Breaking News

Raising road safety awareness and reducing the number and severity of road traffic collisions on Clare’s roads is the objective of an event in the public car park at Glór, Ennis, next week. The roadshow will include a roll-over simulator demonstrating what it is like to be involved in a car crash, first hand accounts from emergency first responders and an interactive shuttle featuring driving, motorbike and bicycle simulators, reaction timers, Driver Theory Test computers, and screens showing road safety advertisements. Organised by the Clare Road Safety Action Group, comprising Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána, HSE, Road Safety Authority, Clare Civil Defence and Clare County Fire & Rescue Service, it is open to all. On Wednesday morning, hundreds of secondary school students will witness the full horror of a road crash at a simulation aimed at showing teenagers the human tragedy behind the statistics. The demonstration is targeted at young people who are about to embark on their driving careers or who …

Shannon-based Chemifloc, the largest producer of water treatment chemicals in Ireland, has completed a €5 million investment in new bulk liquid chemical storage facilities at Foynes port. Foynes is the largest of Shannon Foynes Port Company’s ports Five new jobs will be created by Chemifloc, bringing total employment in the Shannon headquartered company to over 40 people.  This latest investment brings to over €10 million Chemifloc’s investment at Foynes since it established bulk storage facilities there more than 10 years ago. Chemifloc’s facility at the County Limerick port is now the most advanced in the country and positions the company as it embarks on an expansion programme into new sectors including the electronics, pharmaceutical, dairy and manufacturing industries. Fergal Lawless, executive director of Chemifloc explained, “Chemifloc is a wholly Irish owned company specialising in water treatment systems to deliver drinking water to homes and businesses throughout the island of Ireland.  Chemifloc products are also used to protect the environment by treating …

THE beautiful setting in the heart of the Burren at Kilnaboy, where stands one of the most famous country houses used in the filming of the Fr Ted series, will play host to an evening to support the RNLI Lifeboats. The hosts will be Cheryl and Patrick McCormack. The doors of Fr Ted’s house will swing open to the public on Sunday, April 30 from 6pm to 9pm. The house is set under the shade of Mullaghmore, with its twisted rocks and the hills of the Burren. It is an evening not to be missed, as there will be music and song and host Patrick McCormack will share some of the poetry he has written of his experience living in this beautiful landscape. There will be tea and scones for everyone and there is plenty of parking at the house. The event was launched in Fr Ted’s house by Lauren Guilfoyle from Feakle and Shelly and John Galvin from The …

Loop Head Lighthouse will be showcased during the May Bank Holiday Weekend through its status as one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland. Over the weekend, a festival will take place at six of the 12 Great Lighthouses, an all-island tourism initiative that also includes lighthouses at Hook Head in Wexford, Valentia Island in Kerry and Donegal’s Fanad Head. Loop Head, which attracted over 27,000 visitors in 2016, will host family-friendly events including tours, music, storytelling, and a local food and craft showcase. There will be Irish traditional music and storytelling at the Lighthouse on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, while on Bank Holiday Monday a guided walk will take place along the Loop Head Food Trail. Martin Gleeson, supervisor for Loop Head Lighthouse said, “This three-day festival celebrates the Loop Head Peninsula’s maritime history and unique landscape. The public will be able to enjoy the stories of our maritime past, enjoy our local food and discover more about the 19th …

Aldi has increased its presence in County Clare with the opening of its new store in Ennistymon today (Thursday). A total of 15 new jobs have been created at the store. The new Ennistymon store is Aldi’s third store in the county and brings the total number of Aldi stores in Ireland to 129. The first Aldi store in Ireland opened in November 1999. Declan Coyne, manager in Ennistymon said, “We are delighted to open our new Ennistymon store and look forward to welcoming many new customers from the local area. Aldi has established solid roots in many of Ireland’s local communities having developed longstanding partnerships with numerous Irish producers.In the last five years Aldi has recruited over 70 new Irish suppliers, meaning Aldi now partners with more than 175 Irish producers. Over 50% of Aldi’s supplier spend is now with Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers.

Clare 5-11 Waterford 0-6 THE Clare minor footballers eased to a 20-point victory over Waterford in Cusack Park on Wednesday evening in a Munster championship play-off. The Seamus Clancy-managed team will play Tipperary on Wednesday evening next in their second play-off, to determine who will advance to the provincial semi-final. Clare were lethargic for large parts of the first half but they exploded into life once Ross O’Doherty goaled 17 minutes from time. He picked up a break off Diarmuid Ryan and finished clinically. O’Doherty netted again in injury time while, in the interim, Corofin’s Gearóid Cahill completed a superbly executed hat-trick of goals. Playing in front of an attendance of 389, Clare started with impressive intent. They had 1-2 on the board inside four minutes and Waterford looked out of their depth, even at that early stage. The home county won the throw-in and attacked immediately, with Seán Rouine pointing after a mere 22 seconds. Ross O’Doherty followed shortly …

A training exercise testing the response capabilities of Shannon Foynes Port Company, local authorities and other organisations who operate in the vicinity of the Shannon Estuary will take place at Spanish Point on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. The simulated event, which is being hosted by Clare County Council on behalf of the Shannon Estuary Anti-Pollution Team (SEA-PT), will centre on a major spillage of crude oil having occurred from an oil exploration platform located approximately 220km off the south west coast of Ireland and oil coming ashore at Spanish Point. Other parameters for the exercise will include notification that the source of the pollution has been brought under control and that there have been no casualties on the oil exploration platform.

SINN Féin continued its campaign for an Irish National Health Service with a series of engagements today (Tuesday) in County Clare, concluding with a public meeting ‘Save our Health Service’ at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. The party’s health spokesperson Deputy Louise O’Reilly said, “For the last number of weeks, we have taken our campaign for an Irish National Health Service on the road and have already visited Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Westmeath, Cork and Limerick.” She said they had a series of meetings in Ennis, including with the INMO, Clare Crusaders, Shandoc campaigners, SIPTU disability workers and other individuals. “Sinn Féin is campaigning for an Irish National Health Service and an end to the chaos in our hospitals. We want to hear from as broad a range of voices as possible,” she concluded