News

A MAN was arrested in Ennis after gardai seized suspected drugs worth approximately €47,000 during searches last week. On Monday, November 14, members from the Divisional Drugs Unit based at Ennis Garda Station carried out a number of searches in the Ennis town area. During the course of these searches approximately €47,000 worth of suspected Cannabis Herb was located and seized. A male in his early 40s was arrested and detained at Ennis Garda Station under the provisions of Section 2 Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 legislation. He was charged and brought in custody before Ennis District Court on November 15 where he was released on bail to appear at a later date before the same court. The suspected controlled substances have been forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland for examination.

A GROUP of 25 Clare early education providers swapped the classroom for the streets when they staged a one-day protest in O’Connell Street, Ennis recently. Eilis Wall, who runs a Pre-School in Shannon catering for 30 children, said college graduates with four-year degrees were expected to work in the early years sector for €13.50 per hour. “We only get paid for 38 weeks of the year for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). “Our staff have to sign on for the summer holidays and this year had to wait six weeks to get paid lower than the dole rate. “Under the core funding model, we haven’t got any extra pay. We haven’t received our core funding yet. If I had four graduates, I only get paid for one graduate. “I am renting in a primary school. The school has helped to make it affordable to stay open. We want to be paid like teachers. A Special Needs Assistant starts on …

THE agriculture minister is to meet farmers on two highly successful Clare environmental schemes, amid fears over the fall-out of their amalgamation into a new nationwide programme. Minister Charlie McConalogue informed party colleague Senator Timmy Dooley of his intention to meet farmers on the Burren Programme and the Hen Harrier Project next Tuesday (November 22). This follows a pledge last week by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to take the matter up with Mr McConalogue. Senator Dooley, who met farmers on a visit to the Burren with MEP Billy Kelleher, said he was hopeful that fears over a drop in payments, could be allayed. “This is good news and an opportunity for farmers to make their concerns known directly to Minister McConalogue,” he said.  The Minister also gave that commitment in the Seanad last Tuesday to Senator Martin Conway, who raised the issue with him. The Fine Gael member highlighted the huge success of the Burren Programme in supporting environmental conservation …

SCARIFF-based TD Michael McNamara has described anomalies in maternity benefit as “a penalisation of women for having children”.  In a Dáil debate on policy and legislation, the Independent TD raised the matter with Tanáiste Leo Varadkar, noting the poor rate of maternity benefit in I reland compared to other EU states or other OECD states. “In Ireland, the average proportion of previous earnings that maternity benefit accounts for is 25.2%,” Deputy McNamara pointed out. “It is one of the lowest rates in the OECD and the EU. During the pandemic, people were coming off pandemic payments of €330 per week and being reduced to €250 because they had just had a child. That is a penalisation of women for having children.” Deputy McNamara questioned the Tanáiste on moves to address the anomaly. “There will be a proposal coming to the Cabinet soon to realign unemployment benefits with previous payments and with what people were being paid before they became unemployed,” …

A 34-year old west Clare mother has narrowly avoided jail after being convicted of driving with no insurance for the 26th time. At Kilrush District Court, Judge Mary Larkin imposed 320 hours of community service and also imposed one four-month suspended prison term and one three-month suspended prison term on Caitriona Kennedy for her four latest no insurance convictions. Judge Larkin also imposed a two-year driving ban on Ms Kennedy of Church Street, Miltown Malbay on each no insurance conviction. Ms Kennedy has 86 previous convictions in total. Sergeant Louis Moloney told the court that at Limerick Circuit Court last month, Ms Kennedy was banned from driving for 15 years concerning a no insurance offence and also received a three-month prison term. Ms Kennedy was heavily pregnant at the time and has since had her baby and the court was told by Sergeant Moloney that Ms Kennedy was released from custody the same day in Limerick. Judge Larkin stated that …

PERMANENT TSB has said that it will invest €1 million in its new Shannon branch. It will open in Shannon in late January or early February following the acquisition of the Ulster Bank branch in the Town Centre, as part of Permanent TSB’s wider acquisition of €7.5 billion in mortgages, SME loans and asset business finance business from Ulster Bank. In a statement this week Permanent TSB said, “The new Permanent TSB Shannon branch will feature full cash services and will include staff who worked in this branch when it was operated by Ulster Bank. “Each branch will offer the full range of Permanent TSB’s award-winning services including mortgages, current accounts, deposit accounts, personal loans, insurance and pensions.” Eddie Kearney, Head of Retail Distribution at Permanent TSB, said, “This is a big moment for Permanent TSB as we open for business in a new community in Clare. We are delighted to invest in the new Shannon branch and the people …

THE business community of East Clare has been urged to seize the opportunities offered by the development of the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience centre in Mountshannon.  At a briefing last Wednesday for members of the Killaloe Municipal District, Tourism Officer Joan Tarmey described the centre as “a catalyst project” which will drive regeneration of the village, its hinterland and the wider East Clare area.  “This is a really ambitious tourism, conservation and village renewal project,” she said, referring to the €3.9m that will be invested on foot of a successful application to the Department of Rural and Community Development. “It will create and sustain rural employment.” Ms Tarmey noted the lack of a hotel in the village, as well as the properties currently vacant.  “Mountshannon once had hotel, but that has been closed for around ten years,” she said. “The vacant properties now represent real opportunities for businesses to renovate. There will be confidence that footfall will increase steadily. I …

THIS week saw the start of work on a new €6 million-euro commercial property development on the Shannon Campus. The multi-million-euro investment will see the development of a 40,000 sq. ft. research and development technology facility suitable for manufacturing, industrial and R&D needs, for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) or Irish enterprises. This development is the third major construction project to be undertaken this year by the Shannon Airport Group and is expected to generate up to 70 jobs during the construction phase. Since the beginning of this year, the Shannon Airport Group has already committed a total of €18 million in developing property solutions. The new building will be located at the main entrance to the Free Zone. It will include two floors of office space, a high bay production and manufacturing area, and 56 onsite dedicated parking spaces. Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine said: “We are committed to supplying quality property solutions that attract indigenous and FDI investment …