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THERE have been 1,945 new cars registered in county Clare to date this year. This compares to 1,795 registered to the same point in 2020 and represents an 8.36% increase. Clare’s share of the new car market this year is 2.02% of sales nationwide, a slight drop from 2.28% at the same stage in 2020. Overall in Ireland some 96,309 new cars have been registered in the year to date compared to 78,864 for the same period in 2020, an increase of 22.1%. When compared with 2019, however, pre-pandemic, there have been 12.9% fewer cars registered to the same point. In 2019, by the end of August 110,527 new cars had been registered nationwide. Another stand-out in the figures is the continuing surge in purchases of electric vehicles. Some 831 new electric vehicles registered were in August compared to 294 in August 2020. So far this year 7,057 new electric cars have been registered in comparison to 2,954 on the …

CLARE pharmacists have expressed their surprise with the decision to cease the Janssen Covid-19 vaccination programme earlier this month in view of the huge demand for the one-dose vaccine, writes Dan Danaher. A letter from the HSE’s National Immunisation Office, which was sent on August 11, said that any unused or expired AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccines should be returned and could be removed from fridges. “As the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine single dose programme is now nearing completion, and Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) second dose vaccines have now nearly all been administered, any residual vaccines which are not required to complete cohorts should be returned to national cold chain service. “These vaccines can be removed from the fridge and prepared for return, but they must be retained in a secure area that can only be accessed by appropriate personnel. “New patients are not currently being enrolled to receive Covid-19 Janssen and AstraZeneca. It is not anticipated that there will be significant quantities of …

Senior Hurling Championship Group 2 Round 3 Sixmilebridge 3-19 Wolfe Tones 0-13 A devastating second half display from holders Sixmilebridge certainly spoiled the home party in Shannon on Wednesday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. The crisp atmosphere and ideal setting demonstrated exactly what supporters have missed since Covid centralised the majority of senior championship fixtures between Cusack Park and O’Garney Park. And for the first-half at least, the teams responded in kind, with a cracking top-of-the-table derby showdown that was level on eight occasions by the 30 minute mark. More of the same was expected for the second period but along the fading light went Wolfe Tones’ challenge as they were unable to sustain the pace, movement and intensity of their opening half efforts and would be duly punished by a ruthless Sixmilebridge. In all, the back-to-back champions outscored their hosts by 3-11 to 0-04 in the final 30 minutes, with incrementally sloppy Tones errors fully capitalised on with three goals …

A MAN arrested in connection with the death of Broadford hurler Niall O’Brien, in Greece, is due to appear before a Greek judicial authority Thursday, to hear whether or not charges will be brought against him, writes David Raleigh. The 20-year-old Irish suspect, who was not known to Mr O’Brien, was arrested by police on the island of Ios, following Mr O’Brien’s death, last Monday. Mr O’Brien, 22, who was on holiday with a group of 20 friends, died from serious head injuries following an altercation with another man in the town of Chora, police said. “On 30 August, a 20-year-old Irish citizen was arrested by police in Ios because another Irish citizen, 22, died. He said they fought and he punched him and the other citizen fell on the street, and (he was taken) to the hospital and he died there,” said police spokeswoman. “He hit his head as he fell on the ground, he was taken to the …

OPEN water swimming is becoming a very popular pursuit in Two Mile Gate, Killaloe, following travel restrictions imposed to curb Covid-19 over the past year. This is graphically illustrated by the huge interest and participation in swimming lessons, which started on Wednesday evenings in Ballycuggeran in July. With the demand for swimming lessons already outstripping supply, Swim Ireland are considering extending them for four weeks in September, subject to weather conditions. Swim Ireland coach, Donnacha McGeever, Ballina, believes travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic encouraged people to avail of more recreational activities on their doorstep. “I wasn’t doing any open water swimming for the last few years. When Covid-19 came, it was the only social and activity outlet I had to get out into the real world during the winter. “There has been a massive uptake in swimming during the pandemic. I think Covid-19 kept us local and taught us we can enjoy the open water with a wet …

GARDAÍ have seized approximately €60,000 of suspected cannabis herb in Shannon. At approximately 9pm on Tuesday, August 31, gardaí attached to Shannon Garda Station conducted a search on lands in the Drumgeely area. During the course of this search two carrier bags were located. These were found to contain suspected cannabis herb, with an estimated value of €60,000. These drugs were seized and will be sent for forensic analysis. No arrests have been made as of yet, and Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the Drumgeely area last night from shortly before 9pm and thereafter who may have seen anything unusual to make contact with them. Anyone with information which may of assistance to this enquiry is asked to contact Shannon Garda Station on 061-365900 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

THE Shannon Group CEO has called for the public to use and support Aer Lingus’ Heathrow service from Clare’s airport as much as possible to ensure the route’s long-term future. Mary Considine was speaking this Wednesday ahead of the return of the Aer Lingus London Heathrow service to Shannon Airport on September 13. “It is great to see the Heathrow service return to Shannon in what has been, and continues to be, an extremely difficult period for the aviation sector,” said Ms Considine. “We will be working closely with Aer Lingus to build the service and to resume long-haul services, however, airlines make decisions on routes based on a number of factors, one of the most important of which is how many passengers will travel on their flight. “The best way to ensure the Heathrow service and indeed other routes, remain for the long term is for people to support them. “We have already seen encouraging up-take for the range …

A WOMAN has been airlifted to hospital after she was injured in a single-vehicle road traffic collision in Clare on Tuesday afternoon. The crash happened near Kilnaboy shortly after 3pm. National Ambulance Service paramedics; two units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennistymon station and Gardaí responded to the incident close to Poplar Bridge. The Cork-based charity-funded Irish Community Air Ambulance, Helimed 92, was also requested to respond to the scene. The car is understood to have collided with ditches on both sides of the road before overturning and coming to a stop on its roof. The female driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was left trapped inside. No other vehicle was involved. Fire crews and paramedics worked together to safely remove the injured woman from the car. She was assessed and treated at the scene before being airlifted to University Hospital Galway for treatment. Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the collision.