Environment

SCHOOLS in county Clare that were closed today have been advised to remain shut tomorrow, Wednesday, December 8. The Department of Education is advising that all schools that are currently or forecast to be in a Red or Orange alert area should remain closed to allow for assessment of the impact of Storm Barra to take place. This includes counties Clare Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Wexford. Schools that are no longer in a Red or Orange Alert area can reopen, provided that, if there are concerns, school managers have had an opportunity to check for fallen wires and other serious damage in the vicinity of school buildings. If an individual school (in a yellow area) is still experiencing a particular local issue relating to the storm the Board of Management can make a decision to remain closed for tomorrow. All schools should keep up-to-date with the current weather warnings which are carried on all …

WITH Storm Barra expected to make its presence felt increasingly throughout the day, a wide range of services in Clare have been cancelled or curtailed. ESB Networks has been tackling power outages in the county from early this morning with a large disruption in Kilkee largely dealt with. With conditions set to worsen however, the company has issued a warning about its capacity to address faults straight away. A statement from the company said, “All internal resources are on alert and are responding to electricity outages once it is safe to do so. With a red weather warning in the Southwest in effect until tonight, and Co Clare until 1 am Wednesday morning, this means our crews may not be mobilised on the ground until the worst of the severe weather passes.” There was a loss of power in Kilkee from 6.30am. Crews from ESB Network addressed the issue and by 12pm, power had been restored to most areas in …

THE weather warning issued for county Clare on Tuesday, December 7, has been upgraded from orange to red. CLARE County Council is one of a number of bodies to issue a weather warning in advance of the arrival of Storm Barra on Tuesday with disruptions to power supply and travel likely. An Orange wind warning had been issued for County Clare, among others on the western seaboard, but Clare along with Kerry and Cork has been upgraded to red. Gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour along with heavy rain is expected to lead to coastal or spot flooding and dangerous driving conditions. The warning for Clare is live from 4pm tomorrow and will run until 1am on Wednesday. Met Eireann had issued a red warning forecasting violent Storm Force 11 winds during Tuesday on Irish coastal waters from Mizen Head to Loop Head to Slyne Head. The Coast Guard is appealing to all mariners and coastal communities to …

THE Clare branch of Birdwatch Ireland will a joint outing with the Limerick branch to Curraghchase Forest Park, Kilcornan, County Limerick on Saturday, November 27.  This is a beautiful setting for a wildlife walk. Those attending will look for Jay, Brambling, Hawfinch as well as more common woodland birds. Large flocks of Chaffinch and Goldfinch are often seen on the annual visit. A sharp look out will also be kept for Treecreeper and Buzzard, both common in the area. Red Squirrels are usually present too. The meeting point will be the car park inside the barrier, there those attending are asked to gather at 9.30am. Entry is free. To gain maximum enjoyment from the event binoculars are recommended. In the current climate sharing of optical equipment is not advised. The advice is to wear warm clothing and bring a flask and sandwiches. Food is available in a number of nearby outlets. A memorable event is anticipated, especially in dry sunny …

THE impact on the environment of importing fracked gas into the Shannon Estuary will be worse over a 20-year period than importing coal to generate electricity in Moneypoint, a local environmentalist has claimed. Shannon LNG has outlined its plans to seeking planning permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a €650 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal between Ballylongford and Tarbert in North Kerry. An LNG terminal is a facility for regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipped in by an LNG tanker from production zones. Johnny McElligott, Tarbert of Safety Before LNG, has been opposing the proposed gas terminal for years. In his address to the rally, Mr McElligott alleged that importing fracked gas from the United States of America into the Shannon Estuary will have a 44% higher carbon equivalent footprint over a 20-year period than importing coal from Colombia to burn in Moneypoint. “We are going to close Moneypoint because it looks good, but we are going to …

In our most recent Make A Difference article here Bridget Ginnity explored how we can control our consumerism and waste generation. Here she profiles a group and an individual tackling waste in different ways Christy Collins, Shannon Men’s Shed We pick up old stuff from the recycling centre and do them up, bikes, old timber and so on. We use wood we get to build outdoor furniture of the primary schools, buddy benches, picnic benches, bug hotels and so on – maybe we need buddy benches in parks for adults too. We upcycled old steel seats from Shannon park for the new wetlands area, and they’re like new. We are lucky to have a premises in the industrial estate, with three workspaces and a meeting room. The meeting room is the best part of it, it’s great to see men talking, an alternative to the pub We make all kinds of thing. We have a woodturning lathe that is great …

In Make A Difference, Bridget Ginnity explores how we can control our consumerism and waste generation STUFF. We are surrounded by it. Or are you an exception? Maybe your personal style is minimalist, with a single ornament against all white walls. Or perhaps you did a Marie Kondo in the past year and asked yourself what sparked joy in your home, and chucked out the rest. But for many of us, our shelves are cluttered, our wardrobes bulging with clothes that we’ll fit into next year, our sheds a danger to walk into. A lot of stuff is so cheap that even with a tight budget, we often don’t have to curb our impulse to buy. The price is low, but the cost is high. The carbon emitted to manufacture and transport all this stuff is causing the earth to warm and, like us when we are developing a fever, the earth is restless and uneasy. Floods, forest fires, heat …

A CLARE hotel has received national recognition for a renewable energy project which sees it produce its own green energy. The Falls Hotel & Spa in Ennistymon were among the winners in the SEAI Energy Awards. The hotel took home the trophy in the most ‘Innovative Deployment of Renewable Energy’ category for their hydroelectric turbine project that provides clean, renewable hydro energy to the hotel. Michael McCarthy, General Manager, Falls Hotel, said, “We are delighted to receive this recognition, especially given the huge investment we have made with our hydroelectric turbine. “We are extremely proud of this award. With 145 bedrooms, a leisure centre and a spa complex, we went from having a large carbon footprint to being carbon neutral in five years. We love knowing that we are powering the hotel with a clean, sustainable energy source.” Being based in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark hotel owners the McCarthy family were conscious of trying to …