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A BUNRATTY teenager is part of an all-girl team of Transition Year students in Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ Limerick, taking part in a competition to design, engineer and manufacture a model Formula 1 car, writes Conor Clohessy. Maya Rooney (16) is the engineer for the the “Formula 1 in Schools” project, in which they will , blueprint the miniature car through computer design programmes; it is her responsibility to work around prototypes. The project is headed by the team manager Aaliyah Coughlan (15), who is responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly across the board throughout the complex process. Other members include resources officer Lara Sheehan, designer Eva Kiely, fundraising and sponsorship officer Andrea Forde, and social media manager Ameenah Husseini – all 15. Maya explained: “First of all, me and Eva have to design our prototype on paper, and we work together to put it into design. While we do that, the rest of the team work on finding …

AN accident in which two school girls were knocked down while crossing the road near St Flannan’s College was recalled this week as Ennis councillors welcomed plans for a controlled crossing on the Clare Road. Last week the Clare Champion revealed that plans to reopen a pedestrian entrance at St Flannan’s College have been given the green light by Clare County Council. Under a condition of planning, no works are to take place until a controlled crossing is in place. At a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District this week Councillor Pat Daly said, “This is very, very welcome”. He recalled his early days using the old entrance to go into the school. “It is important that a controlled crossing is put in place to accommodate the kids crossing the road. I remember two students were knocked down in recent years.” Councillor Mary Howard recalled putting a motion before the council in 2019 calling for a crossing to be installed …

A MAN has been found guilty of a knife attack in Ennis that left the victim with a 20cm wound and the feeling that his face was “falling off”, writes Ronan Judge. At Ennis Circuit Court, a jury returned two guilty verdicts at the end of the trial of William McDonagh (30). McDonagh, with an addresses at Hazelbrook House, lower Gardiner street, Dublin and Clancy Park, Ennis, pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to Wayne Higgins and the production of a kitchen knife during the course of the assault. Both counts arose from an incident that occurred in the Hermitage area of Ennis on the night of February 10, 2019. The two-day trial was heard before Judge Brian O’Callaghan last week. In evidence, Wayne Higgins (24), originally from Kilmaley and who has lived in Ennis, told the jury that he had been staying at the Laurel Lodge homeless hostel around the time of the assault. Mr Higgins said that …

Kinvara is the home of a new, intergenerational community orchestra! Established by Fiona Buckley, and operating on a voluntary basis under the patronage of Tigh Sayre (Kinvara) and Gort Family Resource Centre, the aim of the orchestra is to provide an enjoyable opportunity for people, young and old, to play music together. The orchestra already has over 30 members with a full string section and an unusual mix of traditional and classical instruments. A group of vocalists also feature in the orchestra. The Orchestra’s musical director is New Quay man Garry O’Briain. Orchestra members generally hail from the Burren Lowlands area including Gort, Ardrahan, Kinvara, Ballindereen and New Quay. A significant number of members have not previously played in an orchestra while many others have a well-established background in traditional music. Some are amateur musicians, others are semi-professional or teachers of music and a number of teenage musicians have also joined. Orchestral rehearsals take place on Sunday mornings from 10.30-12.30 …

THE death occurred at the weekend of Canon Caimin O’Carroll, retired Parish Priest of Doora-Barefield. Canon Caimin was a native of Scariff, and was a priest of the Diocese of Killaloe for 67 years.  He was a past pupil of St Flannan’s College, Ennis. He studied for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he was ordained in June 1954. His first appointment was in the Diocese of Brentwood in England. He returned to Ireland in 1959 to become curate in Portroe Co Tipperary. In March 1961 he was appointed as curate in Templederry Co Tipperary. In 1966 he became the curate in Doora-Barefield parish and was also appointed as Diocesan Secretary.  He was appointed Parish Priest of Doora-Barefield, Co Clare on October 23, 1987. He was appointed AP in the same parish in July 2005. On July 26, 1991 he became a Canon of the Chapter of the diocese of Killaloe. On July 23, 1993 he was appointed …

GARDAÍ are appealing for witnesses after a man was attacked and robbed by a gang of men last weekend in Ballina. In the early hours of Sunday morning, November 7 between 12 midnight and 2am as a couple left a fast food restaurant on the main street of Ballina they were approached from behind by four or five males. The man received a punch to the back of the head and a black eye before falling to the ground. The men stole his Tommy Hilfiger jacket, a black Tommy Hilfiger wallet and a black Apple iPhone 7. “We are appealing to anyone who was in the area of Main Street, Ballina and witnessed this incident or anyone who may have dash cam footage to contact Killaloe Garda Station on 061 620540,” said a garda spokesperson.

A FORMER Mayor of Ennis has paid tribute to those who visit the graves of unidentified people, believed to have died in tragic circumstances, off the Clare coast. Following a renewed Garda appeal for help in identifying three bodies, recovered since 2010, Councillor Mary Howard said there are many people who take time out to tend to their graves in Ennis. In tandem with a recent TV documentary, Kilrush Gardaí have issued a fresh appeal in relation to the identities of two women and one man. Their bodies were found separately, at locations close to The Cliffs of Moher, in incidents dating back more than a decade. All three have been buried in Drumcliffe Cemetery. “The situation is heartbreaking,” Councillor Howard said. “There are at least three people buried in Drumcliffe who haven’t been identified. “I know people who visit the graves regularly and say a prayer because they realise the pain that their loved ones must be feeling, not …

Incoming DAA chair highlights M20 as another ‘threat’ to Shannon DUBLIN Airport does look on Shannon as a competitor, the Oireachtas Transport and Communications committee heard recently from Basil Geoghegan, the chairperson designate of the DAA. Both Dublin and Cork Airport are under the remit of the DAA and while being questioned by Limerick TD Kieran O’Donnell, Mr Geoghegan said it was “clear to me that we are set up to compete with Shannon and if we didn’t we’d have an anti-trust regulator saying to us ‘what are you doing?’ “In fact the biggest competition for Shannon is Cork, maybe it’s a positive that the motorway hasn’t been finished between Shannon and Cork, I’m not sure.” He said that the improvements in infrastructure over the last ten years have actually made things more difficult for airports other than Dublin. “In a way the connectivity by better motorways, has meant that both for Cork and Shannon, Dublin is more of a …