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‘OUTSIDE influence’ was described as a major threat to the vitality of rural Clare at a meeting of a local authority committee this week.  At the briefing on the Draft County Development Plan 2023-2029, Rural Committee Chairperson Councillor Pat Hayes said the public need to know that Clare is being ‘dictated to’ by The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR). In a detailed presentation, Senior Planner Helen Quinn outlined how a target of 4,500 new housing units, over the lifetime of the plan, had been set by Government. “The location of these houses is reflected in our settlement strategy,” she explained. “We are tasked with looking at areas for housing and have to identify lands for residential development which are capable of being serviced in the lifecycle of the plan.”  Councillor Joe Killeen expressed “complete disappointment” at the focus of population growth on Ennis and the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area. “People will move into built-up areas and rural communities will not …

Senan Lillis with an appreciation of former Clare Champion columnist the late Fr Kevin McNamara TUESDAY, December 21, was the shortest day of the year and also, for so many, the darkest day of the year. On that day, news reached us of the sudden passing of our neighbour, leader, mentor, pastor and friend, Fr Kevin McNamara, PP of Glenflesk, County Kerry. At times in darkest winter, it’s difficult to imagine the wonders of the spring and visualise the fruits of the harvest. The silent and sudden presence of Fr Kevin’s passing has resonated deeply with us for it was Kevin who showed us how to tap into our inner selves allowing us to find meaning in our own experiences. Kevin, you will live forever in our hearts; your earthly work is done, your mission is complete, you have paved the generous and spiritual pathway of so many. While Kevin was revered throughout the diocese of Kerry for his great …

WORKS to prepare for the installation of high-speed broadband infrastructure are underway currently in a number of areas of East and South East Clare, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has confirmed.  The organisation said that over 3,600 premises around Kilkishen have been surveyed to-date, with network designs completed to deliver the new Fibre to the Home (FTTH) network in the area. NBI crews have started initial works for the build in townlands including Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge, Latoon, Ballyhannon, Cloughlea, Bunratty, Shannon and Spancilhill.  These are described as ‘make ready’ works which will pave the way for the next stage of deploying fibre on poles/ducts, and include the erection of poles, unblocking of ducts, and the insertion of subduct into existing ducts, for the fibre to be installed. In this county, there are 22,719 premises in the Intervention Area (IA). These include homes, farms, commercial businesses and schools. This equates to 33% of all premises in the county. The investment in this county is an estimated …

THE HSE is coming under increasing pressure to provide more dental care after it emerged 3,148 Clare children are waiting for a routine dental appointment, writes Dan Danaher. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has claimed the HSE is failing Clare children under the Health Act by not providing them with their statutory entitlement of routine dental screening in primary schools. The Sinn Féin Deputy urged the government to take urgent action against the “unacceptable” figures. “The HSE is not providing adequate dental screening to primary school children and is failing children under the Health Act. “In Clare, there are an estimated 3,148 children are waiting for a routine dental appointment. “Failure to provide this important healthcare runs the risk of seriously harming children’s health. These figures are totally unacceptable and reveal a growing crisis in children’s dental care.” Prior to Covid, reports from The Irish Dental Association (IDA) stated that an increasing number of children are only being offered examination and dental …

OVER 200 people marched through Ennis this afternoon (Saturday, January 29) in what was described as “the first of many” protests by homeowners with defective concrete blocks.  Members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) were supported by campaigners from Donegal and Mayo – the only two counties currently covered by the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme; as well as homeowners from Limerick and Sligo. Speaking in the shadow of the O’Connell monument at The Height, campaigners from other counties pledged their support while homeowners here spoke of their frustration.  “The Minister for Housing visited my house on August 27 and he was such a lovely man,” Mary Hanley of CPAG told the crowd. “He was so pleasant, he was so nice and he was feeing so sorry for me. I said to him, ‘If this grant isn’t given soon, I’ll be six foot under’. His answer to me was, ‘Oh, not at all Mary no, a couple of weeks’. Now, …

PLANNING permission is being sought for a 27-bedroom extension at Hotel Doolin. The extension would also include a new entrance and reception area, along with 28 new parking spaces. The area of the extension would be 1,688 square metres, over two floors. A document accompanying the application points out that the hotel’s success, and that of the Wild Atlantic Way means additional capacity is required to cater for increased tourism. “The hotel wishes to ensure that all tourists wishing to stay and provide economic stimulus in the area can be accommodated in a quality environment.” It claims that without the additional accommodation there would be negative economic results for Doolin and West Clare. Recent years have seen frequent complaints that Clare isn’t getting the benefit it should from the Cliffs of Moher, with many visiting and then leaving the county straight away. The thrust of Clare’s tourism policy is now to address this issue, and the application says the new …

WITH restrictions having been relaxed from last Saturday morning, suddenly people were given more freedom than they have seen in almost two years. It should mark the beginning of a positive spring season for Clare retailers, with Covid fears presumably set to fall along with the risk of infection. Gwen Culligan, proprietor of the County Boutique on O’Connell Street in in Ennis said things are finally looking up. “Yes, we are looking forward to a good season ahead, it’s all very positive and we’re looking forward to better times,” she told The Champion. It was only on Friday evening, January 21, that people found out the restrictions would be gone the following morning, and she said the Saturday, generally the busiest shopping day of the week, wasn’t unusually hectic, but given the time of year that wouldn’t have been unexpected. “We were busy, but this time of year would be a quieter time for us anyway. People will mostly be …

THE Parish Priest of Tulla has repeated his call for a period of reflection and healing, as pandemic restrictions finally lift and a day of national commemoration is planned.  Fr Brendan Quinlivan, who is also Diocesan Communications Officer, welcomed plans for remembrance events on Sunday, March 20, and urged that all of the losses and sacrifices endured since early 2020 be acknowledged. Figures released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show that 150 people in Clare died with Covid-19 between March 3 2020 and January 18 of this year.  Last March, in the height of a Level 5 lockdown, Fr Quinlivan warned of an impending crisis of unsolved grief and loss, and urged the Government to address those issues as soon as the Covid emergency abated.  “It’s very important that we acknowledge in a formal way and a ritual way, the great sense of loss experienced in so many ways over the last two years,” he said. “First and …