News

FRESH efforts are being made to have a large telecommunications tower erected in the village of Quin, after a bid to erect one in an archaeologically sensitive part of the village was turned down earlier this year. Vantage Towers has just lodged a new application for a site in the townland of Quingardens. Permission is currently being sought for a 30m structure; one that would be considerably higher than the original lattice tower the company had attempted to erect at Quinville South. Original plans for a 24m lattice were submitted in September 2021, but refused by both the Council and An Bord Pleanála, after a campaign of opposition from local residents and community groups. Both the local authority and the appeals board found that the structure would have an adverse effect on the character of the Quin Architectural Conservation Area (ACA), and would detract from and injure the visual amenities of the area. An Bord Pleanála also ruled that the …

THE chief executive of Clare County Council has rebuffed a bid by Clare GAA to have “a large area of land” at Clarecastle near Ennis rezoned for housing. As part of its bid, the management committee of Clare GAA employed KPMG to make a submission requesting that lands currently zoned for recreation with a smaller area of land to the north of the site zoned as ‘car parks’ around Clare GAA’s HQ at Clareabbey, Clarecastle, be rezoned for housing. Any rezoning from ‘recreation’ to ‘residential’ would greatly inflate the value of the lands which is mainly made up of a GAA pitch. As part of the consultation concerning the Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029, KPMG presented the demand for housing in Clare and the study area along with an analysis of planning permissions in the pipeline. Making the case for the rezoning of the Clare GAA owned Clareabbey site, KPMG contended that if current trends of inactivity continue, the …

A WHITEGATE boy has gone to extreme lengths to help a number of charities working with children.  Ten-year-old Donnacha Hayes has been growing his hair for the last three years so that, once cut, his locks can be made into wigs for children with cancer. In the process, he has also been fundraising for The Dyslexia Association of Ireland and The Children’s Grief Centre, based in Limerick. Next month, Donnacha’s long, blond tresses will get the chop, at a public event in Mountshannon, and he is already considering whether to let his hair grow out again.  Donnacha’s mum, Orla, told The Champion her youngest son has always been very kind and considerate of others, and decided to undertake his fundraising campaign when he was just seven. “Maybe it’s because he has dyslexia, but Donnacha has always seen himself a bit different,” Orla said. “For that reason, he’s always been really kind and thoughtful.” In an interview with Scariff Bay Community …

A CLARE councillor has railed against what he calls discrimination against small farmers and their families. Councillor PJ Kelly said that new regulations which he said are being introduced because members of the Oireachtas “who were asleep or half asleep and let through legislation that they didn’t understand” have the potential to be very harmful for small farmers. “Under the new regulations, up to 90% of the farmers in West Clare, if we adopt the County Development Plan, will not be recognised as farmers, because they are under the limit of 20 hectares, which is 49.42 acres, say 50 acres,” Councillor Kelly pointed out. “In other words the priviliged will have 50 acres, their sons and daughters will be recognised as the sons and daughters of farmers and get the benefits accordingly. “Those who have less than 50 acres will not be recognised as the progeny of farmers anymore,” said Councillor Kelly. He said there had been a “stealth move” …

A FATHER and son have narrowly avoided jail for their role in a chaotic late night farm yard scene compared by a judge to something from the Wild West. At Kilrush District Court on Tuesday, Judge Mary Larkin imposed prison terms on Denis Waters (53) and his son, Brian Waters (25) after they confronted Gardai with a pitch fork and a calving jack during a late night incident at Derreen, Tullycrine near Kilrush on October 26 last year. Judge Larkin imposed a six-month prison term on Denis Waters and a three-month prison term on his son, Brian. However, Judge Larkin imposed community service orders in lieu of the prison terms after the Probation Service deemed both father and son suitable for community work. Judge Larkin has ordered Denis Waters to carry out 160 hours community work and Brian Waters 120 hours community work in lieu of the prison terms. Judge Larkin said that Denis Waters “has primary responsibility” for the …

SHANNON Airport is giving away a family trip of a lifetime worth €2,500 to celebrate the upcoming ‘World Kindness Day’. The airport is giving away the all-expenses trip to Disneyland Paris for one lucky family in what it calls a bid to “bring a little magic to a family of four”. The prize, which is worth €2,500, consists of return flights to Paris from Shannon for a family of four, free parking at Shannon Airport, two-day passes for all the family to Disneyland Paris, a three-night stay at the 4-star Grand Magic Hotel, which includes free shuttle rides, just 8 minutes away from the theme park, and transfers from Orly Airport to the hotel. The airport has the bucket-list trip up for grabs on its social media channels from today ahead of World Kindness Day next month. Launching the prize, Mary Considine, CEO, The Shannon Airport Group said, “To coincide with World Kindness Day on November 13, we have decided …

CONTROVERSIAL plans to replace an existing telecoms mast in Scariff with a much higher structure have resurfaced, now that the developers have lodged an appeal.  While the Council rejected permission for a 21m structure in the town, Eir have now told An Bord Pleanála they are willing to reduce the height of the mast to 18m, if necessary. Making the offer to reduce the height, the appeal document warns that refusal “will reduce the quality of service to the wider area” and “result in a reduction for other digital coverage providers to gain representation on it”.  In documents submitted by agents Towercom, Eircom Ltd, trading as Eir, acknowledges the Council’s refusal of planning permission on the grounds of mast’s visual impact on the town and a scenic East Clare route. However, the appellant “respectfully disagrees” with the local authority’s rationale.  Documents submitted to An Bord Pleanála describe the proposed new mast, at the Eir exchanfe at the Connacht Road, as …

Central Statistics Office figures show that almost 8% of the Ennistymon electoral division is Ukrainian. This represents the highest concentration of Ukrainian refugees in the country, with arrivals from the war-torn country comprising 7.87% of the population of the area. This is significantly more than in any other part of the country, the second highest being an area of Leitrim, with 5.36%. Even within Clare the Ennistymon area is exceptional, with the percentages for the other electoral divisions being Kilrush 1.52%, Shannon 2.14%, Ennis 2.19% and Killaloe 0.25%. In raw numbers, 1,411 PPSN allocations were made to Ukrainian arrivals in the Ennistymon electoral division, up until September 25. There were 680 allocations in the Shannon area, with 734 in Ennis, 337 in Kilrush and just 54 in Killaloe.  In Clare, 363 Ukrainian children have been enrolled in primary schools and 166 in secondary schools. Lisdoonvarna-based County Councillor Joe Garrihy said that the integration of the new Ukrainian arrivals has been …