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AN event in memory of 1916 and War of Independence leader Liam Mellows will be held in Knockjames Church Tulla this Sunday. Mellows hid out in the Knockjames area for five months, in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, during which he led forces in Galway.  At the time Knockjames was such a Republican stronghold that the authorities installed an RIC barracks there, which was manned by a sergeant and three constables. Despite this, one of the most wanted men in the country was sheltered by the local community for months. In December of 1916, Mellows went to New York and was associated with the Carmelite community there. He taught Irish Music and Dance at the Carmelite Priory in Manhattan. Sean Halpin who comes from Kiltanon in Tulla is currently living in New York and made contact with  the Carmelite community there. Mellows is a celebrated figure among the Carmelites and they have a stained-glass window in his honour along …

SHANNON Municipal District has introduced a new piece of inclusive playground equipment to the Tír na nÓg playground. The Ability Swing is suitable for children who use a wheelchair and it comprises a wheelchair platform and swing frame. The enclosed wheelchair swing is positioned near to the centre of the playground and can be exclusively opened by an independent access key, making it very safe and secure for users. Councillor Michael Begley, Cathaoirleach of Shannon Municipal District, said, “This fully fenced playground is a great choice for children of all age groups and, with the recent addition of the Ability Swing, Shannon Municipal District is very proud of the facility. The provision of high-quality play options is fundamental for all the children using our playgrounds.” This additional piece of playground equipment will enhance the existing play facilities which includes a soft flooring play surface throughout and more than 12 other different pieces of equipment. The playground also incorporates a sensory …

AIR pollution in Ennis has been described as “dangerously high” with levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels more than seven times higher than Shanghai in recent days. Community group Better Ennis are among those voicing concerns about the “health hazard Ennis residents and visitors are exposed to”, while during one evening a UCC professor took to social media urging Ennis residents not to go outside. Green Party Senator Roísín Garvey says, “People are afraid to go for a walk in the evening because of the quality of the air.” Ennis Fine Gael Councillor Johnny Flynn is seeking a report on air quality in Ennis from Clare County Council to be included in the monthly management report, and is reiterating calls for an Ennis Clean Air Strategy. “Short term poor air quality events or spikes have very significant adverse health impacts, they result in significant  spikes in hospital admissions for up to two days after such events,” he stated. A …

SAINT Nicholas will pay a visit to Ennis this weekend as part of an interactive theatre production which aims to bring joy to Ukrainian children in Clare. On Sunday, December 18 the Feast of St Nicholas, the Civic Room of the Buttermarket Building in Drumbiggle will be transformed by Ennis drama club “Ptashka” and Clare Local Development Company for their ‘St Nicholas Workshop’ performance. The event will feature workshops, sweets, gifts and, of course, a meeting with your favourite saint Saint Nicholas. The first performance of the Ptashka drama group is the Saint Nicholas holiday. St Nicholas, Sviatyij Mykolai, comes to Ukraine on December 19 in the Orthodox Julian calendar. The night before, December 18 is often called “Magic Night”.  It is seen as a universal children’s festival, when the saint leaves sweets or games for children.  It is also a Ukrainian tradition for children to perform a play in honour of Saint Nicholas. “We believe that it will be a …

AN exhibition entitled ‘Rineanna/Shannon, Time Past,’ by renowned Clare-based artist Philip Brennan, will run for six weeks in the airport’s transit lounge. The paintings, which were influenced by a collection of photos taken at the airport from the 1930s onwards, depict aircraft from a bygone era and the airport environs. Wings of both metal and feather feature in this series of water colour paintings by the Newmarket-on-Fergus native, due to the airport’s location in the original townland of Rineanna which means “meeting place of the birds”. Speaking about the collection, Philip said, “I have been working on this project since 2018 and am finally delighted to have it completed and on display in the very place it was inspired by. “Since 1974, I have spent a great amount of time in the environs of the airport and have lived nearby since then. “In that time, I’ve done a lot of observation of the bird life at the estuary and the …

A dedicated bus service for the town of Ennis could be operational by late next year or early 2024. That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe who raised the issue with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA this week at the Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting A service for the town has long been spoken about and work is underway between the NTA and Clare County Council on finalising a route. “I’m delighted to be told by the NTA that a dedicated bus service for Ennis town is just around the corner,” said Deputy Crowe. “I raised this vital service with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA, in last evening’s Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting to get the latest update and was assured that the bus service will be up and running as soon as possible. “The hope is that an operator will be procured and it’ll be tendered by the end of next year, with early …

TWO Clare children with Cystic Fibrosis who have a rare genotype are being “discriminated against” due to their exclusion from availing of a transformative “wonder drug”, a local councillor has claimed. The HSE has been in negotiations since May with Vertex about giving access for a therapy called Kaftrio for 35 young children with a specific genetic condition. This is already available to other Irish patients under an existing deal. Councillor Mary Howard described Kaftrio as a “wonder drug” that stops the progression of Cystic Fibrosis in the body. She warned that many of the 35 children are not well and have been regularly hospitalised, with more hospital visits expected to increase as the winter progressed. Speaking at a council meeting on Monday, the Fine Gael Councillor said adults and those 12 and older have been receiving Kaftrio. Last May, she recalled all children who were older than six were supposed to receive this drug. “There are 175 children with …

Ennis Track coach Pat Hogan has hailed the performance of Dean Casey after the Ennis youngster secured a bronze medal at the European Cross Country Championships last weekend. Hogan freely admits that even though the focus with Casey was on producing a strong performance, the result is a huge boost for the Ennis man. “Ultimately sport is about results. It’s a results based game. Someone picks up the paper and they look at the result first. Everything a coach does is grey but it’s black and white once you step foot on the line. On Sunday evening he was third and that’s all that matters. “He worked his way through the race. Dean kept in the pack because it was a very challenging course before he managed to move clear on the last hill. It’s huge for him. Any performance that wins a medal is big for him.” In what was regarded as the most competitive race of the day, …