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THE tourism attractions of Clare and Limerick are to be highlighted to a potential audience of 155 million people in the US and Canada in March. US TV travel show ‘Ireland with Michael’ first showcased Clare and Limerick as holiday destinations last May on the PBS network which has a vast reach across north America. Now the show will run again on PBS on March 24, when St Patrick’s Day has stoked interest in all things Irish. A native of Wexford, now resident in the US Michael Londra visited a host of attractions in the two counties for this second season of the show. In each episode, he takes viewers on a journey to both popular and lesser-known destinations to learn about local history, meet local artisans, experience small-town pubs and food, and enjoy unique musical and cultural experiences. The show combines glorious footage of Ireland’s landscapes and destinations, exciting cultural experiences, and performances from Irish stars. In the Clare-based …

AHEAD of a major protest in Ennis on Saturday (January 29), a short film has been released highlighting the struggle for redress of pyrite homeowners across the county.  The nine-minute film, by Simon Barr, is the third part of a series which also documents the mica crisis in Donegal and the impact of pyrite in Mayo. It hears from a number of homeowners, including a woman from Fanore who described how she had to sleep in her dining room at one point, amid fears that her gable wall would fall down during stormy weather. The piece traces the foundation of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) in September 2020 after Dr Martina Cleary put out an appeal for others affected to contact her. “Once I realised I wasn’t alone, there was great solace in that,” the Crusheen woman told Mr Barr.   The film goes on to follow the increasing numbers of homeowners that have come forward, with the membership …

THREE Clare players have made the Ireland squad for the upcoming 2022 U20 Six Nations Championship which begins next Friday. Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan and Conor Moloney were included by head coach Richie Murphy in his 31-man squad, ahead of Ireland’s opening fixture against Wales at Musgrave Park on Friday, 4 February (Kick-off 8pm, live on RTÉ). The three playing for Garryowen, Shannon and Young Munster respectively all began their careers with Ennis RFC. Head coach Murphy, and his assistant coaches Jimmy Duffy, Willie Faloon and Mark Sexton, are excited about the dynamic of this year’s group having had to make a number of difficult selection decisions following a series of squad camps and Challenge Matches in recent weeks. Ireland kick off the Six Nations against Wales next Friday, before travelling to France in Round 2 on Friday, February 11. Murphy’s side will then go head-to-head with Italy on Friday, February 25 at Musgrave Park, before concluding the Championship away …

A West Clare father-of-two was lauded for bringing “joy, hope and laughter” into the lives of countless people during tributes read out at his Funeral Mass on Friday, writes Dan Danaher. Paul Dillon (42) Knocknagore, Kilkee, and formerly of Tullycrine, Kilrush died tragically after he was swept out to sea near Farrihy Bay a few miles from Kilkee on Sunday afternoon. Addressing the congregation at Our Lady Assumed into Heaven Church, Doonbeg, co-parish priest, Gerry Kenny said everyone was gathered at this Funeral Mass to remember and pray for Paul Dillon. At this time, Fr Kenny offered deep felt support, prayers and sympathy to his wife, Roisín, son, Thomas, daughter, Aoife, parents, Paddy and Kitty Dillon, family, relatives and friends. Fr Kenny recalled Paul walked with his council colleagues as they formed a guard of honour for former local authority employee Michael Ryan, Bansha, when his funeral left Kilkee Church the previous Friday. “Little did anyone think that we would …

It was heartbreak for the Ennis Under 18.5 Girls in the Munster League Semi Final at Clonakilty losing out on a score of 34-31. After enduring a first half onslaught from the home team with Clonakilty scoring three early tries, Ennis fought their way back into the game and engineered two tries from Sadbh Finn and a conversion from Grainne Burke, which left them trailing 19-12 at half time. The second half saw both teams attack with gusto. The dry day and hard ground ensured a lot of open rugby and both teams looked to spread the ball wide. The tackling was committed from both teams and scores were hard won. The Ennis centre pairing of Orna Moynihan and Zoe Brown had a very busy afternoon. The Ennis backrow of Aoibheann Hahessy, Roisin Dillon and Jennifer Weston kept the Clonakilty backline under pressure. Lead on by captain Anna Purcell, and with hard work from all players at the breakdown, Ennis …

HOLLYWOOD superstar John Travolta landed his private jet in Shannon yesterday and posted a video on Instagram of his trip. The star of films like Pulp Fiction, Grease, Face/Off and many more posted the short video and in the style of a flight captain addressing the passengers said, “So tonight our flying time from Florida to Shannon is seven hours and four minutes, just so everybody knows. And I’ll see you… I’ll film when we arrive.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta) After landing he posted further footage from Dromoland Castle thanking fans for supporting his daughter Ella who is forging a career as a pop star. He employed a fairly dubious Irish accent to say “So, I’ve arrived safely in Ireland. As the Irish say, ‘life is what you make it,’ it is, it is.”

ELEVATED particulate matter levels from domestic home heating systems during cold weather, as experienced in Ennis earlier this month, “is a cause of concern”, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency said it is working with Clare County Council “to better understand the causes of poor air quality in Ennis”. The Clare Champion contacted the EPA for comment after concerns were raised about the town’s air quality following the detection of a spike in air pollution levels on the night of January 16. Particulate matter (PM) are minute particles of dust, soot and smoke and the daily limit for PM10 is 50 ug/m3. PM10 of 485.38ug/m3 and PM2.5 of 467.58ug/m3 was recorded in Ennis, January 16, at 7pm, along with sulphur dioxide measuring 67.22ug/m3. On the same day, China’s notoriously smoggy capital city Beijing experienced moderate to good levels of air pollution. According to the EPA the daily average PM10 at the Ennis monitoring station for  January 16, …

After their historic victory over De La Salle Waterford, St Joseph’s Tulla joint-manager Terence Fahy was in high spirits. “We just love the way that this team represent our school. They have so many characteristics that people can admire. They are relentless. “Their capacity to respond to setbacks was evident again there today. It came down to the basics really, desire, fitness, and no little skill. We are on a journey, and it begins and ends with our school spirit. “That has been built by a thousand people over many, many years. These lads just drive it on wonderfully. The level of support not alone from their own communities but from all over Clare for these lads is immense.” “The field is just full of past players who have worn that navy jersey over the decades and it’s immense. St Joseph’s Tulla is a special place, full of history, and these lads are carving their niche in that now. We …