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RYANAIR launched eight new Shannon routes on Thursday morning and said it will carry more passengers to and from the airport over the next year than it did in 2019, before Covid struck. The airline’s CEO Eddie Wilson praised Shannon Airport’s management for being proactive in securing new services, and estimated around one million people will fly with Ryanair to and from Shannon in the next 12 months, up by around 25% on the 2019 figure. It announced six new services for the winter 2021 season, to London-Luton, Budapest, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Fuerteventura and Turin. New services already in place for the summer include Corfu and Gran Canaria. While there has been some criticism of Shannon’s separation from the other State airports in recent times, Mr Wilson said the deal wouldn’t have been possible had it still been part of the DAA group, with Dublin and Cork. “You have a situation whereby Dublin and Cork have not been able to respond …

BRÍD MacNamara and Clare Camogie’s officers clocked up one million steps between them during the month of July, writes Ivan Smyth. The fundraiser was run for Clare Camogie with PRO Brid completing over 640,000 steps during the month as she visited all 26 camogie clubs in the county. She also put her best foot forward during her lunch break and at any available opportunity. Brid admits her body is sore after completing the challenge and that it was challenging to find the time every day to clock up the steps as she averaged over 20,000 steps per day during the month of July. She believes the help of her fellow county board members was invaluable. “My body is holding up ok at this point. My legs are very sore and my feet are too. It was challenging to fit in the walking every day if you factor in inter county games on work days and then we had minor and …

    WORK on the construction of a new €50 million Synchronous Compensator will begin in Moneypoint Generating Station last this month as part of the ESB’s multi-billion Euro Green Atlantic development. The new compensator will be the first in the country and will incorporate the world’s largest flywheel used for grid stability. Due to the intermittency of wind energy, grid stabilisation technologies have an increasingly important role in a successful energy transition. The synchronous compensator will enable the management of the transmission system safely and securely with a reduced dispatch of fossil fuel plant under constraints and reduced costs of transmission operations. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, the ESB stated is pleased to bring forward the Moneypoint Synchronous Compensator with flywheel as a cost effective and zero carbon solution in strengthening the stability and resilience of the Irish grid. An ESB spokeswoman confirmed manufacturing of the main electrical and mechanical components commenced earlier this year, works …

GLÓR is continuing to put its best foot forward since reopening, with plans in place for some ‘air’ raising events in the near future. Fidget Feet Aerial Dance, in partnership with Clare Arts Office, are bringing the In the Open arts programme to Ennis with a series of outdoor events planned over the coming months. The first event will be Fidget Feet’s brand new outdoor show,  A Handful of Dreams, currently touring nationwide, which is coming to glór’s car park from August 20 to 22. The free ticketed family event will be accompanied by a complimentary performance of traditional Irish music and dance, featuring local musicians and set dancers. “A Handful of Dreams is an awe-inspiring and heart-warming outdoor show that combines aerial and circus arts with live Irish traditional music and dance. Infusing a specially designed outdoor rig with an ancient magic, this beautiful celebration will connect to the hearts of each audience member while restoring the joy of …

A KILLALOE woman has taken on an incredible challenge of completing a 250km triathlon within 24 hours in aid of two charities. On August 28, 27-year-old Jade Hoynes will be embark on the gruelling test which will consist of a 4km swim of Lough Derg, a 200km cycle, finally finishing off with a 46km run. The demanding undertaking is to raise funds and awareness for two charities that are incredibly important to both Jade and her family, Samaritans Ireland and Sejare Adult Respite House, Limerick. Jade, who works within her family business Palm Free Irish Soap had previously taken part in RTÉ’s Iron Mind series with Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin. The series enlisted the help of experts in everything from psychology to nutrition as four ordinary people with their own mental health challenges took on the task of competing in a half-Ironman event. It was this event that encouraged her to take on this newest triathlon challenge. Jade recalls her first …

THE owners of a West Clare art gallery are urging the public to shop local this summer, writes Jessica Quinn. Kilbaha Gallery has backed the newly launched Irish SME Association (ISME) ‘Shop Local’ campaign for consumers and businesses. Liz Greehy, co-owner of Kilbaha Gallery, said, “Here at Kilbaha Gallery we have been so lucky to be surrounded by a wonderfully supportive community on Loop Head who have always made shopping local a priority. “Throughout Covid, although our doors were firmly closed, our business was actively trading online and the support we received nationally in Ireland from people prioritising Irish purchases was outstanding. “This was wonderful for us as a gallery but also the benefits of which were felt right through to the homes of the artists themselves who were delighted to be able to continue producing and selling truly great art and bringing a smile to homes throughout the country. “Shopping locally and within Ireland produces a very important ripple …

CLARE Youth Service launched QQI Level 4 Creative Media Technology Awards this week during their virtual annual Awards Ceremony. Leaving Certificate Applied Learners were also awarded on the successful completion of the programme. After almost two years of blended learning and a challenging learning environment for all young people, 20 new graduates celebrated their achievements and resilience which were recognised at the virtual awards ceremony. This has been a unique journey as each of the graduates were compelled to spend many hours on screens in their homes due to the pandemic. However, they persevered to complete their programme, and this perseverance was lauded by Edel McDonough, Manager of the Community Training Centre who thanked all staff and learners for their hard work and creativity throughout the past two years, “This certification both in Creative Media Technology and Leaving Cert Applied opens up exciting pathways into the future for each young person and this celebration marks the end of a journey …

THE number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Clare dipped by just over 250 over the last week. According to figures from the Department of Social Protection there were 4,278 receiving the payment on Tuesday of this week, down from 4,529 seven days earlier. At one point in 2020 there were almost 15,000 people receiving the payment in Clare. While international travel may have been suspended, there are still many visitors taking ‘staycations’ in Clare, bringing money into Ennis and coastal areas of the county. The numbers receiving the PUP have been falling for some time and it has been closed to new entrants for the last three weeks. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that numbers receiving the payment across the State have fallen and are continuing to fall as the economy reopens. “For the first time since its introduction, the number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has fallen below the 200,000 …