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A JUDGE has granted a three-year barring order against a man after hearing that in the past he has taken out a belt to try to whip his wife. At the Family Law Court, Judge Mary Larkin issued the order which bars the man from the family home for three years after hearing a daughter of the couple describing her father as “a very violent person” and said that in the past he has taken out his belt to try to whip her mother. Previously, the man’s wife here alleged as part of her Protection Order application against the man that he has “secretly got married to three of four ladies in Nigeria”. When asked in court by solicitor, Ann Walsh for the woman “what about these wives in Africa?” the man replied “there are no wives in Nigeria – point of correction. I had one wife before her”. The man denied assaulting his wife and daughter but Judge Larkin …

A Clare-based mother, who was once homeless on the streets in London, is raising funds for a mobile shower for homeless people in Ennis, saying, “I believe people deserve to be treated with dignity. For homeless individuals, having access to a hot shower is the first step in reigniting a feeling of self worth.” Fiona Faulkes has been living in Ennis for nearly 10 years and regularly helps the town’s homeless, having experienced first-hand sleeping under cardboard in England’s capital. She describes becoming homeless as feeling like “the whole world is going to just collapse”. However support from those working with people on the streets in London as well as others who were homeless helped her get through it. She is now hoping to raise €10,000 through an online GoFundMe campaign to buy a caravan and convert it to give people living on the streets here in Clare a wheelchair accessible place to wash and dress. “This is just a …

A father has told a judge that he is refusing to sign forms to allow his two-year-old son to obtain a passport because he doesn’t like the name given to the boy by his mother. At the Family Law Court, the father told Judge Mary Larkin that the middle name given to the boy by his mother “is a name you give to people who beat drums and dance – we don’t beat drums and we don’t dance in our family”. The man said that when his estranged wife had the baby “we sat down together and made a decision of the name we were going to give to the baby”. The man said however that his estranged wife included the additional name in their son’s birth certificate without telling him. He said, “We have no such name in our family. It is for people who beat drums and dance and we don’t belong to that family.” He said, “I …

The Burren has been named as ‘The Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022′ with judges praising its stunning landscape, breath-taking coast, grassroots food culture and vision for sustainable tourism. The win caps a remarkable double for Clare as the inaugural competition back in 2013 was won by the Loop Head Peninsula. The north Clare region, which was the unanimous choice of the judging panel, beat off stiff competition from the four other shortlisted locations: Achill, Co Mayo, Carlingford, Co Louth, The Causeway Coast / Portrush in Co Antrim and Inisbofin Co Galway. Among the other things which impressed the judges about The Burren are its breath-taking coastal scenery and world-class tourist attractions, its grassroots food culture, and its joined-up community approach to warmly welcoming visitors while also protecting what is a unique environment. The announcement was made live simultaneously on www.irishtimes.com and on The Ray Darcy Show on RTE Radio One. The win caps a remarkable double for Clare …

AHEAD of the August Bank Holiday weekend, renewed concerns have been voiced about a spike in unauthorised camping and the flouting of bye-laws at a number of waterside amenities in East Clare.  Local councillors were told that, at one small harbour, signage showing that camping is prohibited had been painted over and blanked out, by those illegally using the car park overnight.  At the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District committee, Councillor Pat Burke highlighted recent issues at waterside facilities at Killaloe, Mountshannon and Dromaan. “Unfortunately, there is vandalism and anti-social behaviour going on this summer at some of our amenities,” he said. “If you take the toilet block in Mountshannon, there are constant issues every week. I have spoke to Gardaí about this and they are aware of it.” The Whitegate native also expressed his annoyance at issues involving jetskis in Killaloe and Mountshannon. “Some people are responsible jetski users, but the majority are not,” he said. “I …

DEPUTY Cathal Crowe has fired a shot across the bow of government policy by calling for an end to the allocation of more Ukrainian refugees in Clare due to the lack of suitable accommodation. While Deputy Crowe stressed he agreed that the Banner County should take as many refugees as possible, there was now a point where these refugees were sleeping on airport floors and new tents in Meelick. The Fianna Fáil Deputy said Ukrainian refugees needed a roof over their heads, education, transport, health provision and pastoral care to deal with the trauma of coming from a war-torn country. He believes the government is now doing a “disservice” to these refugees by not properly meeting their needs and by proceeding to accommodate them in tents on a so-called temporary basis, which is likely to continue for months due to the lack of permanent dwellings. The provision of tented facilities for up to new 100 asylum seekers in Meelick has …

TRIBUTES have been paid by one of Clare’s Independent TDs on the passing, this week, of former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, David Trimble. Deputy Michael McNamara said it was fitting, on the eve of the Scariff Harbour Festival, which is now entering its third decade, to remember Mr Trimble’s contribution to peace on the island of Ireland. The festival’s main sponsor is Waterways Ireland, an organisation established under the Good Friday Agreement. The peace deal was finalised in 1998 by a team including Mr Trimble, and political leaders from all sides of the political divide. In 2000, Scariff became the southern regional headquarters of the cross-border navigational authority, following a decision of the North-South Ministerial Council. This prompted the idea of building links with the North of Ireland at cultural, political, community and sporting levels and led to the setting up, in 2003, of the Scariff Harbour Festival. This year’s event runs from Friday (July 29) to Sunday. “I …

A MOTHER has lost her court battle with her estranged partner to have their son enrolled in a primary Gaelscoil. At the Family Law Court, Judge Mary Larkin issued a ‘Níl’ to the mother’s wish to enrol the couple’s young boy at her local Gaelscoil. Instead, Judge Larkin made a court order directing that the child commence school chosen by the boy’s father where subjects – apart from Irish – will be taught through English. In making her ruling, Judge Larkin stated that she has taken into account that the child has speech and language difficulties and that she was absolutely satisfied that a second language can be introduced later. Judge Larkin said that “when he goes to school there is no need for the child to be perplexed or bothered by a second language while he is coming to terms with his first language”. The couple have joint custody of the child and Judge Larkin criticised the two over …