News

AN application for planning permission for 28 houses at Station Road, Lahinch has been refused by Clare County Council. Victoria Cross Retail Limited had made the application for the development, which was met by a number of objections. Refusing the application, the Chief Executive’s Order made reference to the inadequate sewerage facilities in Lahinch and stated the development would be premature. This constraint is unlikely to be overcome in the immediate future. The order stated, “It is further considered that the proposed development of 28 houses to be serves by means of an on site wastewater treatment would set an undesirable precedent for development of further housing estates served by such ad hoc treatment systems. “Taken in conjunction with the level of existing and approved development in the vicinity (it) would result in a risk of pollution and would be prejudicial to public health.” The report also said the Council was not satisfied that the proposed use of an on-site …

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has confirmed that March 2022 has been the worst March for overcrowding since the union began counting trolleys in 2006. Some 11,001 patients have been without a bed in hospitals throughout the country in the month of March with UHL having the worst record. In the month of March, 1,671 patients were treated on trolleys at the Mid-West’s main hospital. This was 76% higher than the next worst performing hospital, University Hospital Galway. In Q1 of 2022, 29,506 patients have been without a bed. INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said, “When nurses and midwives use phrases like ‘out of control’ and ‘chaotic’ to describe hospital overcrowding we do not do so lightly. It has been the worst March for overcrowding since our union began counting trolleys in 2006 with 11,001 without beds. “It has been an extremely busy month for those working in our hospitals with over 37% of those who have been …

ASSURANCES have been given on the arrangements for school transport for Ukrainian pupils who have recently arrived in North Clare. Among them are 26 children who have been welcomed into St Augustine’s National School in Kilshanny. They are part of a group of around 500 people to take up residence in Lisdoonvarna in recent weeks. More than 100 children are being provided with educational facilities, based on availability in neighbouring schools. While the new arrivals were provided with private bus transport for a number of days, the Department of Education has not made any formal provision yet and the children have no other way to get to the school, which is around seven kilometres away. Councillor Joe Garrihy said Lisdoonvarna Fáilte are prepared to do all in their power to welcome new arrivals and ease their access to local services. “We have been searching behind every hedge for bus transport and everyone has been really cooperative, however we did have …

WITH digital fraud continuously on the rise, Clare gardai have warned businesses to be vigilant about a particular email scam. Business email compromise fraud, also known as invoice re-direct fraud, is where a fraudster sends an email to an individual or a business pretending to be a supplier and asks for an invoice to be paid immediately, usually to a new bank account because “they’ve changed bank”, etc. They provide a new IBAN and BIC code for this new account and often the target does not know that it has been a victim of a crime until sometime later when the legitimate supplier sends a reminder for invoice payment.  To do this, fraudsters might send an email with a spoof email address, a ‘spear phishing’ email (an email that looks like it’s from a trusted source), or use malware to take over a legitimate business email account and send an email from that. In most cases, the money stolen is …

Well-known Clare heritage sites, St Flannan’s Church of Ireland Cathedral and Frawley’s Bar in Lahinch and have been awarded significant funding to conserve notable historic structures. The sites have been awarded funding for diverse reasons including renewal of timber structures and reinstallation of slates, repairs to buttresses, re-pointing of masonry etc. to prevent serious damage to historic fabric and internal ornate elements. St Flannan’s is to receive €152,000 for significant reslating, repairs to buttresses, repointing of masonry to prevent serious damage to historic fabric and internal ornate elements. Frawley’s meanwhile will receive €40,000 to renew the timber structure, reinstall Blue Bangor slates to the main roof and Liscannor Stone to an outbuilding. A total of €4m was awarded nationwide through the Historic Structures Fund, administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with the 31 Local Authorities. The announcement follows that of €4m in funding under the Department’s other built heritage grant scheme, the Built Heritage …

TWO companies have pleaded guilty before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to breaching safety laws which led to the death of a Clare stonemason, who drowned whilst carrying out specialist maintenance work on a bridge in Limerick six years ago. Bryan Whelan, 29, of O’Briensbridge, died alongside father-of-two Tim ‘TJ’ O’Herlihy, 36, from Castleisland, Co. Kerry, after they became trapped beneath the surface of the River Shannon in Limerick City, on August 29, 2015. The men were working from a steel platform that was suspended over the side of Thomond Bridge and held by a wire attached to a winch-crane, when the platform plunged into the river. Mr O’Herlihy and Mr Whelan, who were both wearing life jackets, were also each harnessed into the platform and failed to get out of the structure and died under water. Paul Murphy, 26, from Askeaton, Co. Limerick, who was working alongside Mr Herlihy and Mr Whelan on the platform, managed to escape and was …

HOUSE prices in Clare increased by just under 18% between the first quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, new figures from Daft.ie shows. The property website’s research also shows that there was a 2.8% increase in the asking price for houses in Clare in the first three months of this year. The average asking price in the Banner now stands at €227,645, an increase of 90% compared to the low point of the market, seen during the recession. While there were increases in price throughout the country, they were particularly noticeable in the west of the country, with Leitrim seeing a 26% increase and Mayo one of 22%. Writing in the Daft.ie report, Ronan Lyons, Associate Professor of Economics at Trinity, said that housing shortages are widespread in Ireland. “National figures of course hide regional differences – but if Covid-19 has done anything to the housing market in Ireland, it has been to take a …

JOBS for Ukrainian professionals could help to provide support for those fleeing to Ireland and minimise the impact on services, Clare’s Fianna Fáil senator has said.  During a Seanad debate, all three of Clare’s senators commended the efforts made in this county to welcome refugees. Senator Timmy Dooley said that, after speaking to a number of health and education professionals, he believes they have the capacity to support their community.  He said that following his own first-hand experience in Ukraine and Poland, the scale of the crisis has not yet become apparent. “I do not think we have seen anything like the scale of the demand just yet,” he said. “I hope and I have great faith in the Irish people that they will stick with it. Everybody I have met wants to be part of the solution right now. “This will require holding the nerve as numbers increase. We are at 10,000. It is a long way to 100,000 …