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A CLARE woman was sitting on a winning €500,000 EuroMillions plus ticket for a month completely unaware of her good fortune! It was only through a casual conversation at home that she learned the winning ticket was purchased at Barry’s Mace Store in Ardnacrusha, where she played EuroMillions on October 6. The delighted winner, who arrived at National Lottery GQ today (Friday) with her large family to collect her cheque, revealed she is not a regular player of National Lottery games. “I was in the car on October 6 when I heard that night’s EuroMillions jackpot was a massive €190 million so I pulled into the nearest shop to buy a ticket! I heard the following day that the jackpot was won in Spain, so I didn’t even bother checking the results. I didn’t know anything about a €500,000 EuroMillions Plus prize.” “Despite the fact there was a lot of talk over the weeks of a big EuroMillions winner in …

Clare County Council has been granted funding close on €400,000 from the EU to lure young people into considering maritime-related careers. The local authority’s Social Development Directorate, through its remit to increase overall participation levels in sport and physical activity, has been awarded the EU Erasmus+ programme funding as part of the Atlantic Youth Project. “As the only Irish partner in the European-wide project, Clare County Council is tasked with encouraging and developing the maritime culture of young Europeans, through the practice of water sports and maritime education at school,” explained Tim Forde, head of sport and recreation with Clare County Council. “Over the three-year term of this project, the local authority will facilitate the involvement of a significant number of second level school children with opportunities to participate in water sports in our county, whilst also participating in organised maritime education opportunities that will be EU-funded.” Mr Forde and Liam Conneally, director of social development, Clare County Council, represented …

A MEMBER of the Kilkee Cannabis Club has written to the county’s four TDs, asking them to support the Medicinal Cannabis Bill, which is to be debated in Dáil Éireann today (Thursday). The Dáil will study the report on Scrutiny of the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016. John O’Regan is backing Ireland’s Cannabis Party in its fast protest outside Leinster House from today up to November 16, in support of the Medicinal Cannabis Bill. Organisers say the fast is being held to highlight the need for medicinal cannabis to be legalised and regulated. Mr O’Regan, who lives on the Kilrush Road in Kilkee, said, “It is our intention to highlight the desperate plight that parents with sick children face. One such person was even contemplating a hunger strike to try to help their child. This fast is intended to remind people of the lengths a parent might go to, if their child is denied a medicine due to …

Oireachtas members last night enjoyed dinner blindfolded to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with sight loss. Dine in the Dark is an initiative which has been promoted by the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) to increase awareness of the challenges faced on a daily basis by people who are blind and visually impaired. The dinner was hosted by Senator Martin Conway, who is himself visually impaired. The fully booked meal included Ministers, TDs and Senators from across all political parties and is the first time in the history of the Houses of the Oireachtas that such an event was held. Senator Conway said, “The NCBI’s Dine in the Dark event is a fantastic initiative that challenges people to go outside their comfort zone and gives them an insight into what life is like with vision impairment. “Last year the event was a great success for the NCBI …

Gardaí in Ennis searching for 19-year-old Jack Dinan located his body in a wooded location near the town on Monday afternoon. His body was been removed from the scene and a post mortem is due to take place today (Tuesday). Gardaí do not believe that his death is suspicious. The family have requested privacy and the gardaí have no further information to add. Jack Dinan had been missing from his home since Tuesday, October and on the following day gardaí issued an appeal to help trace his whereabouts

Councillor Ian Lynch has expressed concern over what he says is the continued trawling of the Shannon Estuary, claiming it could have a negative effect on the bottle-nosed dolphin population in the area. He says he was contacted by members of the public when two trawlers were seen operating on the estuary. “Trawling the river estuary is not illegal and I appreciate that fishing is an extremely tough industry but the Shannon Estuary is a designated Special Area of Conservation. Pair trawling could have a detrimental effect on the natural ecology of the maritime life,” Councillor Lynch said. “I am calling on the minister to ban trawling in the Shannon Estuary until a detailed study is carried out on the effects this activity could have on the ecological system. Only when this study is completed, will we truly know if trawling our fish stocks is sustainable. As well as an increased risk of capturing seals or dolphins, if we deplete …

A 41-year-old man who swindled a married woman he met through a dating website out of almost €19,000 is paying off “every spare penny he earns” to his victim, Ennis Circuit Court has heard. Alan Custy of Dun na hInse, Lahinch Road, Ennis hatched a scheme where he stole by deception almost €19,000 from the “vulnerable, gullible, trusting woman” he met through smooch.com over five months in 2013. The 47-year-old Limerick woman, who lives alone, was the second online female victim of Custy, who previously received a three-year suspended jail term in February 2012 for blackmailing a married woman who he met on connectedsingles.com. In that case, Custy posed as a Michael Lynch and in the smooch.com case, the father-of-two posed as an Alan Casey. Custy has been given time by Judge Gerald Keys to pay back the compensation to the Limerick woman and counsel for Custy, Patrick Whyms, BL, told Ennis Circuit Court this week that Custy is paying over all spare money he …

A 19-year-old, believed to be armed with a gun, has gone missing from his home in Ennis. The teenager’s worried family are appealing for him to come home. Jack Dinan has been missing since Tuesday morning and gardai in Ennis are asking for the public’s help in finding him. Gardai have advised that members of the public should not approach him, but instead that they should contact the gardai if they see him. He was last seen at his home on Considine Road in Ennis at approximately 10am on Tuesday. He is 6ft tall, slim build with black hair. He wears a tooth brace on his upper teeth. Jack may have been wearing a grey hoodie top, grey spot camouflaged jacket when he left home. He may be in possession of a green rucksack. According to a spokesperson for the gardai, “Jack’s family are urging him to contact home.” The spokesperson continued, “Jack is believed to be armed and the …