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ALL-WEATHER drone facilities are to be sought by the council in 2022 in a bid to boost the search and rescue capabilities of the Civil Defence, writes Fiona McGarry. The news was revealed following a call from Mayor of Clare, Councillor PJ Ryan, for enhanced drone equipment, with infrared and all-weather facilities. The Cathaoirleach told the December meeting of Clare County Council, “This motion came about after I read recently in some of the national and local papers, about two successful searches which took place recently in Clare.” “I also visited the Civil Defence Headquarters on the Quin Road and spoke to some of the members and I went in just to see what the drone was like, and they told me, it was fantastic. But there was a problem with it, that it didn’t operate in wind or in the dark. So I asked to know, was there a possibility that an attachment could be got for it, but …

THE Clare Champion’s photographer John Kelly has been capturing the life and times of the Banner county for over 30 years. Last year was another successful one for John, adding Local Ireland photographer of the year 2021, to his ever growing catalogue of awards. Here he selects his favourite images from the year just gone by. We look forward with great anticipation to what he produces in 2022.

THE first Clare baby to be born in the University Maternity Hospital Limerick in 2022, was from Shannon, writes Owen Ryan. Michael Jimmy O’Connell O’Keeffe arrived at 10.47am on January 1, born to mother Treacy O’Connell and father James O’Keeffe. Speaking to The Clare Champion this week Treacy said she was delighted with her newly arrived son and joked she was making taxi drivers nervous that the delivery would occur in their cars, given her size. “Most of the taxi drivers around Shannon thought I’d deliver in their cars because I was so big!” It looked like the little boy, who is called MJ as short for Michael Jimmy, would arrive before the end of 2021. “They called me in on the 29th to have him, but it didn’t work out then. I went down to the Labour ward about 2.30 in the morning and they induced me, and off I went then,” Treacy laughed. She came home on January …

SOME 2,115 new cars were registered in Clare in 2021, an increase of almost 7% on the same figure for 2020. The figure represents 2.02% of new car registrations nationwide last year when 104,932 new vehicles were bought an increase of 19.1% on 2020’s figure of 88,325. While this represented good business for the motoring industry, figures were down 10.4% on 2019 registrations when the economy was still functioning normally. One area where 2021 comprehensively outstripped both 2020 and 2019 was the sale of electric car. The surge in sales of electric vehicles continued with 8,646 registered in 2021 compared to 4,013 on the same period 2020 (+115.4%) and 3,444 in 2019 (+151.0%). Moving in the opposite direction however was registrations of imported used cars, of which there were 63,617, a decrease of 20.4% on 2020 (79,969) and a decrease of 44.2% on 2019 (113,926). New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2021 saw an increase of 32.3% (28,741) compared …

A new year, a new you. Do you resolve to be fitter, slimmer, less stressed? Or is your only resolution to have no resolutions? Regardless, the start of a new year is a good opportunity to stand back and consider if we are doing what is important in our lives. And one of those important things, whether we like it or not, is our reaction to the climate crisis. A recent EPA survey showed that 85% of respondents are worried about climate change and almost the same amount – 80% – thought they personally should be doing more. For many of us, we simply don’t have the time, energy or headspace at the moment to deal with it. We are doing our best just to get by. Whatever we do or don’t do, it is our responsibility to the children of today to take informed and conscious action – and doing nothing is an action. Depending on our current state …

The Department of Public Health Mid-West is urging people to immediately self-isolate if they have any symptoms of COVID-19, reporting unprecedented levels of infection in the community across Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary. The current high volume of cases may result in delays in reporting, meaning that data may not be complete and up-to-date, it has warned. The body claims, however, that preliminary analysis shows between 1,100 and 1,500 daily COVID-19 cases across the region. This would surpass previous records seen in January 2021 (902 cases on January 2, 2021). “We expect this high level of infection to continue circulating in the community for a number of weeks, which is why we are appealing to the public to significantly reduce social activity,” said a spokesperson. Public Health Mid-West is managing and monitoring a significant number of COVID-19 situations across a range of settings, including nursing homes, long-term care facilities, residential care facilities, special education needs facilities, and vulnerable populations. Dr …

THE New Year was welcomed in style with the bang of drums and the clash of cymbals as the people of Gort staged a noisy fun walk against the proposed construction of one of the country’s largest Biogas plants in their town. People of all ages gathered and braved the elements to show their opposition to what the group has labelled an “ill-thought-out development”, with a short walk from the town to the gates of the proposed site. A spokesperson for the Gort Biogas Concern group said, “The kids loved it, making all that noise, and we want to show our continued support against this development.” For well over three years the people of south Galway have been engaged in an ongoing battle against the development of a Biogas plant in the town of Gort. Galway County Council refused planning permission and this decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. Another participant on the walk stated, “Gort has made some …

COVID-19 related absences are causing disruption to Bus Éireann services, the transport company has revealed. It is advising customers to take some time to plan their journeys and to check the Bus Eireann website where a list of service disruptions is available; information is also available via its Twitter feed. A spokesperson said, “Currently Bus Éireann is experiencing minor disruption as a result of Covid-related absences across its 17 depots, with the vast majority of services being delivered as planned at present. “Bus Éireann’s team is working on a daily basis to manage absences and to prioritise delivery of services which minimise customer disruption.” Covid-19 mitigation measures remain in place, including having hand sanitising units available on-board and in stations, having touchpoint cleaning during the day and deep cleaning of buses overnight, as well as reminders to leave windows open. We also remind passengers to wear masks throughout their journey and in bus stations. Customers can contact the Bus Éireann …