Environment

Fire crews from two Clare stations are currently battling a significant bog, gorse and forestry fire near Kilmaley which had threatened local properties for a time. The alarm was raised at around 2.25pm when homeowners in the Kilcloher area called the fire service reporting the lands adjacent to their properties were on fire. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station were mobilised to the incident and quickly began tackling the blaze which was burning was close at least three homes. Firefighters used beaters to try stamp out the fire which spread over a wide area. Additional fire crews were later mobilised from Ennistymon station while personnel from Clare Civil Defence were requested to provide support by deploying a drone to provide fire officers with an aerial view of the fire ground. Staff from Coillte the forestry agency are also at the scene while it’s also expected that a helicopter may be brought in to help tackle …

WAR and spiralling costs have put the focus firmly on our dependence on fossil fuels and accelerated the pace of the hunt for alternatives. In East Clare, a pilot project looking at the potential of ‘biomass’ is nearing a conclusion and exciting results are set to boost the case for the use of organic matter, like rushes, as fuel and fertiliser. The Biomass to Biochar project, headquartered close to Mountshannon, is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It has been investigating the treatment of biomass created from rushes to turn it into what is called ‘biochar’. a charcoal-like substance which can work as a fertiliser. Briquets for domestic use have also been developed. Farmers are paid to supply rushes and can qualify for carbon credits. Not only that, but the urgency of investing in carbon removal, in the interests of the climate change, has …

In the third instalment of our climate change series Noirin Lynch, Traditional Singer and Director of FCJ Spirituality House, Spanish Point tells Bridget Ginnity that community and co-operation are key to our success I HAD what I call a “head moment” when I first read Laudato Si in 2015. That’s the papal letter by Pope Francis on climate change. I realised then that the climate crisis is serious but there’s a difference between the head moment and the heart moment. Even though Laudato Si was convincing, I wasn’t really emotionally engaged. Shortly afterwards I moved to Dublin to run a spirituality centre, and unexpectedly found myself in the heart of nature. The place was incredibly beautiful, with amazing 200-year-old trees and wonderful planting of flowers and shrubs by a sister now in her nineties. We had hedgehogs, squirrels, foxes, all kinds of birds. When I became aware of the seasons of nature, it transformed me. Something in me moved from …

WITH workers heading back to the office and schools fully open the Mayor of Ennis is urging people to think green and get involved with the ‘Conscious Cup Campaign’. There are six businesses in the Ennis area taking part in the initiative which encourages people to bring their own cups to cafes. Councillor Ann Norton, speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, particularly encouraged schools to get behind the scheme and help “do our bit for the environment” as well as people going back into the workplace as Covid restrictions lift. “I am encouraging people to be conscious of the environment and be aware when they are drinking not to be using a number of different cups.” She added that schools can do their bit by highlighting the effect of single use cups that aren’t recycled on the environment. She stated that a lot of work was carried out in promoting the scheme pre-Covid adding “it would …

LOCALS and visitors to Ennis and Clarecastle can enjoy walking and cycling on a new riverside route thanks to the collaborative approach taken by Clare County Council and community groups. Last week Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys officially opened the River Fergus Walk and Cycleway, which came about after it was necessary to build an access road for a flood relief scheme. This new route runs from the R469 Quin Road in Ennis to the N85 Roundabout at Clareabbey along an area of significant recreational and visual amenity value. The paved walkway along the river is approximately 1.5km and provides a link between the two roads, resulting in a looped walk of 5.5km. The area is rich in heritage and biodiversity and the project is expected to generate significant tourism and educational benefits. Minister Humphreys also met representatives of Clarecastle Tidy Towns where she reviewed the streetscape enhancements that was funded by the Town and Villages Renewal funding from the …

NEWS that the sale of turf is set to be banned from September has drawn criticism from one Clare Oireachtas member but been defended by another. The proposed ban is being justified on environmental and public health grounds by the Green Party, but Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has said it is excessive. Green Party Senator Róisín Garvey defended the move and said that people will still have the right to save their own turf and will be allowed to rent a bank if they wish to do so. She also said that people who would have bought a load of turf for the winter can purchase timber instead, which she said is more cost effective and provides more warmth. “It has a higher calorific value, so you get more heat off it.” Senator Garvey said that 1,300 people per annum die due to air pollution, and that turf is a particularly problematic fuel. “The people burning it in open …

FEARS have been expressed the proposed water abstraction of more than 330 million litres of water from Lough Derg to Dublin could result in devastating impact for tourism-related business in East Clare. Speaking at a recent council briefing by Irish Water officials, Councillor Tony O’Brien asked if the proposed water abstraction project is a “done deal” or is it still in abeyance. Describing the River Shannon as the greatest natural resource in East Clare, he warned if Irish Water’s projections and forecasts are wrong, then the impact will be devastating and could “close the place down”. Commenting on the drought situation in Lough Derg in 2018, he said harbours and inlets couldn’t be accessed for tourism purposes for boat hire. “I dread to think if water abstraction was in place that time what the consequences would be. I am hugely concerned and so are my constituents. “Nothing will convince me that abstracting water from the River Shannon south of Killaloe …

A NINE-DAY walk by a group of environmental activists to draw attention to the climate and biodiversity crisis will begin at Ennis this Saturday, April 9. The Climate Justice Caravan will be walking across Munster, from Ennis to Tarbert, for climate justice and the rights of nature taking in a number of sites in the Banner County facing environmental challenges. The group is made up of members from, and supported by, the Glasgow Agreement, Extinction Rebellion, Futureproof Clare, Rights of Nature Ireland, Cappagh Farmers Support Group, Keep Tulla Untouched, Safety Before LNG, Friends of Ardee Bog, Irish Seed Savers Association, Ecojustice Ireland, Unite Community Climate Justice branch, and Cultivate. The Caravan will walk from Ennis to Tulla to Scarriff, until it meets the River Shannon at Killaloe. It will then proceed alongside the river through Clonlara, Shannon Banks, Mungret, Curraghchase, Aughinish Alumina, Knockpatrick, and finally Tarbert. Along the nine-day journey, the Climate Justice Caravan will be visiting locations linked to …