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IRISH Water has been accused of creating “a huge obstacle” to the development of rural Clare. At a meeting of the council’s committee on Physical Development, frustration was aired at the fact that the authority is striving to protect water quality while Irish Water is unable to provide critical infrastructure in some locations. Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy made her comments following a presentation from Ruairí Ó Conchúir of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). Mr Ó Conchúir outlined the pressures on waterways across the Mid-West region, after which the Fianna Fáil member asked him if he believed there is a policy problem when it comes to funding waste water treatment. Thanking Mr Ó Conchúir for his presentation, the Ennis member noted the recent criticism of Irish Water by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the discharge of raw sewage at a number of coastal locations. “I want your opinion on this,” she said. “Do you think a different approach needs …

Society ideal for those looking for love says chairperson as plea issued for male voices “WE need men”. That’s the message from the Ennis Musical Society who have put out a desperate plea for the men of county Clare to get involved in their upcoming show Legally Blonde. As if taking part in a fun show isn’t enough of an incentive, chairperson of the society Rachael Culligan reveals that the society is the ideal place to be for those looking for love. She describes the group as “almost the Tinder of Ennis” with many couples meeting and falling in love after joining. “It’s kind of a wonderful dating service I would say,” she laughs. The Ennis Musical Society are holding auditions for the show in January, and Rachael is urging men to put themselves forward. Auditions had been scheduled to take place this weekend, however the society have decided to pause those plans due to Covid-19 and they are instead …

HE’S A self made multi-millionaire who is leading one of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects, but when one speaks to David McCourt it’s apparent he’s not solely interested in the issues faced by the 1%. Mr McCourt is chairman of National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and when he talks about connecting the country, it’s very clear that he’s interested in its potential for redressing rural-urban imbalance, taking the sting out of the runaway property market, and saving villages from a death spiral. The Tradaree building in Newmarket on Fergus hosted a board meeting of NBI last week, and Mr McCourt said he wanted to give a message to those attending. “This is to demonstrate to my board that everything needs to be rethought. We’ll have our board dinner in Meals on Wheels, which will be transformed for the night. It’ll be a physical representation of how everything needs to be rethought. “Meals on Wheels are rethinking food waste, a high percentage …

AN ambitious plan for the twin lakeside towns of Killaloe and Ballina was adopted at the November meeting of local councillors, paving the way for a range of enhancement works. The Killaloe and Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan, (TEMP) outlines a number of key projects for both sides of the Shannon, including future pedestrianisation of the old bridge once the new bridge and bypass are completed. Measures to boost walking and cycling are outlined as well as actions to connect the flow of traffic to the bypass, reducing the number of vehicles in the centre of the two towns. The drafting of the plan involved extensive public consultation and cooperation, over the course over over a year, between the local authorities in Clare and Tipperary. The blueprint was warmly welcomed by Councillor Tony O’Brien who commended senior planner Brian McCarthy and the Killaloe Municipal District team. “This is simply a fantastic plan, I have been saying that the greatest …

A BIKE rental scheme for Ennis town and its environs would be the solution to a shortage of parking in the county capital, Ennis’ Deputy Mayor believes. Councillor Paul Murphy made the call for the introduction of such a scheme to be “prioritised” as part of the Ennis Town Mobility Plan at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. The motion seconded by Mayor of Ennis Councillor Ann Norton who voiced her support. The proposal will be considered in the Ennis Town Mobility Plan, Leonore O’Neill, senior executive officer with the Ennis Municipal District confirmed. Councillor Murphy stated that the inclusion of a bike rental scheme “should be a key component” of the mobility plan for a number of reasons, to improve mobility and also to give more options to people who want to come into town.” He added that the villages of Clarecastle and Barefield should be included in the proposed scheme. “People could come and park on …

A LUCKY Clare lotto player scooped €457,080 in Saturday night’s draw. The most coveted prize in Irish Lotto history remains up for grabs after Saturday night’s record breaking €19.06 million jackpot draw continued to roll without a winner. However Clare player matched 5 numbers and the bonus ball to share a €914,160 prize pot with a Donegal winner, with each player winning €457,080. The player in Ennis purchased their winning Quick Pick ticket on the day of the draw at the Tesco store in Ennis Shopping Centre while the Donegal winner picked their own numbers on a Normal Play selection on Thursday, November 25 at Kernan’s Spar store in Ballyshannon in County Donegal. As no additional funds were added to the capped Lotto jackpot, the funds that would usually go to the jackpot were instead distributed to the next prize tier at which there was a winner and in Saturday’s, this was the Match 5+Bonus category.  The National Lottery are …

GARDAÍ at Ennis are appealing to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 30-year-old Jason Burcombe who is missing from his home in Ennis, Co Clare since Tuesday, November 23. Jason is described as approximately 5’ 6” in height, of medium build, with short fair hair and blue eyes. When last seen he was wearing a black jacket, dark grey tracksuit pants, a grey beanie hat, navy runners and white socks. His family are concerned for his wellbeing and are seeking assistance from the public in locating him. Anyone with information is asked to contact Ennis Garda Station 065-6848100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

State accused of ‘stalling tactics’ by Clare advocate “A LITANY of broken promises” has been condemned by the founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group, after confirmation of further delays in access to the defective blocks scheme. Dr Martina Cleary said that more than 100 homeowners in Clare will now have no option but to take legal action and engage in further protests. Despite assurances from the Housing Minister on August 27, that a decision on extending the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme would be made “within weeks”, the process has become protracted. After raising queries with the council about the cost of a technical report it submitted in July, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) has now sought further technical data. This added hitch has sparked anger, with Dr Cleary accusing the Department of “stalling tactics”. “The Department is now looking for additional test data and it’s clearly a delaying strategy,” she told The Champion. “I …