News

A man accused of murdering another man in Lisdoonvarna in January has been granted bail by the High Court, writes Ronan Judge. However, Thomas Lorigan remains in custody as he been unable to meet the conditions of bail, Ennis district court heard. Lorigan (32), of no fixed abode, appeared at Ennis district court this Wednesday, March 9, via video link. Lorigan is charged with the murder of pensioner John O’Neill at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, at a time unknown between January 6 and January 7. The charge against Lorigan is contrary to Common Law. The case came back before Ennis district court today when a book of evidence was due to be served on the accused. Sergeant Aiden Lonergan told the court some matters related to the forensic science aspect of the investigation had to be finalised before the book of evidence could be served. He asked that the case be adjourned to April 6. Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said …

A CLARE town has the fourth highest commercial building vacancy rate in the country according to a new report. Some 26.2% of commercial buildings in Kilrush are vacant the latest Geodirectory report has indicated. Shannon has a vacancy rate of 23.9% with only seven towns across the country having a higher rate. The figure for Ennis was 18.1%. Kilrush and Shannon were the towns with the highest vacancy rate in all of the 21 towns surveyed in Munster.  GeoDirectory was jointly established by An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) to create and manage Ireland’s only complete database of commercial and residential buildings. The figures are recorded through a combination of the An Post network of 5,600 delivery staff working with OSi.  The report showed that Clare as a whole had a vacancy rate of 15.2% in the last quarter of 2021, very slightly lower than the 15.2% figure seen at the same time in 2020. Speaking following the release …

THE Department of Public Health Mid-West and the HSE Environmental Health Service have launched a joint awareness campaign to encourage people to test and treat their private well water in order to reduce the risk of serious illness from drinking contaminated or poor quality water. It is important for private well owners to test well water every year and have appropriate protection or/and treatment systems in place. Well owners can avail of grants from their local authorities for treatment, rehabilitation, and the new construction of private wells (see attached links with details below). Verotoxigenic E. Coli (VTEC), also known as STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E.coli), are bacteria that can cause stomach pains and diarrhoea sometimes streaked with blood. VTEC occurs more frequently during spring and late summer. Over the past 10 years, the Department of Public Health Mid-West has been notified of approximately 1,250 cases of VTEC in the Mid-West region, with the highest number of cases (164*) in 2021. The …

A CLARE school is one of five nationwide that has achieved Yellow Flag status at a ceremony to mark their efforts in tackling racism and promoting inclusion of all cultures, ethnicities and religions. Holy Family Junior School, Ennis was awarded the flag along with schools – two primary and three post primary – from Dublin and Kerry at an online event hosted by RTE Presenter and author of The Same but Different, Emer O’Neill. Speaking at the ceremony teacher Miriam Lowe of Holy Family Junior School, Ennis said; ”The Yellow Flag Programme provides Holy Family Junior School with a flexible framework through which to showcase the rich diversity within our school and to capture and celebrate the inclusion this diversity enables.” To be awarded schools must complete eight steps of the intercultural Programme which aims to improve educational outcomes for all children through a learning environment where diversity is valued and celebrated. Part of their efforts must include establishing a …

A NUMBER of distinctive luxury items were among a haul taken during a burglary last week at a house in east Clare. Between 6pm and 7pm on Tuesday, March 1 two houses in the Ballyvally area of Killaloe were broken into. Entry was gained to both houses by forcing a rear window. A number of distinctive items was stolen from one of these houses – a brown Louis Vuitton handbag, a cream and gold Gucci handbag, a blue Chanel bag, gold Gucci earrings, cash in euros and US dollars and sports medals. Meanwhile on Wednesday evening in Kilnaboy three houses were targeted by burglars. Between 6pm and 10pm on Wednesday, March 2, three houses in the Kilnaboy area were broken into. The front door of a house in Bunnanaghat North was forced and all the rooms were ransacked and cash and jewellery stolen. The front windows of two houses one in Roughan and the other in Leana were forced and …

A GARDA operation in Ennis recently saw €6,000 of suspected drugs seized. On Monday, February 28 at 4pm, the Divisional Drugs Unit conducted a search under warrant at a house in Ennis. During the course of this search €6,000 worth of suspected Cannabis Herb was seized. A male in his late 20s was arrested at the scene and detained at Ennis Garda Station. The suspect has since been released from custody and a file is now being prepared for submission to the DPP. All the suspected controlled substances have been forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. This seizure forms part of Operation Tara which is an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels – international, national, local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.

DERELICTION in Clare towns needs a tougher approach, including the use of compulsory sales orders, according to Deputy Michael McNamara.  The Independent TD told the Dáil that such orders were successful in other countries. “It is done in Scotland and if it is good enough for that country, it might be worth considering in Scariff,” he said. Deputy McNamara was speaking during a special session the the Town Centre First Policy, unveiled last month by the Department of Housing. The document outlines a number of actions to tackle dereliction including the appointment of Town Regeneration Officers, investment, training for town teams, as well as local plans and national oversight.  Deputy McNamara said that he welcomed the plan, but had concerns about omissions, as well as the “political will” of some local authorities to tackle dereliction.  “To discuss what is in the plan, one of the main actions is that a town regeneration officer will be appointed to each local authority,” …

THE referral rate of additional needs children to the Clare Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) has soared on average by 18% year on year, over the past four years, shocking new figures have revealed. The Mid-West Community Healthcare has acknowledged the introduction of Covid-19 related public health guidelines in March 2020 has also had a significant impact on the waiting times for all services and supports with Clare CDNT, given that services were paused in the most part for several months. This has particularly affected the waiting times for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments. In total, 92 Clare children are waiting on average 9.3 months for an initial contact with the CDNT; 80 are waiting for an (Individual Family Support Plan) following initial contact; 2,190 specified needs have been identified for families to help achieve identified goals, such as training programme on toilet training and provision of equipment, provision of resources, while 138 children are waiting for an ASD assessment. …