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  THE four alleged burglars of a rural Clare farmhouse, here a 95-year -old man was asleep last Friday, were further remanded in custody at a court sitting on Wednesday (today). At Ennis District Court, the four Limerick men appeared in court via video link from Limerick prison and Inspector Tom Kennedy applied to the court that the case be put back for two weeks to allow the get the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) get directions. In the case of the four, Judge Patrick Durcan remanded all four in custody to re-appear in court on January 24. Two of the four, Paul Kiely (30) of Glencairn, Dooradadoyle, Limerick and Edward Woodland (18) of Greenmount Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick have consent to bail if they can provide an independent surety, but they have not provided an independent surety to date. In the case, three of the alleged Limerick burglars fled from a farmhouse after discovering that the sole occupant was a man in his 90s …

Thousands of students will descend Dublin’s RDS tomorrow (Wednesday) as the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition begins. The event brings together some of the country’s brightest young minds as they compete to take home the coveted title of the BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year 2018. President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins will officially open the exhibition at a special ceremony on Wednesday evening attended by students, teachers, exhibition partners and stakeholders, and presented by broadcaster Aidan Power and TG4’s Roisin Ni Thomáin. The ceremony will be streamed live on Facebookfrom 2pm. Leading communications and IT Services company, BT, has announced announced an increase in prize money for the winner and a trip to the home of code-breaking in World War II, Bletchley Park. This year winner(s) of the competition, will be announced on Friday, will be presented with a cheque for €7,500, (an increase from €5,000), a trip to the historic Bletchley Park and the BTYSTE perpetual trophy. The 2018 overall winner(s) will …

The Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, continues a programme of engagements in the United States during which he will highlight developments in Ireland’s data protection environment and its steadfast commitment as an EU member state. The programme will include 18 high-level meetings and events in San Francisco and Seattle, including a series of meetings with client companies and representatives of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. During the course of the visit, the Minister will use the opportunity to emphasise Ireland’s attractiveness as an investment location – as an English speaking, common law jurisdiction with direct access to Europe’s single market – and its commitment to EU membership, particularly in the context of Brexit. Speaking in San Francisco, Minister Breen said,: “I am delighted to be here on the West Coast, it is a valuable opportunity to further strengthen the strong economic and cultural links between Ireland …

Clare County Council is encouraging people to make submissions to Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, launched by Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Once compiled, the Inventory will acknowledge and promote Ireland’s living culture through official State recognition. In tandem with this, it will fulfil Ireland’s obligations under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which Ireland signed up to in December 2015 to raise awareness of, and respect for, our unique living culture. Congella McGuire, Clare Heritage Officer, said, “The goal is to record elements of our national and local living heritage that are still being practiced and passed down from generation to generation. The practices must be living practices in one form or another: still taught or practiced, and passed on. The idea is that the more that becomes known of these practices, then the better their active cultural contribution is acknowledged.” She continued, “There’s such a wealth of cultural …

THE mood amongst the small business community at the start of 2018 is cautiously optimistic, with nearly two-thirds of owner-managers believing that the business environment is improving. That’s according to the Small Firms’ Association (SFA), the Ibec group, in its Small Firms Outlook 2018 report, which was published this week. SFA director, Sven Spollen-Behrens did however add a caution. “2017 has been a challenging year for small business. Whilst cautious optimism seems to be returning amid emerging wage demands, the increasing cost of doing business and Brexit dampens the mood. “However, nearly 60% of SFA members say their businesses are growing, with only 4% declining. This shows that 2018 has the potential to be a strong year, if the risks are managed effectively at firm level and Government level.” Mr Spollen-Behrens noted 71% of survey respondents indicated their intention to recruit over the coming year, up substantially from the SFA survey in May of last year. “Small firms already employ …

AS a young man, John Bradley was at the scene of one the greatest tragedies to ever occur in Ennis, when eight people died after a hotel floor collapsed during a busy auction. Now, 60 years after the Carmody’s Hotel disaster, John will launch a new book, remembering those who lost their lives and also those affected by the incident, which sent shockwaves across the country and the world. Next Sunday, January 14, as part of Carmody’s Hotel commemoration ceremony, Clare Roots Society will be launching their first book of 2018, Carmody’s Hotel, Ennis. Mayor of Ennis, Paul Murphy will formally launch the book at 12.30pm at the parish centre at the rear of Ennis Cathedral. The launch will be preceded by a mass of remembrance for the eight people who lost their lives on January 15, 1958. In this book, John has captured details of the Carmody tragedy, using newspaper reports and also through interviews with survivors and people …

Fine Gael is celebrating the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in Ireland with a year-long programme to highlight the contribution women have made to Irish public life. On the eve of Nollaig na mBan (January 6), An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar launched the Fine Gael programme saying, “This year marks the centenary of Irish women getting the vote and the right to stand in elections. Fine Gael will be celebrating this historical landmark with a programme of events at national and local level. I hope to see both party members and the wider public embrace the opportunity to get involved. “The centenary of women’s suffrage provides an opportunity to reflect on how women’s rights have improved in Ireland over the last 100 years, and look at what still needs to be done. Fine Gael will draft a Women’s Charter in 2018 which will set out a path for the further advancement of women’s rights in Ireland and will be …

MEMBERS of the Garda Armed Response Unit assisted Clare County Council with an inspection at a site in Ashline on the Kilrush Road in Ennis today. Council officials inspected the site  where there are six burned out housing units. While the site has been used for Traveller accommodation in the past, Clare County Council are planning to put a new social housing development in place there.  The local authority is currently seeking a High Court injunction against Bernard and Helen McDonagh, which would compel them to leave the site.