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A CLARE man has been instrumental in bringing together some of the country’s biggest musical acts to raise funds for The Marie Keating Foundation. Quin resident John Wall, who has stage-four prostate cancer, is among the team behind the Concert4Cancer event which will be broadcast on Virgin Media One on Friday night (August 28), with aim of raising €1m for services around Ireland. To-date Gary Barlow, Gavin James, Kodaline, Nathan Carter, Paddy Casey, Lisa McHugh, Hot House Flowers, Brian Kennedy, Lisa Lamb and a host of other stars, have recorded performances for the event. Their performances will be interspersed with messages from Mr Wall, Vicky Phelan, Stephen Teap and others affected by cancer. The event will be hosted by Anna Daly who will update audiences on live fundraising. The concert, which is sponsored by Permanent TSB, will also include a special performance from Riverdance to mark the 25th anniversary of its inaugural performance at Eurovision. “The work of the Marie …

BISHOP Emeritus of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh has added his voice to the debate raging over ‘Golfgate’, and raised concerns over a “vindictiveness” in Irish society. The fall-out from a dinner attended by more than 80 members of the Oireachtas Golf Society generated international headlines and is the subject of a Garda investigation over apparent breaches of Covid-19 restrictions. After the event in Clifden, Deputy Dara Calleary stepped down from the Agriculture portfolio and gave up the deputy leadership of Fianna Fáil. Also sanctioned was Deputy Jerry Buttimer, who resigned as Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. Dr Michael Harty, a former Independent TD, issued an apology after attending. The Supreme Court has requested a report on the attendance at the event of former Attorney General, Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe. All the while, pressure intensified on Commissioner Phil Hogan, who announced his resignation a week after attending the dinner. The event led to a huge outpouring of anger. National and local …

LOCAL communities around South-East Clare are said to be on high alert currently, over concerns about a spate of dog thefts, as well as the presence of roving burglars. It follows the seizure last week of a number of pedigree breeds by Gardaí in Limerick, following a search in Rathkeale. “People are concerned and extra vigilant at the moment,” said PJ Mason of the Broadford Action Group. “Not just about the dog thefts but about robberies and burglaries more generally.” Mr Mason said that older people are particularly concerned. “I was speaking recently to a senior gentleman,” he outlined, “who is fearful for his dog and I would be saddened to think that people are now living with this fear factor.” The matter has been raised by South-East Clare-based TD, Deputy Cathal Crowe who said drones are believed to be in use by gangs targeting properties. The Fianna Fáil member has called for tougher penalties for offenders and the creation …

THE Clare-based chairperson of the Dáil committee on Covid-19 has described the prospect of legislating to give Gardaí the power to break up house parties as “tricky”. Deputy Michael McNamara called on government to make clear the rationale for new measures announced this week, which also include a reduction on numbers attending indoor and outdoor gatherings. “What is the basis of the current measures?” he asked, adding that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly must come before the committee to explain the government’s thinking. In relation to the extension of powers for Gardaí, Deputy McNamara said that what was being proposed is still unclear. He also warned that Constitutional issues may arise. “I’m unclear, at this point, as to what exactly the government is proposing,” he said. “In general terms, under the Constitution, the assumption is that a Garda is an invitee at a person’s home. The household or ‘teaglach’ is inviolable. If Gardaí are asked to leave, they must do …

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow wind and rain warning for Clare and a number of other counties as Storm Francis moves in over the country tonight. Weather warnings in place for strong winds and heavy rainfall from Monday evening into Tuesday. The public are advised to exercise caution on exposed areas including along the coast. As consequence of Storm Francis moving into the South West, Met Éireann are forecasting that weather will turn very wet and windy early this evening with some torrential downpours and possible flooding. This weather is forecasted to continue into Tuesday as Storm Francis crosses the country with further heavy falls of rain and the continued risk of flooding. Very windy or stormy conditions are expected on Tuesday and southwest winds veering westerly, reaching mean speeds of 55 to 65km/h, will bring widespread severe gusts of 90 to 110km/h. Some disruption is likely with possible structural damage.  

  MAJOR reforms will have to be delivered to transform health services in the Mid-West, particularly in the area of elderly care, according to a local Dáil deputy. If there is a second Covid-19 wave in the Mid-West during the winter, Deputy Michael McNamara has warned that it would not be acceptable if Covid-19 patients were left lying in trolleys in hospital corridors transmitting the virus. “We can’t continue with the current model for our health service and elderly care. We can’t be bringing patients into an overcrowded University Hospital Limerick (UHL). “There will have to profound changes in the way acute patients are treated because we can’t have overcrowding any more. “A stitch in time saves nine. Billions of Euro have been provided to deal with Covid-19. If a fraction of this money was spent improving our health service, we may not have needed to take such draconian measures. “The reason such draconian measures had to be taken was …

CALLS for a public meeting between Coillte and members of the East Clare community are gathering momentum, following a survey of reactions to a wind farm development proposed for the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh. The survey, which was carried out by a local group called Bodyke Voice on Wind Farm, found that a large percentage of a sample of responses favoured a public meeting. Susan McMahon of the Cobbler’s Rest, a member of the group, said that 120 responses in total had been submitted to the survey. “Because we are a voluntary group and can’t afford to subscribe to a survey, we could only look at 40 of the responses submitted,” she explained. “Of those, 92% favoured a public meeting with Coillte. I’d estimate that around 60% of the responses we could see were not in favour of the project.” Ms McMahon herself said that she did not have an agenda with regard to the proposed wind farm, but wanted …

  DR Michael Harty has apologised unreservedly for a “serious lack of judgement” over his decision to attend the controversial Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden on Wednesday last. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, Dr Harty confirmed he did attend the dinner, which has already led to the resignation of Dara Calleary as agriculture minister. The former chairman of the Dáil Health Committee stated this was a “serious lack of judgement and concentration on my part for which I take full responsibility”. Dr Harty was among more than 80 people who attended the dinner, which is the subject of a Garda investigation on suspicion it breached the Covid-19 regulations. Senator Jerry Buttimer, who also attended the event held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Oireachtas Golf Society, resigned as leas cathaoirleach of the Seanad on Friday. Since late June, indoor gatherings have been restricted to 50 people under the Government’s public health controls in a bid to …