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Breaking News

Pat passes hat in bid to contest prestigious sailing race

KILLALOE Sailing Club’s newest member has raised more than €11,000 of his €20,000 target to participate in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, writes Dan Danaher. On September 4 next, Limerick sailor, Pat Lawless will commence on the ‘Race of his Life’, sailing solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted by technology other than a compass, sextant, the stars and the sun. Killaloe Sailing Club is thrilled to have an association with its newest club member on his worldwide voyage. The club undertook a successful fundraiser for Pat last year, and as a supporting organisation, the club logo will be engraved onto the bulkhead of his boat. Sailing in a 36ft Saltram Saga, no Irish person has managed to achieve this feat before now. The Golden Globe Race, which starts in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, is the longest, loneliest sporting event in the world. It involves nine months at sea alone in a small boat. (Get a flavour of what is involved …

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Biodiversity boost with wildlife sanctuary goal for revived bog

A land owner in south-east Clare has provided a major boost for biodiversity thanks to the help of a local ecologist, writes Dan Danaher. Substantial work has already been completed near Parteen on the first raised bog restoration and rewetting project in Clare on private land. Shanakyle Bog Restoration and Habitat Enhancement Project is a locally-led European Innovation Partnership (EIP) scheme project headed by ecologist Barry O’Loughlin and landowner Catherine Ní Ciardha of Shanakyle Bog Restoration Group. The group hopes that other land owners will follow this example by undertaking similar projects over the coming years. Ms Ní Ciardha decided to embark on this project to help address climate change and hopes to turn this land into a wildlife sanctuary. “Wildlife is getting less and less. I want to encourage the return of birds and biodiversity. I have noticed a decline in swallows in recent years,” she said. Shanakyle bog is of conservation interest as it supports three Annex One …

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Banned horse trainer spared jail over sheep kills

A RACEHORSE trainer who was last year banned from the sport for animal welfare abuses has avoided jail following conviction over his dogs killing a neighbour’s sheep. Stephen Mahon, 53, was spared a prison sentence after paying out €6,500 compensation to a 67-year-old farmer left ‘brokenhearted’ by sheep kills over the years. At Gort District Court, Judge Mary Larkin made the judgement after the compensation payout to John Moran who has been farming for 52 years. Judge Larkin said: “If Mr Mahon hadn’t paid the compensation, he would definitely be going to jail.” Judge Larkin made her comment after imposing cumulative fines of €1,350 on Mr Mahon of The Ranch, Kilcolgan, concerning a sheep kill on June 3 2018 at Caherpeak, Kilcolgan, involving two dogs, a Rottweiler and a Terrier belonging to him. Judge Larkin imposed six separate fines concerning six separate offences concerning the two dogs. The largest fine of €500 concerned Mr Mahon being an owner of a …

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Recruitment ongoing at Armada amid numerous challenges

THE Armada Hotel has already filled half of the 100 new roles it advertised in a high profile campaign started at the beginning of winter and the process continues. It plans to have a €3 million expansion and renovation completed early next month, with a new 90-seater restaurant, bar, private dining area and dedicated space for wedding arrivals with panoramic views. Speaking about the progress of the redevelopment, hotel owner John Burke said Covid has made things difficult, but it is on schedule. “After dealing with pre-Christmas challenges caused by restriction changes and issues around staffing due to close Covid contacts, we began the New Year facing into our renovation and expansion programme. “On day one, we were down to 8 staff out of a team of 24 due to Covid. We now have up to 90 people a day on site at different times and the contractors are constantly making arrangements and juggling schedules based on resources available. “It …

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Supreme Court rules against Council eviction of Traveller family

THE Supreme Court has overturned a decision allowing Clare County Council to evict a Traveller family who have been living on lands in Ennis for several years. An injunction had been secured by the local authority from the High Court requiring Bernard and Helen McDonagh, and members of their family, to immediately vacate council-owned lands at Cahercallamore, Ennis. However, this week the family’s appeal against their eviction was upheld, with five Supreme Court justices ruling unanimously in favour of the McDonagh family. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has welcomed the ruling, describing it as significant. The mandatory injunction, granted in 2019, was to remain in place pending the outcome of the full hearing of the dispute. Seeking the injunction, the council claimed the McDonaghs were unlawfully occupying the site and had also breached the 2000 Planning and Development Act by the unauthorised development there of a roadway and courtyard. The injunction was upheld on appeal by the Court …

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GAA Camp for kids with additional needs a big success

THE organisers of the first Corofin All Stars programme for children with additional needs are thrilled with the success of their innovative pilot project, writes Dan Danaher. In fact, the success of the first dedicated programme for children with special needs in a Clare GAA club exceeded the expectations of Eimer Ni Riain, Crystel Robbins Rynne and Adrian Beakey. On Sunday, some of the Intermediate footballers and coaches dropped into the start of a new programme of training children in GAA skills. Ms Ni Riain, who has 30 years experience as an occupational therapist, doesn’t have any child involved in the sessions. The practice education co-ordinator on the occupational programme in the University of Limerick saw there was a gap for children with special needs who weren’t participating in sporting activities. “The programme helps children with special needs to engage with other children in a fun and safe way that is different to going to therapy and school. “In addition …

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Councillor losing sleep over issue on Clare road

A CLARE county councillor told the January meeting of Shannon Municipal District that an issue with a Cratloe road is keeping him awake at night. Fianna Fáil councillor Pat O’Gorman is literally losing sleep due to a poorly fitted manhole on the road outside his house which is creating a racket when struck by vehicle. Each impact is creating a noise that has been eating into the nightly sleep of the Cratloe man. The matter of the manhole cover was one of three raised by Cratloe’s other county councillor PJ Ryan at the MD meeting. The others being the road subsiding near the cul de sac at Cratloe Cross and the road subsiding near Killeen cemetery. Regarding the manhole, Councillor Ryan said that it is poorly fitted and he left it open to his colleague to explain the matter further, to senior executive engineer Tom Mellett. “Tom, it’s keeping me up at night and that’s a fact, it’s bang, bang, …

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Clare director’s horror film gets choice date for video release

THE Pagan holiday of Imbolc on February 1 makes an apt date for the release on Amazon and iTunes of Paddy Murphy’s horror drama The Perished. The word ‘Imbolc’ means “in the belly of the Mother”, because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth. And the plot of the Killaloe-based film-maker’s feature, which premiered in 2019, revolves around a young woman’s unplanned pregnancy, contemplation of abortion and subsequent isolation in a house haunted by spirits from its terrible past as a mother and baby home. For Paddy and the crew it’s a great relief that the film can now be seen in this neck of the woods, having been denied its home premiere in Limerick’s Odeon Cinema in early 2020. That had been meant to happen on Friday, the 13th of March (he sure knows how to pick appropriate release dates), but a certain pandemic came along and put the kibosh on that. …

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