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THE Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival has been called off. It is only in the last week that organisers confirmed it would not going ahead due to Covid-19.  An important part of Clare’s social calendar, it draws crowds of 80,000 people annually and this year it would have had headline acts such as country music stars Nathan Carter, Derek Ryan, Mike Denver and Cliona Hagan.  It is perhaps the last big festival of the year to be cancelled. The announcement comes following the government’s postponement of phase four of “Reopening Ireland” which would have permitted indoor gatherings of 100 people and 500 people outdoors – this has now been deferred to August 10.  “After careful consideration and following the government’s latest recommendations we have decided to cancel the event. It is regrettable but our primary responsibility is to protect the health and safety of the local community as well as staff, artists, suppliers and visitors” said Marcus White Managing Director of the …

KEATING are still expected to complete the new county library building, this week’s meeting of Clare County Council heard. There is much speculation about the future of the West Clare based construction outfit and at the meeting, Councillor Pat Daly said there is a lot of concern that work on the site of the new library, being developed at a cost of some €14 million, has stopped. Clare County Council chief executive Pat Dowling said there is “no doubt we will complete the new library building as soon as possible”. He said there had been communication with the operations director of the company, who said that Keating are currently engaging with their suppliers and subcontractors, while Mr Dowling said the council would be informed immediately if there is any change. He added that if there is a problem, the council will “deal with it as it arises” and an “alternative route” will be found if required. On being asked what …

Gardaí have arrested one man and seized drugs with an estimated street value in excess of €36,000 during an intelligence led operation targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in Clonlara late on Friday night. At approximately 11pm, Gardaí executed a search warrant at a premises in Clonlara. During the course of the search, a quantity of ketamine, MDMA, cannabis, cannabis plants, DMT and cannabis jellies were seized (subject to analysis) with an estimated street value of €36,000. Approximately €4,000 in cash, a taser and mobile phones were also seized along with drug paraphernalia. One man, in his 20s, was arrested during the course of the search and is currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 in Henry Street Garda Station. Investigations are ongoing.

IT is understood that some negotiations between unions and Shannon Group management have taken place this week, as a range of cutbacks have been sought due to the fall out from Covid-19. On Wednesday a representative of one of the unions said that there had been some discussion with management earlier in the week, with a communication issued to their members subsequently. A very wide range of cuts were outlined in a letter sent by Shannon Group chief executive Mary Considine to employees last week. These included the introduction of a voluntary severance scheme, pay cuts of up to 20%, short time working, temporary lay offs and a review of management structures and of the Group’s internal operational structures. Unions at the airport quickly criticised a lack of consultation with them, while they claimed the terms of redundancy being offered were unacceptable and poorer than those being offered to workers at both Dublin and Cork airports. At Monday’s meeting of …

WITH hoteliers and others in the tourism business furious about the early closure of Shannon Heritage sites this year, Shannon Group has said it has approached the Government seeking very significant funding. It says it is already losing money at the tourist attractions and there is no way that it could keep them open beyond August 31 without substantial funding to cover operational losses. In response to a query from The Clare Champion, Shannon Group said it has already made a submission to the Government looking for funding for the Shannon Heritage sites, in particular Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John’s Castle. It claimed it had done so to assist with the long-term survival of these heritage operations, in the context of the sudden collapse in international visitors due to Covid-19. On the level of support being sought, a spokesperson said that “a multi-million euro support package” is required. While Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John’s …

IT is understood that 17 workers are leaving Shannon company Avara today, as it winds down. While efforts to secure a buyer have been ongoing none has been secured and as it stands the last of the workers will leave the company in October. One of those leaving said it is very disappointing to see the company on the way out.”It’s a devastating day, it’s the second pharmaceutical in the Mid West region to go. It got an investment of €170 million less than ten years ago, to see it being wound down is devastating for the workforce here.” He feels that more should have been done to find a new owner.”We had hoped to find a buyer for the plant but it doesn’t seem to have happened. I would think if it was Cork or Dublin there would be politicians all over this. This is another kick to the Shannon region.” Owen Ryan

SHANNON Airport made a profit of €2.7 million in 2019, newly filed accounts show. Turnover for 2019 was €46 million, down from €48.1 million in 2018. According to the accounts, Shannon Airport Authority spent €14.1 million on wages and salaries for its 243 workers in 2019. The average per employee was just over €58,000, but there are now proposals for swingeing pay cuts among the staff, due to the Covid-19 slowdown. The directors’ report warned that a very difficult period lies ahead. “Industry analysts cite that once the situation resolves that passenger numbers will follow the same trajectory as in the wake of previous disruptions, such as 9/11 or the global financial crisis-after months of disarray, travel patterns reverted to normal and growth resumed. A caveat here is that no analyst can predict the timing of the current crisis. If this were to resolve in the short term and the impact of Covid-19 abates within months, it will be important …

UL Hospitals Group is reminding members of the public to consider all their care options before presenting to the Emergency Department at UHL today, Wednesday July 15. “In recent days, we have seen high volumes of patients attending, including many frail elderly patients requiring admission. In the 24-hour period up to 8am on July 15, a total of 215 patients attended the Emergency Department.  There were 232 attendances in the previous 24-hour period. The average number of daily attendances during 2019 was 195,” UHL said in a statement. “At 8am this morning there were 35 admitted patients in the ED waiting were a bed. In addition there were a further 23 patients in our two assessment units waiting for admission. The majority of these patients are in single rooms or assessment bays.  A total of 8 of these patients were on trolleys on corridors between these three locations. Every effort is made to ensure physical distancing is maintained and to …