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A FASCINATING aspect of the history of Ruan has been brought to life in a new booklet focusing on a critical incident during the War of Independence in North Clare.  The taking of Ruan RIC Barracks on the morning of October 18, 1920, has been carefully researched by members of the Ruan-Dysert Historical Group, in the hope of passing a vital piece of history on to future generations.  The Historical Group came together six to seven years ago, according to Ruan’s Leonard McDonagh, with a view to documenting the history of the Ruan-Dysert Parish. “We wanted to gather a record of the area’s history,” Leonard said. “We were very aware that older people were passing away and homes becoming vacant. We were concerned that younger people were losing sight of their history and we set out around 2018 to start looking at the history of each townland. To be honest, we found that younger people no longer know what a …

Eoin Brennan speaks to St Joseph’s Tulla manager Terence Fahy ahead of his side’s historic clash with Cork side CBC in the Harty Cup CARRYING the Clare torch in the knock-out stages of the Dr Harty Cup for the very first time, St Joseph’s Tulla are eager to maintain their pioneering ways when meeting new Cork superpower CBC at the last eight stage in Kilmallock on Saturday at 1pm. The East Clare school have incrementally risen through the ranks over the past decade, with this team touted as providing their greatest hopes of a prestigious Munster Senior A Post-Primary Schools Hurling Championship title. Lofty ambitions that are matched off the field as well according to joint-manager Terence Fahy who presides over the side with Tomás Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona) and Aidan Harte (Gort), “We’ve a new and very progressive school and we’d be ambitious in all aspects. The school would be very invested in the students’ academic and extra-curricular activities. “When you’re …

A MAN has been arrested following the discovery of the dead body of a man aged in his 70s in Lisdoonvarna this morning. The man, who is in his thirties, is currently being detained in Ennis Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. The scene has been preserved and a technical examination is being carried out by the Garda Technical Bureau. State Pathologist Margaret Bolster has attended . The body of the deceased man has been removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem will take place. Gardai say that the results will direct the course of their investigation. There is an air of shock in Lisdoonvarna this afternoon, as local people begin to take in what has happened. One man said the dead man had been quite a popular figure in Lisdoonvarna. “I went to school with his son and they were very nice people. You’d meet him out having a few pints, a friendly …

REDUCTIONS in scheduled care across UL Hospitals Group have been extended for a further week as high levels of Covid-19 related staff absences mean emergency and time-critical care must be prioritised. This Friday, January 7 a total of 675 staff (whole-time equivalents) or approximately 13% of the UL Hospitals Group workforce are unavailable for work for reasons relating to Covid-19. The Hospital Crisis Management Team this Friday confirmed the deferral of the majority of scheduled surgery and outpatient appointments across its hospitals from Monday, January 10 until Friday, January 14. This includes University Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital, and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. Services at University Maternity Hospital Limerick are unaffected. All impacted patients are being contacted directly by the hospital. Staff absences continue to rise as a result of the current surge in Covid-19 and this is having an adverse impact on service delivery. This includes staff who are positive, closes contacts, those restricting movements or …

A GARDA investigation has begun in Lisdoonvarna, following the discovery of the body of a man in his seventies in unexplained circumstances at a residence this morning. At the moment a road adjacent to the Square in Lisdoonvarna has been closed off and there is a substantial Garda presence in the area. The scene has been preserved and a technical examination is to be carried out by the Garda Technical Bureau. The office of the State Pathologist has been notified.

Eoin Cleary tells Ivan Smyth Clare are keen to kick on in 2022, beginning with the McGrath Cup LAST year, Eoin Cleary became the first man from St Joseph’s Miltown to be shortlisted for an All Star as he followed in the footsteps of Gary Brennan and Jamie Malone who received nominations in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The 27-year-old is quick to spread the praise for his performances after a 2021 campaign in which he scored 0-35 across Clare’s five games last year. A memorable point from a sideline ball which he shot in to the town goal in Cusack Park against Laois highlighted Cleary’s form. Before Brennan in 2016, Clare had last received nominations in 1997 when Frankie Griffin and Martin Daly were nominated. Cleary believes the recent All-Star nominations show the talent that exists within the county. “It was very nice for my family, my club (Miltown) and for the county. Gary got one (an All Star nomination) …

THOSE living with diabetes are at serious risk of life-altering complications due to delays in recruiting specialists in the Midwest, a meeting of the Council has heard. A joint motion from Councillors Johnny Flynn, Mary Howard and PJ Kelly called on the authority to intervene with the Minister for Health over several posts approved a year ago.  “I’m a diabetic for nearly 20 years myself,” Councillor Flynn told the meeting. “I’m a Type One diabetic, which means I’m insulin-dependent. This isn’t a criticism of the excellent diabetic clinic that is managed and run in Ennis. It’s in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) the problem is.”  The Fine Gael member outlined how programmes offering support with diet and insulin pumps are offered elsewhere in the country, but not by the University of Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG). “The effect of the low level of staffing is that 663 people with diabetes from Clare and Limerick are waiting on specialist treatment, with half of …

WITH the number of Covid-19 cases soaring, many businesses across Clare have either closed or reduced their operations as 2022 begins. Post-Christmas statistics for the prevalence of Covid-19 in Clare are not available as yet, but record figures have been seen nationally this week. Anecdotal evidence does suggest a huge amount of infections in this county. While the vast majority of people are vaccinated and many of those infected have only had mild symptoms, the requirement for isolation means many people are not in a position to attend their places of work. Mayor of Clare PJ Ryan runs an oil business and on Wednesday he said two of his staff were absent due to Covid.  He warned that the impact on business is likely to be very serious throughout the month of January. “Covid is definitely very prevalent in the area and it’s seriously going to affect businesses over the next number of weeks. If the numbers keep going up …