Breaking News

AN “EXPLOSION” of abandoned cats has prompted a West Clare animal sanctuary to issue an appeal to owners to take greater responsibility for their pets.   Dr Rhona Lucas who runs An Cat Dubh Sanctuary said that since the lockdowns eased, she has been inundated with abandoned cats, often in need of urgent care. “In the month of September, I took in 46 cats,” the 78 year-old outlined. “It has been a shocking year for admissions. I’ve actually been too frightened to count the total number of cats taken in this year.” Rhona said that the problem of abandoned and straying cats is particularly severe, but that she is also taking in more dogs than usual, as well as other animals. “It seems that many people got pets during the lockdowns while they were at home,” she said. “Now they’re back in the workplace and sadly many pets are being abandoned. Normally, I would have a busy summer and then a …

Author’s collaboration with CBS Primary pupils results in a fantastic flight of fantasy set in Ennis THE students of CBS Primary in Ennis and writer Chris Judge have joined forces to create a magical new book with the county capital very much at its heart. CBS Primary, Ennis is launching A Town Called Ennis, written by Chris and the students of CBS Primary and also illustrated by Chris. This Friday will see the official launch of the book as well as the unveiling of specially commissioned artworks throughout the school, based on the illustrations created by Chris in the book. The school community is eagerly anticipating the launch of the book, which is notable at national level as the very first fiction book created in collaboration between an author and the students of a school, through the Per Cent for Art scheme. The scheme, associated with the capital construction of CBS Primary’s new school building, enabled the school to commission …

A NEW tourism destination website aimed at raising awareness of the Burren region in Ireland and overseas has been launched. Members of the Burren Ecotourism Network were joined in Lisdoonvarna this week by the web development team, Evolve Technologies, to launch the new look Burren.ie. The website aims to bring the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark to life with stories of the people, places and attractions of the area and to attract more visitors to stay in North Clare. The site will also carry a strong message of ecotourism and sustainability. That is a principle that all member businesses subscribe to, and it has previously helped the network to win the ‘Lonely Planet ‘Best in Travel 2021’ award for Community Tourism. Evolve Technologies, which is based in Ennistymon, has been working closely with members of the Burren Ecotourism Network team, including CEO Jarlath O’Dwyer, George Quinn of Hylands Burren Hotel and chairperson of the Network, marketing coordinator …

ENNIS’ Market building, described this week as a “glorified car park”, should be put in the hands of trustees operating independently from the local authority, a meeting of councillors has heard. Councillor Pat Daly believes that Limerick’s Milk Market may provide the inspiration for “positive ideas for the future promotion of the Market Building at Market Street, Ennis.” Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he urged that a visit be organised for councillors and staff within the local authority to the market in Limerick. Backing the proposal, Councillor Johnny Flynn suggested that the market building could be leased out by the council to a group of public/private trustees. He estimated the Council could charge between €25,000 and €30,000 a year for use of the building giving “a good return” to the local authority. The market building was constructed at a cost of €500,000 as part of a €1.75m redevelopment of the market area in 2016. Councillor …

SHANNON Group has received nearly €33 million in financial support from the State since the pandemic began, writes Owen Ryan. Asked about supports for Shannon in the Seanad on September 30, Minister of State at the Department of Health Mary  Butler said,  “Shannon Group has availed of the economy-wide supports provided by Government as well as having received funding under our bespoke aviation support schemes. In total, the Government has allocated almost €33 million in support to Shannon Group since the crisis began and this will assist in positioning it for recovery. Prior to this, Shannon Airport was self-funding.” She said that the State will continue to support aviation. “The operation of air services is primarily a commercial decision for the air operators. In this regard, Ryanair’s announcement of 18 routes to operate from Shannon this winter season is very welcome as is the return to Shannon Airport of Aer Lingus operations on the London Heathrow route while Cork Airport …

Renewables developer says legislators need to facilitate the change from fossil fuels CLARE’S renewable energy potential has been described as “a huge, massive, endless, sustainable resource,” with the capacity to provide thousands of jobs and funding for vital public services. Barefield native Padraig Howard, a renewable energy developer believes that Clare’s on- and off-shore resources have the same transformative potential that the oil and gas sectors had a century ago. The difference is their green credentials and limitless supply. He told The Champion that while the development of the sector is “glacially slow”, the urgency of the climate crisis and the job creating potential of renewables is likely to push the sector to the top of the political agenda. Mr Howard, whose company developed the Mount Callan Windfarm, among others, highlighted Intel’s interest in Oranmore as a prime example of the potential of green energy to attract industry. “Oranmore is on a shortlist alongside a site in German and one …

A NEWLY filed financial statement from the Shannon Airport Authority illustrates the damage done in a disastrous 2020. Turnover had been €46 million in 2019, but it fell to €17.3 million in 2020. While there had been a profit of €2.7 million in 2019, last year saw a loss of €9 million before exceptional items and of €36.6 million when they were included. The exceptional items included expenditure of just over €3 million on a voluntary severance scheme and a loss of almost €24.5 million related to an impairment of fixed assets. While the financial performance was way back on 2019, the directors felt things could have been worse. “The Board is satisfied with the financial performance of the company in 2020 given the catastrophic impact of Covid-19.” It noted that passenger numbers had fallen dramatically. “Passenger numbers of 350k were down 80.2 when compared to 2019. It was an unprecedented year for the aviation sector given the global impact …

THE founder of The Haven Hub in Limerick has praised the community of Ennis for coming together to shine a light on suicide prevention. A new Haven Hub will be launched in the county capital following this Friday’s Light the Night event on the River Fergus. The new crisis centre will give peer support to anybody that is struggling with low mood or at risk of harming themselves late at night. Founder of The Haven Hub in Limerick Leona O’Callaghan explained, “Suicide has affected so many people in both Limerick and Clare. The most tragic part about that is how preventable suicide is. “If experts alone could prevent suicide then we would not have an epidemic. In reality what people need in their darkest moments is connection, someone to hold hope for them when they have lost it for themselves. Someone to help them stay safe when they can no longer do that for themselves. “We are delighted that Ennis …