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Gardai and coast guard drive-bys lift brave youngster who has endured torrid year after rare brain tumor diagnosis THE efforts of an O’Briensbridge woman and the co-operation of local emergency services have given a welcome boost to a nine year-old boy battling a rare form of brain cancer. Tracy Howard has organised a series of fundraising ventures and drive-bys to show the huge support in the twin communities of Killaloe and Ballina for Joey Moran, who lives in the neighbouring village of Portroe. A GoFundMe page “Joey Moran’s journey with a rare brain tumour” has thus far raised €20,845. The brave young lad, described as a “warrior” and an “absolute legend” by parents Emma and Alan, has had to endure a number of serious surgeries as well as the very draining subsequent chemotheraphy and radiation treatments. One year ago the world changed for the Moran family. On September 18, 2020, Emma recalled Joey came out to the kitchen and struggled …

TUESDAY’S unveiling of former Aer Arann boss Pádraig Ó Céidigh as the next Chairman of Shannon Group was almost universally welcomed in Clare, given the Galway man’s depth of experience. He comes in at a very uncertain time for the airport, as it seeks to find its niche in a changed aviation landscape. “I actually believe that the time we are in now is the most challenging time in the history of Shannon Airport. As a result of that my role as the non-executive Chairman is probably the most challenging job in Irish aviation,” he told The Clare Champion on Wednesday. While one could see that as taking pressure off himself, that doesn’t seem to be his intention, because he also sets targets for his three year term that may not easily be realised. “Success to me in three years would be to get back to 2019 levels, with the passenger numbers and broadly the routes we had in 2019. …

A DOOLIN hotelier has been honoured in a prestigious short story competition organised by RTÉ. Dónal Minihane, General Manager of Hotel Doolin, was named on Monday night as joint runner-up in the competition which honours the memory of the late writer, Francis MacManus. “It’s absolutely amazing to be recognised like this,” Dónal told The Champion. “It’s really great that people will read and hear the story. When writers sit down to write, we don’t expect many people to read our work, but still we do it. This is something that’ll help me to keep going when I’m up early on the dark winter mornings while everyone else is in bed.” ‘Windsea’ was unveiled on RTÉ Radio’s Arena on Monday night as joint runner-up and Dónal said he was delighted to get the call from producers to give him the good news. The piece was read on RTÉ by actor Aaron Monaghan on Wednesday night last, and the story is available …

WITNESSES to a hit and run collision near an Ennis school, or those who may have dash cam footage, are being urged to contact gardaí, writes Jessica Quinn. Gardaí in the county town are appealing for witnesses following the hit and run which occurred at 8.01pm on Friday, September 10, at the traffic lights near Colaiste Muire secondary school on Harmony Row. The driver of a black 212 Volkswagen Passat had stopped at a red light with the intention of going straight over Club Bridge. “As the driver waited for the green light a silver or grey car that may have had a 10 or 12 registration impacted the rear of the car it then reversed back towards the entrance gates of Colaiste Muire and drove away in the direction of the Maid of Eireann roundabout, said Sergeant Triona Brooks, Clare Crime Prevention Officer. “If anyone witnessed this collision or anyone who may have dash cam footage, we are asking …

Pandemic not sufficient excuse for training backlog, claims McNamara YOUNG Clare apprentices are being told their four-year training programme will now take six years to complete due to chronic backlogs, a local deputy has claimed. Deputy Michael McNamara estimates up to 3,500 craft plumbing and electrical apprenticeships are being delayed throughout the country. Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday, Deputy McNamara said he didn’t doubt the difficulties Covid-19 caused for vocational training in education and training boards, ETBs, and colleges across the State. However, he doesn’t believe that those difficulties are a sufficient excuse. “We need these workers to be trained and to enter the workforce. We also need to ensure they realise how valued they are, because 5,500 trainees left apprenticeships over the past five years. “I do not know why this happened. I am not saying all of it was because of delays or even any of it was necessarily because of delays. “However, I know many of …

CLARE’S Sinn Féin TD has hit out at what she described as “the ongoing inaction by the government” in response to Clare homeowners affected by pyrite and mica. Deputy Violet Anne Wynne described the recent announcement that bringing Clare homeowners into the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme will require the advice of the Attorney General (AG) and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as “a delaying tactic”. “The recent statement by Minister [Darragh] O’Brien is more of the same,” the Kilrush resident said. “[It’s] a delaying tactic in what is inevitable and has been rigorously proven as such. There are at least 90 homes and two estates affected by pyrite defective blocks, but the real number may indeed be much higher. The government’s stall tactics add insult to injury.” Deputy Wynne also repeated concerns over the burden of stress placed on those affected by defective materials including pyrite and mica. “Based on my engagement with the Clare Pyrite Action …

Expert report states Clare should have redress access ONE of Ireland’s leading experts on defective blockwork has found Clare’s pyrite problem to be similar to that in Mayo, where several hundred homes are affected. In a detailed technical report prepared for Clare County Council and submitted, since the end of July, to the Department of Housing, Simon Beale and Associates (SBA) said the nature of the blockwork problem here is very similar to that in Mayo. The 29-page report, released to The Champion under the Freedom of Information Act, repeatedly highlights the technical similarities between the situations in Clare and Mayo. The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme was opened in 2020 after a long-running campaign for redress by homeowners in Mayo and in Donegal, where the mineral mica is believed to be present in thousands of homes. Simon Beale, who is a recognised expert on defective blocks, and has assessed and tested over 150 homes in Mayo, compiled the report …

Mid-West deputy’s claim coincides with dramatic rise in waiting lists A CONSULTANT working in University Hospital Limerick rang a Dáil deputy to arrange a scan for his patient, it was claimed this week. This coincides with the release of new figures showing that the number of outpatients waiting for public treatment in excess of 18 months in Ennis Hospital has more than trebled. Outpatients on the Ennis Hospital waiting list jumped from 235 in January 2020 to 855 in August 2021, according to figures obtained by The Clare Champion from the National Purchase Treatment Fund. Up to 400 outpatients in Ennis Hospital are waiting between six and 12 months for health services, while another 285 are waiting between 12 and 18 months. The number of inpatients waiting for treatment in the UL Hospitals’ Group has risen 28% up from 4,798 in January 2020 to 6,143 in August 2021. Outpatients in UHL jumped 21% from 35,983 to 43,359, Ennis Hospital recorded …