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THE descendants of two Clare men who took part in a hunger strike in Mountjoy prison in September 1917 will lay a wreath at a unique commemoration in Ennis this weekend. Officers from the Irish Prison Service will take part in the ceremony marking one of the most significant events in the revolutionary period. In September 1917, 38 men including 16 from Clare, took part in the hunger strike in Mountjoy prison, changing the course of Irish history. This Sunday’s ceremony will commence at 12 noon at the monument to the Clare Mountjoy Hunger Strikers at the Monastery Park, Cappahard, Ennis. Mary Crawford chairperson of the Mid Clare Commemoration Committee described this weekend’s commemoration as “very significant” given the involvement of the Irish Prison Service. Governor James Kelly, Mountjoy Prison will give an address as part of the ceremony. Ms Crawford explains that the local group were contacted by the Irish Prison Service to support the holding of the event …

ENNIS has been named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2021. It was named as the winner at Friday afternoon’s ceremony. Ennis also took the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre. At the ceremony Minister Heather Humphreys announced Ennis as the winner, while presenter Anne Cassin said that its Tidy Towns group had done great work to keep people positive during the pandemic. She said adjudicators had found that that Ennis had excelled on social media, while they praised initiatives such as artwork on the town’s drain covers, which were described as “combining the aesthetic with the practical”. Also praised were the town’s parklet, the work done on pollinators, gum drop bins, and sustainability initiatives such as school walking buses and the town’s bike week. MORE TO FOLLOW

A PROMINENT Ennis retailer has raised concerns over the impression created by rough sleeping in the heart of the town, writes Fiona McGarry. Oliver Moylan of The Ennis Cash Company said the presence of a small number of people sleeping in an area around the top of O’Connell Street is creating a negative image of the town, particularly in the busy run in to Christmas. Those providing emergency accommodation, meanwhile, have said they are fully prepared to engage with rough sleepers, and that there is sufficient provision in Ennis so that nobody should be without a bed at night. Mr Moylan, who contacted The Champion to raise his concerns, is proprietor of a business trading since the 1880s. “People sleeping rough on the main street is creating a terrible impression of Ennis, especially as businesses are trying to get back on their feet and really need footfall and shoppers back on the streets,” he said. “There are people spreading out …

SAINT Francis Credit Union Clare Community Games has warned that unless it can find volunteers for its executive committee, then the county will not have a community games. The organisation, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year has put a call out for volunteers to fill posts on its committee. The call comes on foot of the organisation’s AGM last week, which was held via Zoom. Seventeen of the registered areas were in attendance and the meeting proceeded well until the election of the executive committee. Nine members of the outgoing committee did not seek re-election and nominations for these positions were not put forward. The meeting was adjourned and will reconvene on Tuesday, November 30 at 8pm. Areas are now encouraged to hold their Annual General Meeting and put names forward for the positions which are vacant. The vacant positions include: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Games Director, Youth Officer. A Children’s Officer will also be appointed. …

CLARE people have been urged to limit their social activity following a dramatic rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases in recent weeks. Public Health Mid-West are advising people in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary to limit social activity in order to reduce the level of Covid-19 in the community. Infection rates have doubled in the region in recent weeks, which is similar to January levels. Unlike the January wave, the Department of Public Health are seeing a lower incidence of illness and death thanks to the successful vaccination programme to date. However, due to the sharp escalation in new cases in recent weeks, breakthrough infections with serious outcomes are more likely to occur. The department continue to encourage everyone to register for a free Covid-19 vaccine, to avail of a second dose if they have not already done so, and if eligible to avail of the booster vaccine when they receive their text message from the HSE. On November 8, there …

COUNCILLORS are seeking a review of spending on public toilets after a Clare Champion investigation revealed the local authority spends almost €180,000 renting five automated public conveniences in different locations, writes Dan Danaher. The expenditure on contract automated public conveniences increased slightly from €179,202 in 2020 to €179,714 in 2021, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. This includes an annual cost of €37,834 for a single automated public convenience in Killaloe, Market, Ennis, Abbey Street, Ennis, Kilkee and €28,375 in Kilrush. The cost of running and maintaining permanent facilities in Lahinch Seaworld fell from €49,701 to €37,355, while expenditure on Lissycasey public convenience fell from €7,077 to €2,012. This doesn’t include the estimated cost of €141,500 additional temporary public toilets that were put in place from May 1 to September 1. The authority spent €50,000 providing toilet facilities in Doolin Pier, €40,000 on Fanore Beach, €21,500 in Ballyalla, Ennis, €14,000 in Ballycuggeran, Killaloe and €6,000 in …

THE turnover of Clare’s retained firefighters is “like a revolving door” with 47 people leaving the service since 2016, a meeting of Clare County Council was told this week. However, council CEO Pat Dowling has insisted “Clare Fire and Rescue Service is not in a state of crisis.” Councillor Liam Grant, who works as a retained firefighter in Ennistymon, outlined that a full crew at Killaloe fire station would usually consist of nine firefighters but there are just seven at the moment. “There’s a lot of pressure being put on those seven and if they don’t get back-up, I’m full sure some will resign. When fully staffed we have 75 retained firefighters in the county. Since 2016, 47 people have left the fire service in Clare that weren’t at retirement age. We’ve had a turnover of about 60% in the last few years. It wasn’t because they retired, they just didn’t want to do it anymore. This is not sustainable”. He …

UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick has been criticised as “most overcrowded and under-resourced hospital in the state” by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne, as the number of patients on trolleys increased from 70 to 77 this week, writes Dan Danaher. New figures produced by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show UHL was the most overcrowded hospital with 1,269 patients on trolleys last month. This compares to 943 patients waiting for beds in University Hospital Letterkenny: 829 in University Hospital Galway and 688 in University Hospital Cork. In fact, the number of patients on trolleys increased fivefold in UHL from 244 in October 2013 to 1,269 in October 2021. The number of patients on trolleys in Ennis Hospital increased from just three in October 2020 to 30 last month. The current levels of Covid-19 have had an impact on staffing. The number of staff on Covid-19 related leave has increased from 50 last week to 71 this week. In addition, there are 27 staff …