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FREE parking at Shannon Airport has been proposed by the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, as part of a bid to revive tourism and increase traffic through the Midwest airport. Councillor PJ Ryan received huge support for this call, at the July meeting of the local authority, for an incentive to use Shannon Airport over the likes of Dublin and other facilities. “It is crucial that central government support Shannon,” he said. “There are measure that we can look at on the ground and free parking could be one of those,” The motion was welcomed by Councillor Ann Norton. “Anything that can get people into Shannon Airport is something we should look at,” the Independent member said. “There was great excitement in our house with Ryanair’s Turin service. That will mean people can go skiing in the winter and any opportunity to get Shannon off the ground again is welcome. It’s great to have an international airport on our doorstep …

A WEST Clare councillor has described the response to the flying of the Pride flag at Kilrush Town Hall last month as “humbling”. Councillor Ian Lynch told the July local authority meeting of the positive impact of the move, as he called on the council to appoint a diversity and inclusion officer. “June was Pride month and, I put my hand up to this, I was relying on someone else to mark it,” he said. “I got a request to fly the Pride flag and I have to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Steve Lahiffe for making it happen. The response to that was one of the most humbling things I’ve experienced. There were people who woke up and felt better about themselves and about their town because the flag was flown.” The Independent member tabled a motion to have diversity and inclusion promoted. “We will be able to attract more people to the area if we can show …

FUNDING concerns have prompted a West Clare councillor to remark that “’The Old Bog Road is not in the Top 20’ when it comes to the priorities of the local authority. Councillor PJ Kelly made his comments as he tabled a motion before the July county council meeting asking why a decision, made five years ago, to raise a significant loan for local roads was not complied with. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), which has funded privately-owned roads for several decades, was scrapped temporarily between 2012 and 2017, prompting a country-wide outcry. In response to that situation, Councillor Kelly tabled a motion in March of 2016 proposing the raising of a loan of €1.6m. He cited the centenary of the 1916 Proclamation and its aim to “cherish all people of the national equally”. At the time, the motion went to a vote and was supported by all 24 members present. At last week’s local authority meeting, Councillor PJ Kelly asked …

Dan Danaher on a remarkable silver replica of Ardnacrusha Power Station links the prime movers in Ireland’s great power project THE story behind one of the most remarkable pieces of silver ever commissioned in the country links two men who played a powerful role in constructing South-East Clare’s “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Moves are afoot for the extraordinary silver model of Ardnacrusha to be moved in the near future from the power station to public display at the Hunt Museum in Limerick. The commissioning of this historical replica ties in two key ESB men, Joe O’Farrell and Dr Thomas MacLaughlin, prominent in the development of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme, which had been hailed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Having joined the Shannon Scheme in September 1927, O’Farrell was just the fourth person employed by the fledgling ESB. He played a key role in the construction of Ardnacrusha Power Station, and later ESB Networks working as senior engineer, …

THE Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District has called for a major media campaign next month to make landowners aware of their responsibilities when it comes to hedge-cutting. At the July meeting of the local authority, Councillor Joe Cooney noted that hedge-cutting, other than essential safety work, is prohibited between the start of March and the end of August, but insisted that more publicity is needed so that works can be carried out promptly from September 1. “There’s a lot of traffic on the roads at the moment,” the Fine Gael member said. “There’ll be schools traffic returning at the end of August and the start of September and we need to make sure that hedge cutting is being done, within the guidelines, to ensure safety.” The Broadford man welcomed a response from Senior Engineer John Leahy which outlined that funding of €95,000 has been allocated to hedge-cutting this year. “This is fantastic to see,” said Councillor Cooney. “Now is …

Eoin Brennan previews the Clare ladies football team’s crucial clash with Fermanagh With their championship lives on the line and no room left for error, can Clare’s true colours finally shine through through this Sunday? That’s the challenge thrown down by manager Evan Talty after a hugely disappointing opening All-Ireland Championship opener against Leitrim left his players embroiled in a winner-takes-all showdown for the final quarter-final spot in Longford town this Sunday. Now it’s up to them to see what are they made of. I told them coming out on Sunday that this was going to be championship football. You can play all the challenges you want but when Leitrim were in their faces and their hunger and desire was far greater than ours, we didn’t react well. “The question is now can we bring the intensity that Leitrim brought against us into Sunday’s match against Fermanagh. We’ve now had a game under our belts so there’s no excuses. It’s …

DESPITE late goals from Chloe Morey and Aoife Duggan, Clare suffered a 2-6 to 2-12 defeat to Galway as they suffered their second defeat in a row, reports Ivan Smyth. With Clare needing at least a draw to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive, they were overpowered by Galway in the third quarter as they were outscored by 2-3 to 0-1 after trailing by only a point at half time. Clare now face Westmeath in the final group game with both teams winless after their opening two matches. Ger O’Connell’s side struggled up front as they only hit two points in 27 minutes in the second half before the quickfire goals from Morey and Duggan. These majors cut Galway’s lead to three but this year’s league finalists struck the final three points of the game as they kept their cool in the sweltering heat as they picked up their second successive win. Goals after half time …

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Round 2 Qualifier Cork 3-19 Clare 1-23 CLARE were agonisingly denied a dramatic reprieve at the death as a relieved Cork finally held out to inch into the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Finals in the LIT Gaelic Grounds this afternoon, reports Eoin Brennan. Despite timely suckerpunches at the end of the first two quarters, a Tony Kelly inspired Clare not only made a full recovery on both occasion but actually managed to edge ahead for the first time in over 40 minutes through the overlapping Diarmuid Ryan in the 57th minute at 0-21 to 2-14. However, Clare simply couldn’t sustain that momentum as their fourth match in five weeks appeared to be catching up with them when Cork’s sprightly bench raided for 1-2 including a devastating goal through Shane Barrett in the 66th minute on their way to a six point advantage. Game over surely? Not with Tony Kelly leading the side as the 2020 All-Star …