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GARDAI are appealing for help from the public after money was stolen from an elderly Clare man who had allowed a stranger use his bathroom. The money was stolen from a house in Quin after the owner admitted the stranger to his home so he could use the facilities. Around 6pm on Sunday, September 5, a male described as in his 50s with dark clothing and possibly a foreign accent called to the home of the elderly gentleman in Applefort, Quin. He asked could he use the bathroom. The owner left the man into his house and realised later that a sum of money was taken from his bedroom. If anyone was in the area of Applefort last Sunday week and saw this male, they are asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 6848100.

GARDAÍ are conducting an investigation following the discovery of a man’s body in a campervan at one of county Clare’s best known resorts. Gardaí were called at around 3.20pm on Sunday in relation to a campervan parked in the carpark at Lahinch. After enlisting the assistance of fire service personnel, they gained access to the vehicle and found the body of a man in his 50s inside. It’s understood the death is not being treated as suspicious but as a tragic incident. Gardaí sealed off the scene while fire service personnel erected privacy screens around the vehicle which was located next to where hundreds of people were walking the prom. Two units of Clare County Fire and Rescue service from Ennistymon station were mobilised to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics. At the time, the campervan had been parked in the carpark adjacent to the popular promenade in Lahinch. Gardaí spoke with the occupants of other campervans in …

WHILE many of us were using Zoom to do quizzes during lock-down, advocates with a learning disability supported by Brothers of Charity were using the technology to develop international connections. The local advocates have been linking up with Indian charity Families for Children, a non profit, non-sectarian organisation that exists to fulfill the needs of children and young adults with disabilities. Resulting from this, both groups are coming together to host a Wellbeing Zoom event on Thursday, September 16 to raise funds for Indian children and Families for Children’s work. Labasheeda advocate Orla McMahon explains how the connection with Families for Children began back in April when the country was in the grip of record breaking cases of Covid-19. “When I saw the news on TV, families getting turned away from hospitals in India it was desperate. I said, we should do something about this. Let’s do a fundraiser. We’re all meeting up on Zoom nowadays so we looked up …

UP to 150 places and items of interest in Cratloe have been provided on a new online heritage hub, which has attracted huge local interest as well as international attention from exiles. Most famous for Cratloe Woods and the Cratloe oak trees, the area has a wealth of built and natural heritage which is dispersed through the townlands of Cratloe and includes wells, churches, graveyards, state houses, historical markings and plaques as well as being full of folklore and piseog tales. Locals and people living abroad can now click on Cratloe.ie and discover all the heritage in this district. Before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cratloe Community Council drafted a plan, which prompted the formation of a new heritage group. A few people including Aisling Finn decided to post photographs of the culture and heritage in the locality on social media. After last Christmas, council members felt people were very isolated because they had to remain within five kilometres …

CANNONBALL, the action-packed supercar spectacle, will pass through Clare on Saturday September 17th arriving in Killimer Ferry Terminal at approximately 3.30pm and driving along the N67 through Kilrush, Kilkee, Doonbeg, Quilty, Miltown Malbay, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan and Kinavarra before heading on to Galway. Top mark cars include, not one but two spectacular Ford GTs for the first time in Ireland. Cannonball, fuelled by milesPlus from Circle K, will also feature firm favourites McLaren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Maserati, Rolls Royce and Bentley. It will blaze a trail from Malahide to Cork and then take in Kerry, Clare, Galway, Westmeath, Longford, Meath, Cavan, Louth and Antrim. Any car enthusiasts and Cannonball fans wishing to come out to see the cars on the route are asked to please adhere to the advice of the Cannonball COVID-19 marshals and maintain social distancing. The official charity of Cannonball will be The HOPE Foundation, an Irish Charity doing incredible work with the street …

Ennis councillors to further discuss reinstating railings around restored O’Connell monument in the county town MEMBERS of the Ennis Municipal District have remained on the fence when it comes to the possibility of reinstating wrought-iron railings around the O’Connell monument. Councillor Johnny Flynn has urged the municipal district to start a public consultation process on the potential of reinstating a portion of the railings at the Height. Workers have had “unpleasant dealings with people who occupy the area” around the Height, and railings would help prevent litter in the area, he told the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Flynn said the work would “complement and enhance” planned public realm works in O’Connell Square and Bank Place as well as the conservation works on the O’Connell monument. “Such works could also be seen to be complementary to proposals incorporated in the current Part 8 planning application for welcome public realm upgrades to O’Connell Street and Barrack Street,” said …

Rape Crisis Mid-West says it has received 1,120 calls in first eight months of 2021 MORE Clare victims of sexual assault are seeking support from a regional support centre following a 29% rise in non-aggravated local cases over a 12-month period. The number of sexual assaults, which were not aggravated in the Clare Garda Division, rose from 17 from January to August 2020 to 22 for the same period in 2021. This increase was revealed at a Joint Policing Committee meeting this week. Rape Crisis Mid-West Centre, which deals with calls and counselling services in Limerick, Nenagh and Ennis, has experienced a major increase in calls for support over the last 12 months. This has resulted in an increase in waiting times, with some victims waiting up to seven or eight months for regular non-emergency counselling. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Rape Crisis Mid-West director, Miriam Duffy, revealed the centre has received 1,120 calls for the first eight …

Newly ordained Bishop Nash extols the virtues of listening and talking to shape church community in years ahead THE newly-ordained Bishop of Ferns, Ger Nash has pledged to lead a diocese in seeing, reflecting and acting to ensure it becomes a refuge of healing and encouragement. Bishop Nash also hopes to provide space for those searching meaning, as Wexford emerged tentatively from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The former Killaloe Diocesan Secretary from Tulla was ordained as the 81st Bishop of Ferns in St Aidan’s Cathedral Enniscorthy on Sunday last. “I am privileged to have been asked by Pope Francis to lead this historic diocese and I feel very humbled,” he said. In his wide-ranging address at the Mass celebrating his Episcopal Ordination, Bishop Nash, (62) said he hoped everyone can work together in Ferns with the Spirit of God to to ensure a place of welcome and hospitality for all. In accordance with Pope Francis’ model in “Let …