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Breaking News

Population plan the ‘end of rural Clare’

Councillors want legal advice on means to challenge NDP projections A COUNCILLOR has blasted proposed population allocations for the county saying it “effectively will be the end of rural Clare”. Legal advice is to be sought by Clare councillors on the constitutionality of proposed population allocations for the county set out in the National Planning Framework. Councillor PJ Kelly at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council insisted the population targets in the framework, which has to be adhered to in drawing up the County Development Plan, are “discriminatory” and “effectively will be the end of rural Clare”. He was backed by Councillor Joe Killeen who, while welcoming projected population growth in Ennis and the Limerick / Shannon Metropolitan area, said “the difficulty is for the remainder of the county the population projections are very low for Clare”. He said this puts services for communities in rural Clare “in jeopardy” with “a further diminishing of what is there already”. In …

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Clare people set to join protest over the state of diabetes services

CLARE people with diabetes will participate in a public demonstration organised by the Mid-West Diabetes Group to highlight the lack of services next Sunday on World Diabetes Day at 1pm outside University Hospital Limerick. Gráinne Flynn, from Ennis, who has lived with diabetes for 28 years, uses an insulin pump and manages her diabetes on the principles of Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating (DAFNE). “I have to travel an hour, to an hour and a half, to my clinic appointments because the diabetes clinic that’s just a 30-minute drive away doesn’t have enough staff with specialist training in either of those tools.” It is of utmost concern to people with diabetes that one year after seeking national funding, the University Hospitals’ Group still cannot fill positions in the outpatient adult diabetes clinic and therefore cannot provide specialist Type One diabetes education or offer insulin pump technology to prevent developing long-lasting complications such as amputation, kidney dialysis or vision loss. The …

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Coast guard association is launched in Kilkee

THE Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association (“ICGVRA”), consisting of existing and former IRCG volunteers, was launched in Kilkee recently following a moving commemoration for Caitríona Lucas who lost her life on September 12, 2016. During the ceremony Emma Lucas, daughter of Caitriona Lucas, placed a wreath for her mother, together with John O Mahony, Chairman ICGVRA, on the cliff top beside where she died when Kilkee’s Irish Coast Guard Delta Rib capsized. Many Irish Coast Guard volunteers both past and present spoke about the importance of having an independent association to represent their interests. ICGVRA vice-chairperson, Bernard Lucas said volunteers are central to the strength and capability of the Coast Guard Units and their value must be prioritised. “For far too long volunteers have had no voice. The time is now to stand together for the betterment of the Coast Guard as a whole and its volunteers.” The official launch was attended by Clare Oireachtas members Deputy Joe Carey …

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Callinan aiming to build for the future with Kilmihil

Despite Kilmihil playing in their fifth final in six years, manager Kevin Callinan insists his side are focused on producing players for the future. “We would have a small pick but we try and build for the future. This year was a time to rebuild for us so to get to the county final is great and will only improve the players’ development.” Kilmihil won four out of their five round robin games with their only defeat coming to Banner Ladies with both sides already qualified for the knockout stages. They continue to be without the Considine sisters – Eimear and Ailish, who are both forging successful careers in the AFLW and rugby respectively while Edel McMahon (rugby) will not feature. Carol O’Leary and Jenny Kelly are unavailable. Callinan admits it is not easy to produce players in an area as small as Kilmihil but he is happy with the continued progress being made at underage. “There is unbelievable work …

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Clarity over council costs in preparing pyrite testing

DETAILS have been provided on the costs incurred by Clare County Council in preparing a report on the extent of pyrite in homes here. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows the council is seeking to recoup €80,000 after the Department of Housing asked it to make a case for extending the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme to Clare. The report is being considered by Minister Darragh O’Brien, alongside a major overhaul of the scheme itself, which currently only covers Mayo and Donegal. At a public meeting in October, attended by up to 80 homeowners, there were some fractious exchanges between Oireachtas members over the bill. A breakdown of the costs was sought by the Department of Housing and correspondence, secured under FOI, shows that the council clarified the bill. The authority said that external tests and reports were carried out on ten properties at a cost of €7,000 each. A further cost of €15,000 was incurred for “internal technical …

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Camogie bosses look forward with optimism ahead of Clare final

Eoin Brennan speaks to the management teams of Scariff Ogonnelloe and Truagh-Clonlara ahead of this weekend’s senior camogie final Fresh voice aids new look Scariff Ogonnelloe It’s not easy to walk in the shadow of giants but following Jim Minogue’s epic 2019 adventure through Clare and Munster, a new management under David Sullivan have already made their own indelible mark by guiding Scariff-Ogonnelloe back to a county senior decider for only the second time in their short history. The Tipperary native who had previous senior camogie experience in Galway, Tipperary and Offaly actively sought out the job once it became available and has made the transition appear seamless with a perfect five match winning run to Saturday’s decider. “Sometimes when you have the five years of the previous management and they’ve done so well, it’s always going to take something new and different when the next backroom team comes in. “Especially with me being an outsider from Tipperary, they either …

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Experience or momentum the question in Clare camogie finals

Eoin Brennan takes a look at the Clare camogie finals taking place this weekend Senior Camogie Championship Final Truagh-Clonlara v Scariff-Ogonnelloe at Clarecastle, Saturday 2pm (Andy McMahon, Cratloe) Being only the third final since the turn of the Millennium that Newmarket-on-Fergus or Inagh-Kilnamona (Kilnamona) are not competing in, the sheer magnitude of what Truagh-Clonlara and Scariff-Ogonnelloe have achieved just to even tee up this unique final pairing is not lost on Clare Camogie supporters. Both have rebuilt their flagship sides from the bottom up and have concentrated on developing clear pathways from underage level as central to their revolutionary ways. Indeed, both cubs have had a similar trajectory, becoming almost ever-present in the last four line-up over the past few years. However, while Truagh-Clonlara found it difficult to break their semi-final hood against Newmarket that including back-to-back extra-time heartbreak in 2018 and ’19, Scariff-Ogonnelloe did famously make the breakthrough in 2019 to conquer Clare and Munster in one historic fell …

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Clare social dancing group under threat from e-ticketing rules

A SOCIAL lifeline for hundreds of people from Clare, and beyond, may have had its last dance, due to new rules on e-ticketing, writes Fiona McGarry. Members of the Dancing for Pleasure group have had to sit it out over the long months of lockdown. As restrictions eased for the live events sector, they were keen to dust off their dancing shoes. Organisers were dismayed, however, to find out that the rule on advance ticketing applies, not just to nightclubs, but to their social dancing outings. Regular attendees, who range in age from 60 to 90, are unlikely to take to the e-ticketing system, organisers believe. “We love our dancing,” said Ennis-based committee member Andy Carmody. “Now, we have completely lost our exercise and our social life. A lot of people are not into the internet. I just don’t think that having to buy a ticket by email, at least an hour before the dance, will work for us. “It’s …

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