News

Clare Champion journalist, Jessica Quinn, was the toast of the Local Ireland Media Awards last week, winning the award for the National Lottery Best Community Story of the year. Jessica won the award for her story about Mná ag Gáire, the Ennis women’s community hub, and their work connecting women in the Ennis area. The feature, which is entitled ‘Mná-some place of welcome for all’ was published in The Clare Champion in September of last year. It focussed on the work of the Mná ag Gáire group, including media training for local women, which allowed two friends to connect online for the first time in 50 years. Speaking after winning the award, Jessica said she was delighted to have won and stress the importance of the local media in highlighting community efforts and local stories. She also thanked the Mná ag Gáire group in Ennis for sharing their experiences with her. The National Lottery Best Community Story of the year …

North and West Clare councillors have called on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) to restore the Active Travel Scheme, and apply it equally to urban and rural areas. At the September meeting of the West Clare municipal district, Cathaoirleach, Councillor Ian Lynch (IND) put forward a motion to request that the Active Travel Scheme be applied equally to urban and rural areas. Another motion by Councillor Joe Garrihy (FG) called for the Minister to restore the same scheme. Cllr Lynch said “I think it’s important we put pressure on” adding North Clare and West Clare was not getting enough to manage successfully and would need to either get its fair share or get a different scheme set up.” Cllr Garrihy described Active Travel as “one of the most exciting schemes” ever established, and said it was “totally unacceptable” that it was not extended to North Clare, adding it needed to be restored “on the double” to make up …

ONE person has died and another injured following an accident during the Clare Stages rally this afternoon. The incident occurred at around 1.30pm at Glencolumbkille near Carron where the Clare Stages Rally was being run. The event was immediately halted while emergency services were alerted and responded to the scene. National Ambulance Service paramedics responded to the incident while the Emergency Aeromedical Service air ambulance, Aeromed-01, based in Cork and operated by the HSE, was also requested to attend. In the meantime, the event’s own emergency response crews responded to the incident. The victim, Damien Fleming, a native of Kilcummin, County Kerry, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. While the event was later halted, the road where the incident occurred has been closed and is not expected to reopen until tomorrow after Garda Forensic Collision Investigators have completed an examination of the scene The organisers of the event issued a …

The allocation of garda resources to a West Clare tourism hotspot during the August Bank Holiday weekend has been queried following claims of serious criminal damage and anti-social behaviour. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne (Ind) says she was informed by residents that there were only two gardaí on patrol in Kilkee that weekend and she didn’t get any reports that additional members were drafted in to assist those on duty who did their best to address issues in difficult circumstances. Highlighting this issue at a recent Joint Policing Committee meeting, Deputy Wynne said it is well known that this is a problematic weekend and recalled that two years ago a garda sergeant was assaulted, and his arm broken, when there were up to 17 members on duty at the time. Two years on from this serious incident, she said it seemed lessons have not be learned as the location of garda resources wasn’t prioritised. In view of the huge influx of people …

There has been a mixed reaction to the decision by An Bord Pleanála issued its decision to finally reject planning permission for the proposed development of a €650 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) project for the Shannon Estuary between Tarbert and Ballylongford, This rejection comes after more than 15 years of campaigning by civil society organisations in Ireland and the US. The board based its decision on government policy, which is clear in its opposition to permanent LNG developments. It highlighted the Government’s Policy Statement 2021, which noted that it would not be appropriate to permit the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland pending the completion of the government’s energy security review. It also noted the independent technical analysis released as part of the Government’s public consultation on energy security 2022. This independent expert analysis was significant in that it rejected a commercial operated LNG facility as an energy security option given it would “likely result in the importation …

The underage teams at Ennis Rugby Club began their seasons with some promising results over the weekend. The U13 team came out ahead of a close encounter with Thomond/Richmond in their first game of the season during the U13s Development League last Sunday. In the first half of the game, Ennis moved ball wide and moving the opposition pack around during early exchanges. This tactic soon paid off as Robbie McMahon raced through for the first try and then shortly after, a second try. Both tries were converted by Ben McAllister. After Thomond/Richmond scored their first try, Ennis stretched their lead through a powerful run and try from Colm O’Gara. Ennis defended well and maintained the lead until the final whistle, winning by 19 points to 15. The players included Alexander Labuhn, Ben McAllister, Cian Friel, Colm O’Gara, Conor McMahon, Dara Ryan, Donnchadh Warner, Dylan O’Loughlin, Finn Ellingstad, James Howard, Luke Phillips, Michael Meere, Mícheál Thornton, Niall O’Connell, Oisin Hough, …

A former first citizen has criticised the government decision to establish Uisce Éireann due to the lack of information for householders in two neighbouring communities in South-East Clare who are subject to a boil notice. Almost 1,000 consumers in O’Brien’s Bridge and Bridgetown are affected by a boil notice, which was issued on August 25. Last Friday, almost 1,800 residents in Killaloe, which is in the same parish as O’Brien’s Bridge for GAA purposes, were hit by a similar notice. Councillor Tony O’Brien (FF) has claimed public representatives and consumers received a better service when Clare County Council was managing the public water supply, before this function was taken over by Irish Water, now Uisce Éireann. In an email to Uisce Éireann on Tuesday, Councillor O’Brien stated he was inundated with queries regarding the boil notices issued to consumers in the O’Brien’s Bridge and Killaloe public water supply. “In the case of the O Brien’s Bridge supply the boil notice …

SHANNON Fine Art student, Asha Murray, has been named the first ever recipient of the TUS Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) Global Travel Award, worth €5,000. The inaugural award ceremony was held on the Technological University of the Shannon’s Clare Street Limerick Campus last week as part of the inaugural Masters in Fine Art Exhibition reception. As the first ever winner of the award, Asha plans to use the funding to enrol in a master class in Berlin, and complete internships in some of the most recognised art galleries across the world. “This award will allow me to continue to achieve the goals I have set out for myself after leaving LSAD and to support me to reach them; whilst also giving me the confidence that I can make a place for myself in a global sense,” she said. The moving images artist plans to enrol in a film course or workshop in Berlin. “The course I have …