Breaking News

YOUNG Clare rider has been selected on the team to compete at the European Equestrian Semi-Finals in Poland in August, writes Conor Clohessy. Coen Williams (15), out of Parc Stables on the Kilrush Road, outside of Ennis, is the under-16 national champion in show-jumping and achieved his highest accolade to date at the RDS National Championships 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Having trained on ponies since the age of four, he now travels to the biggest competition that he can attend at his age. Coen’s mother Paula said: “Once he comes out of the 16s he’ll be taking part in adult competitions and looking onward to the Aga Khan and the Olympics. He’ll be going to Strzegon, in the south-west of Poland, with four others on the Irish team. “There are 20 nations competing, and over 150 individuals. Coen will be taking part in the team and will also compete as an individual.” The competition stretches over five days …

‘A SHARED partnership’ between the two local authorities responsible for services in the lakeside towns of Killaloe and Ballina is being sought. Councillor Tony O’Brien made the call at the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District and asked that discussions be instigated with Tipperary County Council. With the Draft Killaloe-Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan currently open for public consultation, the Fianna Fáil member said he was “throwing the ball in ” on the idea of greater collaboration between the two county councils. “These are twin towns who need basic services on a daily basis,” he said. “With the advancement of a new town plan for the area, maybe it would be productive for both local authorities to engage and maybe share services like road sweeper for the two towns, and to cooperate on staffing levels. Instead of Clare County Council services stopping halfway across the bridge, maybe there could be a shared responsibility. I’m throwing the ball in …

A WARNING has been issued that Crusheen could become a “dormitory village” unless proper services are provided. The village has experienced a significant growth in housing development in recent years, but concern were raised at the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District that the provision of amenities has failed to keep pace. During a discussion on the controversial issue of the location of a south-bound bus shelter, Councillor Pat Hayes cautioned that the overall development needs to be considered. The Fianna Fáil member said that, otherwise, there is a risk of Crusheen, which is located off the M18 motorway, becoming a commuter village. The matter was raised by Councillor Pat Burke who welcomed the recent construction of a north-bound bus shelter in the village. He noted controversy over the south-bound shelter, originally planned for a site close to the Brodagh View estate, and urged that an alternative site beside the railway bridge now be considered. “Following discussions earlier this …

DERELICTION in the centre of Tulla has put the spotlight on the way the town is developing, with one public representative saying the Council is being accused of destroying it, writes Fiona McGarry. There have been long-standing concerns about urban decay in sections of the centre of Tulla at a time when housing development on the outskirts is increasing. The problem came to a head early this year when the local authority was forced to serve a Dangerous Structures Notice on the owners of an empty building in the heart of the town. A section of the footpath on Main Street was closed, in the interests of public safety, and a traffic management system put in place. After several months of attempted negotiations with the owners, and delays created by the closure of the construction sector during lockdown, the authorities have now moved to offer one final chance before stepping in to undertake the necessary works themselves. The matter was …

THE social nature of Covid-related behaviour was the topic of a fascinating webinar delivered to Shannon Chamber members. “How people (mis)perceive risk, how they respond to symptoms of the disease, the impact of campaign reminders, behavioural impacts of blended working, and wellbeing, were just some of the issues addressed by Professor Pete Lunn. The founder and head of the Behavioural Research Unit (BRU) at the ESRI was addressing a recent Shannon Chamber webinar, supported by Adare Human Resource Management. As a member of the Behavioural Change Subgroup of NPHET and the Department of Health’s Communications and Behavioural Advisory Committee, Professor Lunn’s team have conducted multiple behavioural studies for the Department of Health and the Department of the Taoiseach, designed to support compliance with public health guidance and to improve public communication. Advising organisations to factor in the great variability in how people handle uncertainty, he said it was crucially important to ensure that employees understand and can clearly see the …

TRAFFIC counts are to be carried out on the Ballybeg Road and details forwarded to the gardaí, the local authority have confirmed, amidst concerns about speeding cars described as “absolutely flying” in the area. Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, sought an update on actions being taken by the council to address the “ongoing speeding” on the Ballybeg Road. The motion was seconded by Councillor Pat Murphy, who commented “there is an issue with speed there.” Councillor Pat Daly also voiced his support saying, “ Ballybeg is a very popular walking area for older people. There is no doubt there is speeding, I regularly see cars absolutely flying it on the road.” Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responding to the motion stated, “The Ennis Municipal District will carry out further traffic counts on the Ballybeg Road and details will be forwarded to An Garda Siochana. The Section 38 traffic calming public consultation process …

KILLALOE Coast Guard has repeated its plea to motorists to stop blocking access to its station on the shores of Lough Derg. Amid record temperatures in recent days, visitors flocked to Killaloe to enjoy the water-based amenities. The parking situation in the Pier Head area was described by the coast guard as “unbelievable”, with blatant disregard for signage asking people to keep the entrance to the rescue base clear. The heatwave proved to be a particularly busy time for the coast guard. Volunteers had to respond to a number of calls and found themselves hampered by the presence of abandoned vehicles on approach routes and in front of the entrance to their station. Last Wednesday (July 21), while responding to a call about a vessel disrupting a swimming area, the coast guard encountered a series of obstructions. “While our crews were responding to this call-out the entrance to Pier head was again blocked by cars [that had] been abandoned in …

TWO Clare women have described the failure to set a date ahead of the Dáil summer recess for a Citizens’ Assembly on the biodiversity crisis as “hugely disappointing”. As the Dáil rose, Emma Karran from Doonbeg and Emanuela Ferrari from Ennis were among those supporting the Climate Case Ireland (CCI) group in writing to the Taoiseach to outline their frustration. Last month CCI and more than 20 other civil society organisations wrote to the government calling on it to treat the biodiversity crisis like a real emergency and announce the date for the long-promised Citizens’ Assembly before the beginning of the summer recess. “The Citizens’ Assembly on the Biodiversity Crisis was promised over two years ago,” Emma and Emanuela said, “yet the government still has not set a date for it to convene. The Dáil declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency on May 9, 2019, so the pandemic can’t even be used as an excuse. Declaring an emergency and then …