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AS part of ongoing investigations targeting the assets and activities of an organised criminal group involved in incidents of burglary, theft and distribution of controlled drugs, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) conducted a search operation in Clare on Friday. In the course of the operation seven locations were searched in the Ennis area by CAB personnel assisted by local Gardaí in the Clare Garda Division, Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU), the Revenue Customs Dog Unit and the Revenue Customs Marked Mineral Oil Unit. As a consequence of the operation €197,500 was restrained in financial accounts, documentation in relation to financial matters was seized and the use of marked mineral oil in a private vehicle was detected.

AN increase in traffic volumes in the vicinity of both the Ennis and Meelick Centres is expected over the coming weeks. People attending for their vaccination are advised that they should only attend within five or 10 minutes of their appointment time. Gardaí have advised that at the Ennis Centre, once the numbers attending increase there will be no right turns into the hotel site. People coming from the Ennis side will need to continue past the hotel to the next roundabout and then enter the site with a left hand turn. There will also be no right turn out of the Abbey Court / Abbey Ville estates,and people exiting from this development will need to go left down to the roundabout and then continue. Sergeant Triona Brooks, Crime Prevention Officer said, “At the  Meelick Centre as the traffic volumes to the Vaccination Centre will probably affect the normal flow of traffic at the roundabout close to the Radisson, people …

AN Ennis woman who lost her sight at the age of 20 has described getting a guide dog as “life changing” as she urged people to support this Friday’s national Guide Dog Day. 39-year-old Cara Gibbons got her first guide dog, Uri, in 2013 describing him as “my rock”. Uri has since retired as a guide dog, though he is still with Cara, and she is now training with two-year-old Sadie. The Master’s student told The Clare Champion that having a guide dog has given her a freedom she never experienced while using a cane. “What I’ve found since having a guide dog, now I go for a walk just to go for a walk. I would never have done that with a cane, it was purely getting from A to B. Now I have that freedom of being able to leave the house and say I’m just going for a walk. It’s such a simple thing for so many …

A SURVIVOR of ovarian cancer has paid tribute to her late sister on what would have been her 50th birthday. Anne Murphy, a nurse from Tulla, is also urging other women to be aware of the symptoms, as World Ovarian Cancer Day is marked on Saturday. While Anne’s cancer was found early, her sister Gráinne was at stage four when her condition was diagnosed. “Tragically, Gráinne passed away before her 42nd birthday,” said Anne. “She had been attending various doctors for two years and when she was finally diagnosed, her cancer was terminal. Ovarian cancer presents with symptoms that are often put down to other conditions, from endometriosis to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Gráinne had had a baby six months previously and she was told her symptoms were connected to pregnancy.” Gráinne’s diagnosis was, in many ways, the catalyst for the detection of Anne’s own condition. “After Gráinne’s cancer was discovered, I went back to my own doctor and asked …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of five additional cases of Covid-19 in Clare and eight additional deaths related to Covid-19 nationally. Of the deaths notified today three occurred in May, two occurred in March and three occurred in February or earlier. The median age of those who died was 79 years and the age range was 55 to 97 years. There has been a total of 4,921* Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Wednesday May 5, the HPSC has been notified of 393 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 251,474** confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 175 are men / 211 are women 79% are under 45 years of age The median age is 28 years old 173 in Dublin, 42 in Cork, 34 in Kildare, 26 in Donegal, 15 in Meath and the remaining 103 cases are spread across 20 other counties***. As of …

After getting a taste of championship action in 2020, Colin Guilfoyle’s appetite has been sharpened over the prolonged close season. He spoke with Eoin Brennan ahead of Clare’s league opener. Having been on the panel since 2018, Colin Guilfoyle’s impactful cameos in the Munster and National Leagues never materialised into championship minutes until last winter when starting berths against Laois and Wexford coincided with successive qualifier victories. Even the disappointment of missing out on the All-Ireland Quarter-Final against Waterford has been used as motivational leverage for the towering Newmarket-on-Fergus forward to hopefully redress the balance when the sides lock horns once more in the Munster Championship opener at the end of June. “Time flies really. I’m going into my fourth year on the panel now and it’s mad when you think about it. Even to get the call up in the first place was a bit of a shock but I suppose every player develops differently and you just have …

Tusla today issues an appeal for anyone connected with the Mother and Baby Homes who suffered abuse as a child, and is concerned that a current child is at risk from the person that harmed them to make contact. A dedicated helpline has been set up and can be reached by calling Freephone: 1800 805 665, available from Tuesday 4th to Friday 14th May 2021, from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily. Following the publication of the Final Report on the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes we are aware that many women who were connected to Mother and Baby Homes and gave birth, were underage at the time. In some cases, they became pregnant as a result of sexual abuse. This may mean that the person who caused them harm could have continued to abuse other children, and/or many be a risk to children today. Speaking about the issue, Cormac Quinlan, Director of Transformation and Policy, Tusla said: “As …

THE Mental Health Commission (MHC) has reported concerns around the privacy and dignity of residents following the publication of an announced inspection report regarding the acute psychiatric unit in Ennis. “The inspection team found that the presence of security personnel in one centre when they were not required and without due cause was deemed a breach of resident dignity,” said the Inspector of Mental Health Services, Dr Susan Finnerty. “With security personnel walking freely through the centre when they are clearly not required, residents may understandably feel that staff and management believe residents to be a threat to staff and other residents on a continuing and ongoing basis. Having security personnel visible to residents is not acceptable and is an affront to their dignity and privacy.” The Acute Psychiatric Unit at Ennis General Hospital had a total of 39 beds at the time of inspection, with five beds designated to psychiatry of later life. The centre achieved 64% compliance on …