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ENNIS is to become a university town with the green light being given for a new Technological University in the Mid West and Midlands. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has designated Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology Ireland’s next technological university. LIT’s Ennis campus on Bindon Street will fall under the remit of the new institution. Announcing the designation of the new TU, Minister Harris TD said, “This is another hugely important day for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the Midlands and Mid-West regions. “The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving and the people of the Midlands and Mid-West will henceforth be at the heart both geographically and practically of that evolution. This new technological university designate will increase higher education access, provide enhanced research-led teaching and learning, drive enhanced regional development and increase opportunities for students, staff, business and enterprise, local communities and regional stakeholders, …

A CELEBRATION of the rich food culture of the fertile rock of North Clare’s limestone landscape will be the focus of this year’s Burren Slow food Festival. The virtual event which begins this Thursday, April 29, will see producers and chefs come together in a series of online pairings with events streamed online up to May 5 at 7pm and hosted by Tina O’Dwyer of The Tourism Space. Over the course of the festival, viewers will have the opportunity to see the region’s spectacular landscapes, as the events will be hosted by different members of the Burren Ecotourism network in their own home venue. Festival regular John McKenna of McKenna Guides, will set the scene with a short introduction, which will be followed by lively discussions between producers and chefs, along with food tastings. Each event will be wrapped up with traditional Irish music performed by some of the Burren’s finest local musicians. Geologist Eamon Doyle from the Burren and …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of fewer than five additional cases of Covid-19 in Clare and two additional deaths related to Covid-19 nationally. There has been a total of 4,908 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Monday, May 3, the HPSC has been notified of 383 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 250,672* confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 194 are men / 189 are women 79% are under 45 years of age The median age is 28 years old 129 in Dublin, 40 in Kildare, 32 in Meath, 25 in Donegal, 25 in Louth and the remaining 132 cases are spread across 21 other counties**. As of 8am today, 144 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 41 are in ICU. 10 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. As of Sunday, May 2, 1,604,644 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland: 1,159,083 …

ENNIS woman Claire O’Meara describes herself as “just a girl who fell in love with a dance and a culture”, and that love has now brought her to international acclaim. Claire is a Kizomba dance instructor, and she has just been named as the Kizomba ambassador for Ireland, joining an elite group of performers and instructors promoting the dance globally through festivals and international workshops. Claire has been dancing Afro-Latin for over 20 years after living for 10 years in Florida. She stumbled across Kizomba at a salsa dance club in Limerick and was instantly hooked. Kizomba is a dance which is native to Angola in West Africa. It is a new genre of music hailing from the late ‘70s early ‘80s influenced by Semba music and Zouk from Carribean French Antilles. Claire specialises in Angolan culture and the roots of the dance which has become a global phenomenon and is danced in all corners of the world. It is …

CONCERNS shared by the family of the late Laura Brennan about the effect Covid-19 has had on the roll-out of the HPV vaccine have been highlighted in the Seanad. Senator Martin Conway has urged the government to “think outside the box”, suggesting Covid-19 vaccination centres could be used to administer the HPV vaccine alongside drafting in pharmacists. The Fine Gael Senator recalled the “phenomenal work” that Laura Brennan did in promoting the vaccine prior to her death. “We are all fully aware of the immense challenges that have been posed by the Covid-19 pandemic but this vaccine is extremely important. It is critical to the future health of girls and boys,” he said. He continued, “The pandemic caused difficulties, particularly in the delivery of the programme within schools. It is well-recognised that giving the vaccine in schools has resulted in a significantly higher uptake. We need to think outside the box. “We have had vaccine capacity in some of the …

A WEST Clare father is taking on the challenge of running four virtual 10Ks in just one day to raise much needed funds for four children’s charities, while also paying tribute to the memory of his young son who passed away two year ago. Supported by his wife Ailish, John McMahon has undertaken to run the 40 kilometres in memory of Cormac, a little young boy who touched the hearts of all who met him. The fundraiser called “4 10Ks 4 Cormac” will take place on May 15, 2021 at 8am when John will begin the mammoth task of running the four 10Ks, four hours apart, at the West Clare Sports and Fitness Facility in Cooraclare. John, a school teacher in Cooraclare, has invited people to join him virtually on the day by doing one of the 10Ks in their own neighbourhood or favourite walking spot. He said, “This event is being held in memory of a very special little …

TWO local authorities have defended allowing a contractor to temporarily take over public car parking spaces in one of the most popular amenity areas on the banks of Lough Derg. Tipperary County Council has confirmed it gave Coir Infrastructure permission to use a “limited number” of car parking spaces in Ballina Riverside Park to store materials for the essential laying of a sewer from Roolagh to Ballina Wastewater Treatment Plant, as part of enabling works ahead of the River Shannon Crossing project. Approximately 18 spaces were taken up with sewerage pipes and materials on Sunday, April 18, which was reduced to about eight on Tuesday night after one section was cleared last week. Six cars were parked indiscriminately on double yellow lines, two cars were blocking vehicular access for emergency vehicles to the riverside walk, and four cars were double parked outside the compound on Sunday. The council stated any “minor inconvenience caused is regretted but necessary” in the interests …

FOLLOWING a busy May Bank Holiday weekend, the new volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at Kilrush RNLI Shawna Johnson has appealed to the public to look out for one another in Clare’s waters this summer. “Summer brings more people to the coast, which means more emergency call outs and Kilrush RNLI remains ready to launch should they be required,” said Shawna. This weekend, Kilrush RNLI volunteers launched on two occasions to assist a disabled fishing vessel and a capsized kayaker. On Friday, a fishing vessel with two people onboard called for help after its propeller had become tangled in lobster pots north of Loop Head Lighthouse. Kilrush RNLI located the disabled vessel and took it on tow to Carrigaholt Pier, a distance of approximately 11 nautical miles. On Sunday, volunteers responded to a report that a kayaker had capsized and was unable to recover themselves back into their kayak. A concerned onlooker spotted the casualty in Rinneville Bay, north west of …