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  Bishop Fintan Monahan has announced a number of new anointments in the Diocese of Killaloe, which has a Catholic population of around 127,000. Fr Des Hillery, PP, Nenagh was appointed Vicar General of the diocese during the year. In Ballynacally/Lissycasey, Fr Joe Hourigan to retire as parish priest but continuing to lead the sacramental and pastoral work in the parish. Fr Albert McDonnell, to take on the administration of the parish and become the parish priest in addition to his existing duties. Fr Martin O’Brien to retire as PP of Tulla and to take extended leave from duty on medical advice. Fr Ignatius McCormack, Adm., Quin has recently been appointed principal of St Flannan’s College. Quin will now be covered by Ennis parish, pro-tem, supported by the Abbey cluster. Fr Tom O’Gorman as Adm., will continue to live in the presbytery, Cloughleigh, effective from September 1. Tulla will be covered by Ennis parish, pro-tem, supported by the East- Clare …

The Office of Public Works is to provide capital funding for flood protection measures for Springfield Clonlara and has also approved the preferred measures subject to a number of conditions. “The OPW has confirmed that the proposed CFRAM measure for Springfield, Clonlara may now be progressed by Clare County Council. The funding of the project costs will not fall under the Minor Works heading, but the work will be funded instead as a capital project under the OPW capital works programme. This is very welcome news,” said Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market & Data Protection Pat Breen. “The favoured solution will now require more detailed project-level assessment and design before it can be confirmed as technically, economically and environmentally viable and suitable for progression through planning. In this regard, approval is being given in the first instance to bring the project forward with the undertaking of this necessary project-level assessment. “Once the project is confirmed to …

Thousands of GAA fans travelling to Saturday’s All-Ireland Football qualifier in Cusack Park and Sunday’s Munster minor and senior Hurling Finals between Clare and Cork in Semple Stadium have been given a special ‘drive safely’ message. “We want people to drive safely this weekend. There will be a huge volume of traffic on the roads for the games, and we urge people to take care and to ensure that their trip to these great sporting occasions do not end in tragedy,” said Barry Keating, road safety officer, Clare County Council. He added, “We want all road users to change their behaviours and make these changes part of their lives in the future, which will save lives and reduce serious injuries on our roads. We are advising people to keep a safe distance between them and the car in front them and asking drivers not to use of the mobile phones while driving.” Distracted driving is one of the common causes …

TICKET-mania has gripped the county ahead of what is a huge week for Clare GAA, when four teams will be trying to progress in their respective championships. The minor and senior hurlers face Cork in Thurles on Sunday, the senior footballers host Mayo in round 3A of the qualifiers on Saturday while, on Wednesday evening next, the U-21 hurlers will play Limerick in the Munster championship semi-final. The Munster Hurling Championship has always had a special appeal and on Sunday, Clare will contest both the minor and senior finals on the same day for only the fourth time ever. Clare won the minor title in 1981, when captain by John Lynch from Sixmilebridge, but suffered defeat in the senior final. Clare lost to Tipperary in the 1997 Munster minor final but won the senior crown the same day. Less than two months later, both teams were crowned All-Ireland champions. 1997 was the first year of the back-door system. Clare lost …

Patients and medical professionals in Ennis and surrounds were united in mourning following the death of Dr Eugene Casey at his home on Tuesday night. Doctors, nurses and countless medical staff who would have worked with Dr Casey over five decades of general practice are deeply saddened by his passing. Dr Casey (67), Shanaway Road, one of the best-known and highly-respected doctors in the county, worked as a locum on a regular basis for Dr Michael Harty in Kilmihil since his election to the Dáil, Dr Eamon Ralph in Kildysart and Dr Maura O’Meara in Doonbeg. Having first opened his doors as a GP in the late 1970s, the father-of-three built a thriving practice until 2010, when it was taken over by Dr Colum Gavin. While Dr Casey officially retired a year later, he went back working as a locum in recent years. Dr Harty said he would miss Dr Casey a great deal, as he was a great medical …

The financial costs of agricultural crime is an unacceptable burden and one that cannot be written off as part and parcel of life in rural Ireland. That is the blunt observation of ICSA president Patrick Keny, who was speaking following the publication of the second tranche of ICSA’s Agricultural Crime Survey undertaken with Waterford Institute of Technology. The focus of this tranche is the Financial Costs of Agricultural Crime in Ireland. “We now have proof that agricultural crime is hitting farmers’ pockets at a time when most are struggling to make ends meet at all. Theft, vandalism and fly-tipping all have serious cost implications for farmers, as do increased insurance premiums when farmers have to make a claim. The report is hugely important as determining the costs of agricultural crime provides the justification for spending scarce resources on tackling the issue,” he said. The results of the survey indicate for the first time the true costs of agricultural crime to …

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald has welcomed the monthly unemployment figures for June published by the Central Statistics Office, showing that the official unemployment rate has fallen from 6.4% in May to 6.3% in June and from 8.3% in June 2016. The statistics also show: On a seasonally adjusted basis 900 fewer people were unemployed in June compared to May 42,100 fewer people were unemployed in June compared with twelve months earlier Commenting on the figures the Tánaiste said, “Once again we are seeing the unemployment rate going in the right direction, with the unemployment rate at 6.3% and a decrease from 8.3% this time last year. It is heartening to see the unemployment rate continuing to decline and we are moving closer to full employment. As Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, I will continue with the Government policies that have proven successful in creating the right environment for continued job growth right across the …

AN Garda Síochána has today (Tuesday) issued a warning about motor insurance scams and outlined measures that can be taken to avoid becoming a victim. “Ghost Broking is a term given to two possible types of fraud relating to false Insurance documents. Policies are bought from legitimate insurance companies using false information and then changed before being sold on to customers. Fake policy documents designed to look like they have been issued by legitimate insurance companies are created and sold on to customers, or supplied at the inception process. Proposal forms are being put through a third party before submission to a legitimate insurance company,” a garda spokesman explained. “The net effect of this is that the purchaser has not purchased a valid certificate of Insurance and has no motor insurance whatsoever and is liable for any damage caused or offence committed as a result of having no motor insurance,” the spokesman added. There are two ways to obtain a valid …