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KIERAN Mulvey, a former Director General of the Workplace Relations Committee, has been appointed to mediate talks aimed at bringing the dispute at the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to a close. The IAA employs 332 people at Shannon and Ballygirreen in Newmarket, many of whom are air traffic controllers. The latest move follows a letter sent to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan on behalf of a number of disgruntled air traffic controllers, which made a number of charges. It claimed that Shannon and Cork airports had to close on separate occasions during the summer, due to non availability of air traffic controllers, who have been alienated by management. “The closures and non availability of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) is as a result of years of sustained abuse of the Air Traffic Control staff by the Executive Management team of the Irish Aviation Authority,” the letter alleged. “IAA management have repeatedly and unilaterally changed the terms and conditions of employment of the …

When titles are rarely captured by a club the delight is evident when in three weeks a hat trick of honours are annexed, and this is the case with Parteen. Junior B football and now the double achieved by their busy U13’s as the hurlers with a late salvo of scores took the honours in Broadford on Saturday morning. Whitegate will look back that despite a solid honourable effort they let chances go abegging and with Parteen possessing slightly the more physical side these misses were costly. Leo Bogenberger, Jake Gibbons and a long range free by Whitegate team captain Matthew Ryan gave the large Whitegate following a lot to cheer about in the first seven minutes as they raced three clear and looking more than capable. There was no further score in the first quarter as Parteen managed to curb the attacking tendencies of Whitegate. Finn Cahill and Sean Geoghegan got Parteen on the scoresheet in the 17th and …

The Sparks Youth Film Festival in Scariff hosts screenings and workshops next week THE red carpet will be rolled out in Scariff next week, as the Sparks Youth Film Festival gets underway. The event will begin on Tuesday next with a series of workshops on skills from animation to special FX make-up and will culminate in a Red Carpet Festival Screening on Saturday from 2-4pm at Scariff Library. On Tuesday, from 3.30-5pm, a sound FX recording workshop will take place for those aged ten and over. Animation classes run on Thursday and Friday (October 28 and 29) for those aged between eight and 13. On Saturday, a special FX makeup session takes place with lots of tips on making scary scenes look even more gory, ahead of Halloween. The film screening on Saturday (October 30) will include work from local secondary schools and Youthreach. All are welcome. All workshops are free, but booking is required by calling Scariff Library on …

A FORMER meat processing plant in Tiermaclane looks set to reopen under new management over the coming weeks, according to Deputy Cathal Crowe. The plant is being taken over by Asba, which has offices in Shannon, and specialises in the production, processing and supply of stun-free Halal meat products and seafood. Deputy Crowe said the new owners are on site on a managerial basis but noted the plant will not be operational until it obtains the necessary licence from the Department of Agriculture. Acknowledging the licensing process can be slow during normal times, Deputy Crowe confirmed he has been engaging with Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, Department of Agriculture staff and the regional veterinary officers to fast-track the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible. Following talks with Minister McConalogue, Deputy Crowe confirmed progress is being made towards securing a possible reopening date. The Fianna Fáil Deputy confirmed the Halal method of slaughtering is currently under review by senior veterinary officers in …

NINE staff members and six residents tested positive for Covid-19 in an Ennistymon long-stay residential centre, a new report has revealed. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conducted a one-day risk inspection of Ennistymon Community Hospital on July 7 to monitor compliance with national regulations, and following an outbreak of Covid-19 the previous January. One resident with Covid-19 died, according to a HIQA inspection report. At the time of this inspection, residents and staff had completed their required period of isolation and the outbreak had been declared over by public health on February 23. The centre, which is run by the Health Service Executive (HSE), had 15 residents on the day of the inspection, but has the capacity to accommodate 27. It was deemed to be compliant with national regulations on staffing, training and staff development, governance and management, complaints procedure, visits, infection control, fire precautions, individual assessment and care plan, health care, protection and residents’ rights. Inspectors found …

HIGH levels of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), the cancellation of outpatients appointments, and spiralling waiting lists have been described as akin to watching a “car crash in slow motion”. As UHL struggles to deal with an increase in Covid-19 patients and a dramatic increase in ED admissions, a senior government minister has admitted the pandemic record of 91 patients on trolleys in the hospital on October 12 was unacceptable. UHL had the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country on Tuesday with 47, and had the second highest number of suspected cases of the virus with 42. Seven confirmed cases were in ICU, while there was only one available ICU bed on Tuesday. In an interview with The Clare Champion, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the health service is dealing with an extraordinary global pandemic, which has put a lot of pressure and strain on hospitals. “This is going to have a knock-on impact on …

AN INCREASE of just six in Garda numbers in Clare, over the past decade, has been described by Deputy Cathal Crowe as “alarming”. As Garda Commissioner Drew Harris addressed the Joint Policing Committee meeting this week, Deputy Crowe appealed to him to get more Gardai back onto the streets. The Fianna Fail member was among those to table formal questions to the Commissioner in advance of his visit to Clare. Both he and JPC chairperson, Councillor John Crowe raised the issue of Garda numbers in the county. The Meelick TD’s comments followed a response from the Commissioner in which he outlined changes to the size of the police force at national and divisional level. “There is a truly unique dynamic in Clare, in terms of policing,” Deputy Crowe said. “We are a rural county wedged between two cities. We have the largest urban centre that is not a city. We have an airport and a number of Direct Provision sites, …

Kilmurry Ibrickane v Lissycasey at Cusack Park Ennis, Sunday 2pm The trap of familiarity has snared many a favourite but for Kilmurry Ibrickane, such has been the complexity of their journey this year in terms of personnel, injuries and retirements that complacency certainly shouldn’t be an issue for the champions. After all, being a fourth championship meeting in as many seasons, no other team outside of their nearest neighbours Miltown have caused the ‘Bricks as many headaches. In 2018, they had to scramble for two late goals just to force extra-time before completing a nine point turnaround to win by four, the following season Lissycasey’s profligacy in front of goal saw Kilmurry Ibrickane grind out a 0-9 to 0-7 win while last year’s semi-final showdown was a brilliant high scoring spectacle. Level on six occasions as late as the final water break, the fact that only the minimum separated the sides in the end was a testament to Lissycasey’s never-say-die …