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  The proposed reduction in home help hours and home care packages would inflict serious pain and stress on hundreds of elderly and sick Clare patients, local organisations have warned. Health Minister James Reilly is being urged to abandon proposed cuts of 5.5% in the number of home help hours and 3.7% in home care packages for patients amid claims that the health cuts will actually cost the exchequer multiples of the millions of euro it is supposed to save on paper. A number of local health activists claimed at a public meeting in Ennis on Monday night that the cuts announced by Minister Reilly make no economic sense and would result in increased expenditure by the Department of Social Welfare and Health Service Executive (HSE) in the long term. Clarecare director Fiachra Hensey said the organisation could keep between seven to 10 people at home with appropriate home help for the same money as the cost of providing long-stay …

Clare soccer has been left counting the cost of an act of “mindless vandalism” at the County Grounds in Doora.

WHILE there will be no industrial action by workers at Shannon Airport on September 20, as had been feared, SIPTU has informed the Dublin Airport Authority (which operates Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports) of an intention to carry out industrial action at the start of next month.

BISHOP of Inis Cathaigh (Scattery Island) Frank Caggiano, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, New York is to visit Kilrush in August of next year.

AN Ennis mother whose son has been diagnosed with a rare disorder has made a desperate plea to be able to take care of her son at home rather than in hospital.

CLARE has cleaned up at this year’s national Tidy Towns Awards. The results of the 54th annual competition were announced on Monday by Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government at the Helix in Dublin, with the Banner County featuring strongly. According to Deputy Mayor of Clare Pascal Fitzgerald, who deputised for Mayor Pat Daly at the ceremony in Dublin, “The standards in County Clare were extremely high again this year and I am delighted to see that our county capital has received national recognition in numerous categories. I would like to congratulate all participants from Clare, who have done their county proud. There was unprecedented interest in Tidy Towns this year and I would urge everyone to participate in 2013.” Ennis was the big winner for Clare, with the town named Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre. The county capital retained the County Award and received a gold medal. Ennis was named the urban centre winner of …

Pollution close to the cascades in Ennistymon is affecting the tourism product in the North Clare town, it has been claimed.

Coroners’ Society of Ireland held its annual conference in Ennis last week, where more than a third of the country’s coroners were in attendance. In addition, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter spoke at the gala dinner. County Clare’s coroner, Isobel O’Dea, handed over the reigns to Limerick City coroner Tony Casey as the Coroners’ Society of Ireland’s new president. A vast array of topics were discussed at the conference, from craniofacial analysis and reconstruction to the coroner in fiction and from those who died during the construction of the Titanic to the need for protection of older people. “The range of the talks were educational, the bit about the Titanic was fantastic. The feedback was positive. Minister Alan Shatter gave a speech at the conference and this was the first time he was at the conference since 2004. It was great he attended and it gave an opportunity for the coroners to have an informal but informative chat with him,” …