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ONE third of the Catholic parishes in this diocese are now without a resident priest under the age of 75, the Bishop of Killaloe has revealed. Announcing the Killaloe Diocesan Appointments for 2021, which, in most cases, will take effect next month, Bishop Monahan acknowledged the challenges and opportunities for the diocese. He also expressed gratitude to a number of priests who have opted to continue ministering beyond the retirement age of 75. “One of the great signs of hope in the diocese at present is the coming on-stream this year of 25 lay people trained in the area of Pastoral Care and Catechetics,” the bishop said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with them in the pastoral areas of the diocese.”  Bishop Monahan also expressed thanks to the Covid committees and the many volunteers who have worked so hard to ensure that churches and places of worship across the diocese are as safe as possible over the past year-and-a-half.  As announced last month, Fr Ger …

PUBLICANS received bad news last week when the return of indoor dining and drinking was put on hold, and that has been compounded since, with wet and miserable weather deterring people who might have been content to socialise outdoors. Speaking on Tuesday, Ennis publican and Ennis Chamber President, Darragh McAllister said the change in weather brought a big change in business. “Oh completely, it’s down by over half. We kind of knew it was coming as well, with people unsure about the weather they wouldn’t head out into it. It had a massive effect, it was always going to do.” While there are a number of pubs open again, he says few are profitable due to the restrictions and increased obligations on publicans. “The few places that can do it are still limited, there are only so many people you can have anyway. In reality the whole thing isn’t viable without the supports that are in place, it’s not viable …

AN Ennis pharmacist has described the demand for the Covid-19 vaccine from 18 to 34 year olds as “phenomenal”. From Monday a number of pharmacies in Clare started administering Covid-19 vaccines to the 18-34 year old cohort as part of the national programme. According to pharmacist Brendan Rochford of Rochford’s Pharmacies in Ennis and Corofin, “The announcement on Friday morning caught us completely by surprise. The phones started ringing non-stop from 9am last Friday. “Our staff have been fantastic dealing with such a huge volume of enquiries.” Rochford’s had already been administering vaccines to the over 50s age group but, according to Brendan the numbers were much smaller compared to the volume of enquiries they have received for the 18-34 yr old age group.  “We have an online vaccine booking system on our website www.rochfordspharmacy.ie which is very efficient but we had to get this set up for the 18-34 year old age group so it was late on Friday before we got …

RELOCATING the proposed new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) cannot be ruled out in the interests of ensuring women’s healthcare is free of religious influence, a Clare TD has said. Plans to move the facility from Holles Street to a site beside St Vincent’s Hospital have been bogged down in controversy over governance and ownership. Deputy Violet Anne Wynne told The Champion that if a move to co-locate the new facility with Tallaght Hospital has to be considered, it should be. “The new hospital has been in the pipeline since the 1990s and it has been in the Programme for Government since 2013,” she outlined. “Maternal healthcare and women’s healthcare generally must be provided by the State, without interference or influence from outside the public realm.” Deputy Wynne’s comments came as thousands attended a rally outside Leinster House last Saturday afternoon over the ongoing ownership of the new site by Religious Sisters of Charity. The order previously said it intends to …

TRADE union Fórsa, which represents Aer Lingus cabin crew said it was appalled at Aer Lingus management’s decision not to attend a Labour Court hearing on the closure of the airline’s Shannon base. T The union had referred the issue to the Labour Court after thetwo sides failed to reach agreement over staff transfers and redundancy terms in a series of direct talks. Fórsa said company management has refused to attend, and had emailed cabin crew ordering them to apply to transfer to Dublin or Cork, or opt for redundancy on what the union calls “take it or leave it” terms. Fórsa official Ian McDonnell accused the company of disrespecting staff, as well as the Labour Court. “Aer Lingus has received hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ Euro throughout the Covid crisis. Now it has spurned the State’s top industrial relations body, declared an incomplete consultation over, and ordered staff to respond to its ‘take it or leave it’ terms. Far …

A HEARBROKEN Doora-Barefield mother-of-four has described her son, Fionn as a “talented young man and a well of endless potential”. Fionn O’Brien, (20), died following a tragic accident while he was surfing in Lough Donnell beach off the coast between Doonbeg and Quilty between 6.30am and 7am on Monday. It is understood that the former Rice College student got into some difficulty while he was in the water, his friends administered CPR and called the emergency services. Emergency services arrived and he was airlifted by the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter R115 for emergency medical treatment to University Hospital Limerick (UHL). He was pronounced dead on Monday around lunch time. In a heart-rendering tribute at his Funeral Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Fahy Hall, Roslevan, on Thursday, his mother, Michelle recalled their son, Fionn arrived promptly into their lives and their contented baby grew into the smiling calm and assured young man they knew and loved. She told the congregation the …

A MINUTE’S silence was held at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District this week following the tragic death of young lifeguard Fionn O’Brien. Meanwhile, the chaplain of Fionn’s former secondary school in Ennis has offered its support to past and present students affected by the loss. The 20-year-old, who was from a well-known Ennis family and lived on the Tulla Road, died after getting into difficulty while surfing off Lough Donnell beach on Monday. Fionn has been remembered as a “wonderful, smiling and talented young man” by his former school Rice College. A statement issued on behalf of the school states, “The Staff and Board of Management of Rice College would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the O’Brien family on the tragic death of their beautiful son, our past pupil, Fionn. To Fionn’s parents, Pat and Michelle, and his siblings Niall, Conor and Saidhbh, you are in our thoughts and prayers at this most …

CONCERNS over a landmark property in East Clare, which remains empty despite being earmarked for sheltered housing for the last two decades, are being addressed, the Council has pledged. The issue of Mountshannon House was raised at the AGM of the Killaloe Municipal District when Councillor Pat Burke sought an update, after flagging the matter previously last April. At that time, councillors heard that while the property had been bought by the Respond Voluntary Housing Association, in 2002, thanks to a Council-supported loan, the proposed accommodation had not materialised. Speaking last week, Councillor Burke said that with developments on the way for The Old Rectory building, which is set to become an interpretative centre for Inis Cealtra, there is growing concern about Mountshannon House. “The issue hasn’t gone away,” he said. “In recent times, I’ve gotten a number of requests from members of the community who want an update on what’s going on. “There’s a lot happening with the rectory …