News

SUPERMARKET giant Aldi has said the decision to deny it permission for a store in Shannon was unfortunate for the town, but it hasn’t indicated whether it will make another application. Colin Breslin, Regional Managing Director, ALDI Ireland, said, “ALDI Ireland is extremely disappointed at the decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for our proposed new store in Shannon. “This application has been six years in the making and we have gone to considerable lengths to meet all that was asked of us by planners and others. “We will be reviewing this decision by An Bord Pleanála carefully, as it is really unfortunate news for the people of Shannon, Clare and the entire mid-West.” “The cost-of-living crisis is impacting every household and we are very aware what it means for our customers. Being able to offer our customers the best value at locations most convenient to them matters more than ever. Against this backdrop, the decision of …

SHANNON Heritage workers have been left reeling after confirmation of a multi-million Euro investment package in Budget 2023 to facilitate the transfer of its tourism sites to Clare County Council failed to materialise. SIPTU members have said they feel completely “let down” by the government who announced funding for tax cuts and various groups in Budget 2023 but failed to confirm the long-awaited investment package on Tuesday or Wednesday. This comes despite strong indications at a recent rural SPC meeting where councillors were told senior Clare County Council officials had received positive vibes about a major funding announcement on Budget Day. SIPTU members have condemned the failure of the Government to announce the long awaiting multi-million euro funding required to facilitate the transfer of Shannon Heritage sites to Clare County Council. In a hard-hitting statement issued to The Clare Champion,  SIPTU Organiser, Rachel Keane, admitted their members are shocked, bitterly disappointed and feel completely left down by the Government. “They …

ANY view that Clare County Council has failed to utilise funding available to it under the Active Travel Scheme is not correct, the September meeting of Clare County Council heard. Councillor Paul Murphy put forward a motion asking that funding be sourced so that an Active Travel/Sustainable Travel Officer be appointed to support the work already being carried out. He also asked for an update on monies drawn down, and what stage various projects are at. A written reply to his motion from Council engineer Conor McDonagh stated, “Clare County Council has made a submission to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for additional resources including for an Active Travel Officer. We await a response from the NTA in this matter.” His reply also gave an update on numerous projects, including ones already complete at Kilrush, Miltown Malbay, Doolin, Quin, Kilmurry, Clonmoney, Boston, Ruan, Lahinch and Ennis. Councillor Shane Talty praised the impact of the scheme and said the Council have …

Fire crews from two Clare stations have dealt with a major blaze at a construction yard in the county. The alarm was raised shortly before 3pm when the Munster Regional Communications Centre received a report of a fire near Knock, Kilmaley. A fire is understood to have broken out in a building used to service vehicles operated by a local construction company. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station initially responded to the incident along with Gardaí. Additional fire service resources were mobilised from Ennistymon station. Water tankers from both stations and a hydraulic platform from Ennis were also dispatched to the scene. The tankers were used to ferry water from an off-site source to the scene. Firefighters tackled the fire from above using the hydraulic platform and sprayed the building with water and foam in an effort to bring the fire under control. At least one gas cylinder in the building exploded in the blaze …

A SOUTH-East Clare landlord have been left with an estimated cleaning bill of €12,000 and unpaid rent totalling more than €4,000 after two tenants ruined a modern two bedroomed furnished cottage near the Lakes Nursing Home in Killaloe. The landlady, who purchased the cottage for €400,000 during the peak of the Celtic Tiger in 2005, was shocked to find the state of the house was in such a poor condition when her tenants eventually left a huge mess behind them. While the landlord has opted to remain anonymous for personal reasons, she decided to go public about her experience to show how irresponsible tenants are not helping the current housing accommodation crisis. A foul smell greets any visitor once they open the front door of the cottage after dogs were allowed to urinate and leave their faeces on carpets and furniture. “Food was left all over the place and bags of rubbish stored for months at rear when there were …

Fears have been expressed about the viability of the early childcare education sector after Clare pre-school facilities were “snubbed” and “discriminated against” in the €11 Billion 2023 Budget. Concern about the lack of adequate funding for Clare pre-schools has been expressed by Deputy Michael McNamara in his Budget speech. “The so-called universal payment towards the cost of childcare is not universal but rather relates to everybody who comes through the national childcare scheme. “I accept that is a lot of people, but it is not everybody. There is no sort of tax credit system, such as that which exists in the UK, towards the cost of childcare, so it is not going to be universal, even if it was flagged as such by the line Minister, Deputy (Roderic) O’Gorman.” Donna McNamara who provides early education to 11 children in the Tiny Tots Montessori/Preschool Ennis said the government provided no extra funding in the Budget on Tuesday to Early Childhood Care …

Tommy Corbett of Carey Corbett Financial Solutions on the new social welfare payments including one-off measures and when they will be paid.

CLARE students are being warned about the “serious impact” of becoming a ‘money mule’ . A Money Mule is a person who transfers money illegally on behalf of other people. “They allow their account to be used for the transfer of ill-gotten gains. They may or may not be aware of the crime. However, they are complicit if they recklessly allow their account to be used to launder the proceeds of these crimes,” explains Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. Students are often targeted by organised crime gangs to act as money mules, laundering thousands of euro through their accounts in exchange for a few hundred euro, she outlines. “Anti-money laundering legislation is designed to prevent organised crime gang members from opening up accounts so they need money mules to launder their money. Students are an easy target for these “money herders”. “They are often approached online, on campus, or while out socialising.” She advises: do not allow anyone to …