News

A GROUP of Ennis women are certainly on the ball when it comes to pitching in to raise funds for a local charity. Soccer Sisters Ennis, a newly established social soccer team based in the county capital, recently set out on a fundraising climb in aid of Clare Haven Services. Last weekend they took on the challenge of climbing the 12 O’Clock Hills in an event dubbed the ‘Hike for Haven’. So far they have raised over €2,600 for the local charity, with more donations still being accepted. Laura Thompson of Soccer Sisters tells us they have been “blown away” by the level of support they have received in raising funds for Clare Haven. “We see ourselves as very much a community team and we decided that we wanted to do something to mark international women’s day so we thought about helping to raise funds for an organisation that supports local women. “We were so excited to get on board …

NO part of Clare has less than 89% of its population vaccinated, according to the Central Statistics Office, but the level of people who have taken boosters is far lower. West Clare has the highest level of vaccination in the county, with more than 95.8% of people aged 12 or over there having taken it. The Ennistymon, Killaloe and Ennis Municipal Districts all had vaccination rates of between 93.6 and 94.7%. The Shannon Municipal District had the lowest level of vaccination in Clare, with approximately 90% of people there vaccinated. Of those who got fully vaccinated in the Ennistymon Municipal District, 69% went on to get boosted also. The Kilrush Municipal District is just behind at 68%, in Ennis and Killaloe the figure is 66%, while in the Shannon Municipal District it is 65%. All this shows that over one third of Clare people have not taken boosters, for one reason or another. Across the country in 90% of Municipal …

LEAKAGE issues are set to be water under the bridge in central Ennis according to Irish Water as the town gets ready for a makeover. With Clare County Council due to progress with the town’s public realm enhancement project, Irish Water is set to commence vital infrastructure upgrades ahead of these improvements. Before all that works gets underway, Irish Water will replace aged watermains at High Street, Bank Place, O’Connell Square and O’Connell Street, with the aim of providing a more reliable water supply, reducing high levels of leakage and improving water quality. The works, being carried out as part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme, involve the replacement of over 680m of aged cast iron watermains with new modern pipes and is a continuation of the works completed on Parnell Street in 2019. The programme to replace the watermains is due to commence in mid-May. The section of works will take place from High Street through O’Connell Square/Bank …

DESPAIRING farmers are struggling to bear the brunt of rising costs, an East Clare dairy organisation representative has said. Clare Chair of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon has condemned a lack of action on the part of the government to address the issue. The O’Callaghan’s Mills man said farmers “are on the point of despair” waiting for measures to offset rocketing fertiliser costs. Mr McMahon pointed out that it is now two months since Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue indicated that consideration would be being given to some form of financial aid to farmers who have been hit by a quadrupling of fertiliser costs. He said the government’s passivity on the matter made a very stark contrast to the urgency shown by other EU member states, with notably less developed agri-sectors. Referring to Poland’s announcement, in recent weeks, that the European Commission had approved of a €836 million subsidy scheme for farmers under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, the well-known farmer’s …

“BRAVE decisions” on housing people fleeing Ukraine has been called for, as the numbers seeking refuge in Clare continue to rise.  Councillor Mary Howard, called at the April meeting of the local authority, for a centralised facility to coordinate the distribution of support to the 2,000 Ukrainians known to have come to Clare to-date. Responding to the government’s outline this week of proposals relating to accommodation, the Fine Gael member said the time had come to “stop talking and start doing”.  Earlier this month, Council CEO Pat Dowling told elected members that people are being accommodated at 16 venues in seven locations, but that the authority had been mandated to step-up its support efforts. This week, the Department of Housing has announced that a Director of Service level member of staff at each local authority, along with a small team, will be assigned to coordinate the local response to the crisis.  “We now need very brave decisions,” said Councillor Howard. …

THE decision not to include any representatives of Clare County Council to the new Shannon Estuary Economic Task Force has been criticised by Clare Senator Timmy Dooley, who said he is “shocked and frankly very disappointed”. Ten people are included on the Task Force, including Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine and Ennis-based business consultant Siobhan Dolan Clancy.  However there is no representative from Clare County Council, or indeed from the local authorities in Limerick and Kerry. The full membership of the taskforce is as follows: • Barry O’Sullivan (Chairperson) – formerly of J&J and current IDA Board Member • Mary Considine – CEO Shannon Group • Siobhan Dolan Clancy – Managing Director – SDC Business Consulting Ltd • Seán Hegarty – ESB Generation and Trading • Seamus Hoyne – Dean of Flexible and Work Place Learning – Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest • Pat Keating – CEO Shannon Foynes Port Company • Professor Eamonn Murphy – University of …

RESEARCH by the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) shows that up to 18 housing estates in the county could have defective concrete blocks.  Dr Martina Cleary said that information received by the action group also suggests that up to eight public buildings could be affected. “We have had contact from people all over the county about suspected pyrite,” she said. “It is very important to say that this is suspected pyrite, as testing might not yet have been done in some cases. Our group has had contact and photos and videos sent in from people in every corner of Clare, and more people are coming forward all the time.” Clare County Council is still in a process of negotiation with the Department of Housing over a report submitted last July to make the case for inclusion in the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. Meanwhile, the scheme itself is being revised after a government decision last November. While homeowners had hoped …

PARANORMAL investigators have captured an eerie image of what they believe is the spirit of a child at a window of the former Our Lady’s Hospital in Ennis. Paranormal Supernatural Investigations Ireland visited the site of the old Ennis Asylum last week where the took hundreds of photographs as well as video footage and voice recordings from outside. Among the images taken is the picture of a window with what they claim is a small child’s face in the bottom right corner. Richard Morrison, of Paranormal Supernatural Investigations Ireland insists, “I believe that building is very, very active paranormally without a doubt. Places like that are going to hold a lot of negative energy and that stonework is going to contain all that sadness.” The photograph was initially posted to social media by the group at the weekend without comment on what it could be, other than “a very interesting picture taken by ourselves at Ennis Asylum” and some of the history …