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THE future of the Spancilhill Fair is in jeopardy, because the organisers are struggling to get insurance, Clare TD Michael McNamara has told the Dáil. He said it is a signficant part of Ireland’s heritage, and could be lost if the Government doesn’t step in to protect it. “I wish to raise the fair at Spancilhill. I am sure everyone in the House knows it is on June 23. It is an important cultural institution in Ireland. It is obviously an important horse fair both nationally and internationally. It goes beyond that and is now a cultural icon. It was recently included in Ireland’s national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. Like much of our intangible cultural heritage, it is not only intangible but is endangered and will not be around for much longer unless the Government takes action to protect it because it cannot now get insurance. Insurance is a significant obstacle for any event. Occupier’s liability is an issue …

KING John’s Castle has been transferred to Limerick City and County Council, and while the transfer of Shannon Heritage assets to Clare County Council is taking longer, it is still very likely to go ahead in the near future. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan said that talks on the transfer are still continuing and going quite well. “It’s ongoing at the minute, my understanding is that the Department is negotiating with the Council at the moment, and that there are positive negotiations regarding the first three years after Clare County Council taking over from Shannon Heritage.” He said that the take over in Clare is far more complex than Limerick City and County Council taking over the running of King John’s Castle, which it actually owned already, but did not operate. “King John’s Castle is a different situation, there’s only one entity there, there’s only a handful of staff. In Clare you’d be talking about four different units …

A body has been recovered from the sea off County Clare on Thursday afternoon. An initial search was conducted in the north Clare area on Friday night last (April 1) amid fears that a person may have entered the sea. The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to undertake an initial search of the area. The Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter was also requested to assist in the search. Rescue 115 conducted a detailed search of the area but the search was stood down for the night when there was nothing found. Doolin Coast Guard volunteers returned to the scene again on Saturday morning in search of any sign of the missing man. The team also launched a drone as part of the operation and searched the coastline and cliff top areas. Rescue 115 also returned to the scene to carry out further searches on Saturday afternoon. The search had been hampered by poor weather earlier this …

THE mother of a Clare child who died tragically in a car crash has paid tribute to her daughter in an emotional message in the new time capsule section of the Census. Amy Dutil-Wall’s daughter Estlin Luna died in a crash on her way to creche on March 15 2017 in Inagh, just days before the youngster was due to celebrate her fourth birthday. Estlin’s father Vincent also suffered a brain injury in the crash. There was controversy recently when it emerged the man who was convicted of careless driving causing Estlin’s death was seeking the early return of his driving licence (see Champion story here). For the first time, Census 2022 featured a time capsule section, a dedicated space at the end of the census form for people to leave a message for their descendents, future generations and historians which will be released in 100 years. Sharing her time capsule entry on social media, Amy said she felt “comfort” …

  A GOVERNMENT minister has lauded the reception provided by community groups and organisations to help the integration of an estimated 800 Ukrainian refugees in North Clare. Speaking outside the Lisdoonvarna Pavilion, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys pointed out the influx of Ukrainian refugees from their war-torn country had doubled the population of Lisdoonvarna. The Fine Gael Minister said there has been a “wonderful effort” by numerous community groups in North Clare, which has ensured Ukrainian refugees have been provided with a very warm welcome as they settle into their new surroundings. “There has been a wonderful effort across the board in Lisdoonvarna and I think it is very important to recognise that. “We are going to try and help them find jobs and match them with employers. There are a lot of job offers coming in. But we are not rushing anyone into work, we want to get them settled into this country first.” Asked would …

SAINT Flannan’s Junior footballers will try to hold up their end of the bargain and complete a unique double tomorrow when they travel to Feenagh in county Limerick. The Ennis school will compete in the Frewen Cup (U16.5 Munster A football) final after their hurlers lifted the Dean Ryan Cup last November. Kinvara’s John Connole manages the side along with Paul Geraghty (Oranmore/Maree) and Colm Dillon (Doonbeg). He admits that beating Tralee’s Mercy Mounthawk, who are appearing in their first Frewen Cup final, would be an exceptional achievement for this talented crop of players. “It wouldn’t be something that we are focusing on but it would obviously be nice to do a double. We would have a good crossover of players and it would be a unique achievement for the school. We are just looking to get over the line. The Dean Ryan is in the bag so it’s up to us to do our part.” St. Flannan’s have lifted …

The weekend’s action couldn’t ask for a better ignition with neighbours Wolfe Tones and Newmarket-on-Fergus commencing a 35 match adult league weekend schedule that includes a repeat of last year’s county final and the commencement of a 26 team Division 5. Clare Cup Division 1A Round 3 Crusheen v Sixmilebridge at Crusheen, Saturday 1.30pm Requiring a strong reaction to their relegation scare, Crusheen have hit the ground running in 2022 but face their biggest test to date on Saturday against a ‘Bridge side that have had the Indian sign over them in recent times. Indeed, Sixmilebridge are bidding for their fifth consecutive victory over Crusheen in as many seasons but more than that, crave the points to further establish their new-look structure under new manager Sean Stack. Feakle v Clooney-Quin at Feakle, Saturday 2pm No point going over old ground again about that now infamous 2017 championship clash and its remarkable diverging subsequent paths. Better to reflect on last year’s …

AN Ennis man who was part of a convoy of Tesla drivers bringing Ukrainian refugees to Ireland has told how he still gets emotional thinking about the experience. John Casey, founder of the Tesla Owners Group in Ireland, also revealed the drivers are planning a return trip to help even more people to safety. John recently returned from Poznan in Poland where he was part of a humanitarian endeavour which saw more than 70 Ukrainians, including a three-month old baby, brought by car across Europe to Ireland. He explains that fellow Tesla driver and member of the group Tom McEnaney, founder of International Orphanage Development Programme Ltd, approached him last month with the idea of the club helping people in Ukraine. Having put the word out to the members on Thursday, March 24, a convoy of 15 cars and a van set out for Poznan. Fellow club member, and director at Unicef, Caroline Dowling flew out ahead of time to …