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CONCERNS have been raised by planners over the amount of housing development in Crusheen, given the level of community, educational and commercial services currently available.  The Council outlined that view in a Further Information (FI) request to developers who are seeking permission for the fourth large-scale housing estate in the village in recent years. The authority warned that the intensity of housing development proposed may not be suited to the village.  Woodhaven Developments lodged plans last December for 42 more homes on a site on the Gort side of Crusheen. The company said the estate represented the next phase of a masterplan for lands close to the village centre, that are zoned for mixed use and transport utilities. While Woodhaven said the plan was in line with the target of boosting Crusheen’s population, planners have now warned that appropriate services may not be in place to serve additional housing. In a detailed FI request, planners said that when three housing …

THERE has been “huge demand” for first year places at St Flannan’s College in Ennis, with the school confirming that extra places have now been made available. An additional 24 first year places are being offered at the secondary school, principal Fr Ignatius McCormack confirmed this week. In a statement, he said, “Due to the huge demand for first year places at St Flannan’s Killaloe Diocesan College the Patron and Board of Management of St Flannan’s College has revised our intake for this year. “Following a careful review of our teacher allocation and our accommodation provision we are in a position to offer a further 24 places in the first year class, bringing the total number to 240. “These extra places will be allocated in line with our admissions policy which can be viewed on our school website www.stflannanscollege.ie.”

Munster Senior Camogie Championship Final Scariff/Ogonnelloe 1-8 Drom & Inch 1-7 THE name Scanlan will be forever linked to sport in Scariff and now Scariff/Ogonnelloe as the veteran of so many battles hit a 65th minute goal to secure her side’s second Munster crown, writes Michael O’Connor. With the appetite for success warmed up by the St Joseph’s Tulla win in the same pitch, the East Clare wave took over Mallow GAA Complex on Saturday afternoon Scariff/Ogonnelloe were hoping to continue a wonderfully progressive season with success in this final played in cold, but clear conditions. Their opponents, Drom & Inch were the 2020 champions replacing Scariff/Ogonnelloe, who won the 2019 crown and it was the Tipperary side who started the final as favourites. It was indeed heart-breaking for the Tipperary champions as they were the shortest ever champions of Munster only defeating Inagh/Kilnamona before Christmas. The first-half was far from a classic encounter as both sides were controlling their …

AN application to build a business training complex in rural north Clare has been refused planning permission, writes Owen Ryan. The application made by Jo Irwin Training was for a building that would provide a space for business & management skills training and career/interview coaching purposes at Gleninagh, Ballyvaughan. The building would have used an existing access road and an entrance through the grounds of the family dwelling house. The application said that the training provided could be over a couple of days, at which time the service users would stay in Ballyvaughan and be brought by minibus to the training unit. At other times when training was on a single day, it stated that three cars a day could travel to the development. A planner’s report on the application said that while the Council encourages the provision of training centres “such facilities are more suitably located within rural towns or villages where opportunities for spin-off economic development are more …

Dr Harty Cup semi-final St Josephs Tulla 0-20 De La Salle 1-13 A defiant defensive display by an inspired St Joseph’s Tulla allied to unerring free-taking up front secured the East Clare school their first ever Harty Cup final appearance the weekend after next against Ardscoil Rís, reports Michael O’Connor. De La Salle, who came up short in this tie, had defeated their opponents in the opening round tie by a brace of scores. The performance of Paddy Fitzgerald in that tie had impressed and he was once again to the fore for the Waterford side. However, on this occasion, and in a game dominated by free-taking, the importance of late late scores from play by St Joseph’s proved vital. A mature Tulla side with a number of players available from the 2020 Harty Cup quarter final against St Flannans had targeted at least a place in the knock-out stages and have now gone to the final day out and …

CLARE GAA has announced the recruitment of three strength and conditioning interns – Criostóir McCaw, Brion Moriarty and Hugh O’Neill. Speaking following their introduction, Micheál Duffy, Clare GAA Games manager said, “As Clare GAA games manager I would like to welcome Criostóir, Bríon and Hugh to Clare GAA. “They will be working with us under the guiding expertise of Rob Mulcahy. Clare GAA have been extremely fortunate to engage with three ambitious individuals who are eager to make a mark is exactly what Clare GAA need and one is sure that their energy will be of a huge benefit to the players that they will coach in both the Development Squads and Post-Primary Schools. “I would also like to thank the County Board for supporting this new project as it is one that I think is extremely progressive and the fruits of which we hope to see in the years to come.” Rob Mulcahy, lead strength and conditioning coach with …

THE Housing Minister has been told that ongoing delays in supporting Clare homeowners affected by pyrite represents “an undeniable form of discrimination”. In an open letter to Minister Darragh O’Brien, the founder of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) said the group is “at a loss” to understand why technical evidence provided on the impact of defective materials is not being accepted by his department. The letter also refers to Minister O’Brien’s visit to Clare last August, during which he pledged that a decision would be made in a matter of weeks on the Council’s request for access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.  The letter states that homeowner in this county are being subjected to “a prolonged and even calculated form of exclusion, compromising both our human and constitutional rights as Irish and European citizens”.  Concerns are also raised over the revised grant scheme, as outlined last November. The letter calls for the abolition of the proposed sliding scale …

Eoin Brennan previews the Munster Senior Club Camogie Championship Final between Scariff-Ogonnelloe and Tipperary’s Drom & Inch HERE we go again as following an exceedingly tense Munster Final clash in 2019, Scariff-Ogonnelloe and Drom & Inch lock horns once more for the ultimate showdown in Mallow on Saturday. All because it’s a meeting of the last two winners, with Scariff-Ogonnelloe, thanks to the momentum of a first ever Clare senior crown, managing to shade matters by 1-7 to 0-8 two years ago while a delayed 2020 final last November saw Drom & Inch inflict another heartbreaking provincial decider defeat on Inagh-Kilnamona (their third in four years). Indeed, with this being Clare’s fifth consecutive Munster Senior Club Final appearance and fourth against Tipperary opposition, it will only add to what promises to be a memorable occasion. A fresh approach under new management has rejuvenated Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s challenge throughout 2021 as the injection of youth has only strengthened an already powerful hand. Drom …