Home » News (page 1014)

News

Mayor odds favour Ennis councillors

Seven out of the eight Clare County Councillors elected to the Ennis area will hold the title of mayor over the coming five years, it emerged this week. Fine Gael’s John Crowe, from the Shannon Municipal District, was elected Clare’s first citizen on Friday, after days of negotiations between his party, Fianna Fáil and the technical group made up of independents and the local authority’s only Sinn Féin member. The Sixmilebridge man will be the only Fine Gael mayor of Clare during this council term. However, at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, the only municipal area where the title of the chairperson is ‘mayor’, Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn was elected as Mayor of Ennis. This is due to the fact that Ennis has a population in excess of 20,000. His fellow Ennis councillors, Independent James Breen and Fianna Fáil’s Tom McNamara, will both hold the county’s first-citizen role during this five-year term. The Mayor of Ennis position will …

Read More »

Kilrush mother and baby home part of inquiry

A mother and baby home in Kilrush, where 180 children were born and 321 women admitted, between 1922 and 1926, is to be included as part of a nationwide commission of investigation. This inquiry follows the revelations that almost 800 babies and children died at the Bon Secours home in Tuam, while high death rates at Seán Ross Abbey in Tipperary, Bessborough in Cork and Castlepollard in Westmeath have also come to light. Plots in the three latter homes are believed to hold the remains of 3,200 babies and infants. The Kilrush mother and baby home was located on the site of Kilrush Workhouse on the Cooraclare road. The workhouse was built in 1841 and closed in the early 1920s. It was transformed into a mother and baby home in the early 1920s. The workhouse and home were operated by the Sisters of Mercy, who had been involved in the workhouse since 1875, when they sent three sisters to live …

Read More »

Aer Lingus strike action on hold

CABIN crew strikes at Aer Lingus scheduled for next week at Shannon, Cork and Dublin Airports have been called off, pending consideration of a Labour Court recommendation which will be issued on Thursday. IMPACT, the union representing cabin crew, is meeting Aer Lingus management at the Labour Court in a bid to avert two days of planned industrial action next week. The rostering of staff is at the heart of the dispute. Cabin crew believe sufficient progress has been made to call off the strikes.    

Read More »

Clare joins UN refugee reading initiative

Libraries across Clare are joining forces this month to support the UN Refugee Agency’s book-reading campaign. The initiative, run for two weeks in June to mark World Refugee Day on June 20, will allow children and adults to explore the devastating impact of war on families by reading books that highlight refugee issues. “With the world facing the worst refugee crisis since World War II, there had never been a better time for people to learn the reasons that force people to flee their homes” said Sophie Magennis, Head of Office with UNHCR Ireland. “Reading a book reminds us of the great contribution refugees make to the countries that offer them protection worldwide, including Ireland who will be resettling 90 Syrian refugees this year. This is a fantastic opportunity for people across Clare to learn about refugee issues worldwide”. Participating libraries across the county can advise on what books are written about refugees. Popular titles include The Kite Runner,  which …

Read More »

Clare residential rents down

The average rent for all dwellings let in County Clare in the first quarter of this year, and which were registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), was €513. That was actually a slight decrease (of 0.4) compared to the prevailing average rent in the first quarter of last year, when the amount was €517. These findings, announced on Wednesday,  are drawn from the PRTB’s Average Rent Dataset, which is part of a comprehensive Rent Index  compiled for the board by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The average rent cited is based on rents registered with the PRTB for all dwelling types (houses and apartments; one, two or more rooms). However, if people are interested in seeing the rent that applies to different dwelling types (number of bedrooms) and for different locations, they can check this out at www.prtb.ie (click “rent index”) and go to the Average Rents in my Area (Dataset). Looking at the country as …

Read More »

Up to €3m spent to date on Clare storm repairs

SINCE the storms which wreaked havoc in the early part of the year between €2.5 and €3 million has been spent on clean-up, repair and restoration works in Clare. This information was presented to Clare County Council members in a report at their June meeting, held on Monday. The members discussed progress being made on restoration works and in a report Senior Engineer Tom Tiernan outlined some of the issues being faced by the local authority. “Ultimately a multi-annual programme is required to deal effectively with the extensive and varied instances of coastal damage which occurred in January and February last. In this context an overall programme is required but the Council is limited in its endeavours to collate a firm programme due to the fact that there hasn’t to date been a Government response in relation to coastal strengthening funding applications arising from January’s severe weather events or in respect of the Council’s funding application on foot of February …

Read More »

Johnny Flynn elected Mayor of Ennis

Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn is the new Mayor of Ennis.  He was elected to the position at the inaugural meeting of the Ennis Municipal District on Tuesday afternoon. While the position of mayor has been abolished in most towns, it can be retained in towns where the population is in excesss of  20,000. The other council members in the Ennis area include Mary Howard and Paul Murphy of Fine Gael, Tom McNamara, Pat Daly and Clare Colleran of Fianna Fáil and Independents, James Breen and Ann Norton. Councillor James Breen was elected as deputy mayor on the proposal of Councillor Tom McNamara and seconded by Councillor Pat Daly. Mayor Flynn said he was “proud” to be elected as the new mayor for the newly aligned municipal district and said he would be “impartial” and treat its members with respect throughout his term. He paid tribute to his family, who were there to support him at the council chamber, and …

Read More »

Orange Weather Alert

Met Éireann has issued an orange weather alert across the country on Tuesday, and the public are being warned to expect thunderstorm activity along with widespread heavy and thundery showers . Some of these will be intense thundery downpours and may lead to flash flooding in places as a result the Road Safety Authority (RSA) have urged road users to take extra care when using the roads. The RSA has advised when driving in these wet and windy conditions it takes longer to stop a vehicle on wet roads and as such motorists should slow down and allow extra distance between you and the vehicle in front. The roads authority also warns motorists to take special care when driving behind goods vehicles as they generate a considerable amount of spray leading to reduced visibility. Motorists are also encouraged to allow extra space between them and vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists, and to drive with dipped headlights at …

Read More »