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A DELEGATION from Clare was among over 200 young Irish people who made their voices heard at Dáil na nÓg 2022 on Saturday. The biennial event took place at Dublin’s Convention Centre and tackled a wide range of issues under the overarching theme of equality. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the event which platforms the voices of young people on the issues which matter most to them. Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman made an address and engaged with young people at the event. This year’s event explored the theme of equality as young people, through their local youth councils (Comhairle na nÓg), have been investigating the challenges and opportunities in a variety of areas including mental health, climate change, body image, drugs and alcohol, youth facilities and LGBTIQ+. This theme was chosen by young people as the area of most importance to them. Previous years’ themes included climate action, education, and transport. In …

CLARE is set to get special promotion of its tourism attraction to US markets this year as part of a new initiative. Tourism Ireland is rolling out its ‘twinning’ initiative this year, which involves overseas markets ‘twinning with’ a specific region or area in Ireland. The United States is ‘twinning’ with Clare and Limerick, so Tourism Ireland in the United States is placing a special focus on both counties this year. The tourism body held its March board meeting in Limerick last week and met with regional tourism representatives to discuss activity to restart overseas tourism to Ireland this year. The extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking to highlight Clare and Limerick, the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland around the world in 2022 was on the agenda also. Speaking after the board meeting, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to have the chance to meet with representatives of the Clare and Limerick tourism …

PUBLIC consultation is underway in East Clare in relation to the enhancement of the heart of Scariff, as the town gets set for major regeneration.  Almost one-third of people who have already given feedback on the ongoing project favour the removal of the area’s traditional cobblestones, while a significant number believe more parking is also needed.  The town is set for major rejuvenation following the awarding of €524,000 by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The allocation will go towards the provision of a long-awaited new public car park, an enterprise hub and the enhancement of the Market Square. The current consultation process, which will run until April 4, will feed into the the future of the historic Square and the works to be delivered under the current tranche of funding.   Last year, a number of enhancement options were commissioned by Scariff Town Team in partnership with Scariff Community Council, and funded by Clare County County, Clare Local …

A CLARE woman who had been reported missing last weekend has been found safe and well her family have confirmed. Noelle O’Looney, 43, who had been missing since Saturday, was found on Tuesday with her family thanking members of the public for their assistance in recent days. One family member took to social media to say, “Noelle has been found. She is safe. Thanks to everyone out there for all their help and support over the last few days, it has meant a huge amount to all of us, everything has worked out ok thankfully.”

AN UPDATE on the 145 dolphins that are unique to the Shannon Estuary will be presented this Friday night in Kilkee. Members of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), as well as their supporters, will gather at Cultúrlann Sweeney for a discussion that will cover the life marine life off the Clare coast, including humpback whales, fin whales and basking sharks. ‘The Wonderful Wildlife of West Clare’ is open to all and bookings can be made on the IWDG website. Those attending will see incredible new images of sea creatures off the Clare coast, including drone footage shot by Dr Simon Berrow off Doonbeg. “Fin whales are the second largest marine creatures ever,” he explained. “They’re big beasts and can be seen from the shore. I captured drone footage off Doonbeg which is simply wonderful.” IWDG has spent the past there decades monitoring the estuary’s dolphins and are well placed to track their daily lives. “Mags Daly is Project …

A REDEVELOPED astroturf facility was officially opened last week at St Patrick’s Comprehensive, with much praise for the generosity of Ei Electronics, who funded it. Ei Electronics has made substantial contributions to numerous local organisations over the years, doing a huge amount to improve the social fabric of Shannon and the wider region. St Patrick’s Comprehensive principal Mary Costello said the school community was very grateful for the support. “Ei Electronics are market leaders in fire and gas detection but they are also world leaders in their incredible social consciousness and community efforts,” she said. “Ei is renowned for their vision and commitment to their local community and we are humbled that we were chosen to benefit from that generosity.” Speaking about the development of Shannon, the Comprehensive and Ei Electronics, Ms Costello said, “St Patrick’s Comprehensive school was the first comprehensive school in the country, established in 1966 and like Ei has committed to quality, innovation and partnership. “The …

THE antiquity of life in county Clare has been underlined this week with the discovery of abandoned fossil burrows dating back 330 million years. The burrows, which date some 100 million years before the appearance of the first dinosaurs, have been found in limestone rock on the coast of Doolin in County Clare. Dr. Eamon Doyle, geologist for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark and Clare County Council, who made the discovery, says the burrows were excavated by marine creatures in a very shallow sea and are the oldest known occurrence of this type of fossil burrow anywhere in the world. At that time Clare was located near the Equator and looked and felt a lot like the tropical Bahamas today. Dr. Doyle explained, “The abandoned burrows are filled with coarse sand made of fossil debris and were most likely filled in during a storm event that moved large amounts of coastal sand around. This storm may …

SCARY, beautiful, ugly, creative, hideous, quirky, vulgar, wonderful, grotesque, imaginative, evil, humorous, frightening, refreshing, eye-catching and eye-sore. These are just some of the words used by those who participated in the Clare County Council consultants’ survey that resulted in the Council saying ‘no’ to the €30,000 bronze Púca sculpture for Ennistymon after an eight-month long controversy. Released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the 24 page report by Council hired consultants, Connect The Dots reveals the depth of local feeling that the Púca aroused. The report states that 674 responses were received as to whether people liked the Puca or not with 370 or 55pc outlining reasons for disliking it with 291 or 44pc in favour of the Púca. The report states that there were at least 79 mentions of ‘ugly’, 10 mentions of ‘scary’, 11 mentions of ‘hideous’ and eight mentions of ‘eye-sore’. The report states: “Other examples included dark, evil, unappealing, unpleasant, frightening, grotesque and vulgar.” A number of responses …