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FESTIVAL fever is in the air in East Clare as final preparations are made for the revived and renamed Tuamgraney Harp Festival, writes Fiona McGarry. This Friday (February 25), Nuala’s Bar and Restaurant will hold a festival fundraiser from 9.30am to midday and residents and visitors alike are invited to drop in for cake and a cuppa. There will also be some live music to set the tone for the festival. The festival, which had to be moved online last year due to the pandemic will be back under a new name from May 13 to 15. The committee is in the final stages of planning “a wonderful welcome back” and will be announcing the full line up soon. Previously named The Blossom Harp Festival, the event was first set up in 2016. The festival runs overs two days with the aim of reviving interest in the harp, the Irish national emblem and integral to our culture for centuries, by …

WHILE Clare was under a red alert for a number of hours last Friday morning, the damage wasn’t as bad as had been feared, but on Sunday Storm Franklin caused more problems than had been expected, writes Owen Ryan. There was an orange order in place in the county for much of the day, and Cormac Falvey of the county’s fire service said that there had been a number of calls, although there was little structural damage. “There was nothing special really, there were 20 storm related calls from 10am on Sunday until 1am on Monday. The peak of that was from 17.00 and 19.00. I think all bar two of those were down to trees down, the other two were down to poles down on roads.” While storms often hit coastal areas hardest, that wasn’t the case on Sunday with inland areas suffering more of the damage. “There were five different stations mobilised down over the course of the …

A MEMBER of Clare County Council has described as “deplorable and shocking” the treatment of public representatives by Irish Water at a recent briefing.  Councillor Pat Hayes was sharply critical of the utility following the online event last Monday (February 14) for members of the authority. He said that while Irish Water had originally committed to an in-person briefing, with members of the media present, the utility appeared to have had a “change of heart”. “We had a commitment for a briefing before one of the monthly meetings, at which media could attend, on issues including waste water treatment, network leakage and the extraction of water from the Shannon,” the Fianna Fáil member outlined. “There was a change of heart somewhere along the line and it became an in-camera meeting. Then, it was decided to hold it on Zoom. Because councillors were travelling to Ennis for the monthly meeting, we ended up dotted around the headquarters, some having to use …

MORE details are being sought on a controversial plan for a 21-metre telecoms in an east Clare town, writes Fiona McGarry. While the Council originally indicated that a decision could be made this month, it has now asked developers Eir for Further Information (FI), following significant public opposition in Scariff and a representation from a local TD. Eir proposes to replace a 12-metre wooden pole, at its exchange on The Connacht Road, with a much higher mast with dishes, antennas and other equipment. When submissions closed at the end of January, a total of 11 objections had been made. One of those is a detailed document with 48 signatures on behalf of East Clare Community Residents. That objection raises concerns about public health, the proximity of the site to Scariff National School and the impact on the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) of Scariff and Tuamgraney. Deputy Michael McNamara made a representation on the file, “requesting the need for Clare County …

A JUDGE has jailed a 25-year-old man for three months after hearing that he was seen allegedly masturbating beside a female passenger on board a Ryanair flight to Shannon earlier this month, writes Gordon Deegan. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Mary Larkin described Ioan Remi Makula’s “abuse” on board the flight as “outrageous”. The judge Larkin added that Makula “upset the woman beside him and upset the entire plane and that can’t be tolerated”. Sergeant Aiden Lonergan told the court that it would be alleged that Makula of 52 Fearann Ri, Doughiska, Galway was seen allegedly masturbating on the Shannon bound flight from Manchester on February 4 last. He said that statements were taken from the captain, crew and passengers and CCTV was taken as well “and passengers were described as being very upset as a result of the incident”. Sergeant Lonergan stated that Makula was arrested at Shannon airport and brought before a court charged in connection …

THIS year marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Michael Cusack, founder of the GAA, and the Burren-based Centre named in his honour has big plans, writes Conor Clohessy. Born on September 20, 1847, Cusack’s love for education, Irish culture and sport led to the foundation of what is today the world’s largest amateur sporting organisation. Situated in Carron in the heart of award-winning Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, the Michael Cusack Centre is inviting the public to explore the heart and soul of the GAA in the valley where Cusack was born, as part of their commemoration to his legacy. Sheila Keane, Education Officer at the centre told the Champion they will be dedicating all of 2022 to “Cusack 175”, hoping to run the “Camán to the Burren” Team Building Weekends, where wellness and wellbeing are a key component of the mentally and physically stimulating experience. This initiative takes place at the centre and select …

HOUSEHOLD disposable income per person in Clare is a little less than the national average, new research from the CSO shows. According to their research, household disposable income per person in Clare in 2019 was 91.97% of the average for the Republic of Ireland in 2019. They found that the overall amount of money paid to employees in the county that year was €2.137 billion, while the combined income of the self employed in Clare was €336 million. Social transfers to people in Clare came to €718 million. Disposable income per person in Clare was €20,263 in 2019, according to the CSO estimates. This is up from €19,003 in 2017 and €19,254 in 2018. Figures from the CSO show residents of this county were taking home more than €28,500 on average by the end of 2019.

A section of Ennis town centre was sealed off this afternoon after a large sheet of metal was discovered in dangerous position on the chimney of three-storey building. It’s believed the sheeting, thought to be copper and weighing about three quarters of a tonne, was blown off the roof of nearby building where works are being carried out. This is thought to have occurred over the weekend when two storms hit County Clare over the weekend. The sheeting may have been on the roof at High Street since Sunday and only spotted on Wednesday morning. Workers from the building site realised a section of the roof they had been working on was missing but it was nowhere to be seen. When the sheet was spotted this morning, units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station and local Gardaí responded to the scene and soon realised the seriousness of the situation. A larger section of the sheet, which …