News

The Health Service Executive is advising parents of Clare children with speech and language issues to contact a voluntary-funded clinic for therapy because the waiting list for state-provided care is so long, it has been claimed this week.Ann Norton, manager of the Barefield-based Clare Crusaders Clinic, said they are currently dealing with 160 children for speech and language therapy, up from its previous quota of 135. “This increase is purely because there has been an increase in parents phoning requesting our speech and language services. Our services are for children with special needs, including autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities, who have a speech and language issue as a result of the underlying disability,” Ms Norton explained. “The speech and language services we provide are not supposed to be for children without any other issue other than a speech and language issue. However, because parents are frustrated and upset by the time they phone us we take on …

Gardaí have issued a warning to people to remove all valuables and lock their cars after 11 thefts were reported in the space of three days in the Ballina/Killaloe area. Chief Superintendent John Kerin told The Clare Champion that of the 11 theft offences, nine of which occurred on Monday, almost all were due to cars being left unlocked.According to official garda figures, these incidents equate to more than half of the thefts from vehicles recorded by the Clare Garda Division since January, with only 20 such incidents recorded. This overall figure represents a 21% drop in thefts, based on the same period last year. “In total, from January 1, there has only been 20 thefts from MPVs (mechanically propelled vehicles) and that figure includes the 11 from last weekend. So those incidents are going against the trend. A group hit the Ballina and Kilkishen area and we are looking into the matter. We have our job to do, to …

A CLARE company played a major role in making contact with the 33 Chilean miners who were found alive last Sunday, after they were stranded below ground for 17 days.The drill that was used to reach the miners, who were 700m (2,300 feet) below ground, was designed and manufactured by Shannon company Mincom.Founder of the company Paddy Purcell said the equipment used had been designed and built in Clare. “A reverse circulation hammer was used and the drill bits that go with it. We designed the hammer and it is covered by patents all over the world. It was manufactured in Shannon also.”He said the force of the drill is very powerful. “It hits 2,000 blows a minute and it can drill through solid granite at the rate of about metre a minute. The drill that we sent, created a hole that was just over five inches wide and it was sufficient to get food down.”While Mincom were interested in …

An Bord Pleanála has turned down an appeal from the Irish Petrol Retailers Association and RGDATA, the representative body for the Independent Retail Grocery Sector in Ireland, against the development of a four island petrol station by Tesco, Kilrush.Mayor of Kilrush Liam Williams told The Clare Champion that family-run businesses in Kilrush are fearful the proposed development will have a negative impact on their livelihoods. “There has been a mixed reaction in the community. There is concern for the future of family-run businesses and that employment levels may be affected if the development goes ahead,” Councillor Williams said. Planning permission has twice been granted by Clare County Council, while An Bord Pleanála upheld an appeal made against the original decision to grant planning permission. This time though, they have turned down the appeal, subject to 13 conditions. In their unsuccessful appeal, the Irish Petrol Retailers Association and RGDATA warned that if the Tesco petrol station is given the go ahead, …

THE father of a 21-year-old being treated in the intensive care unit at the Mid-West Regional Hospital, Limerick, following a fire at a Killaloe nursing home, has called for an inquiry into the fire and evacuation procedure.The young man, who is paralysed from the waist down, was a resident of the Lakes Nursing Home and it is understood that the fire, which occurred in the early hours of Friday morning of last week, started in his room.   The alarm was raised when smoke detectors went off at approximately 12.45am and fire brigade units from Killaloe and Scariff responded. Units were also deployed from Limerick and Newport but were stood down on route. The Killaloe unit of the fire brigade responded first and arrived on the scene at 12.53am. The young man’s father told The Clare Champion that he believed his son could have been in the room for up to 20 minutes before being rescued. Following the fire, his son …

`AER Lingus cabin crew based at Shannon were due to begin a work-to-rule on Wednesday but it was cancelled at the eleventh hour to allow detailed consideration of arbitration findings issued by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).The union outlined its position in a statement. “Impact acknowledges the detailed work by the arbitrator in the days and weeks prior to issuing today’s findings. The detailed findings, which run to 39 pages and reflect the complex technical issues under consideration, deserve and demand close reading and analysis. Time will also be required for cabin crew staff to read, digest and discuss the document.“It would be unreasonable to press ahead with industrial action while this happens and Impact is, therefore, suspending its planned work-to-rule to allow detailed consideration of the arbitration finding.”The union said its members have already accepted changes in pay and conditions and asked for some flexibility from the company. “The union notes that the finding recommends a revision of existing …

An Irish company with Clare and South Galway interests will co-develop the 105-megawatt Cloosh Valley Wind Project in Connemara, it was announced this week.The publicly traded Finavera Renewables also made it known that it has sold a majority interest in grid connection for Ireland’s largest onshore wind project to Scottish and Southern Energy for €8.4 million. Finavera Renewables revealed that it has signed an agreement with SSE Renewables (Ireland) Limited, a division of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), to sell a majority interest in its wholly owned Gate 3 grid connection from Eirgrid, which will be paid in stages.Finavera also signed a co-development agreement with SSE and Coillte, to jointly develop the Cloosh Valley project south of Oughterard in Galway.The Cloosh Valley Wind Project has nameplate capacity of up to 105MW and has received a Gate 3 Node Assignment from Eirgrid. The wind resource at the project is among the strongest in Europe. The project capacity would exceed all current …