News

The total number of vacant commercial premises in Clare has increased from 11.2% in Q1 2013 to 12.2% in Q1 2014, according to the latest data published by GeoDirectory this Monday. For the first time, the report includes an analysis of the commercial vacancy rates of a selection of Ireland’s main shopping centres and high streets in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny and Limerick. In Clare, 863 of the 7,062 commercial addresses recorded in Q1 2014 were vacant. This is a commercial vacancy rate of 12.2%.  This figure relates to premises in Ennis and all over the count. According to the latest edition of GeoView which is published quarterly, there are 223,336 commercial address points across the country, of which, 27,791 were classified as vacant. The national commercial vacancy rate in Q1 2014 is unchanged from the 12.4% reported in Q4 2013. Thirteen counties; Sligo, Leitrim, Galway, Dublin, Limerick, Roscommon, Waterford, Carlow, Donegal, Mayo, Laois, Longford and Offaly recorded commercial vacancy rates …

LOUGH Derg could benefit if its status as a special protection area was upgraded to national park status in the future, according to a local white-tailed sea eagle conservation group. Chairman of the Mountshannon Eagle Group, Denis Minogue said he feels that Lough Derg, with its food source, has been a good attraction for the sea eagles, who have settled in Mountshannon, and have successfully bred another chick this season into the area. He said he would be encouraging the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to look at upgrading Lough Derg’s status in the future, if a few more pairs of sea eagles settle in East Clare. “If we had three or four pairs, they may even make Lough Derg a national park. They know they have a food source, you could deal with nine or 10 pairs there. That would be fantastic and everyone would benefit,” he said. Dr Allan …

A  new report on the land market shows that land prices increased in 2013 and activity levels are up 5% in the first quarter of 2014. The land report, which was compiled by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Authority, shows that prices for agricultural land up to 50 acres increased nationally in 2013. According to the report, the average national price for land up to 50 acres with entitlements and a residential holding per acre is approximately €10,722. In Dublin, it is €13,000; in Leinster, it is €11,132; in Munster, €11,378 and in Connacht/Ulster €7,375. The largest increase in land prices was seen in the Munster area, where the average selling price in 2013 increased by 14.3% for land up to 50 acres with a residential holding. In Leinster, prices increased by 13.9% and in Connacht/Ulster they increased by 2%, compared to the previous year. In contrast to the smaller land …

AMY McLoughlin, a senior-cycle student at St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon, has won a two-week scholarship to Salzburg, Austria. Along with her classmates, Amy entered a German essay-writing competition, organised annually by the Irish Austrian Society. This competition is open to all secondary schools in Ireland. From over 300 applicants, Amy won the senior category of the competition. Her essay was selected by university lecturers and commended for its originality and its high standard of German. Amy received her scholarship at a reception hosted by the Austrian Ambassador, Dr Thomas Nader, at the Austrian Embassy in Dublin. In attendance with Amy at the ceremony were her family andher German teacher, Ms Siobhan Hickey, who stood in for St Patrick’s headmaster, Mr Morgan Heaphy. The scholarship comprises of air travel, tuition in German and board and accommodation for two weeks in July 2014 in the ISK (Internationale Sprachkurse) in Salzburg. The ISK is a well-known centre for students of German, …

North Clare’s more picturesque spots will be seen by about a million people in a television documentary airing in Germany next month. A crew from ARD, a national German TV network, is in Ireland this week as guests of Tourism Ireland, filming for the documentary along the Wild Atlantic Way. The documentary will be called Weltreisen meaning World Travel. Footage captured in Clare includes the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, as well as the Weltreisen crew enjoying a surfing demonstration in Doolin. The 45-minute programme will air in July. This year, Tourism Ireland is placing a major focus on the Wild Atlantic Way in its promotions around the world. The Wild Atlantic Way is being highlighted on television, in print, online and at international tourism fairs. “We are delighted that the crew from ARD agreed to create this documentary featuring Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way. The programme will be seen by around one million potential holidaymakers for Ireland …

A Clare county councillor has called for the micro-chipping of livestock, as a measure to reduce the risk of theft, following yet another cattle rustling incident in the South East Clare area. Independent Cratloe councillor, PJ Ryan said that in light of the number of livestock thefts, the Department of Agriculture should consider micro-chipping all animals in preference to the tagging system currently in operation. “It’s way too easy to remove tags with the result that stolen animals are rarely, if ever, traced. Dogs and cats can be micro-chipped; maybe it is time cattle were also. Certainly, it would be a more foolproof system,” he added. Councillor Ryan was commenting as gardaí are investigating the lifting of livestock from lands at Woodcock Hill in Meelick during the past week. In the latest incident of cattle rustling, two cows and six calves were stolen and gardaí are investigating. Similar incidents of livestock thefts have occurred in Sixmilebridge and Quin.

Councillor John Crowe of Sixmilebridge was elected Mayor of Clare at the county council AGM held on this Friday afternoon. Councillor Crowe was nominated by poll topper Joe Cooney and seconded by Independent Gerry Flynn. The Fine Gael councillor is the county’s outgoing deputy mayor. Councillor Crowe will  be the only Fine Gael member to hold the position of mayor over the five-year term of the new authority. Two Fianna Fáil  members will have the honour of holding office, while the “technical group”, consisting of the seven Independents and one Sinn Féin, will also have two terms of office. Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Tony O’ Brien of the Killaloe Electoral area was elected deputy mayor for the coming year. Councillor O’Brien was re-elected to the council last month having lost his seat in the 2009 local election. Mayor Crowe paid tribute to the councillors who lost their seats and who retired. He said he was “delighted to be part of a power-sharing agreement …

The conditions experienced by patients attending the Emergency Department in University Hospital Limerick are unacceptable, a new report published this Friday by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has found. The report also highlights a number of patient safety risks in the hospital group, which must be addressed as a priority. HIQA’s report of the review of the governance arrangements as reflected in the safety, quality and standards of services at UL Hospitals found a clear willingness to change and improve services for the public, but that the absence of a statutory governance framework is hindering the development of strong governance and patient safety functions. HIQA’s director of regulation, Phelim Quinn said, “Since the findings in 2009 of HIQA’s investigation into the quality and safety of hospital services in Ennis Hospital, there has been an extensive and positive journey of reconfiguration and reorganisation in the catchment area covered by UL Hospitals. Substantial governance and operational changes have occurred and …