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An Garda Síochána wants everyone to enjoy the Easter Bank Holiday festivities in safety, with the message being that anybody driving vehicle is aware of the holiday enforcement campaign. For the upcoming Easter weekend, Garda resources will be deployed with the objective of increasing compliance amongst road users and improving road safety. Motorists are advised that inappropriate speed is the single greatest contributory factor to road deaths and serious injuries. Over the Easter holiday period many people will set out to visit family and friends, some undertaking long journeys. Drivers are urged to be vigilant and to take all necessary steps to ensure their safety and the safety of other road users. Drivers should allow ample time for journeys and not to drive if they are tired. Drivers should pay attention to the speed limit signs posted on all roads but especially on entering built up areas. Garda enforcement activity will be conducted on sections of the road network that …

THE newly-formed Doughmore Coastal Protection Group will host a public meeting in Doonbeg hall next Monday night as members seek public support for coastal protection work on the beach, which bounds on Trump International golf resort. Golf course management has reapplied to Clare County Council for scaled-down coastal protection works and Doughmore Coastal Protection Group chairman Liam Ryan is adamant that jobs at the golf resort must be protected. “There are 300 people employed there from places like Doonbeg, Cree, Cooraclare, Mullagh and Quilty. We have to protect these jobs. You hear very few announcements about jobs around the country. In the last two weeks, we’ve had ministers and councillors travelling all over the world, seeking investment in Ireland on the back of St Patrick’s Day. What we’ve got to do is protect what we’ve got. “The greatest gift you can have is a job and that you can live in the area that you want to live in. That’s …

THE US army’s continuing use of Shannon Airport should be encouraged, according to Clare County Council. In the past, thousands of people have protested against the US transiting through the airport but, last Friday, members of the local authority passed a motion, proposed by Councillor Pat McMahon, that “In view of the substantial threats posed by Brexit and the uncertainty surrounding immigration and the pre-clearance facility at Shannon Airport, that this council reaffirms its support for American military transiting the airport”. Introducing the motion, the veteran Newmarket councillor said, “Since I was seven or eight-years-old, military aircraft have been going through Shannon and I don’t think anything has changed”. He described the US as “a friendly nation” and while he was in disagreement with those who have protested against the US military use of Shannon, he said he fully recognises their right to do so and that protests have been carried out in the right manner. Councillor McMahon’s motion mentioned …

Clare 1-24    Waterford 0-9 Clare justified favouritism as they comfortably overcame Waterford in the opening round of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship at Cusack Park on Wednesday evening. Before an attendance of 1,622, Clare dominated the second half exchanges, to safely book their passage to the semi-finals, which will take place at the end of June. An 18-point winning margin did not appear likely at the end of the opening half, when the home side led by just two points, 0-9 to 0-7, having struggled to get to grips with the Waterford challenge.  Indeed, they trailed for much of the half but finished strongly with four unanswered points to lead at the break. An outstanding performance from midfielder Keith White was the highlight of the opening period. He scored four superb points from play and added two more in the second half, which helped to give Clare a vital edge in this sector.  The Inagh-Kilnamona man opened the scoring …

The first ever National Patient Experience Survey has been launched this morning (Wednesday) by Minister for Health Simon Harris. This survey gives patients an opportunity to describe their experiences in order for this information to be used to improve our health service. Commencing on 1 May 2017, all adult patients who are discharged from a public acute hospital during this month will be invited to participate in the survey. Up to 27,000 patients will be eligible to take part, making this the largest single survey of the healthcare system in Ireland. Patients will be asked 61 questions on topics such as confidence and trust in hospital staff, hospital food, care and treatment, and whether their medications and possible side-effects were explained before discharge from hospital. A joint initiative by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health, the National Patient Experience Survey Programme will use data collected from the survey to …

EAST Clare gardaí and the Department of Agriculture were today [Thursday] commended for what was described as “without question the most outstanding piece of police work” in a cattle rustling case. Remarkably the comments were made by the defence counsel for Padraig O’Brien, (42), of Magherigh, Mountshannon who pleaded guilty at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court to 15 counts of theft offences relating to the animals worth €17,000. The offences involved the theft of five in-calf heifers from Bohatch, Mountshannon between January 17 and 18, 2015; the theft of six heifers from Kilrateera, Mountshannon between May 23 and 24, 2013, and the theft of four cows from Bohatch between December 8 and 9, 2013. Gardaí and the Department of Agriculture used DNA testing to trace the stolen cattle through their progeny providing links back to O’Brien. Presiding Judge Gerald Keys commended the gardaí for their “Trojan work” highlighting that this country’s system of tracing cattle is “one of the best in …

SOURCES on Wednesday evening indicated that employees aged in their mid 50s and older at Shannon Airport will be offered a voluntary redundancy package. While Shannon’s traffic has increased since it separated from the Dublin Airport Authority at the start of 2013, it is still less than 50% of what it was at its peak. As far back as June 2015, a voluntary redundancy scheme for the airport was first proposed, at a time when Neil Pakey was still its CEO. Then it was said that such a move would be required to address Shannon’s cost base, with staffing levels still relatively similiar to 2006 and 2007, when Shannon had more than 3.6 million passengers per annum. To put it in perspective, there were 1.7 million passengers in 2016. It appears that the savings achieved through redundancies would be used in part to fund redevelopment at the airport. At the moment some works are underway in the terminal building and there are …

Ireland must redouble its efforts to attract overseas investment and expand business in light of the triggering of Article 50 by UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, according to Independent Alliance Junior Minister Sean Canney. The Galway East TD, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works, has acknowledged the significance of the triggering of Article 50, saying it is a ‘huge day in the history of the European Union’. “While we respect the vote of the people of the UK, now that Article 50 has been triggered, Ireland must make sure we protect ourselves and our economy in the best possible way,” Minister Canney said. The Minister, who recently returned from a St Patrick’s Day trade mission to China, said there are significant trading opportunities with Asian countries such as China and Ireland needs to work hard and redouble its efforts to secure these. “Ireland will negotiate from a position of strength as an integral part of the EU …