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Senan Lillis with an appreciation of former Clare Champion columnist the late Fr Kevin McNamara TUESDAY, December 21, was the shortest day of the year and also, for so many, the darkest day of the year. On that day, news reached us of the sudden passing of our neighbour, leader, mentor, pastor and friend, Fr Kevin McNamara, PP of Glenflesk, County Kerry. At times in darkest winter, it’s difficult to imagine the wonders of the spring and visualise the fruits of the harvest. The silent and sudden presence of Fr Kevin’s passing has resonated deeply with us for it was Kevin who showed us how to tap into our inner selves allowing us to find meaning in our own experiences. Kevin, you will live forever in our hearts; your earthly work is done, your mission is complete, you have paved the generous and spiritual pathway of so many. While Kevin was revered throughout the diocese of Kerry for his great …

WORKS to prepare for the installation of high-speed broadband infrastructure are underway currently in a number of areas of East and South East Clare, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has confirmed.  The organisation said that over 3,600 premises around Kilkishen have been surveyed to-date, with network designs completed to deliver the new Fibre to the Home (FTTH) network in the area. NBI crews have started initial works for the build in townlands including Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge, Latoon, Ballyhannon, Cloughlea, Bunratty, Shannon and Spancilhill.  These are described as ‘make ready’ works which will pave the way for the next stage of deploying fibre on poles/ducts, and include the erection of poles, unblocking of ducts, and the insertion of subduct into existing ducts, for the fibre to be installed. In this county, there are 22,719 premises in the Intervention Area (IA). These include homes, farms, commercial businesses and schools. This equates to 33% of all premises in the county. The investment in this county is an estimated …

A LABOUR of love has resulted in hundreds of Clare’s holy wells being documented and surveyed, with their details to be made available online.  The Clare Holy Wells Project, supported by Clare County Council and funded by The Heritage Council and Creative Ireland, will be formally launched via Zoom on St Brigid’s Day, Tuesday, February 1 at 7pm. The event will celebrate the efforts to survey and document 237 holy wells in Clare. In recent years, surveyors Michael Houlihan and Tony Kirby produced a fascinating survey of a part of local heritage that holds a special place in the hearts of many Clare people. For the first time, information on all of Clare’s known holy wells is gathered in one place. The webpage can be searched by region, as well as alphabetically. Maps, photographs and detailed information bring the stories of these wells alive. “Local knowledge was crucial during the survey and many people responded to requests for information,” said …

A NUMBER of shops and stores in Clare are in the running for prestigious national retail awards. The ShelfLife C-Store Awards are the only comprehensive and independently judged business accolades for the C-Store sector and McNamee’s Londis in Milltown has been shortlisted in the Convenience Store of the Year (Large) and Community Initiative of the Year categories. Commenting on their achievement to date, Londis Sales Director Conor Hayes said, “The honour of being shortlisted in the annual ShelfLife National C-Store Award is a tremendous acknowledgement of the ongoing excellence of McNamee’s Londis, Miltown Malbay. “To be shortlisted in two categories is a truly remarkable achievement and I want to congratulate Kevin and Michelle McNamee and all the staff on this tremendous honour.” Talty’s MACE, Lissycasey, meanwhile, has been nominated for three awards. The Lissycasey shop has been shortlisted in the Convenience Store of the Year (Medium), Food to Go Retailer of the Year and Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the …

Although John Maughan is firmly focused on helping Offaly raid Cusack Park this Sunday afternoon, the former Clare manager admits he holds a special bond with the county he will be trying to overcome, writes Ivan Smyth. Maughan guided Clare to the All Ireland B Championship in 1991 before 12 months later he was at the helm for arguably Clare football’s greatest day as they beat Kerry in the Munster final. The Offaly manager is full of praise for the side he managed and the current crop of players. “I have great affection for Clare. It was the players who made me look good. The gene pool in Clare is fantastic. They are hard, tough, honest and give every last ounce. “Sometimes you hear of inter county players retiring and they may have regrets over not giving everything but you could never say that about a Clare hurler or footballer. They get every last ounce out of themselves. I’d have …

THE HSE is coming under increasing pressure to provide more dental care after it emerged 3,148 Clare children are waiting for a routine dental appointment, writes Dan Danaher. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has claimed the HSE is failing Clare children under the Health Act by not providing them with their statutory entitlement of routine dental screening in primary schools. The Sinn Féin Deputy urged the government to take urgent action against the “unacceptable” figures. “The HSE is not providing adequate dental screening to primary school children and is failing children under the Health Act. “In Clare, there are an estimated 3,148 children are waiting for a routine dental appointment. “Failure to provide this important healthcare runs the risk of seriously harming children’s health. These figures are totally unacceptable and reveal a growing crisis in children’s dental care.” Prior to Covid, reports from The Irish Dental Association (IDA) stated that an increasing number of children are only being offered examination and dental …

With Clare starting a sixth successive year in Division Two, the goal remains the same, writes Ivan Smyth – a seat at the top table. ONE word sums up the hopes of Clare football fans as Colm Collins’ side seek to test themselves against the very best teams in Ireland – promotion. With Collins at the helm for a ninth season, Clare have continued to make strides and were a win away from making the giant leap to Division One last year before falling to a four point defeat to eventual All Ireland finalists Mayo. Galway, Meath, Cork and Derry are considered the favourites for promotion before a ball has been kicked in anger. However, despite Collins claiming that Clare not being placed among the favourites for promotion is irrelevant to how he will prepare his side, there is a sense that Collins and his team would enjoy nothing more than to upset the odds. “We completely ignore the outside …

OVER 200 people marched through Ennis this afternoon (Saturday, January 29) in what was described as “the first of many” protests by homeowners with defective concrete blocks.  Members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) were supported by campaigners from Donegal and Mayo – the only two counties currently covered by the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme; as well as homeowners from Limerick and Sligo. Speaking in the shadow of the O’Connell monument at The Height, campaigners from other counties pledged their support while homeowners here spoke of their frustration.  “The Minister for Housing visited my house on August 27 and he was such a lovely man,” Mary Hanley of CPAG told the crowd. “He was so pleasant, he was so nice and he was feeing so sorry for me. I said to him, ‘If this grant isn’t given soon, I’ll be six foot under’. His answer to me was, ‘Oh, not at all Mary no, a couple of weeks’. Now, …