News

ORGANISERS of this year’s Ennis Trad Fest, which was due to be held in the county capital this November, have announced that the event has been cancelled. This is the latest high profile event in the county to be affected by Covid-19. In a statement on social media, the organising committee stated they were “very disappointed” to announce the cancellation of the festival. “We waited as long as we could, hoping that we could once again welcome you all to Ennis this year. Unfortunately, considering the current circumstances regarding Covid-19, we feel this is the correct decision to keep everyone safe.” While the Ennis Trad Fest will not be going ahead in 2020, the committee have announced they are planning “something special for you all to enjoy online” over the same weekend the festival was due to take place, November 13 to 16. The committee also acknowledged Clare County Council for their support.

A BATHING advisory notice has been lifted at Lahinch, inside the last half hour (Wednesday, August 12). The temporary notice had been put in place on the advice of the HSE, following recent heavy rainfall. In a statement, Clare County Council said that the bathing restriction had been lifted after analysis and on the advice of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The authority also advised that the safest place to swim is at lifeguarded locations. More information is available from Clare County Council’s environment section on 065-6846331 / enviroff@clarecoco.ie and visit www.beaches.ie

FIVE new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed today (Tuesday, August 11) in Clare, out of a country-wide total of 35. There Health Protection Surveillance Centre has also reported one additional death, nationally. There has now been a total of 1,773 COVID-19 related deaths in this country. There is now a total of 26,801 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today; 15 are men / 18 are women 71% are under 45 years of age 24 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case 5 cases have been identified as community transmission 6 in Carlow, 5 in Clare, and the remaining 24 of the cases are in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Offaly, Tipperary, Wexford The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department …

A FURTHER 57 cases of Covid-19 have been reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). There have been no additional deaths notified today (Monday, August 10). There are now a total of 26,768 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Ten of today’s cases are divided between the counties of Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry and Wicklow. Of the cases notified today; 29 are men / 28 are women 70% are under 45 years of age 31 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case 8 cases have been identified as community transmission 19 cases are located in Kildare, 11 in Dublin, 10 in Offaly, 7 in Limerick, and the rest of the cases are in Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry and Wicklow. The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department …

Senior Championship  Cratloe GAA: Truagh Clonlara 3-16 Sixmilebridge 1-7  After both teams lost in Round 1, today’s Truagh v Sixmilebridge was technically knockout championship with both teams needing a win to stay in contention for the McMahon Cup. Truagh started the quickest with the first score going to Ellen Horgan after a previous attempt had hit the upright and gone wide. Sixmilebridge weathered a couple of early attacks and before the fourth minute had created their first score when Chloe Morey pointed a free from 70 metres and within two minutes added a second free from 50 metres, early warning signs to Truagh’s indiscipline would be punished. Truagh levelled the game for the second time with a point from play from hockey star Roisin Begley. Morey’s radar faulted briefly when a 60 metre free hit the post with Truagh’s Laura Foley quickest to react winning a relieving free for her team. Minor player Joanne Egan put Truagh ahead and she …

WATER supply is due to return to customers in Rosmadda, Westbury, Corbally and surrounding areas over the course of the evening (Monday, August 10). Works to restore water supply to customers in Rosmadda, Westbury, Corbally and surrounding areas are progressing well and Irish Water said they expect to restore supply to customers shortly. When the repair is completed, the utility said that it may take a number of hours for normal supply to return to some customers at the ends of the network. They have warned that there may also be some temporary discolouration of water and occasionally issues such as internal airlocks may arise following a prolonged outage. There are helpful tips on what to do following an outage, including clearing airlocks, on the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-issues/following-an-outage/ If customers have any specific queries or concerns they should contact Irish Water directly at 1850 278 278 and our customer care team will be happy to help. In the …

A TOTAL of 68 new confirmed Covid-19 cases have been reported today (Sunday, August 9) to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). No additional deaths have been reported today. There are no new cases relating to this county. The Health Service Executive’s (HSE’s) Covid-19 tracker puts the number of confirmed cases in Clare at 403 to-date. According to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), there have now been a total of 1,772 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight Saturday (August 8), the HPSC has been notified of 68 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 26,712 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today; • 37 are men / 31 are women • 82% are under 45 years of age • 41 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case • 2 cases have been identified as community transmission • 19 cases are located …

A SIGNIFICANT 23% increase in contacts made to Rape Crisis Centre helplines during the three months of lockdown has been described as “not surprising” by Rape Crisis Midwest. As Rape Crisis Midwest’s Ennis centre became one of the first to re-open in the Midwest after lock-down, Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) has released statistics showing how Covid-19 has impacted survivors of sexual violence and Rape Crisis Centres. The RCNI data was drawn from six centres, including Rape Crisis Midwest, during the Covid stay-at-home period from March-June 2020. According to Verena Tarpey of Rape Crisis Midwest, “The report published last week reflects what Rape Crisis Midwest experienced on the ground over the last number of months. Our centre had to close in March, but we remained very much open to our clients. Staff were flexible in their working hours adjusting to the needs of clients – many taking place at night and over weekends where survivors were able to find a safe place to talk.” The …