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A SIXMILEBRIDGE teenager has been denied a bus ticket to his Limerick school, leaving his mother perplexed and angry. Mary Casey’s son Sean is in fourth year at Ard Scoil Rís in Limerick City and she said that other children who travelled on the bus last year were given tickets for this year, but so far Sean has not got one. “A bus leaves Sixmilebridge every morning for Limerick. Sean had a ticket on that bus last year, every other child who had a ticket on that bus last year got one this year except Sean. I’m trying to figure out how did they select him not to have a ticket.” Ms Casey said that Government policy changed to allow all people access to bus tickets, even those who had little use for them, and it has meant capacity being exceeded in some cases. “Basically all parents applied for bus tickets by the end of April and were willing to …

STUDENTS across the county will have their fingers crossed this Thursday as the first round of CAO offers for college places are released. Among those are Ennis students Daniel Saunders and Emmanuela Moses who last week were delighted with their Leaving Certificate results. Daniel who was a student of Gaelcholáiste an Chláir is hoping to do an arts degree and study law at University of Galway. While Emmanuela of Ennis Community College has her heart set on Biotechnology at Maynooth University. Principal of both schools Brian O’Donoghue congratulated all of his students on the results of their exams, while reminding anybody disappointed that their school is there to offer support. “We are very proud of all of our students. Leaving Certificate results day is always a proud day for us all and we are delighted for all of our students.” He paid tribute to the hard work and dedication that the students have shown during a difficult two years due …

A MAN accused of assaulting his 74-year-old neighbour in an alleged unprovoked attack in Barefield last week has been granted bail. At Ennis district court this Wednesday, September 7, Ciaran Cullinan (32) was granted bail on conditions including that he reside at an address outside Clare. Cullinan, with an address at Curraderra, Barefield, appeared in court via video link from Limerick Prison where he has been on remand since his first court appearance on charges relating to alleged incidents at Curraderra, Barefield on September 3. After hearing this Wednesday’s bail application, Judge Patricia Cronin granted Cullinan bail subject to what she said are “serious conditions”. Cullinan was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear again in court on September 21. Cullinan’s application for bail was opposed by the State. In evidence, Garda Conor Langan said gardaí responded to a report of an alleged assault on a 74-year-old man in Barefield on the afternoon of September 3. The court …

A PERMANENT marker has been put in place in the townland of Killula, close to Shannon Airport, to commemorate a 1961 plane crash in which four people were killed. The crash happened early on the morning of January 27, 1961, when an air corps De Havilland DH.104 Dove crashed while on a training exercise. There were five people on board, four of whom were killed. A person involved in the preparations for Tuesday’s event said, “The air corps are laying a marker stone on a site where an Air Corps plane crashed in 1961, four people lost their lives in that crash, it was on the approach to Shannon, in a place called Killula, on the way in. “There was a temporary marker on the site but they’ve put on a permanent one, and they came down to do that on Tuesday.” He said that the crash saw the deaths of two air corps pilots and two air traffic control …

A YOUNG East Clare man, who runs a thriving beekeeping supplies shop, is a proof that it’s good advice to ‘bloom where you are planted’.   After his family moved from Holland to Tuamgraney, 23 years ago, Chris Jeuken, found his niche working with the skills and resources that nature gave him. He credits his father, Harry, an organic farmer, with inspiring him to be a self-starter. Chris moved from making and selling chicken coops, at the age of 14, to beekeeping and, most recently, to producing high-quality bee hives. His business, Apis Bee Supplies, which he started in 2017, as “a way to keep busy on wet days”, now boasts 2,000 customers nationwide. Chris admitted that adjusting to a new language and country, at the age of five, was a bit overwhelming. “Now it’s home,” he said. “There is less stress here and I like the friendliness and openness of the people, the greenness and the beauty.” Chris attended …

SIBLINGS often disagree but one set of sisters from Clare seem to agree on one thing at least: the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Biochemistry at University of Limerick being the perfect pathway for all their ambitions. As almost 3,300 new graduates were conferred at UL over five days of the 2022 Autumn Conferring Ceremonies recently, one family had extra reason to celebrate. The Ryan family from Killaloe reached a significant milestone as twin sisters, Anna and Rosaleen graduated from the BSc in Industrial Biochemistry in the Faculty of Science and Engineering recently. While it wouldn’t be too uncommon for siblings to complete the same course of study, in the case of Anna and Rosaleen they were following a career path that their two older sisters had previously walked before them. Anna and Rosaleen’s sister Kate completed the BSc in Industrial Biochemistry in 2018 and eldest sister Sally also graduated from the programme in 2016, later gaining a doctorate in …

MEMBERS of the public are being urged to have their say on plans aimed at enhancing a popular local beauty spot. A public consultation will be held in Barefield Community Centre this Thursday, September 8 from 5pm to 8pm to review the proposed design of works for Ballyalla Lake which are being developed by Clare County Council. According to the local authority the designs aim to “sensitively enhance this lakeside amenity, whilst also considering the wider environment of the lake”. Ballyalla Lake is located on the river Fergus north of Ennis, covering an area of 308 hectares, and it has been recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. It is designated as a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area for bird species in addition to being a proposed Natural Heritage Area. The designs build on the  ‘Amenity Enhancement Plan for Ballyallia Lake’ which was commissioned by Barefield Tidy Towns, supported by Clare County Council …

THERE may be Men at Work, but its still very much open for business on Ennis’ O’Connell Street with one fashion retailer even putting up a ‘Women at Work’ sign in the shop window. Water infrastructure upgrading works described as “vital” by Irish Water have been taking place as part of a project which involves replacing aged watermains at High Street, Bank Place, O’Connell Square and O’Connell Street. Irish Water say this will “provide a more reliable water supply, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality.” Margaret O’Brien, CEO of Ennis Chamber whose offices are based on O’Connell Street says some businesses have been affected by the works more than others, with some suggesting a discount on rates due to the disruption. However, the Chamber believe that in the long term the upgrades “are what’s needed for the good of the town”. “The works are moving at speed and that is good to see. The timing however could …