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Fleadh organisers are celebrating a major coup after securing global dance superstar Michael Flately to perform the official opening of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis next month. The man who revolutionised Irish dancing will take to the Fly Shannon stage in Abbey Street car park on Sunday, August 13. The 59-year-old dancer, choreographer and musician will briefly address the gathering, before taking up the flute with uilleann piper and composer, Gerard Fahy, from Ballinakill in County Galway. “It is a great honour to be asked to open this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis. It is such a great home of traditional music and a place I have very fond memories of, including winning the All-Ireland there many years ago. “It is vitally important for all of us to nurture young talent and to encourage young people today to play Irish music. I’m really looking forward to it and am sure it will be a huge success,” said …

As this week marks the fifth Farm Safety Week, Minister Ciaran Cannon has asked people to remember that farms are workplaces and not playgrounds. Last year, 21 people lost their lives in farm-related accidents which was an increase of 3 fatalities on 2015. Minister Cannon said, “Farm Safety Week is a valuable opportunity for farmers to review the safety of their daily farming practices. Sadly, farming has one of the lowest safety records of any occupation in the country. This week is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of hidden dangers in the farming environment and assess potential risks as any farm accident can lead to a fatality or life-altering injuries. I would encourage farmers to participate in the many farm safety events being held this week and to consider availing themselves of the discounts being offered on safety equipment from retailers across the country.”

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) have urged road users to take extra care, as the number of tractors, trailers and other farm machinery on the roads increases over the summer months. The appeal comes as many farmers around the country are in the middle of the silage cutting season. Ms Moyagh Murdock, chief rxecutive, RSA said, “This is a very busy time of year for farmers, with silage cutting already underway. The number of tractors and trailers out using the roads will increase dramatically. As a result the risk of a collision involving a road user and farm machinery has increased. As such I am asking all drivers to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other farm machinery exiting from fields and farm yards. If you are travelling behind farm machinery, please be patient and only over take when it’s safe to do so. We should all expect the unexpected, as …

SUNDAY will be an emotional afternoon for Síle de Valera, as the woman who represented Clare in the Dáil for 20 years returns for the commemoration of her grandfather’s East Clare by-election win of 1917. Fianna Fáil has organised a range of events to mark the centenary in Ennis. One of the central figures in 20th century Ireland, Eamon de Valera played a major part in his granddaughter’s decision to enter politics, while she has warm memories of him as a caring grandfather. Indeed, she feels Dev might have lavished more affection on his grandchildren because the circumstances of his life meant he had often been separated from his own children when they were young. “At a personal level, I was 20 when he died, so I had the opportunity to know him very well as a grandfather. I have lovely memories of that and it’s interesting to juxtaposition the personal from the political. Very often, people saw him as …

Aberystwyth University in Wales has awarded a posthumous BSc degree in Information and Library Studies to Caitríona Lucas. Caitríona died during a search and rescue mission with the coastguard service after the lifeboat capsized in rough seas at Kilkee last September. Caitríona, 41, from Ballyvaughan, began her BSc degree in Information and Library Studies in June 2015. She studied by distance learning whilst also bringing up a family, working as a librarian for Clare County Council, and volunteering for the Search and Rescue Dog Association. She also completed over 700 hours every year as a volunteer with the Doolin Coast Guard in Ireland. Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Professor Judy Broady-Preston, director of the Institute of Professional Development, said,  “Caitríona Rós Lucas died on September 12, 2016 whilst on active service as a volunteer with the Irish coast Guard during a search for a missing person.  Caitriona joined the service in 2006 and served with her husband, Bernard who joins us today, …

THE Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, was on hand to present the  Burren farming community with a special EU Life award, to mark the role they have played in protecting and enhancing the unique landscape in which they live and farm. The Green Award, a special award organised by the EU, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Life Programme, was presented at a community event in Kilfenora. Since its inception in May 1992, the Life Programme has supported over 4,300 projects and to mark the anniversary, a competition was organised to choose the very best projects of the last 25 years. Ireland’s Burren Life Programme emerged as joint winner in the nature and biodiversity category. At the presentation, Minister Creed said, “It is a huge achievement for an Irish project to win one of these prestigious awards and to have been selected as the outstanding project in its category over the last 25 years …

Gardaí have confirmed they are in contact with Interpol to assess the possibility of any terror threat in the lead-up to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann next month. Superintendent Brendan McDonagh has told The Clare Champion that the assessment of a threat is intelligence-led and that Clare gardaí are in regular contact with Interpol and colleagues in Britain, France and other EU countries. He said there will be a strong visible presence of gardaí on the streets of Ennis during the Fleadh and, in addition to calling in all available resources in the division, he said extra assistance can be used from other counties, if necessary. Adrian Jackson of Safety Solutions said discussions on how to deal with a terror attack have been held with local gardaí. While he wasn’t at liberty to outline what these arrangements are for security reasons, as event controller he said he would be guided by the advice of the gardaí. “We bow to the greater …

Clare companies are taking up opportunities for training and up-skilling of staff to meet business needs, helping with such issues as Brexit. Figugures from the annual report of Skillnets, the national agency responsible for funding and supporting over 60 learning networks nationwide, reveal that the number of businesses accessing subsidised training in Clare grew by 42%, with over 565 businesses investing in their staff across a range of sectors. Across Ireland, over 14,000 businesses are investing in their staff across a range of sectors. Ninety-two percent of the member companies that benefited from investment in training through Skillnets in 2016 were SMEs. “The development and retention of skilled talent is critical to the competitiveness and growth of the Irish economy and to the firms that underpin it” according to Skillnets chairman, Brendan McGinty. “2016 was a positive year for Skillnets, €25.9m was invested in learning and development through Skillnets networks with member companies committing €12.8m, and a co-investment from Skillnets …