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AER Lingus have exploited the pandemic, using it to address industrial relations issues, Clare TD Cathal Crowe alleged at Tuesday’s sitting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. Deputy Crowe said that the State had been paying the vast majority of the Aer Lingus wage bill, but the airline had still not treated its workers with respect. He said he had sight of a Shannon employee’s pay slip, which showed how little the airline had been paying. “They got €635.89 in a fortnight. The Irish taxpayer paid €600 of that, Aer Lingus’ net contribution was €35.89. I think when the taxpayer is contributing majorly to the airline there’s a certain onus on you to commit to airports, to your workforce and not wait until the eve of reopening, to the final furlong of Covid, before pulling the carpet from under them and use terms like inefficiency.” He accused the airline of abusing the support it has got from …

THE Spancilhill Fair would have taken place this Wednesday, but, due to Covid-19 has been cancelled for the second year in a row. Crusheen’s Christy McNamara has come up with a mixed media piece as an artistic response to the absence of the Fair, drawing on his experience of photographing it for more than 30 years and attending it for even longer. Having grown up just a few miles from the site of the Fair, it was one of the highlights of the year for him as a boy, and he has always had a great fondness for it. “I love it. I’ve been going to it since I was a young fella. When we were growing up our house was on the way to Spancilhill for a lot of people. “One of the things I remember vividly was the Travelling people on their way to Spancilhill passing our house in convoy, with horsedrawn barrel tents and flat cars. “It …

WITH the first indications of a hot summer popping up this week, Clare County Council has issued some water conservation tips. In partnership with Irish Water, the Council is urging the public to conserve water to ensure a consistent supply for all, especially at a time when that supply comes under more pressure. The utility is predicting an increase in domestic and commercial demand for water over the coming months and customers are asked to take some simple measures to conserve water in their homes, their businesses and on their farms. Small changes can have lasting results, says Irish Water. Examples from the bathroom include taking a shorter shower, which can save up to 10 litres of water per minute. Or, just turning off the tap wile brushing your teeth or shaving, can save up to six litres of water per minute. Fixing dripping taps or leaking toilets in your home is another way of saving water. And excess collected …

GARDAÍ are seeking the public’s help in identifying a car which is thought to have been used in a South East Clare burglary. A shop in Broadford was broken into in the early hours of last Thursday morning and a cigarette machine and the drawer of the cash register stolen. A silver Audi is believed to have been used in the incident, and gardaí are appealing to anybody with information to contact them. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains that the break-in to the shop on the main street of Broadford village occurred between 3.30am and 3.45am on Thursday morning, June 24. “The shutter mechanism was interfered with and the front door was smashed in. The cigarette machine was forced off the wall and stolen along with the drawer of the cash register. A silver Audi A3 five door vehicle was believed to be used in this burglary. If anyone was in the area between 3am and 4am …

Banner’s Oireachtas members criticised by mayor for ‘deafening silence’ over Shannon and Aer Lingus situation CLARE Oireachtas members were criticised by the county mayor for what she said was their “defeaning silence” on Shannon and Aer Lingus With Aer Lingus having announced the closure of its Shannon cabin crew base and declining to give any indication of when services from the airport will resume, there was lengthy discussion of the situation at Monday’s Clare County Council meeting. Mayor of Clare Mary Howard called on the county’s Oireachtas members to fight for the airport. “The silence within the county was deafening from our Oireachtas members was deafening and we’ve never had as many Oireachtas members in the past,” she claimed. “There’s nobody talking about Shannon, nobody talking about Aer Lingus. They’re (Aer Lingus) looking for a subvention and if they do get one there needs to be strings attached, that the Heathrow slots are safe, that they originate in Shannon and …

THE UL Hospitals’ Group is supporting an initiative to help Clare people reduce the possibility of contracting skin cancer when the intensity of sunburn producing ultraviolet radiation (UV) is greatest, writes Dan Danaher. The Irish Skin Foundation (ISF), Dr Sinead Field, Consultant Dermatologist at University Hospital Limerick, the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), and the Healthy Ireland SunSmart campaign have joined forces with the group to launched a series of five video animations. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Ireland, with more than 13,000 cases diagnosed annually. This is twice the number compared to 10 years ago, and is projected to more than double again by 2045. Yet, most skin cancers could be prevented. Dr Field, Consultant Dermatologist, University Hospital Limerick, said traditional health promotion campaigns have had to be reimagined in light of Covid-19 public health restrictions. “Our aim in developing these animations was to bring the SunSmart messaging to life by creating a …

SAINT Clare’s school in Ennis has been given the go-ahead to open two additional classes in September 2021 and again in 2022. Principal John Murphy has said this is “wonderful news” for the school. “The ongoing engagement with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Department of Education has been very positive and confirms that St Clare’s school remains a first choice of parents for children with additional needs,” he said. St Clare’s school has grown and developed significantly in the last two years increasing the roll from 54 two years ago to 83 in September 2021 and is projected to hit 100 learners in 2022. Mr Murphy said that this “is a great tribute to the staff at school who are touching the future everyday and dealing with young people’s dreams”. “This welcome news arrived at the same time as the award of the school’s Amber Flag, Active Flag and a forth Green Flag rounding off a …

THE ESB has unveiled plans for the proposed development of a “world-class” visitor attraction at Ardnacrusha Power Station, writes Dan Danaher. Clare’s Dáil deputies have received a briefing on the project on Tuesday where it was confirmed the ESB is currently undertaking a feasibility study to establish the business case for a visitor experience at the site of Ireland’s first electricity generating station. The plan includes a 360-degree virtual amphitheatre, a café, which will offer sustainable locally sourced food, a retail unit hosting local artisan crafts and products, and family oriented outdoor spaces. Comprising five floor floors, the attraction seeks to inspire and educate through social, engineering, architecture and STEAM-related stories and interactive exhibits. ESB first began facilitating public tours of its Ardnacrusha Power Station in June 1928, and welcomed more than 85,000 visitors within the first nine months. To mark the 90th anniversary of its foundation, ESB revived this tradition in 2017 when visitors were welcomed to the Ardnacrusha …