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CENSUS 2022 will add figure work for more than 130 people in County Clare among its number gathering. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) needs to hire 137 census enumerators to deliver and collect census forms to and from every home in Clare next year. Census 2022 will take place on Sunday, April 3, next year. The results from the census are vital to planning the future of public services in Clare and nationwide. To deliver a successful census the team of 137 enumerators will be required to deliver and collect census forms to approximately 43,000 households across the county. Enumerators can earn up to €3,200 for working 10 weeks part-time, between February 28 and May 6, 2022. An online application process opens on November 25 at www.census.ie. Speaking about the role of a census enumerator, Eileen Murphy, head of census administration said, “A census enumerator is a job that really counts. Those who undertake this rewarding position will be providing …

  UL Hospitals’ Group vaccinators will continue operating three Walk-In Dose One and Dose Two Vaccine Clinics this weekend, starting from Friday. These clinics are strictly for Dose One and Dose Two vaccines, and should not be attended by anyone seeking a third vaccine dose. The Walk-In Dose One and Dose Two clinics will be held at the Mid-West Covid-19 Vaccination Centres in Ennis Hospital in the former Outpatients’ Department on Friday, November 26, from 4 to 7pm in the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh on Saturday from 4 to 6pm and in Limerick Racecourse on Sunday, November 28 from 2 to 6pm. Anyone attending a walk-in clinic for a second dose should bring their vaccine record card. A minimum of 21 days must have passed after Pfizer Dose 1 before Dose 2 is administered. The interval is 28 days for people who have received AstraZeneca/Moderna Dose 1 and are presenting for Pfizer Dose Two. People presenting, whether for Dose One …

WITH high levels of absenteeism among both children and staff during the current wave of the pandemic, it’s a difficult time in the county’s schools. Peter Walsh, principal of St Conaire’s in Shannon said that a lot of problems have to be dealt with. “I suppose there’s more Covid in the community and therefore there’s more in the schools. The children aren’t vaccinated so they’re bound to be more susceptible when it is in the community. “The lack of contact tracing also causes us an issue, in relation to it being pulled from schools. You see the schools replicating what’s happening in the community, I guess.” With teachers absent across all schools, it is increasingly difficult to find cover. “The vast majority would be vaccinated, but the problem is if they are off we are having difficulty replacing them, it’s a system-wide crisis. “We have a supply panel, a couple of supply panels actually here in Clare, but they tend …

New project looks to enable frontline practitioners achieve best outcomes for children CAMPAIGNER against domestic abuse Luke Harte has described a new resource launched in County Clare as a crucial step towards giving all children the best chance in life. The information resource for frontline practitioners ‘Listen, Hear, Act’ is aimed at providing enhanced awareness and understanding of children living with domestic abuse was launched on UN International Day of the Child in county Clare. The resource provides insight on how children don’t just witness domestic violence as passive bystanders, but see it, hear it and feel it. An in-depth project, it has been undertaken jointly by The Clare Local Area Network Opposing Violence Against Women (CLAN) and has been funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The project also provides information on how to identify the signs of domestic abuse in children, as well as a roadmap on how to access suitable services to help …

CLARE businesses may be hit with a 3.8% increase in commercial rates, if local county councillors approve the first hike since 2009 in the Draft 2022 Budget at a meeting this Friday, writes Dan Danaher. With Clare County Council’s overall expenditure projected to increase to €138.6 million in 2022, up €7.8 million on the previous year, it is expected this proposed rates increase will generate an additional €1.3 million in revenue, if it is approved. The Clare Champion has learned that councilllors were presented with this proposed commercial rates increase at a recent briefing. In total, 3,430 occupied properties generated €37.2 million in commercial property rates in 2021. Ten levied properties pay more than €20 million. This income comes from energy generation plants, windfarms, global utility networks, national retailers and large industry. The balance of about €17 million is levied across 96% of properties in the county. While income from extra properties or new builds will generate an extra €1.15 …

A CONCERTED campaign is being sought to tackle a junction on the main artery into East Clare, where people are “putting their lives at risk”. Several members of the Killaloe Municipal District issued stark warnings about the situation at Henchy’s Cross on the R352. The intersection is one of the preferred routes for traffic coming from the mart in Ennis and Shannon Airport onto the busy regional road. At the November meeting of the district, Councillor Pat Hayes appealed to the Killaloe director to make a case for major safety works. Efforts have been ongoing to secure funding from the Department of Transport for a major €2m scheme. To date, this has not been approved and the meeting heard that interim safety works are expected to begin next year. A frustrated Councillor Hayes said there had been several accidents at the junction and he did not want to see fatalities happen. “I’m calling on our Director of Services to take …

The Irish Community Air Ambulance is asking supporters and businesses to help it Light Up The Sky and sponsor a star to fund lifesaving missions this Christmas. In the past year, the air ambulance attended incidents in county Clare over 50 times, accounting for 12% out of a total of 468 taskings. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) is Ireland’s only charity-funded Air Ambulance. It responds to serious incidents and medical emergencies every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from its base in Rathcoole, Co. Cork. There were 42 taskings during December 2020, including one on Christmas Day. Crews launched 12 times between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve to counties Cork, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford costing an estimated €42,000. Each helicopter mission costs an average of €3,500, all of which has to be raised or donated. The HEMS Air Ambulance has been tasked by the National Ambulance Service to 468 incidents so far in 2021. One in …

CLARE County Council has won a Chambers Ireland award for an initiative that identifies opportunities to improve communities’ quality of life and advance economic development. The 2021 Excellence in Local Government (ELG) Award was earned for an initiative to restructure its four Municipal Districts (MDs) of Ennis, Killaloe, Shannon and West Clare. The Council’s winning entry was entitled ‘Restructuring of Municipal Districts to improve community and economic outcomes’. The restructuring initiative involved the realignment of staff structures at MD level in Clare County Council to identify and advance opportunities for economic development and to improve the quality of life of communities in County Clare. Under the initiative, a senior staff member – Senior Executive Officer (SEO) – was assigned to each of the MDs, and each MD was assigned to a Director of Service. The overall objectives of the restructuring were to: identify and develop sustainable solutions to enhance the wellbeing and quality of life of local communities; advance opportunities …