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ASSURANCES have been sought on the Garda response to “intense violence” in a number of recent incidents that have gone viral in videos on social media.  Deputy Joe Carey asked Clare’s most senior Garda about the issue at this week’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC). Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran said some of the incidents have resulted in court appearances.  “You will be aware of a number of incidents that have been circulating on social media, with really intense violence being portrayed,” Deputy Carey told the Chief. “I have fed that back to yourselves. Possibly, you’re not in a position to comment on those, with ongoing investigations, but it is a matter of concern in the community that this type of activity would be ongoing. I’d like if you could reassure the public today that An Garda Síochána are doing everything in your power to bring these people to justice.” Responding, Chief Superintendent Colleran confirmed that the force is …

MORE nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and specialists are needed to help reduce chronic overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. Minister Donnelly said it was really good to met healthcare staff in UHL recently including hospital porters, nurses, allied health professionals, doctors, management and patients. The minister outlined he wanted to see first-hand what is working – because there has been a lot of investment in UHL – and what is not working. “What I have seen is an incredible healthcare community, their professionalism, dedication and skill is amazing. We are very lucky to have such people.” “However, it is also clear to me they are exhausted and stressed. They have been dealing with relentless pressure. I think our healthcare workforce during Covid-19 have been the very best of us. “No sooner had we a reprieve from Covid-19, than we had record attendances at emergency departments, we have a lot of people with deferred care …

FAR reaching questions about the operation of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) have been raised by a West Clare councillor, who believes the local authority can do more to support the Gardaí. At the quarterly meeting of Clare’s JPC, Councillor Ian Lynch said the most active participants appeared to be An Garda Síochána and more integration between the stakeholders is possible. With the development of a new seven-year plan for the JPC, the Independent member said the time was opportune to address the issue.  “The meetings are very functional and serve a purpose,” he said, “but there are a couple of things I think we need to look at. “There are seven aims in the plan and they’re very needed and very topical: Supporting the JPC in Crime Prevention; Protecting the Vulnerable, Anti-Social Behaviour, Supporting Community Initiatives; Supporting Volunteers; Responding to Victims’ Needs and  Road Safety. “They all come up here regularly. The problem I have with the current set …

UL HOSPITALS Group has notified the public that there will be significant delays at UHL’s emergency department (ED) today. The group has advised people to consider all alternative care options before attending ED as it is busy managing high attendances of very sick people with a variety of complex illnesses, including Covid-19. People with less urgent complaints are advised to expect long delays at the ED today, and have been asked to first consider attending one of the local injury units, (such as that at Ennis), GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending ED, which continues to experience high presentations. A spokesperson said, “We are working to ensure that care is prioritised for the sickest patients, and as part of our escalation plan, additional ward rounds, accelerated discharges and identification of patients for transfer to our Model 2 hospitals are all underway. We have also opened surge capacity to manage the extremely high levels of activity. “We are reminding …

AN Bord Pleanála has rejected an appeal against the granting of planning permission for a development near Mountshannon, writes Dan Danaher. Last June, Clare County Council granted Declan White and Ann Gitte Oerbaek planning permission for a development, subject to four standard conditions, which was subsequently appealed by their neighbour, Jim Grady of Cappaduff, Moutshannon. Permission was sought for retention of lean-to sunroom extension to east elevation of the existing studio building to the north/front of the site; kitchen extension to the east elevation of the existing dwelling house; converted lean-to structure from storage to bathroom and dressing room with extension to existing sunroom on the west elevation of the existing dwelling house. Approval was also requested for rainwater storage tank and associated structures located to the south/rear of the existing dwelling house; retention of terraced area and glass balustrade over rainwater storage tank; new road entrance onto R352 road and associated wing walls; upgraded farm roadway from new road …

SCAM and fraud prevention are top of the policing agenda, Clare’s most senior Garda has pledged.  Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran made that commitment after telling the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) that incidents of fraud and economic crime have more than doubled in recent times. Figures released by the Chief show an increase of 110% in such crimes over the three months from November to January, when compared to the same period last year.  The revelation coincided with a letter to the JPC from Clare Older People’s Council who raised concerns about a spate of scam calls. JPC administrator Karen Fennessy said the organisation was looking for advice from Gardaí and that the calls were causing “great stress and upset”.  Superintendent John Galvin agreed the problem is widespread and he appealed to people not to open suspicious text messages in particular. “We are looking into all aspects of this issue,’ he said. “It’s a national and international problem. A lot of …

THE generous spirt of a young Scariff woman is to be remembered in a donation programme to support charities in East Clare. The annual charitable initiative of Derg Credit Union will honour one of its late members, Lasairfhíona Kennedy. The credit union invites charities operating within the common bond to enter an application process for a chance to obtain €5,000 for their charity. The amount allocated to the fund is decided by the board each year. This year’s winners are the East Clare St Vincent De Paul, “a very worthy cause in light of the difficult times we are in,” a spokesperson said.  In 2021, Lasairfhíona, a young member of the Credit Union, sadly passed away. Lasairfhíona, saved her money in a Jar she called ‘The Helping Hand’. The proceeds of the jar were regularly lodged to her credit union account and then sent by cheque to her various charities. The name of her jar reflected a theme ‘The Giving …

AN online lecture delivered by Kilrush and District Historical Society was disrupted by a number of people with sexist and racist abuse, while they also exposed themselves and displayed pornography, writes Owen Ryan. The lecture was being given by Dr Mary McAuliffe, a historian, lecturer and Director of the Gender Studies Programme at UCD, who described herself as being “pretty shocked” by the events of the evening.  She said that a decision had to be taken to shut down the lecture. “We had to abandon it, the images were of porn, there were naked genitalia. Then there was the screaming, it wasn’t just images there were voices and in the chat function there were horrific things, sexist abuse, racist abuse. Everything was being impacted.” Dr McAuliffe also said that sex acts could be seen coming from some of the accounts on the call, but it was unclear if they had been recorded or were being shown live. There have been …