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IN the announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of his team of Ministers of State, Clare Deputy Pat Breen has effectively retained his position but with a much wider brief. Mr Breen will have special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, serving across the Department of Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Employment and Social Protection, the Department of the Taoiseach, and the Department of Justice and Equality. Key appointments announced by Mr Varadkar today (Tuesday) include: · Helen McEntee has been appointed Minister for European Affairs. She will be working alongside both the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade Simon Coveney on issues including Brexit. Two Ministers of State have been appointed to support Paschal Donohoe in the Departments of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. The two Ministers will work across both Departments to enhance the integration process: An Taoiseach said, “We aim to be a government of purpose …

IN the announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of his team of Ministers of State, Clare Deputy Pat Breen has effectively retained his position but with a much wider brief. Mr Breen will have special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, serving across the Department of Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Employment and Social Protection, the Department of the Taoiseach, and the Department of Justice and Equality. Key appointments announced by Mr Varadkar today (Tuesday) include: · Helen McEntee has been appointed Minister for European Affairs. She will be working alongside both the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade Simon Coveney on issues including Brexit. Two Ministers of State have been appointed to support Paschal Donohoe in the Departments of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. The two Ministers will work across both Departments to enhance the integration process: An Taoiseach said, “We aim to be a government of purpose …

For the first time ever during June, Clare County Council has extended lifeguard cover at the county’s four main beaches beyond the weekend. Lifeguard cover is being provided at Kilkee, Lahinch, Spanish Point and Fanore today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) from 3.30pm to 7.30pm to cater for the large number of people visiting the beaches in the late afternoon and evening during the current fine spell. With forecasts of continued dry and warm weather over the next 48 hours, Clare County Council is urging members of the public to be extra vigilant when participating in water-based activities. Clare McGrath, water safety development Officer with Clare County Council, is asking people to swim only in lifeguarded areas denoted by the lifeguard flags (red over yellow flags). She explained, “I would urge members of the public to observe notices on any beach or where they want to swim, and to observe the Lifeguard’s rules and regulations regarding off limit swimming locations. Anyone …

Clare County Council has signed a 20-year lease for 35 apartments at the Pairc na Coille complex in Ennis to accommodate people on the social housing list. The council said the acquisition of the 35 apartments complements the vibrant community that now exists at the Pairc na Coille site. The local authority has also confirmed that the lease costs will be recouped from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government under the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ Plan. The acquisition brings to 62 the number of properties leased by the Local Authority at the Showgrounds Road location. In 2015, Clare County Council signed a lease for 27 detached properties, all of which are now occupied. Signing on behalf of Clare County Council were cathairleach Bill Chambers; Pat Dowling, chief executive; and Liam Conneally, director of Services, social development directorate. Margaret Irwin from Dermot G. O’Donovan Solicitors signed on behalf of the owner’s consortium, which comprises individuals from Clare, Limerick and …

THE positivity that surrounded the huge level of voluntary participation in the London Olympics has been likened to that which was seen in Ennis for the 2016 All-Ireland Fleadh. “In London, people got involved in the event by volunteering to help in many ways. It was a sense of ownership, there was plenty to do,” commented Sharon Meaney, development manager of Clare Volunteer Centre Team. “In Ennis last year, there was also a strong sense of ownership of the Fleadh. A total of 1,549 volunteers registered with us and many more helped directly at camp sites. “As well as people from the town and Clare, we had volunteers from the UK and much farther afield. They were from diverse backgrounds, all spectrum of society, and what was very encouraging for us was the fact that 10% of the total were under 18. “One of the lovely aspects about the profile of the volunteers was family support. We had quite a …

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick O’Donovan has unveiled the route for the Shannon Estuary Drive – the first in what is hoped to be a series of drives to be developed by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with local stakeholders The aim is to encourage visitors to discover the variety of inland visitor experiences as they travel along the Wild Atlantic Way. The Shannon Estuary drive is a looped route of approximately 135 miles. “The Shannon Estuary Way new visitor experience provides a significant opportunity for Limerick and Ennis, as gateway towns to the Wild Atlantic Way, and will open up the region’s inland hinterland to visitors as well as support the strong local accommodation base and variety of visitor attractions and services along the route. “As the Wild Atlantic Way continues to grow, we can now start to develop additional experiences for visitors to enjoy and, through initiatives like this, we can start to develop tourism activity …

THERE was immense shock in Carrigaholt and the surrounding communities last Thursday, when it emerged that Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraidhe, which is the only Irish college in Clare, was forced to close due to Department of the Gaeltacht fire safety concerns. Approximately 25 students had commenced a summer course for the month of June but college principal Domhnall Ó Loingsigh had to contact parents, across the country, last Wednesday and Thursday to inform them that the month-long course had come to an abrupt halt. However, the principal and college board are confident that the college will reopen later this summer. The board has said that local politicians must take urgent action to ensure that the college is funded for the necessary repair works. In recent years, Ministers of State Joe McHugh, Dinny McGinley and, most recently, Michael Ring, at the invitation of Deputy Pat Breen, have either visited the college or met with representatives. However, the college’s appeal for funding, …

A total of 105 people were arrested for drink driving in Clare so far this year – an increase of 21. This has prompted an East Clare county councillor to ask if the enforcement level in this area is a “bit over the top”. At Monday’s meeting of the county’s Joint Policing Committee, Whitegate councillor Pat Burke suggested the idea of breathalysing people at all times of the day was a bit much. “I don’t know of too many women who are going to schools, collecting their kids, who are drink driving,” he said, adding, “Yet they are being breathalysed.” He also said he has a friend in his own area who likes to have three or four pints on a Sunday and will walk to and from the pub to do that. He said now, however, that he will no longer go to the pub because he is afraid to drive into work in the morning. Having received an …