Holiday there will also be focus on drug driving. An Garda Síochána figures for the full year 2021 saw over 3,300 arrests for Drug-Driving. The number of arrests in 2022, up to 31 March, is 768. Analysis by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) shows …

A delegation of key members of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly led by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlan travelled to Clare last weekend for a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the US and Irish regions. The legislators are members of the New Jersey American Irish State Legislators Caucus (AISLC), a bipartisan network of American Irish legislators and legislators who are friends of Ireland at the state and local level of government. There is now an American Irish State Legislators Caucus in every state in the US. The New Jersey delegation visited the Cliffs of Moher, where they were welcomed to Clare by the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr PJ Ryan, and Council Chief Executive Pat Dowling. The trip also included visits to Shannon Airport and Bunratty Castle. Speaking at the Cliffs of Moher, Cllr Ryan said: “I am delighted to welcome the members of the New Jersey AISLC to County Clare today. The visit gives us the …

VISITING on inpatient wards in University Hospital Limerick has been reinstated from this Wednesday morning, April 13. Scheduled visiting slots for one visitor per patient are now permitted, but in line with national guidance on infection prevention, visits must be booked through an online system on this link Visiting restrictions remain in place for the Emergency Department, Acute Surgical Assessment Unit, and Acute Medical Assessment Unit. A spokesperson said UL Hospitals Group “was glad to bring to an end this period of restriction of access, which had been in place during a surge in community transmission of COVID-19”. Visiting hours at UHL are from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 9pm every day, and ward staff will assist with any queries about the booking system. Visitors will have to wear a face mask, which are available at the hospital entrance, and observe hand hygiene. Anyone who is feeling unwell is asked not to visit the hospital. The only exceptions to …