News

A WOMAN who married a West Clare farmer, in response to a News of the World advertisement, took shelter in the County Nursery in Kilrush after she was kicked out of the family home, it has been revealed. This, according to Kilrush and District Historical Society, gives credence to the belief that the County Nursery, which is what the mother and baby home was known as, may have doubled as a refuge for women who were victims of domestic violence in the 1920s. Kilrush and District Historical Society has unearthed details from a court case which suggests this could have been the case. At a Kilrush District Court sitting in 1928, it was stated that a woman who sued her husband for a separation allowance had married him in response to an advertisement in the News of the World. Historical society PRO, Paddy Waldron told The Clare Champion that the court sitting he refers to, details of which were published …

Shannonwatch has this Thursday called on the Government to explain why information received by the gardaí about rendition planes at Shannon Airport was not followed up on. In a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions they said that over 100 complaints and requests to search suspect aircraft had been made between 2003 and 2013, none of which were properly addressed. They also reiterated their calls for an end to the US military use of Shannon, and for full disclosure of all agreements made with the US authorities in relation to this use. Shannonwatch made a number of recommendations to the parliamentary committee, including that the Government should establish an independent and impartial inquiry into the use of Shannon in the CIA’s illegal renditions programme. “This inquiry should examine the reasons for the failure to inspect suspect rendition aircraft. And the outcome of the inquiry should be made public” said John Lannon, who was part …

DONALD Trump’s company, TIGL Ireland Enterprises Limited, could end up before the circuit court in Clare for “a fully-fledged battle royale” civil case, if progress is not reached over a right-of-way at Doonbeg Golf Club. The American business tycoon purchased Doonbeg Golf Club and its lands earlier this year, for a reputed €15million, but it has emerged that a negotiated settlement with the previous owners, prior to the sale, provides for a right-of-way on these lands. This settlement was not implemented by the previous owners, Doonbeg Golf Club Ltd, and legal proceedings have been issued against them as a result. Ennis Circuit Court heard on Tuesday that the settlement reached in May 2013, providing a right-of-way on lands now owned by Mr Trump, was never signed or implemented by the then owners, Doonbeg Golf Club Ltd, prior to the sale. James McNulty of Ballinagun, Cree, one of the parties to the settlement, has taken a civil action against Doonbeg Golf …

There was great success for Clare athletes at the Special Olympics National competitions in Limerick. Robbie McNamara won gold in the 200m and bronze in the 1200m, while he was a member of the 4 x 100m relay team which took sixth spot. In Division 2 soccer, Stephen McInerney and Patrick Spellissey won gold medals while in Division 3 soccer, Barry O’Regan, John Fitzgerald and Stefan Davis were gold medal winners. In Division 4 soccer, Kieran Whelan, Sean O’Neill and John Madden won silver medals. In basketball Division 2, Martin Cusack and Declan Clohessy were silver medal winners. Adrian O’Neill won a gold medal in the table tennis singles competition and he also won gold in the doubles competition. Patrick O’Leary also won gold in the doubles, while he was fifth in the singles. All of these athletes are members of the Brothers of Charity in Ennis. There was great excitement at the Gort Road headquarters of the organisation as their …

As the State exams drew to a close this week, Met Éireann issued a status yellow ‘high temperature warning’ for County Clare, with temperatures on Wednesday reaching between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius. According to Met Éireann, the maximum temperature recorded at the Shannon Airport weather station on Tuesday was 25.8 degrees Celsius. By midday on Wednesday, temperatures had already reached 24 degrees and the warm weather is forecast to remain into the weekend, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday to each hit 20 degrees, though there will be some cloud cover. This is not just good news for those out enjoying the fine weather but also for businesses here. “In Lahinch, every car parking space was filled,” Michael Vaughan, owner of Vaughan Lodge and former president of the Irish Hotels Federation, said on Wednesday afternoon. “I see people parked on verges and the beach is thronged, so there are plenty of visitors to the area but I am not certain …

Production remains shut down this Wednesday at Roadstone, Bunratty following the continuation of a nationwide strike against cuts to general operatives’ wages. An official SIPTU picket was placed on the  Bunratty plant on Monday by its employees, as part of a nationwide dispute affecting 20 of the firm’s facilities across the country. General operatives and truck drivers have been  protesting outside the Bunratty plant with official SIPTU placards According to SIPTU, workers will lose almost €20,000 in their wages over the next five years if a new cost-cutting plan is introduced against the wishes of workers. The union claims that the parent company, Cement Roadstone Holdings Limited are trying to implement unsustainable cost savings for Roadstone totalling €10 million over the next five years. The company has been in talks with union officials in recent times. Both parties were also involved in a Labour Court recommendation that urged both sides to resume negotiations. However, these negotiations broke down over the weekend. Management at the …

With the warm weather set to continue for several days, the ISPCA has cautioned that “dogs die in hot cars”. Pet owners often think leaving a window open is sufficient for their pet but this is not enough to prevent heatstroke under intense sunshine, which can have fatal consequences. “We all love the sunshine but it is also important to be aware of the dangers that can be caused by leaving a dog unattended in a vehicle during hot weather; even for 10 minutes can prove to be fatal,” said Carmel Murray, PRO for the animal charity. “You may think leaving the car window open will alleviate the risk of heat stroke, but under intense sunshine this is not sufficient, so if you want to bring your pet on a journey it is important to have a source of cool air from the windows/sunroof or air conditioning. Be sure that the destination is dog friendly and has a cool area with plenty of …

Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan has dismissed as “misleading and grossly inaccurate” Opposition claims that recipients of the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) will not have a route to other forms of social housing. “The new Housing Assistance Payment is the most radical reform of social housing support in decades. It transforms the system of rent supplement which is widely recognised as not being fit for purpose.The new Housing Assistance Payment will benefit those households who require assistance with their housing needs,” she asserted on this Tuesday. The minister said:  It will ensure that all long-term housing support is accessed through each local authority, rather than the current fractured system that involves the Department of Social Protection making payments, with people joining waiting lists to access the local authority system; It will ensure that people can take up employment and still retain housing support; It will improve standards of accommodation for tenants, with a more coherent system of inspection under the …