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THE Burren will be the only Clare site proposed by the local authority for inclusion on a global list of outstanding heritage locations. The council confirmed to The Champion that an application is currently being made to keep The Burren on Ireland’s Tentative List. This means it could eventually go forward for potential future nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List, joining the likes of Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Micheal. “Neither Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) nor Cahercommaun Ringfort are at present under consideration by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in this round of nominations,” a council statement said. It added that the council is committed to “keeping this under review”. The news has met an angry response from Deputy Michael McNamara who previously called for the three Clare sites to be put forward, as well as Scattery Island (Inis Cathaigh) and Mooghaun Hillfort. “It beggars belief that the council would purchase Holy Island and a venue …

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of fewer than five additional cases of COVID-19 in Clare along with 2 additional deaths related to COVID-19 nationally. The deaths reported today occurred in March. There has been a total of 4,653 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Friday 26th March, the HPSC has been notified of 624 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 233,937 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.* Of the cases notified today: 309 are men / 313 are women 75% are under 45 years of age The median age is 32 years old 308 in Dublin, 41 in Kildare, 38 in Donegal, 31 in Meath, 29 in Offaly and the remaining 177 cases are spread across 18 other counties**. As of 8am today, 304 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 64 are in ICU. 21 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. As of March 24th 2021, 732,678 doses of …

CLARE County Council has been granted a sum of just over €4 million towards the Ennis Town Centre Public Realm Regeneration project. On Friday Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien announed that Ennis was among the successful applicants under the State’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), which is intended to drive regeneration and rejuvenation of strategic and underutilised areas in cities and large towns. In Ennis it will see works at O’Connell Square, High Street, Bank Place, Barrack Street and Old Barrack Square, with an overall cost of €5,390,391. The URDF funding comes to €4,042,793 with Clare County Council financing the remainder. In O’Connell Square, High Street and Bank Place there will be civic space and public realm enhancements including traffic calming, resurfacing, provision of upgraded street furniture and planting. The Barrack Street and Barrack Square area will see traffic calming, planting of street trees, public artwork, the provision of distinctive street furniture and lighting and …

VILLAGES and towns in Clare can’t sustain new housing developments because of the lack of adequate water and wastewater facilities, according to a local senator. The lack of proper water infrastructure in Broadford and Miltown Malbay was raised by Senator Róisín Garvey in the Seanad recently. Commenting on a new Green Party policy setting out the recognition of clean water as a human right, Senator Garvey stated new houses can’t be built until proper water infrastructure is provided. “In Broadford and Miltown Malbay in County Clare, we have all of the money, the sites, and the houses have been designed and are shovel-ready, but without water infrastructure there will be nothing built. Therefore, we must take water infrastructure seriously and invest in it. “Infrastructure deficits in Ireland impact on the provision of safe and secure drinking water. They lead to pollution and environmental damage. They present a challenge to achieving sustainable development across urban and rural Ireland. “Water supply must …

ACTION is being sought from the Department of Agriculture to support those who invested in forestry, but now find themselves facing red tape and delays in securing their nest egg. Councillor Alan O’Callaghan was among those who recently attended a virtual meeting on the deepening crisis in the forestry sector, organised by senior members of Fianna Fáil. He said that many in Clare have been “left in limbo” over delays with the issuing of forestry licences, particularly those for thinning and felling. He also said that many of the 30 people in attendance raised concerns over compensation for ash die-back in their plantations. Councillor O’Callaghan also warned that unless the forestry sector is made more attractive, the entire farming community will suffer as a result of an increased obligation to reduce carbon emissions. At the end of the two-hour Zoom meeting, it was agreed that the issue would be pursued through the tabling of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) with a view …

WHILE over €4 million has been announced for Ennis under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, the second largest town in Clare wasn’t successful. It has left a sour taste in Shannon, where recent years have seen persistent complaints that the town does not have the facilities that a town of around 10,000 people and with a huge industrial base should have. It is hard to think of any major projects in the town that have been completed in recent years with the exception of Shannon Town Park, which opened in 2019 at a cost of €1.5 million. There are also plans for a future new community sports hub. There is no doubt that the centre of Ennis is already a far more attractive place than the equivalent area in Shannon, which still doesn’t have a conventional streetscape and local independent councillor Gerry Flynn said that the failure to get anything from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund is another …

Caoimhe Harvey has been announced as the new captain of the Clare Ladies footballers for the 2021 campaign. Harvey, who was player of the match in Clare’s All Ireland Minor B final victory of 2017, succeeds Ellie O’Gorman in the role, with the Kilmihil woman taking up the vice-captaincy for the coming year. The 22-year-old from West Clare Gaels has been one of the key figures in the Clare side since making her adult debut with 2021 being her fifth year at this level. She already has plenty captaincy experience, as she helped her club to reach last year’s Clare ladies senior final. “I was delighted when Evan (Talty) and the management team announced that I was to be captain this year. It is a privilege and something to be proud of and I certainly was not expecting it. I know I have plenty experience to gain yet but it is great to be given it and hopefully we can …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of five additional cases of COVID-19 in Clare with 20 additional deaths related to COVID-19 nationally. Of the deaths reported today, 11 occurred in March, 3 in February and 6 in January. The median ages of those who died was 73 years respectively. The age range was 57-91 years. There has been a total of 4,651 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Thursday 25th March, the HPSC has been notified of 584 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 233,327 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.* Of the cases notified today: 297 are men / 286 are women 72% are under 45 years of age The median age is 34 years old 222 in Dublin, 44 in Kildare, 33 in Offaly, 31 in Meath, 29 in Westmeath and the remaining 225 cases are spread across 19 other counties**. As of 8am today, 317 COVID-19 patients are …