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A long-serving Fianna Fáil figure has resigned as secretary of a local cumann in protest over the introduction of the stag hunting ban.Sean Collins, secretary of the Kilmurry Fianna Fáil Cumann, who has held the position for over 25 years, resigned after the Government passed the Wildlife Bill on Tuesday.Mr Collins joined the Fianna Fáil Cumann in Kilmurry in 1970 and has been voting Fianna Fáil for over 40 years, with five generations supporting the party before him. He has also canvassed for deputies Timmy Dooley and Tony Killeen. “I’ve been involved in hunting and the Clare Hunt since 1966 and I’ve a daughter and she’s full time involved in horses and this will have a knock-on effect in the rural community. “I don’t think we can allow a small party like the Green Party dictate to us what we should and should not be doing in the county; they are dictating how we should survive in the rural countryside. …

AN alarming six dog attacks in the past two weeks are currently under investigation by Clare’s dog warden, Frankie Coote.Mr Coote said he would normally investigate that amount of attacks in six months, but in the past two weeks, six serious attacks have been brought to his attention. He is investigating with a view to prosecution.“Last Sunday, a woman was walking her own small dog on a lead in Ennistymon. A stray white sheep dog with brown on his ears attacked her dog. In an effort to protect her dog, she fell over and broke her hand. The dog didn’t actually attack her, but she took a bad fall trying to mind her own dog. She was hospitalised and will have to have surgery on her hand. Her dog was injured badly too. We think he will survive but he was hurt quite badly. The stray dog is still on the loose and I’m looking for him,” Mr Coote explained.In …

EXPERTS were left stunned recently after a white-tailed sea eagle from Killarney National Park was spotted in the skies above North Clare. The bird was observed as a captive eagle was released during a demonstration but it was what happened next that has left falconers so amazed.As the public filtered into the Burren Bird of Prey Centre at Aillwee Cave, James Irons, falconer at the centre, spotted a huge raptor soaring high above the massive limestone cliffs of the Burren.   “It could only be one thing, one of our rare white-tailed sea eagles from the Golden Eagle Trust’s Reintroduction Programme,” he said.  “In an amazing turn of fate, the first bird to be flown in our demonstration was Seka, our own juvenile white-tailed sea eagle. She spotted the eagle straight away, her eyes fixed on the massive bird circling in the distance. I wondered how the wild bird would react once Seka took to the sky. There was no doubt …

THERE are grounds for a certain amount of cautious optimism about the economy in Clare according to business groups, in a week that Ireland is confirmed to have emerged from one of the steepest recessions seen in a developed country since World War II.According to the Central Statistics Office, Gross Domestic Product increased by 2.7% in the first three months of 2010, compared to the last quarter of 2009. It was the first instance of positive growth since the end of 2007. Rita McInerney of Ennis Chamber said things aren’t all doom and gloom in the county town at the moment, although there are serious challenges. “Certainly the climate is still very difficult out there. In tourism, there are a lot of last-minute bookings happening but people are reporting that things are steady and they’re hopeful for the rest of the season but it is difficult to judge because of the way bookings are made now with people leaving it …

CLARE’S dog warden Frankie Coote said that the Ennis Dog Pound is feeling the effect of the economic recession, with more and more people contacting them to take their dog, as they can no longer afford to take care of them.“Since the recession, more people are phoning the dog pound, asking us to take their dog, as they can’t afford the upkeep of the dog. While we urge people not to get a dog if they can’t reasonably take care of it, it is better that people who genuinely can’t mind their dog contact us rather than just abandoning the dog anywhere,” Mr Coote said.He pointed out that of the approximate 30,000 dogs in Clare, only 4,000 are licensed. “Under law, people must have a dog licence. It costs €12.70 annually at any post office. Any breach under the Control of Dogs Act can result of a fine up to €1,200 and up to a three-month prison sentence. It’s important, …

GREEN Party Councillor Brian Meaney has claimed that some of his fellow Ennis town councillors are paranoid in alleging that others on the council have a pact on mayoralties and other important roles.Following last week’s annual general meeting of Ennis Town Council, where Councillor Tommy Brennan was elected as mayor and Councillor Meaney as deputy mayor, questions were raised about Fine Gael Councillor Mary Coote Ryan’s vote against her party colleague, Councillor Mary Howard.For some time, it has been claimed that there is an informal pact between six of the nine Ennis town councillors, which agrees on who will be mayor and deputy mayor over the five years of a council term.This week, Councillor Meaney denied his involvement in any pre-arranged pact or any particular grouping on Ennis Town Council. “I’m making it clear, I’m not in any group. As far as I’m aware, there are no groupings on council. I find this extremely contradictory. It’s curious the position being …

WHILE the farmer-led consortium may have been knocked back with their €300,000 offer for the vacant Sixmilebridge livestock mart, the group remains defiant and continues to hold out hope that they may still be able to broker a deal with Golden Vale Mart (GVM).In fact, their hand may be strengthened on the basis that their understanding is that two higher offers on the property, located on 4.5 acres at Ballysheen, have fallen through because of difficulties in securing funding, thus leaving their bid as the only real offer currently on the table.Paul O’Neill, a member of the Sixmilebidge and District Farmers’ Group, confirmed to The Clare Champion that they had no intention on giving up on the property and that they would continue to push their bid in the hope of acquiring the mart and have it open for September sales.“GVM has turned down our offer but it doesn’t end there. We certainly won’t be throwing in the towel or …

THE Mid-West’s battered economy got some welcome news this week when Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Batt O’Keeffe announced a €23 million investment in innovation by Analog Devices.Analog Devices came to Limerick in 1977 and employs more than 1,000 people in high-end manufacturing and design.The €23m investment, which builds on research and development activity in the plant, will be in the manufacturing division. The investment is being supported by the State through IDA Ireland. Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe welcomed the investment. “Analog Devices’ investment will strengthen the firm’s strategic position in the global semiconductor industry and consolidate its presence in Limerick. The Government is eager to support innovation and research and development activity in indigenous enterprises and multinationals, so it is encouraging that a company of Analog Devices’ calibre is investing in its team and operation in Ireland.”The company’s vice-president of manufacturing, Dennis Dempsey said, “The decision to further invest in research and development at …