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STAFF in St Joseph’s Hospital have hit back at recent “inaccurate” claims that residents were left unwashed for months. The Clare Champion has learned that staff members in St Joseph’s are furious over recent public statements made by Deputy Violet Anne-Wynne and Deputy Cathal Crowe in the Dáil in view of their assertion patients were left unwashed for months. The newspaper can reveal that staff are also upset with the HSE for giving a public apology concerning care in St Joseph’s as they believe this was not justified. A union official has confirmed staff couldn’t shower patients during a Covid-19 outbreak but instead used a basin with soap and water, which was used to clean a patient from head to waist before this was emptied and a new basin was obtained to clean the patient’s bottom half. This was completed in line with agreed HSE procedures, which was not referenced in the recent HIQA report. The newspaper has been assured …

National Ladies Football League Division 2A Round 3 Meath 4-18 Clare 0-05 A SOBERING end to an otherwise enlightening National League campaign for Clare as bogey side Meath completed a facile victory to book their place in the Division 2 Semi-Finals in Páirc Tailteann in Navan on Sunday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Having been unceremoniously dumped out of last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Championship by the same opposition at the penultimate stage by 21 points, Clare were made to suffer an even greater reverse as the hosts remained relentless throughout. A blistering start of seven points inside as many minutes of the throw-in signalled Meath’s intent with Emma Duggan and Stacey Grimes to the fore. Meath’s disciplined all-out defence and all-out counter-attack style proved exceedingly frustrating for a Clare side that hit a wall every time they attempted to penetrate the home rearguard. Points from Roisin Considine and Roisin Looney at the end of the opening two quarters were in contrast …

A RADIO play which prompts people to look at their lives before the Covid-19 pandemic will be broadcast this Saturday, June 5, with the support of Mountshannon Arts. To Myself; Before, will air on Scariff Bay Community Radio, and is a production of WayWord Theatre, founded by Clare-based artists Eavan Brennan, Siobhán Donnellan and Ruth Smith. As inspiration for the production, WayWord put out a call to members of the public inviting submissions in the form of letters asking what they would have told themselves had they known a global pandemic was on the horizon. According to the trio, the responses were as varied as they were surprising and encompassed a huge emotional spectrum. The radio play comprises pieces of text from the submissions and will air on Scariff Bay Community Radio on Saturday at 8pm. The special broadcast will include a live pre- and post-show discussion with the WayWord three. The work of WayWord Theatre is inspired by the …

AS the local soccer season gets ready to kick off in the coming weeks, one long-standing member of the Clare District Soccer League has been very active over the past number months putting the finishing touches to a club history that tells the story of the game’s emergence in East Clare from the 1970s onwards. The Tulla United story will be launched in the coming months, but ahead of its publication date the East Clare club has put a call out to all present and past members, as well as supporters, in an effort to source additional photographs for inclusion in the finished product. “We have gathered a good deal of photographs so far,’ says Denis Corry of the Tulla United History Committee, “but are eager to see if there are any more photos of interest out there involving the club over the years. “We are particularly interested to see if any of the older club members or their families …

CONCERN about the lack of a definitive starting date for the proposed Primary Health Centre in Kilrush has been expressed by a local Dáil deputy. Sinn Féin TD Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne is calling for more concrete commitment and action to be taken to ensure community health care services continue across rural Clare. The Sinn Féin deputy’s comments came following a vague and non-committal response from the Department of Health concerning the development of the promised Primary Health Centre in Kilrush two years after it was officially announced. “The fact that this new Primary Health Centre was announced in March of 2019, but the HSE are still effectively refusing to commit to any concrete action or development two years down the line is unacceptable,” said Deputy Wynne. “We all know that various developmental projects have been stalled as a result of the pandemic but the HSE’s response to any questions seeking clarification about projected timeline are unnecessarily vague and seem to …

SCARIFF BAY COMMUNITY RADIO (SBCR) will be online only until it secures another licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The highly popular weekend station, run by volunteers, had been operating under a 100-day licence which expired on Saturday, May 29. A statement from the board said: “As before, we now have to stop FM transmissions until, hopefully, we receive our ten-year FM licence, which we have applied for.” In the meantime, SBCR said it is to continue its normal schedule and produce shows, making them available online, on mobile players and as podcasts on Scariffbayradio.com. Eoin O’Hagan, PRO for the station, said the long-term plan is to operate under a 10-year licence, which could be secured by the autumn. The 100-day licence is due to be granted in advance of that. “We’re delighted that our roster of presenters has grown through the Covid lockdown,” Mr O’Hagan said. “We’ve increased the number of shows broadcast, including broadcasting Mass, our …

Chamber chief and publican believes new reopening regime better than last year’s A NEW chapter in the Covid recovery story begins on Monday, when restaurants and pubs can begin outdoor service once again. As visitors to Ennis on weekend evenings during May would have observed, certain pubs have been giving takeaway services for some time, but from Monday people can stay and consume their drinks in the outdoor sections of pub grounds. For those without outdoor areas but not doing take away, it will be the first time to open in 2021, although indoor drinking and dining won’t resume until July 5. Publican and President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Darragh McAllister is planning to reopen Lucas’ Bar on Parnell Street on Monday. Delighted to be finally getting the chance to do so, he admitted to a certain level of apprehension too. “We’re over the moon, but yeah, there are a few nerves as well. It’s a bit like the …

A POPULAR Ennis nightclub is making all the right moves towards a potential re-opening on a pilot basis. In recent weeks, facilitated by Ennis Chamber, management of The Queens and directors of antigen testing company, Westland Health, which is headquartered in Ennis, have created a “considered and robust plan” to support a safe pilot nightclub reopening for a maximum of 250 people. If the pilot is given the go-ahead, antigen testing will be delivered by professional nurse practitioners on behalf of Westland Health. Clare Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey, has made representations to An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, in an effort to seek support for the pilot reopening. Donal Lyne, Queens nightclub director, commented, “We need to look beyond outdoor events and we need to look beyond Dublin to pilot a safe reopening of the night-time economy. “Nightclubs throughout Ireland have been shuttered since March 2020 and currently we are in the dark about when we will have permission to reopen. …