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The Cian Edge“Live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” – Will Rogers It was with great anticipation last week that I attended a talk by Andrew Rawnsley who was in Edinburgh as part of the line up for the book festival. I have been enjoying his latest tome, The End of the Party, The Rise and Fall of New Labour over the summer and marvelling at the level of detail with which he examines that fascinating political machine. With the use of direct quotations he recounts the tantrums, infighting and backstabbing that, in many ways, defined British politics since the Labour landslide victory in 1997.

AERONAUTICAL charges at Shannon Airport are going up from the end of October, a move that has seen Ryanair warning further services could be cut. There will be an increase of €1.58 per passenger, bringing charges to €6.30.

EditorialA NEW chapter in the history of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Killaloe was ushered in on Sunday last when the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Kieran O’Reilly was conducted at SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis.It is the first time in more than 200 years that a man born outside of the diocese has been appointed to lead the Catholic flock in the region, which stretches from Carrigaholt and Cross on Loop Head to Knock and Kyle in South Offaly. He succeeds Bishop Willie Walsh who retired after a 16-year tenure on reaching his 75th birthday.Bishop O’Reilly, as an outsider, comes to Killaloe free of any preconceived ideas or indepth knowledge about how the Church and its people interact in this diocese. He is coming here as a new man, with new ideas, humbly accepting the many challenges which his new role as bishop will bring.While his predecessor, Bishop Walsh, as a Tipperary man, a student and …

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, …