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Clare Crusaders are very busy gearing up for their eagerly-awaited Tractor Run on Sunday, August 29. This is the first public fundraising event the clinic has been able to organise, in view of the fact it is open-air, and it is regarded as very safe to comply with stringent Covid-19 guidelines. Starting at 2pm, the Tractor Run goes from Barefield up the back road to Ruan, on to Tubber and Crusheen, before returning to Barefield village. It is expected that up to 100 vintage and modern tractors will participate in the run. It costs €20 for tractors to participate and money will also be raised from a raffle. Raffle tickets are currently on sale in the clinic and can be also purchased on the day. Tractors can park in Hassett’s car park, at the clinic, on the main road and up towards the school. All the participants will be staying in their tractor and will follow an arranged route, while …

SAFETY works are being sought in South East Clare where a busy summer of staycations has brought record visitor numbers to the area. Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney welcomed the boost to the local economy and commended everyone involved in developing amenities in areas around Ogonnelloe, Ballycuggeran and Two-Mile Gate. However, he repeated an appeal to Clare County Council for safety and traffic management works to facilitate locals and visitors alike. “It’s really important that traffic calming goes into Ogonnelloe,” the Fine Gael member said “We are all aware that this is a long, drawn-out village and with the Killaloe Bypass and bridge crossing set to come on stream, where will be additional traffic travelling through Ogonnelloe. It’s vitally important, going forward, that traffic calming goes in.” The chairperson also noted the ongoing work of volunteers in Ogonnelloe. “There is a very active community council in the village,” he said. “They’ve done wonderful work and they …

AMID some clerical changes within the diocese, Father Robert McNamara will be replacing Reverend Conor Cunningham as Parish Priest in Lisdoonvarna, while the latter takes a sabbatical until 2022. Father Robert will be travelling from Craughwell parish in Galway, where he served as administrator, but is a familiar face to many in Lisdoonvarna as he has often held service in Reverend Cunningham’s stead, when needed, over the years. Before his role as administrator he also served in the Regional Hospital Galway as a chaplain, and even earlier in his career he completed a few years working in the Philippines as well. Father Robert said, “I am honoured and delighted to be appointed Parish Priest in Lisdoonvarna, and I never thought I would get the position. The people there are so nice, and it is such a lovely place.” Father Robert challenged the popular perception that congregations are ageing and that less young people are attending Mass, insisting that he has …

WITH the Taliban extending their sphere of control almost immediately after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, there has been more criticism of the use of Shannon Airport by the US army. Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan said that Ireland has been complicit in the situation. “The history of Afghanistan has been one of tragedy for many decades now. “The US has left a legacy of chaos and carnage behind them, and successive Irish governments should reflect on how their betrayal of Irish neutrality facilitated this. “According to data from Harvard University and the Brown University Costs of War project, 172,000 people have died directly as a result of the war waged by US forces. This figure does not include thousands more who died as an indirect result of the conflict due to displacement and disease, or the hundreds of thousands more people forced to flee as refugees. “Many of those US forces made their way to that war via Shannon …

New state-of-the-art clubhouse on Lough Derg shores will allow Killaloe Sailing Club to develop to its true potential KILLALOE Sailing Club is on the crest of a wave following the start of construction work on its new state-of-the-art €700,000 club house facility on the shores of Lough Derg. It is expected the new club house will be fully constructed by the end of the year. Phase one consists of the car and sailing dinghy park. The second phase involves the construction of the new modern building, which will provide proper on-shore facilities for club members. Jim Ryan, long standing member and driving force behind the club development, highlighted that the new facilities will greatly enhance the club’s offering to its current members, and will also provide a wonderful amenity for the populations of the wider Clare, Tipperary and Limerick area. “Until now, the club has been somewhat limited in developing its true potential due to the very poor on-shore facilities …

Actor and writer Siobhán Hewlett speaks to Dan Danaher about her love of north Clare and battling stage fright AT the age of 24, and flushed from success with ITV comedy Fortysomething, Siobhán Hewlett, was cast in her first big stage role. As opening night approached, the actor, who is now based in Lahinch, began to feel the onset of that which her profession dreads the most – stage fright. Actors, surveyed for a recent academic study on stage fright, have variously outlined symptoms ranging from swollen tongues to fainting, uncontrollable crying, cold sweats, breathing difficulties and palpitations. Cast to play a “sex kitten” in her first big play at the Donmar Warehouse, one of the best theatres in London, Siobhan recalls, “I will never forget just suddenly being terrified at the first preview. “I had consumed about five bottles of rescue remedy just before the press night. I remember sitting on stage and I thought I was fine. I …

TWO Italian brothers who were almost killed on Inis Mór two years ago before being saved by the crew of Shannon-based Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 115 helicopter were back in Ireland last week, thanking those who helped them. Giovanni and Ricardo Zanon were in Ireland in 2019, to attend the Father Ted tribute event Tedfest, on Inis Mór. Father Ted was of course a phenomenally popular 90s comedy, and the two brothers, who visited the Coast Guard base in Shannon last Thursday love the show, just as thousands of Irish people do. “We are fans of Father Ted, strange as it may seem, we saw all the episodes multiple times. We decided to go there for Tedfest, I think it’s something they have every year,” says Giovanni. While attending they went to see Poll na bPéist (the Wormhole) on the island. At the time they arrived Giovanni felt things were quite safe. “It was February and the weather was cold, but …

THE AVERAGE class size in Clare was the third lowest in Munster last year, but was still much higher than the EU average. Figures revealed in a Dáil question to Sinn Féin have revealed the average class size in Clare was 22.2 last year, slightly less than 22 in Kerry and 22.1 in Tipperary, Cork County had the highest class size in Munster with 23.5, which was followed by Waterford on 23.4 and Limerick on 23.1. The average class size in Clare dropped from 23.1 to 22.2 from 2017 to 2020. There were 74 classes in the Banner county with more than 30 children in them. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne said the Covid-19 pandemic has shown Ireland’s education system is underfunded, understaffed and overcrowded. “The reality is, that keeping school buildings open in the last year was made much more difficult because we have some of the highest class sizes in Europe. “In Clare, there was a shocking 36 kids sharing …