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Significant progress is being made filling vacancies in the region’s flagship maternity service, according to Deputy Joe Carey. Dr Gerry Burke, consultant obstetrician at the Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital, recently caused consternation when he claimed no plans were presented by the HSE or the Department of Health to deal with the shortfall if 47 midwives were allowed to retire under the Government’s public service pension deal.Dr Burke claimed at the time that the HSE was prepared to collude with the Department of Health in making pregnant women and newborn babies contribute to paying for the gambling losses of international banks and for the fiscal recklessness of previous governments.His comments were criticised as “outrageous” at the time by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.In recent weeks, Clare Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey has held discussions with health professionals and others working in maternity services.As someone whose family utilised the services of the hospital in recent weeks, Deputy Carey said he knows first-hand the issues …

SETTING up a State water authority, which could in the future be sold to a private company, would mean “the public would be thrown to the wolves” a local representative has claimed.Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn made the comment at a recent meeting of Clare County Council during a discussion on the Government’s plans to set up a State water authority, Irish Water.The county’s Oireachtas members were invited to attend the meeting to answer questions about the implications any proposed authority would have for existing council water services department staff, the lack of local contact in a centralised authority, the experience in Northern Ireland, the implications or compensation for the transfer of assets from the council in light of the investment in these over the years and the democratic accountability of any proposed authority. Just Fine Gael senator Martin Conway and Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley were present at the meeting. “This proposal to put Irish Water in place will do …

PLANS to introduce a new centralised water authority will mean rural people will pay for a cost-effective water supply for Dublin, according to a local public representative.At the council meeting, Fianna Fáil’s PJ Kelly questioned the reason behind the proposed setting up of a national water authority.“What is on the agenda with Irish Water? Reading between the lines, ‘how do we provide a cost-effective water supply in Dublin?’ that is the question in the quiet room. The answer is that the culchies will pay for it,” he claimed.“Will we be compensated?” he asked Deputy Dooley and Senator Conway. “We want to be compensated. This will address the problem in Dublin but not in rural Ireland.”Tubber councillor Michael Kelly said the establishment of a nationwide water authority would represent “an erosion of the power of the local authority”. He also questioned what it would mean if the proposal to take water from the Shannon to the Greater Dublin area arose.“Who will …

GARDAÍ in Clare seized cannabis with an estimated street value of €400,000 as part of an operation targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the West of Ireland.The seizure, which has been described “as one of the biggest in the county”, was made on Wednesday, February 22 at approximately 7pm when gardaí stopped and searched a vehicle on the M18 in Barefield. When the vehicle was searched, 26.5kg of cannabis herb and 5.5kg of cannabis resin were detected in three large holdall bags.Speaking about the seizure, Superintendent Peter Duff of Ennis Garda Station described the haul as “one of the biggest in the county for a long while”.“This was a considerable amount of cannabis herb and resin. The amount of cannabis herb alone is valued at €330,000,” he said.  

A CLARE Fianna Fáil General Election candidate has called for the establishment of a new health forum to produce the best model of care for acute hospital and community services in the county.Acknowledging further major cutbacks in health spending will be made, Dr John Hillery has called for a new Clare health forum with rights and responsibility to come up with local solutions to address deficits in the Mid-West.The former Irish Medical Council president made the call in the run-up to the Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis this weekend where he will chair a workshop on mental health with the CEO of Mental Health Reform in Ireland, Orla Barry and Professor of Psychiatry in Trinity, Jim Lucey.Dr Hillery hopes the workshop will help devise practical solutions to promote resilience that in turn gives people who may be experiencing depression or mental health difficulties the necessary coping skills to reduce the risk of a extreme reaction dealing with problems.While cutbacks are inevitable, …

INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day, March 8, is approaching and the Clare Women’s Network is calling upon the women and men of County Clare to join them on Knox’s Bridge and “make some noise” on the Clonroad, Ennis between 1pm and 2pm. Now in its third year, the Join me on the Bridge campaign started in 2010 when women from Congo and Rwanda joined together on the bridge connecting their two countries, showing that they could build the bridges of peace and hope for the future. This action sparked a massive global movement and last year, they were joined by thousands of people on hundreds of bridges worldwide. “We are calling on people to join in on this act of solidarity the world over in building bridges to sustainable peace and the eradication of violence in the personal, public and political domain. International Women’s Day is a key global event to celebrate women’s, often unpaid, contribution to society, to raise issues that …

HUNDREDS of Clare households have benefited under the Community Smoke Alarm Scheme since it was launched in 2010, according to the Clare County Development Board.The scheme is designed to provide 10-year battery operated smoke alarms to vulnerable homes in the county that do not currently have them. The aim of this initiative is to make Clare householders more aware of fire safety routines and potential fire hazards.In fact, since 2010, a total of 657 domestic smoke alarms have been provided to Clare households at a cost of €17,726 and among the properties to benefit were the four Respond housing estates in the county, Beechgrove in Newmarket, Rineanna View in Shannon and both Orchard Grove and Stone Court in Ennis. Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Hayes has emphasised the importance of ensuring that older people and those living alone have smoke detection alarms. “This scheme provides local communities with an opportunity to look after those within their own community,” he said.Maureen …

Feakle resident Matteo Petitti was walking with his family on the White Strand in Miltown Malbay last week when he came across a beached whale. Having found the dead whale he contacted a number of agencies, before he was put in touch with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) in Kilrush. Co-ordinator Dr Simon Berrow arrived at the scene. “I phoned Simon and he came out to have a look at the whale, saying it was a full-size female long-finned pilot whale. He sent a skin sample to Dublin for DNA testing and I recorded the stranding on the IWDG website. He said that since last weekend there have been five or six whale strandings,” Matteo told The Clare Champion. Having since learned quite a bit about whales, Matteo feels it is important that people contact the IWDG in the event of finding a beached whale, whether it is alive or dead. “The main thing is that people know …