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THE Food Safety Authority of Ireland served a closure order on the kitchen area of the Burren Atlantic Hotel in Ballyvaughan, after a number of issues were found there. Contraventions of food safety were discovered at the hotel which, according to the FSAI, “could result in a serious risk to contamination of foodstuffs giving rise to a grave and immediate danger to public health”. A letter sent to the company from the FSAI stated, “Foodstuffs likely to support the reproduction of pathogenic micro-organisms were recorded at temperatures that might result in a risk to public health.” It also said that small flying insects had been noted in flour drums. The letter sent on July 23 claimed there had been a “failure to maintain the premises in a clean and hygienic condition”. It listed a number of issues, claiming that surface areas had been covered in food scraps and debris, which had also been noted on the floors. Internal fridges had …

PEACE group Shannonwatch, which has been holding regular protests at the airport for years, has claimed that Ireland has violated its neutrality through the use of Shannon by troops that were on their way to and from Afghanistan. “Ireland has been complicit in the US-led twenty-year war against Afghanistan by not only allowing US military to use Shannon Airport but by inviting the US Government to do so” said Shannonwatch spokesperson Edward Horgan. “Even if we had never been a neutral country we should not allow any military forces to use Irish territory to wage illegal and unjustified wars. The US military use of Shannon should be ended immediately as the USA is still engaged in unjustified military actions in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere.” “Following the appalling attack on the US on September 11, 2001, the US launched a brutal invasion of Afghanistan in contravention of the UN Charter and without UN Security Council approval. This war was initiated …

We speak to four Clare people about their environmental activism Mélina Sharp Futureproof Clare and Extinction Rebellion I became environmentally active after attending an Extinction Rebellion (XR) information session in Kilrush about three years ago. It was a wake-up call, I felt shock and horror at the threat to humanity from climate breakdown. I feel that everything is connected and has an impact on communities and ecosystems but my main focus now is on stopping fracking. So-called “natural” gas was hailed as a clean transition fuel but the emissions from production and shipping are being overlooked. Taking everything into account, importing fracked gas is almost 50% worse than coal from a climate perspective. Methane is about 87 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Levels in the US alone have risen by a third in the last 10 years due to fracking. I work with international groups and hear first-hand stories of the …

The EU plans to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030. Bridget Ginnity explains the importance of this plan and highlights simple steps we can all make to play our part in achieving this goal. THE recent launch by the EU of the “Fit for 55” package sounds like an attempt to get us off the couch and touch our toes by the time we’re all 55. Instead, it’s is a plan to reduce EU carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 – and for Ireland that’s a massive 60% reduction on current emissions. The need for reductions has been shown in stark terms this year with the deaths from extreme flooding, heatwaves and forest fires around the globe. This EU plan gives grounds for hope because if governments take control of actions now, we can reap the potential benefits of these actions. Action now avoids unleashing the chaos that is likely to crash down on us if …

CLARE’S Fianna Fáil TD has hit out at the “optics” surrounding social media commentary on the botched plan to make Katharine Zappone a special envoy to the United Nations (UN). Deputy Cathal Crowe told The Champion he “wouldn’t know where to find the Merrion Hotel” where a controversial gathering was held by the former minister days before her planned appointment was revealed. Deputy Crowe was sharply critical, however, of some Opposition party’s calls on social media for the resignation of the Tánaiste, who apologised for “letting his guard down” by going to the outdoor event. Since the event, which generated a political storm and caused pandemic guidelines to be clarified by the Attorney General, efforts have been intensifying on social media to identify the attendees at the Merrion Hotel event. “I wasn’t invited,” Deputy Crowe said. “I wouldn’t have attended and I don’t mix in those circles. When I’m in Dublin, I work damn hard and then I get back …

ENNIS native Ashling Kelly has almost completed a 32-peak challenge, in which she climbs the highest peak of each county on the island of Ireland, to raise funds for Pieta House. Ashling spent much of her time in preparation for this impressive feat keeping fit and plotting the routes she was going to take, as some of the peaks she conquered were in clusters that she could complete over the course of a few days. The challenge also required Ashling to camp out near the peaks, something that added a new and exciting element to the feat altogether. Now with only three peaks left to climb, Ashling has raised over €2700 online at the donation website JustGiving and she can be supported here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ashling-kelly1 This challenge was something Ashling had always wished to complete, and she was inspired to do so during lockdown and give the proceeds to Pieta House due to the mental pressures of quarantine.   By Conor …

VISITING restrictions imposed at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) earlier this month are being lifted and scheduled visits to inpatient wards can recommence, by arrangement, from tomorrow (Thursday, August 19). The temporary visiting ban announced on August 6 was one of a number of infection control measures adopted in response to an outbreak of Covid-19 at the facility. Hospital management, working closely with infection prevention and control and microbiology colleagues, have now decided it is safe and appropriate to reintroduce hospital visiting in line with the relevant national guidance. Scheduled individual inpatient visits are being coordinated by the clinical nurse managers and ward clerks, in consultation with patients and their families and loved ones. From Wednesday, hospital staff have been making contact with these families and loved ones to arrange/schedule visits. The hospital has warned that members of the public who have not arranged their visit in advance cannot be accommodated. It should be noted that these visits are for inpatients …

CLARE Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe said he has secured funding to ensure that the Garda Station in Shannon is re-painted, following a number of representations from locals. After having the issue raised with him, Deputy Crowe spoke to the Minister with responsibility for the OPW to see if funding could be ringfenced to rectify the issue. “Representatives of Shannon Tidy Towns came to meet with me at one of my recent clinics in the town and outlined all the work they’re undertaking, which I think all of us can agree is fantastic,” said Deputy Crowe. “But they felt the Garda Station in the middle of the town was looking shabby and in need of a new coat of paint. “I went up to see it for myself and following this, I contacted Minister Patrick O’Donovan who has written back to confirm he has approved this and the OPW has approved funding to fully paint the station in the early …