News

THE number of people signing on the live register in Clare has increased by 17% in June compared to May. Statistics for last month show that there were 4,587 people signing on in Clare, compared to 3,899 in May.  In Ennis there were 2,303 on the live register, up by 289 on May. In Ennistymon there were 923, up from 658 in May. Kilrush saw an increase from 649 to 723, while Tulla went from 578 to 638. The numbers signing on in Clare were 383 higher than June of last year, but the Pandemic Unemployment was still in existence at that stage. Clare has received a substantial number of refugees since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and some of these may have been included in the figures. Commenting on the national figures, Morgan O’Donnell, statistician in the Labour Market Analysis Section, said: “The unadjusted Live Register total for June 2022 was 186,819. When seasonal effects are considered, the seasonally …

PLANS for the development of a new dedicated economic crime unit in Clare are still on track, a local Garda chief has revealed. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Chief Superintendent of the Clare Garda Division, Seán Colleran, confirmed economic crime is currently being investigated by the Detective Unit. However, Superintendent Colleran said gardai are planning the establishment of an economic crime unit and as part of their continued focus on economic crime and fraud. This new task force was mooted after an increase in fraud crimes in the county in the last quarter of 2021. “We don’t have the new economic crime unit formally established yet, it is part of the crime unit. This is something we are looking at, which is resource dependent. This is something we want to achieve, but this doesn’t mean we are not investigating economic crime now,” said the Chief Superintendent. “To have a specific economic crime unit within the overall crime unit, …

ANGER has greeted a decision by Aer Lingus to cut back on its services from Heathrow to Shannon Airport, this week, in order to meet the London airport’s new rules on passenger numbers. Senator Timmy Dooley has expressed his frustration at decision of Aer Lingus to pull the 7.20pm daily Shannon to Heathrow flight for this week. The Irish airline had said Aer Lingus decided that the flight being cut this week will be the 7.20pm service from Heathrow to Shannon. The service is the last of the day to Shannon. Anyone looking to travel to Shannon this week from Heathrow will only have the options of the 9.20am or the 2.45pm service. All airlines were told to cut flights from Heathrow in order to bring the number of outgoing passengers moving through the airport down to 100,000 a day between now and September. “Shannon Airport has again lost out as aviation decision makers continue their obsession with Dublin Airport,” …

AN ENNIS Councillor has hit out at “anti-social criminals” creating havoc in their own homes and neighbourhoods.  In a motion tabled at the July meeting of the local authority, Councillors Johnny Flynn, Clare Colleran Molloy and Pat Daly, called for a “multi-agency emergency response team” to address the problem. They also sought greater protection for the children living in homes with those engaging in anti-social behaviour.   Councillor Flynn said that despite the great work of the Council’s tenancy enforcement unit, there are “communities in crisis”. “This is because of a very small number of  people,” he said, “who are basically criminals and getting away with it. The tenancy team is already answering around 500 calls a month and doing an extraordinary job, but there are people living in terrible situations, locked into mortgages, who cannot move away from these issues.” Councillor Colleran Molloy pointed out that the tenancy enforcement team is not a permanent one. “We want the tenancy …

MEMBERS of the regional health forum for the Midwest are being urged to make the case for the restoration of services at Ennis General, when they meet senior hospital officials next week.  In a statement, the Midwest Hospital Campaign, Clare, outlined that a meeting is to take place next Tuesday (July 19) between the management of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and forum members representing Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. It follows a unanimous call for the restoration of Emergency Department (ED) services in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s in Limerick, at the May meeting of the HSE West Regional Health Forum. The request for a follow-up meeting was made by Clare Green Councillor Liam Grant and Tipperary Independent Councillor Séamie Morris. “The Midwest Hospital Campaign Clare calls on all members of the forum to use this opportunity to advance the case to upgrade Ennis Hospital, to a model 3, which would mean the return of  24/7 Emergency Department to the county,” …

POPULATION projections in the forthcoming County Development Plan have been described as “utterly redundant”, on foot of new Census data.  Addressing the July meeting of the local authority, Councillor Cillian Molloy pointed to figures showing a population increase in Clare of 7.2% since 2016. Meanwhile, the plan allows growth of 9.94% up to 2029. In light of that, Councillor Murphy had asked that clarity be sought from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR). Referring to a response from the OPR, which said it had no comment to make, Councillor Murphy was sharply critical.  “We have already reached 75% of our future projected population growth out to 2029 even  before submissions to the draft have been taken into consideration and the unelected body, who will run a rule over what we are told repeatedly is our County Development Plan, will not offer us any clarity as to what we can do …

WARM tributes have been paid on the passing of Joe Dooley, a highly-regarded member of the Mountshannon community, who was widely known and well respected through his long career as a cattle dealer. Mr Dooley, from Sellernane, was a popular figure across Clare and further afield and deeply involved in the farming community. The father of Senator Timmy Dooley, Joe Dooley was widely respected, particularly for his expertise when it came to livestock.  Paying tribute to his late father, Senator Dooley wrote: “A life well lived in his local community, witnessing many changes over the decades. His life centred around family, farming and his cattle.” A nephew of Joe Dooley’s, Noel Hogan from Mountshannon, described his uncle as “a mighty man”. “He was born in August 1928 and lived and died all his life in the same house in Sellernane,” he said. “As a cattle dealer, he would have walked the roads of Ireland, going to all the fairs. He …

SHANNON is to benefit from a new electric bike share scheme across the town and the Free Zone. The scheme is operated by an Irish start-up CoMotion Mobility Solutions Ltd which has established a base at the Future Mobility Campus in Shannon. The free-floating scheme which is accessible via the CoMotion App will see 50 bikes deployed across the region. Bikes will be located on-street 24-7 and can be rented by paying a €1 unlocking fee and then just 1c per minute thereafter. The scheme is unique as it is sponsored by local businesses and elected members of the Shannon Municipal District. Sponsors include Shannon Group, EI Electronics, Clare County Council, Zagg International, Fine Grain Properties, Shannon Springs Hotel, Shannon Leisure Centre, Shannon Chamber of Commerce, Shannon Skillnet and Future Mobility Campus Ireland. According to Emma Dobbyn of CoMotion, “The scheme is made viable by the support of all the sponsors. “Their willingness to back the scheme and provide additional …