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AN ex-principal of St Flannan’s College in Ennis has emerged as one of a number of objectors to new plans for a €25m elderly care unit on diocesan owned lands at the college. Last month, the HSE lodged plans for the 100-bed Community Nursing Unit (CNU) on a seven-acre green field site at Clonroadmore at the post primary St Flannan’s College. The hospital is to replace the existing bed capacity at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis. The new unit is to contain 75 long-stay and 25 short-stay beds and according to planning documents lodged most residents will have high dependency needs “and a number may also suffer from Alzheimer’s/Dementia”. A total of 11 objections have been lodged against the proposal and in a detailed, hard-hitting objection against the application, Colm McDonagh has told Clare County Council that the proposed CNU “is inappropriate at this location and is not in the best interests of proper planning and development of the area”. …

Tommy Corbett of Carey Corbett Financial Solutions gives some examples of the tax change implications in Budget 2023.

WE shot a series of videos with Tommy Corbett of Carey Corbett Financial Solutions to give you a better handle on this year’s Budget. Look out for the videos throughout the day on our Facebook and YouTube pages and on the website. First up, Tommy gives an overview of the main points of the Budget in the context of the economy. Secondly, he takes a closer look at tax changes and what they mean for a variety of different households. Finally he speaks about the new and once-off social welfare supports and when they will be paid.

CLARE Youth Service is this week launching its 2022 Development Groupwork programme which will run in nine locations countywide over the coming months. Originally developed by Clare and Limerick Youth Services in collaboration with the University of Swansea and first rolled out by Clare Youth Service in the 1970s, the hugely popular programme has since been delivered to over 10,000 young people in every corner of Clare, helping them in their personal journeys as well as producing community leaders across the county. The programme is now being modernised, thanks to a three-year investment by the community support programme of EI Electronics, Shannon’s global leader in fire and CO detection products. In this phase, it will include over 100 participants in Ennis, Shannon, Kilkee, Kilmihil, Kilrush and Killaloe-Ballina. CEO of Clare Youth Service, Margaret Slattery says that the programme’s ongoing success is that it accepts every young person where they are at. “This is a great opportunity for young people who …

An ENNIS Nursing Home has pledged to carry out an upgrading of its premises and equipment following concerns expressed by inspectors during a recent visit conducted by an independent health watchdog. Mowlam Healthcare Services has told the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) a planned programme of refurbishment that was put on hold due to Covid-19 will be recommenced at Ennis Nursing Home, Showgrounds Road, Drumbiggle. This will include painting, floor repair, upgrade to Bain Marie storage area in both dining rooms and repair to skirting and door frames. The person in charge will ensure that the facilities team undertake a review of lighting, particularly near lift exit and corridors upstairs. The PIC has completed a comprehensive review of all resident equipment. Any resident equipment deemed not suitable has been discarded and replaced; for equipment that required cleaning, a new tagging system has been introduced whereby cleaned items can be tagged after cleaning with a date stamp. The management team …

THE eight-year-old Ukrainian girl discovered at a house near Clarecastle on Tuesday morning with serious injuries has been transferred from University Hospital Limerick to a hospital in Dublin and remains in a critical condition. The girl’s serious injuries are understood to be the result of a suspected stabbing. A female adult, understood to be the child’s mother, was also found unconscious at the scene, and was removed to University Hospital Limerick where she is also in a critical condition. Gardai have issued an appeal for anyone who might have information about the incident to come forward and assist with their investigation. Shortly before 8am this Tuesday morning, September 27, Gardaí and emergency service attended a scene at a domestic residence in Clarecastle where the child and woman were discovered with serious injuriies. An incident room has been established at Ennis Garda Station and a Senior Investigating officer has been appointed to oversee the investigation. A Family Liaison Officer has been …

Local Ireland, the association representing 32 weekly paid-for newspapers around the country, has welcomed today’s decision by the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to remove VAT on newspapers. President of Local Ireland Declan McGuire said: “This is a very important move for news publishers. “Zero per cent VAT will allow local newspapers around Ireland to invest in journalism and in the transition to new digital business models. “News publishers have faced a series of major challenges over recent years, most recently the huge increases in the cost of newsprint. This move will help support jobs in the industry and sustain the quality of our service to readers. “We very much appreciate this endorsement by Government for the valuable role we play in our communities and the public service content we provide. “I would like to thank the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and all the Ministers, TDs and Senators from across the political spectrum who have …

AN Bord Pleanála has again rejected an appeal from Aldi to overrule Clare County Council and allow the development of a new store and cafe/restaurant opposite Shannon’s Town Centre. There has been considerable local support for allowing Aldi to go ahead with the development, with a lot of frustration about the lack of development in Shannon in recent years. However, Clare County Council and An Bord Pleanála have both now ruled twice against Aldi, with the project not having advanced at all since the first planning application was lodged more than five years ago. An Bord Pleanála inspector Adrian Ormsyby reviewed Clare County Council’s decision to again reject Aldi’s application. While he disagreed with the Council’s contention that the development should not be allowed on grounds of zoning or lack of pedestrian links to the existing Town Centre, he was still against it being given the green light. In the report he stated, “Having regard to the prominent location of …