News

A “VICIOUS riot” that erupted at a busy hotel in Shannon was like a “bomb” going off, a court has heard. Shocking CCTV and social media footage of the violence that occurred in the Oakwood Arms Hotel on the night of November 17, 2018, was played at Ennis Circuit Court where eight people appeared for sentencing. Describing a series of fights and incidents captured on video, detective sergeant Kevin O’Hagan said, “It’s 10 minutes of what can only be described as a very serious riot situation.” The incident occurred at the 13th annual Lords of the Ring event, organised by Shannon Kickboxing Club. The court heard this was a well established event at which there had never been any trouble previously. Approximately 350 people, including children, were in attendance when members of the Harty and McDonagh families were involved in a series of violent confrontations. Sergeant O’Hagan said the footage showed a man being kicked unconscious, numerous bottles and glasses …

VISITING restrictions remain in place for inpatient wards in University Hospital Limerick due to very high levels of Covid positive patients in the hospital and the high level of community transmission. The visitor ban has been in place since Sunday afternoon and the only exceptions are • parents visiting children in hospital • people assisting confused patients; for example, dementia • visiting on compassionate grounds; for example, for patients who are critically unwell or at end of life A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said, “We regret the imposition of visiting restrictions so soon after we began to lift them. The decision has been taken to help keep all patients and staff safe, and to ensure that the hospital’s essential services can remain open at this time.” Exemptions are limited to one person per patient and will be looked at on a case by case basis. In cases where exemptions apply, it is strongly recommend that the visitor is fully …

A BRAND identity for the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience was unveiled this week as the landmark projects continues to advance. At the end of next month, a further funding application will be made to progress the project beyond the design stage.  The work of consultants, Design Works, was showcased at a presentation on Monday last (March 14). The brand identity focuses on the symbolism of the archways of the island’s ecclesiastical buildings and highlights the theme of transformation linked with stepping through these portals.  At the briefing, chaired by Tourism Officer Joan Tarmey, Project Manager Tom MacKey, from Tobin Consulting Engineers briefly outlined some of the work to-date. Mr MacKey coordinates a team that includes Design Works, McCullough Mulvin Architects and Tandem Partners. “We’re currently focusing on on detailed design for the re-purposing of The Old Rectory building,” he said. “In general, we’re hoping to be in a position to have a contractor on site mid-summer to start working with …

Tommy Fleming tells Jessica Quinn he tries to give audiences what they want, but just a bit different each time. WITH a career spanning 30 years Tommy Fleming, often described as “The Voice of Ireland”, will be returning to the glór stage this April for an evening of songs and stories. It is an exciting time for the Sligo man who is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour while his new album ‘All These Years’ is riding high in the Irish charts. As Covid-19 restrictions lift Tommy is looking forward to stepping out on the glór stage next month having performed at the Ennis venue to half capacity back in January. “It’s always a brilliant one being on stage in glór. It’s been an unusual year and the way the lockdowns went, we kind of had to just push things out and we’ve ended up with two nights in glór, which in brilliant. “In January I was on …

In her new series on the environment, Bridget Ginnity speaks to ordinary Clare people who have been moved to make changes in their life in response to the climate change crisis that looms ever larger. First up is Colette Reddington, former science teacher in Coláiste Muire Ennis and co-founder of Clare Haven and Haven Horizons BACK in the ‘90s, there was suddenly a huge amount of algal blooms in the Clare lakes – it smelled like boiled cabbage water. I remember a dog died drinking the water from Lough Derg. Some time later, Cullaun Lake had a fish kill of 20,000 fish. Looking back, that was the first time that I really started to think about how we unintentionally damage our environment. I was impressed that local landowners, Teagasc and angling groups got together and within two years had resolved the problem. It encouraged me to see that while we do damage, we can also reverse it by changing our …

SUBCONTRACTORS and construction suppliers throughout Clare are owed substantial sums of money following the announcement construction giant Roadbridge is going into receivership, leaving the future of its 630 workforce and a further 1,000 indirect positions in jeopardy. The Limerick-headquartered civil engineering and construction firm, which traded for over half a century, sent shock waves throughout the Mid-West when it requested Bank of Ireland on Friday to appoint Grant Thornton as receivers as result of insurmountable financial challenges. This decision also places a major question mark over when projects like the €58 million Coonagh to Knockalisheen Road will be fully completed following the company’s serious financial difficulties. Residents in South-East Clare are becoming increasingly concerned this unexpected setback will result in years of a delay or may even scupper the project entirely for the foreseeable future. It is understood half of the first phase of this major piece of road infrastructure is properly finished. Concerns had been raised when the company, …

The huge turnout at the funeral of Pat Fitzpatrick at St Joseph’s Church in Ennis last Friday reflected the popularity of the Killimer-born businessman, who gave over 40 years of service to the promotion of Gaelic Football in Ennis, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. Pat Fitzpatrick loved his politics, be it locally or nationally and that’s why at General Election time he’d regularly decamp to Dublin to canvas for his Killimer cousins Pat Upton and Mary Upton in their Dublin South Central constituency. You can be sure he helped them win election to Dáil Éireann; by dint of his charm, his smile and most of all by his handshake that brought people into his world. He brought these same qualities to business on the Tulla Road where he was based since the mid-1970s when establishing Banner Motors with his brother-in-law Noel Glynn, after cutting his teeth in the industry in Ted Sheils’ on the Gort Road from the late 1960s. And …

A BRAND identity for the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience was unveiled this week as the landmark projects continues to advance. At the end of next month, a further funding application will be made to progress the project beyond the design stage. The work of consultants, Design Works, was showcased at a presentation on Monday last (March 14). The brand identity focuses on the symbolism of the archways of the island’s ecclesiastical buildings and highlights the theme of transformation linked with stepping through these portals. At the briefing, chaired by Tourism Officer Joan Tarmey, Project Manager Tom MacKey, from Tobin Consulting Engineers briefly outlined some of the work to-date. Mr MacKey coordinates a team that includes Design Works, McCullough Mulvin Architects and Tandem Partners. “We’re currently focusing on on detailed design for the re-purposing of The Old Rectory building,” he said. “In general, we’re hoping to be in a position to have a contractor on site mid-summer to start working with …