Commercial Feature

For Irish dairy farmers, water quality is central to their focus on environmental sustainability Dairy farming is at the heart of Irish life – products produced by 17,500 family farms (and the 60,000 people they employ) are exported to 130 countries, and contribute some €6.8 billion to the Irish economy each year. The industry is not, however, without its challenges. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies agriculture as a major contributor to a reduction in the quality of around half of Ireland’s rivers, lakes and estuaries. Across Ireland farmers are employing innovative technologies and practices that are designed to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint, both in terms of water quality impacts and GHG emissions. The goals are challenging, but the industry is changing to address them. Water quality is key. Sediment traps are placed at the bottom of sloping farmyards to catch rain and wastewater and trees like willow and alder soak up any nutrients that might run off …

THE vice-chairperson of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) has urged people to stop suffering in silence if they have defective blocks in their homes.  Mary Hanley told a major conference hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) last week that people must open up and share their experiences. Mrs Hanley, who showed the Housing Minister her badly cracked home in Drumline last August, made her comments during a special session dealing with the mental and physical health impacts of living in a house with defective materials.  Referring to a presentation from TUS’s Dr Lorcan Byrne on the impact of housing insecurity and the importance of collective action, Mrs Hanley said that encouraging people to speak up remains a challenge. “Dealing with officialdom is one of the biggest stressors facing our group of homeowners,” she said. “A lot of us in Clare – and in Mayo and Donegal – would love to just go home and close the …

IN celebration of this Saturday’s Ennis Book Club Festival The Old Ground Hotel has put pen to paper and created the perfect ‘book lovers break’. The hotel, of course, has many literary connections of its own, featuring a cosy library area for residents and it celebrates many of the great Irish Poets throughout the hotel, particularly in the bar area where painted portraits hang of writers like Seamus Heaney and Oscar Wilde. Fittingly then they have titled their Book Club Festival offer The ‘Poet’s Package’ which includes a one-night stay in a luxurious and spacious room or suite, dinner in the acclaimed Poet’s Corner bar which features delicious fresh local Ennis produce. Guests availing of the ‘Poet’s Package’ will also receive a signed copy of ‘This is Happiness’ by Man Booker nominated novelist Niall Williams in their room upon arrival along with tickets to a book festival headline event of your choice. Just days now to the #EBCF2021 Sept 11th …

Sometimes, finding the best in you takes a bit of exploration. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board offers hundreds of full-time and part-time Further Education and Training learning pathways at over 300 locations in Limerick and Clare. Further Education and Training helps you get real skills for employment. We deliver courses to over 25,000 learners in Limerick and Clare every year. These learning pathways are for you if you want to enhance your opportunity for employment, up-skill while in employment, help you progress to further studies or develop a new skill. From Apprenticeship and Traineeship to full and part-time FET courses, your pathway to employment, career progression, and life-skills begins with us. Our range of full-time courses includes Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC), Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), Hospitality Education and Training, Specific Skills Training, and Youth Education and Training. Our part-time delivery includes Core Skills (language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy), Vocational and Employee Skills Development, and Outdoor Education and …

IT’S that time of year again when Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board invites you to #FindTheBestInYou and choose a Further Education and Training course that will help you do just that. With this in mind its College of Further Education and Training Ennis Campus has put together a superb offering this autumn, which will allow you to expand your options and develop skills you will need for your future career. The modern campus is ideally located in Clonroad Business Park, just off the Clon Road in Ennis, providing a variety of relevant and innovative Further Education and Training courses for learners, local communities, and enterprise in Clare over the last 25 years. Thanks to continuous expansion and renovation, learners at the college can avail of the very best of facilities as they embark on their career path through an extensive range of full-time and flexible, part-time offerings. Courses on offer are ideal for unemployed early school leavers, adults …

As we spend more time at home, many people are using this opportunity to make home improvements. One of the most important parts of any major refurbishment project is choosing the right heating system. Many systems, particularly older ones, are less efficient, which can lead to unnecessary costs and excess emissions. Switching to a modern Calor Gas heating system gives you greater flexibility and takes the hard work out of heating your home. It can be hard to know how to go about getting the best value for money when choosing a heating system. Local Calor Home Energy Consultant Wesley Hampton is on hand to answer any questions and advise homeowners across Co. Tipperary about their home energy needs. Now is a great opportunity to upgrade your home energy system. Being prepared means making sure you have the best heating system in place, powering your home. The ideal heating system is flexible, cost effective and as clean as possible. Homeowners …

For over eighty years, Calor has had a special place in many Irish homes, providing off-grid gas for cooking, heating and hot water. Keeping your stove fed with fuel and ensuring that it is cleaned out can take time and effort. Homeowners across Co. Clare can enjoy the benefits of gas with Calor without any of the clean-up associated with coal, solid fuels or even oil. Calor Home Energy Consultant Damian Ruddy is on hand to answer any questions and advise homeowners about their home energy needs. Many Irish homes are operating on out-dated, inefficient boilers and heating systems, which can result in high energy bills and can also create unnecessary emissions. The ideal heating system is flexible, cost effective and it should also be as clean as possible. Calor work with local registered installers in the midlands to ensure homeowners have access to a reliable and versatile home heating system. Due to their greater efficiency, modern state-of-the-art condenser LPG …

Many Irish families heat their homes with old, inefficient boilers and out-dated heating systems. These systems not only waste money, but may not be as effective in heating your home and they can also create unnecessary emissions. For over eighty years, Calor has been at the forefront of providing energy efficient solutions for Irish families. At Calor, we incorporate sustainability into our home heating solutions and that’s why by choosing Calor, you can reduce your energy bills while reducing your carbon emissions and benefitting the environment. The ideal heating system is flexible, cost effective and it should also be as clean as possible. Running your home on coal, wood, pellets or other solid fuels can be inefficient. For those who want to make a switch, Calor is leading the drive to a cleaner energy system. In Co. Clare, Local Calor Home Energy Consultant Damian Ruddy is on hand to assist and advise you with ways to make your home more …