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CLARE businesses may be hit with a 3.8% increase in commercial rates, if local county councillors approve the first hike since 2009 in the Draft 2022 Budget at a meeting this Friday, writes Dan Danaher. With Clare County Council’s overall expenditure projected to increase to €138.6 million in 2022, up €7.8 million on the previous year, it is expected this proposed rates increase will generate an additional €1.3 million in revenue, if it is approved. The Clare Champion has learned that councilllors were presented with this proposed commercial rates increase at a recent briefing. In total, 3,430 occupied properties generated €37.2 million in commercial property rates in 2021. Ten levied properties pay more than €20 million. This income comes from energy generation plants, windfarms, global utility networks, national retailers and large industry. The balance of about €17 million is levied across 96% of properties in the county. While income from extra properties or new builds will generate an extra €1.15 …

A SENIOR intensive care clinician has warned health services are on a “war time” footing due to increasing cases of Covid-19. The head of the intensive care unit at University Hospital Limerick, Dr Catherine Motherway, has also stated some healthcare services will have to shut down, if Covid-19 figures continue to rise. Her warning came before official figures revealed the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Mid-West totalled 5,381 from November 9 to November 22. There were 1,361 new cases of the virus in Clare, 1,975 in Tipperary and 2,045 in Limerick during this 14-day period. The 14-day incidence for November 22 is 1,145 in Clare 1,237 in Tipperary and 1,049 in Limerick per 100,000 population. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier this week, Dr Motherway said that healthcare staff are “stretched and operating on a day-to-day basis” and noted that patients may not receive the same level of care as they would “in peace time”. She also revealed …

A CONCERTED campaign is being sought to tackle a junction on the main artery into East Clare, where people are “putting their lives at risk”. Several members of the Killaloe Municipal District issued stark warnings about the situation at Henchy’s Cross on the R352. The intersection is one of the preferred routes for traffic coming from the mart in Ennis and Shannon Airport onto the busy regional road. At the November meeting of the district, Councillor Pat Hayes appealed to the Killaloe director to make a case for major safety works. Efforts have been ongoing to secure funding from the Department of Transport for a major €2m scheme. To date, this has not been approved and the meeting heard that interim safety works are expected to begin next year. A frustrated Councillor Hayes said there had been several accidents at the junction and he did not want to see fatalities happen. “I’m calling on our Director of Services to take …

The Irish Community Air Ambulance is asking supporters and businesses to help it Light Up The Sky and sponsor a star to fund lifesaving missions this Christmas. In the past year, the air ambulance attended incidents in county Clare over 50 times, accounting for 12% out of a total of 468 taskings. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) is Ireland’s only charity-funded Air Ambulance. It responds to serious incidents and medical emergencies every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from its base in Rathcoole, Co. Cork. There were 42 taskings during December 2020, including one on Christmas Day. Crews launched 12 times between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve to counties Cork, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford costing an estimated €42,000. Each helicopter mission costs an average of €3,500, all of which has to be raised or donated. The HEMS Air Ambulance has been tasked by the National Ambulance Service to 468 incidents so far in 2021. One in …

CLARE County Council has won a Chambers Ireland award for an initiative that identifies opportunities to improve communities’ quality of life and advance economic development. The 2021 Excellence in Local Government (ELG) Award was earned for an initiative to restructure its four Municipal Districts (MDs) of Ennis, Killaloe, Shannon and West Clare. The Council’s winning entry was entitled ‘Restructuring of Municipal Districts to improve community and economic outcomes’. The restructuring initiative involved the realignment of staff structures at MD level in Clare County Council to identify and advance opportunities for economic development and to improve the quality of life of communities in County Clare. Under the initiative, a senior staff member – Senior Executive Officer (SEO) – was assigned to each of the MDs, and each MD was assigned to a Director of Service. The overall objectives of the restructuring were to: identify and develop sustainable solutions to enhance the wellbeing and quality of life of local communities; advance opportunities …

A HUNDRED years ago the world came out of the darkness of World War One and Prohibition and celebrated in style in the Golden years of the 1920s. Now, as the entertainment industry and theatre in particular emerges from the confines of Covid, Ennis Players will celebrate the All-Ireland drama finals in the manner of the Roaring 20s. ‘Drama at Ennis’, the 2021 All-Ireland One Act finals will be staged in glór from December 3 to the 5. “The finals have been postponed from 2020 and now it is time to celebrate and embrace a wonderful weekend of amateur drama,” said Bernie Harten of the Ennis Players. “Participating groups and their supporters will be welcomed to glór, where they will play to an appreciative audience, deprived of theatre for too long,” she added. The All-Ireland One Act drama circuit is a 32-county competition with the top 11 groups in the country qualifying for the finals. Many amateur groups never get …

STUNNING photos of North and West Clare’s coastal and marine environment have been recognised in a highly prestigious national competition. The Love Your Coast initiative is part of the long-running Clean Coasts Programme, and aims to celebrate Ireland’s unique coastline through the medium of photography. This year sees the 12th anniversary of the scheme and three of the images that impressed the judges most feature this county. Clare photographer Mike Orth took second place in the Wildlife and Underwater category for a picture entitled ‘Compass by Cave Light’. The skilful shot features a compass jellyfish and Mike captured the image at the entrance to Donegal Point Cave in Kilkee. A keen diver, Mike, encountered the jellyfish while diving at Kilkee. “I asked my club mates if I could enter the cave at Donegal Point first, to set up and photograph them as they entered the cave from the east side. “I set up just inside the entrance just under the …

THE Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Councillor PJ Ryan, and the Mayor of Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Ann Norton, have welcomed the news that Ennis has been named Ireland’s Tidiest Town 2021 and commended all those involved in achieving the prestigious accolade. Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced the win at a ceremony in the RDS, Dublin last week. Ennis was judged to be the best from 847 entries to the SuperValu TidyTowns competition, which has been in existence since 1958. Ennis first entered the competition in 1959 and has won the competition on one occasion previously, in 2005. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Councillor PJ Ryan, said the award reflects the collaborative approach taken by the local community and business sectors in Ennis, and said the local authority is delighted to partner with Clare’s community group. “I want to acknowledge the year-round work that is done by Ennis Tidy Towns and commend them on achieving …